The M888 from IAI goes here in the Atlanta area for a little over $400. I've got one and a Universal too. Love them both. Get one, you'll never regret it. Great for plinking and adequate for self defense with soft points. When I head to the range other guns switch out but the M1 always goes. Better think about reloading though, those 30 round mags empty out fast.
Why do I want an M1 Carbine?
- Thread starter Nightcrawler
- Start date
Johnny Guest
Moderator in Memoriam
Oh, wurra, wurra - - -
At a meeting the other night, friend was talking about the IAI M888 and considering purchase. I got to thinking about the handiness of the little piece, and a recent article in SWAT magazine. And about one I bought over 30 years ago (Inland 1944, $60 back then.)
All of a sudden I find myself reading every post about the type. I have always been one of the big detractors, especially for hunting. They are not powerful enough tor conventional deer hunting. (Yeah, I know there have been manymanymany deer killed with 'em - - -and manymanymany deer crippled and lost with 'em as well. The carbine is not accurate enough for varmint hunting. And it certainly is not a battle rifle, from the standpoint of popping an enemy soldier at 300-yards-;plus.
But, "for what it's for," the .30 USC is a pretty good tool. And, as pointed out previously, a true piece of history. Other threads have covered how many of us were influenced to obtain a certain type arm after seeing a certain movie or TV show. (I think I still have four or five of those.)
So, now I am offered a Winchester carbine--S/n is said to indicate 1943 production but it has a very nice Underwood 4-44 barrel. Overall very good condition except that someone's sanded and Tru-Oiled the stock. Restorable except for the cartouches. It has late sight and band with bayonet lug. Two-rivet handguard. I feel it is an arsenal re-do. No importer's mark. Asking was $450, and the dealer won't come off $425. The IAIs go for about $450 around this area. I like the idea of a real GI, and especially a Winchester, but I don't kid myself that it is a collector's item.
Any input on this one?
Nightcrawler - - - please excuse my piggybacking your topic, but I don't see much sense in covering much the same stuff in parallel threads.
Thanks in advance.
Johnny
At a meeting the other night, friend was talking about the IAI M888 and considering purchase. I got to thinking about the handiness of the little piece, and a recent article in SWAT magazine. And about one I bought over 30 years ago (Inland 1944, $60 back then.)
All of a sudden I find myself reading every post about the type. I have always been one of the big detractors, especially for hunting. They are not powerful enough tor conventional deer hunting. (Yeah, I know there have been manymanymany deer killed with 'em - - -and manymanymany deer crippled and lost with 'em as well. The carbine is not accurate enough for varmint hunting. And it certainly is not a battle rifle, from the standpoint of popping an enemy soldier at 300-yards-;plus.
But, "for what it's for," the .30 USC is a pretty good tool. And, as pointed out previously, a true piece of history. Other threads have covered how many of us were influenced to obtain a certain type arm after seeing a certain movie or TV show. (I think I still have four or five of those.)
So, now I am offered a Winchester carbine--S/n is said to indicate 1943 production but it has a very nice Underwood 4-44 barrel. Overall very good condition except that someone's sanded and Tru-Oiled the stock. Restorable except for the cartouches. It has late sight and band with bayonet lug. Two-rivet handguard. I feel it is an arsenal re-do. No importer's mark. Asking was $450, and the dealer won't come off $425. The IAIs go for about $450 around this area. I like the idea of a real GI, and especially a Winchester, but I don't kid myself that it is a collector's item.
Any input on this one?
Nightcrawler - - - please excuse my piggybacking your topic, but I don't see much sense in covering much the same stuff in parallel threads.
Thanks in advance.
Johnny
Johnny...
I am not a Carbine expert by any means, but my recommendation would be to check out the barrel and muzzle. If they seem good, then I say get it. The reason is that Carbines are desired items and the dealer probably will find someone who will buy it at that price. I do not think you will get one much lower unless you luck out and find someone selling one privately and is not as savvy about prices. If it is in good shape it will probably be worth it.
For as many as were made, they do not seem to be flooding the market. Unless you go to a collector and then they want higher prices.
I wish you luck, they are fun guns to shoot.
I am not a Carbine expert by any means, but my recommendation would be to check out the barrel and muzzle. If they seem good, then I say get it. The reason is that Carbines are desired items and the dealer probably will find someone who will buy it at that price. I do not think you will get one much lower unless you luck out and find someone selling one privately and is not as savvy about prices. If it is in good shape it will probably be worth it.
For as many as were made, they do not seem to be flooding the market. Unless you go to a collector and then they want higher prices.
I wish you luck, they are fun guns to shoot.
glock glockler
New member
http://www.unclehenrys.com/ViewEntireCategory.cfm?desc=Firearms
Here you go again Nightcrawler, look towards the bottom, I believe it's going for $350.
Good Luck
Here you go again Nightcrawler, look towards the bottom, I believe it's going for $350.
Good Luck
I'll admit that they are fun guns to shoot, but I take issue with the notion of them being effective combat weapons, especially given the choices currently available in ammo. The military FMJ load is a weakling! Roughly .38 Special stopping power, only with better accuracy. The weapons are also very temperamental in cold weather, although in a home defense situation that isn't as much of an issue unless you can't afford to pay the electric bill.
