Postal meter carbine

[johnboy]

I have a postal meter carbine serial number4195487
Barrel buffalo arms dated 12-43 with ord, bomb
Rear sight Flip mark with N-A no dimples org sight, s on left side.
Front sight has SN on it
Slide is marked UN
Long barrel skirt
Bolt ,flat,blue, has N 14 on lug
Firing pin ,blue N-N
Trigger housing bevel corners on rear, N 9 on left side
Trigger marked SN
Sear marked LN no hole
Hammer marked NH or HN
Safety marked SN
Mag catch blue, marked SN
Barrel band marked U swivel marked UI
All the parts are marked with the postal meter markings except the stock recoil plate which is Winchester
Hand guard is marked with a W (Winchester ) 2rivet
I need help with the stock low wood, small cartouche on right side no NPM overFJA and I can,t find no markings in sling well I think stock has been sanded, no rebuilt or import markings. The stock has a number under the butt plate 651 with two holes top and bottom,butt plate is Winchester , can anybody help me with this stock? It also has a flat bottom style, and the sling is marked S.M.Co 1944 and has c tip, thanks in advance John

[Tuna]

Your trigger housing is one from about late spring 1943 and would be too early for your serial number. The sear may be a bit too early also. You have a Winchester stock which is right for a later Winchester. Can you post a couple of photos of both sides of the rear sight?

[johnboy]

Can anybody give me a value of this carbine? I know pics would help but don,t know how just trying to see a ballpark figure , are postal meters carbines value more or less than other brands

[Tuna]

The stock sounds like it's a Winchester. Often a small W in the sling well but sometimes no markings at all. Pictures would sure help. Hard to put a value without seeing it. Condition is everything when a carbine is a collector piece or close to one which only needs a little to restore it. In general value would be about the same as other carbines BUT again condition is everything and a good NPM could bring a bit of a premium.

[Underwood]

johnboy,

FWIW, I have a sister to your NPM carbine. Mine is SN 4263xxx, I'm thinking made 2 or 3 of 43.
It has a lot of original parts, but shows the effect of an upgrade at UEF.
Barrel is IBM, no date
Rear sight I.R.CO. 7160060
Front sight marked RIA
Slide marked N 15
Short barrel skirt
Bolt is flat, blued and marked N on right lug, 6 on the left
Firing pin blue, marked SG
Trigger marked LN
Sear marked LN and no hole
Trigger housing has beveled rear corners, marked N 6 on left side
Hammer marked KR
Safety is type II, no mark
Mag catch marked HI
Barrel band with lug is not marked
The stock is a type II high wood converted to a type III low wood and I believe is original to the carbine. It is marked NPM over FJA (boxed) on the right side and .U. on the left. Sling well is marked TRIMBLE, over TN. Hand guard is also marked TN.

[Tuna]

As you thought your carbine has been through a full rebuild. It dates to about March 1944. At that time a low wood stock would have been standard on your carbine.

[Underwood]

Tuna,

You are right, 3-44. My bad on the typo.

Do you think the high wood on my stock was cut down by NPM before assembly, or by UEF in the upgrade?

Jim

[Tuna]

Done during the rebuild as was standard by about 1948 at Underwood. It's funny that during rebuilding that some stocks were not cut down while others were. I would guess that the ones cut down were from later rebuilding.

[Underwood]

Tuna, Thanks for your info. You are a valuable source here on the forums.

[Benny]

Anyone:
I have a NPM carbine, #4,311,98X, and the bbl. has no marks on it at all. I don't think it is a replacement as most all of it's other parts are correctly marked. Did NPM ever install unmarked bbl.? Benny.

[Tuna]

No, An unmarked barrel would be a replacement. It could also be an import that someone removed the import stamp on and in doing so removed the barrel ID at the same time. Also look on the barrel flat on the bottom for any markings on it. Let us know what you find.

[ChipS]

Benny:

Look for a very small 'BA' on or near the top of the barrel at about 2"-3" behind the fromt sight. Hard to see if you aren't looking for it. Also look for a single 'punch' mark in the top of the barrel about 6" behind the front sight.

[Benny]

Tuna:
Finally got around to taking apart my NPM and I will describe what I Found. NS or SN on front sight, S. on rear sight leaf style L and IN or NI on right side,UI on front bbl. band 1st. type,short metal liner on forearm shallow groove,2 rivet,TN on underneath (very faint)NO marks on stock anywhere, someone gouged out the marking in sling well,LN on underneath of recoil plate,NS or SN on push safety,N16 on trigger assembly,N14on bolt which is flat and blue, N15 on inside of operating slide,HI or IH on hammer, 23 on bottom of receiver where trigger assembly is held in placeby trigger housing retaining pin,no marks of any kind on bbl. including flats, nor is there any sign of import marks or bbl. date being removed. no M on magazine release button but NS inside on it's front near the trigger guard,SW-N onsear flat part over trigger 261/2 coil hammer spring, recoil spring guide is pointed at both ends. there IS even a repair to the buttstock's right side where it looks as if a bullet caused groove was filled in with plastic wood of some sort. Thanks. Benny

[Benny]

ChipS:
I have a bench mounted magnifying glass with light and I could not see any of the marks you mentioned. Benny.

[Tuna]

Benny, Is it at all possible that you could take some photos of the barrel? As many as you can like the area behind the front sight, the flat of the barrel and the area on the right side of the gas cylinder? This may help ID the barrel. Also look real close about half way down the barrel for a faint W or a WP one on top of the other. These can be very faint and hard to see.

[ChipS]

Benny:

Yes, I forgot how light the Winchester barrel marks noted by Tuna can be. But, if this is the original barrel it will most likely have the 'punch' mark visible on top as this was a characteristic NPM only proof mark and I believe almost always present (others may correct me). The rest of the Carbine parts sound pretty darn right to me, which makes me wonder more about the barrel. I too would like to see pics of the barrel. If it is a GI Korean era replacement it will probably be marked SA (Sprinfield Arsenal) over a date (mm - YY) right behind the front sight. These SA markings if present will be VERY small and VERY light. I doubt this is the case because it has all of the earlier WWII parts that would have been replaced if re-barreled for Korea. May be a commercial replacement barrel on a 'correct' carbine that was put together from parts. Pics of everything would be great so we could see how well the finishes and wear match. Very interesting. ChipS

[Benny]

ChipS
reexamined the bbl. and still found no marks faint or otherwise. Thanks for your interest. Benny

[Benny]

Tuna
I amnot very good on the computer. Do not have any knowledge about posting pictures. Checked the bbl. again for any marks still came up empty. Thanks again for your interest. I am just outside of Buffalo NY. and go the the few gun shows we have here. Maybe someday we can get together. Benny