Universal Windings M1 carbine

[Calfed]

Years ago I glommed a couple of M1 carbines from the CMP. One was an Inland and the other was an Underwood. Over the years I've shot them, but never really gave them a good going over as to which maker made which part.

Recently, a forum member on another forum posted his new Underwood carbine and noted that the receiver had been subcontracted out to Universal Windings. That Underwood had contracted out some of its receivers was news to me and inspired me to look my Underwood over a little more closely.

Sure enough...it, too, has a Universal Windings receiver

[Tuna]

Underwood sub-contracted receivers to four different companies and started to use them around late September 1943.
Many were later sold to Winchester after Underwood stopped making carbines.

[Calfed]

Good information.

I never knew that any of the carbine manufacturers subbed out some of the receivers.

[Tuna]

Underwood was not alone in using sub-contractors to make receivers. Inland had Saginaw Gear make many thousnads of receivers for them and Quality Hardware had Union making receivers for them marked Unquality.

[Calfed]

Underwood was not alone in using sub-contractors to make receivers. Inland had Saginaw Gear make many thousnads of receivers for them and Quality Hardware had Union making receivers for them marked Unquality.

Thanks, Tuna

[phil441]

And my Underwood receiver was made by Singer of sewing machine fame.....

[jimb]

S, T, U and AO are also receiver subcontractor markings.

[bug]

S, T, U and AO are also receiver subcontractor markings.

Yep. My IBM has an Auto Ordnance Corp (AO) receiver. But it doesn't run like my Thompson...

Bob D

[kar66]

US&S also manufactured receivers and other parts for NPM too.

[Calfed]

And my Underwood receiver was made by Singer of sewing machine fame.....

A guy I knew at work mentioned that he had a "Singer carbine". This was a few years before I became interested in milsurps and I never gave it much thought. Later, I figured he was mistaken, because I knew that Singer wasn't a prime contractor on M1 Carbine manufacturing. Now I know he was correct.