If somebody (anyone from Cor-Bon listening???) would come up with a good JSP, JHP, or fragmentation load for the .30 Carbine pushed to +P velocities, then maybe we'd finally be talking!
If somebody (anyone from Cor-Bon listening???) would come up with a good JSP, JHP, or fragmentation load for the .30 Carbine pushed to +P velocities, then maybe we'd finally be talking!
Brian Williams
New member
This was part of a post called carbine or rifle
IMHO, the carbine is the most underrated firearm around. Somewhere along the line, the idea got started that a carbine was the "worst of both worlds." Not as potent as a rifle or shotgun, but not concealable like a handgun. That's just "glass is half empty" thinking. Here's the way I look at it.
A good carbine in .44 Magnum (lever of semi) will offer:
Vs. Rifle:
--Fewer overpentration concerns
--Ease and speed of aiming
--More Capacity
--Easier to manipulate at close quarters
--Easier to use when delivering a patented Duke Smackdown (see Rio Bravo for questions).
--Less recoil
--Less blast and flash
Vs. Shotgun:
--Easier to aim and far more accurate
--Easier to hit the correct target when dealing with a tangle of people (or a person and a dog).
--More Capacity
--Much less recoil
--Less chance of spraying the wrong target with shot
--Much less blast and flash
Vs. Handgun
--More powerful
--MUCH more accurate (fifty yards is no-miss with a good levergun)
--Much less recoil
--Greater capacity
--More effective as a close combat weapon.
The carbine/shotgun call is very close. The bottom line is, shoot what you'll be TOTALLY comfortable with at two AM when the window breaks and the dog goes nuts. For some that's a nice Mossberg, for others a Marlin 1894P or Win '92.
Consider the Carbine..
IMHO, the carbine is the most underrated firearm around. Somewhere along the line, the idea got started that a carbine was the "worst of both worlds." Not as potent as a rifle or shotgun, but not concealable like a handgun. That's just "glass is half empty" thinking. Here's the way I look at it.
A good carbine in .44 Magnum (lever of semi) will offer:
Vs. Rifle:
--Fewer overpentration concerns
--Ease and speed of aiming
--More Capacity
--Easier to manipulate at close quarters
--Easier to use when delivering a patented Duke Smackdown (see Rio Bravo for questions).
--Less recoil
--Less blast and flash
Vs. Shotgun:
--Easier to aim and far more accurate
--Easier to hit the correct target when dealing with a tangle of people (or a person and a dog).
--More Capacity
--Much less recoil
--Less chance of spraying the wrong target with shot
--Much less blast and flash
Vs. Handgun
--More powerful
--MUCH more accurate (fifty yards is no-miss with a good levergun)
--Much less recoil
--Greater capacity
--More effective as a close combat weapon.
The carbine/shotgun call is very close. The bottom line is, shoot what you'll be TOTALLY comfortable with at two AM when the window breaks and the dog goes nuts. For some that's a nice Mossberg, for others a Marlin 1894P or Win '92.
Here's some beautiful restorations by Miltech. It goes for as much as the Fulton though.
http://www.miltecharms.com
Dan
http://www.miltecharms.com
Dan
same reason anyone wants any TOY, I guess.
while it might have been a pretty fair weapon in its day, you can do far better today, for the same money, in a self built AR, and practice a LOT more cheaply, and indoors as well, with a $150 .22 conversion unit in that $500 AR15, plus have 2x the range, AP capability, use the current GI rd, mags, and parts, have an ambi safety, a scope, luminous inserts, etc.
while it might have been a pretty fair weapon in its day, you can do far better today, for the same money, in a self built AR, and practice a LOT more cheaply, and indoors as well, with a $150 .22 conversion unit in that $500 AR15, plus have 2x the range, AP capability, use the current GI rd, mags, and parts, have an ambi safety, a scope, luminous inserts, etc.
I woould not want an M-1 Carbine! The little 30 M-1 cartridge has never been a good stopper. I carried one in the military. It was a bad subsitute for the 1911.
My question is why not a RUGER? SAME BASIC ACTION You can get one in 22-LR, 44-Magnum, 762-39 and 223. The last two calibers are good stoppers.
My question is why not a RUGER? SAME BASIC ACTION You can get one in 22-LR, 44-Magnum, 762-39 and 223. The last two calibers are good stoppers.
Marko Kloos
Inactive
.44 Magnum out of a carbine barrel is pretty potent stuff...no idea why you'd think it wasn't a good stopper.
In regards to the .30 Carbine round: I wonder why 900fpe out of a handgun is considered the Hammer of Thor, and 900fpe out of a carbine is considered weak and anemic. If the carbine is measured against a battle rifle, it has poor ballistics. If you compare it to a handgun (which is the more proper comparison), it is clearly superior in all respects except concealability.
In regards to the .30 Carbine round: I wonder why 900fpe out of a handgun is considered the Hammer of Thor, and 900fpe out of a carbine is considered weak and anemic. If the carbine is measured against a battle rifle, it has poor ballistics. If you compare it to a handgun (which is the more proper comparison), it is clearly superior in all respects except concealability.