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Monday, May 21, 2012

Any M1 Carbine Gearheads out here?

So the barrel is marked 7-43, Inland MFG.  and I found this:


















There is a "P", a "w" and and "s" stamping here. Anyone know anything about this stuff?

Trigger Group housing looks like this:


















I have read two books on this rifle and book smarts don't translate into experience. What should I be looking for on this rifle to determine its provenance?

Thanks for the help on this old girl!
Posted by Keads at 5:12 PM
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15 comments:

  1. Old NFOMay 21, 2012 at 5:48 PM

    Sorry, I'm no help on carbines... I'd say search the forums or get a Kuhnhausen manual http://www.guncraftbooks.com/Details.cfm?ProdID=156&category=14

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  2. Murphy's LawMay 21, 2012 at 6:38 PM

    Trigger group stamp is Inland logo, from Inland Manufacturing Division, just like the rest of your carbine. Made at the GM plant in Dayton, Ohio. The markings on the barrel flat are typical of Inland barrels--they smacked all sorts of stuff down there which meant things to them only. I'd guess that the P was for the proof firing. Other two are probably in-house inspector's marks. But you'll have to research it more if you want something more definitive.

    BTW, the IO mark on your stock indicated that it was made by the S.E. Overton co of South Haven, MI. They supplied Inland with stocks. Probably original to your rifle.

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    Replies
    1. KeadsMay 23, 2012 at 4:54 PM

      Thanks Murph! The proof will be in the pudding. I am going to shoot this rifle Friday after work.

      Delete
  3. DukeMay 22, 2012 at 5:17 AM

    I like the old M1 carbines, I have one marked 'united postal meter' they are kinda rare. Most of these rifles were made my anyone with a factory capable of producing the parts and then the parts were sent to central facility to be mated together and stamped with serial numbers. Usually a 'W' stamp means Winchester had a hand in it somewhere.

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  4. Mrs. S.May 22, 2012 at 7:17 AM

    Hubby's not an expert, but when he saw the pictures he said, you probably have something quite special there, certainly more rare than the standard M1. Whatever the provenance, hope you enjoy your new/old carbine.

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  5. AnonymousMay 22, 2012 at 7:39 AM

    You have a plain vanilla M-1 carb 1943 inland, Rebult in the 1948 "cleen and repair program; new/replacement parts are the rear sight and bayonet lug. P is a proof mark, S tands for sighted, W=? Oh! and your cliplatch is probably rebult for the 30rd mag and yor safty catch replaced(origanal was push button) These wepons were still in use by units of the regular us army, as late as 1963. The NG still used them as late as 1973! Year book photos show the 1/22 4th ID training with M-1s in 1962-1963.

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  6. Sport PilotMay 22, 2012 at 8:00 AM

    I have the near mirror image of your M1 Carbine, Inland all the way.

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  7. kx59May 22, 2012 at 8:19 PM

    So, the question remains. What name have you given the "old girl"?

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  8. JimMay 24, 2012 at 3:14 AM

    Without having your new carbine at hand, I think Anon 7:39 is at least close on provenance. Your markings make it a "mostly" -- at least -- Inland product, but if it went through a rehab anywhere, all bets are off on the origin of other parts, just as they are with 1911 and A1s.

    After a period of field service, questionable weapons went to a repair or rebuild station of one sort or another. At the lowest level, battalion armorers would refresh them from kits whose parts could have come from any of the contractors or from cannabalized guns. At the other end hundreds of thousands went to arsenals for full rehabs, again replacing parts without much attention to their origin. I guess my point here is that every GI relic is an honorable piece of history. Mixed-origin parts simply reflect mid-century American ingenuity in keeping our warriors armed with reliable personal weapons even under horrible logistical conditions.

    My carbine appears to be an early full-flat-bolt Winchester, but I wouldn't bet a dime the pedigree is 100 per cent pure, and I don't much care.

    All this -- more than you wanted to know, probably -- excludes the obvious postwar reconstructs which mate GI and civilian parts, especially some of the early Universals.

    Bet: You're going to love shooting Suze. :)

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    Replies
    1. KeadsMay 25, 2012 at 5:08 PM

      Jim, there is no such thing as to much information! Thanks!

      Delete

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