Value of M1 Carbine

[Merc]

I have a chance to buy a 1944 M1 Carbine that was made by Inland Manufacturing Division of GM and I would like to know what the average selling price would be.

I’ve not seen the Carbine in person yet but will do so later this week. It was described to me as follows: The serial number on the stock and receiver match and jive with the date on the barrel. Bore has good rifling and no rust. Stock is in nice shape and metal parts are showing some wear on exposed parts that’s consistent with normal handling.

[nf1e]

Depending on actual condition, I would expect 415 - 850 to be in the proper range.

[Allen]

Depending on actual condition, I would expect 415 - 850 to be in the proper range.

I would expect the upper end of this range for a start. If you can get it for less then great. An import mark under or on the side of the barrel reduces the upper end estimate by a couple of hundred though.

Good luck and give us updates.

https://www.gunbroker.com/All/search...=1&PageSize=48

[Art]

I would tend to agree with Allen.

Location is also important. Prices on milsurp rifles can vary a lot from place to place. Where I live a good Inland shooter carbine will bring $700.00 to $1,000.00 depending on condition. You can get lucky and pay less but that can involve a lot of looking. Again that's where I live, your area may be somewhat different.

No matter how bright the bore is I would definitely check the muzzle wear. A rough estimate can be had with a .30-06 cartridge, preferably USGI ball due to differences in ogive of commercial bullets. If the muzzle swallows any .308 bullet to the cartridge case mouth don't expect very good accuracy. I met a fellow at the range who had a decent looking M1 carbine that wouldn't group and he had exactly this problem.

Good luck.

[Tuna]

If the stock has the serial number stamped on the left rear then it's an import most likely from Israel. Value all depends on condition. Imports range from $600 for one that is worn to $900 range for excellent condition. If one does use an M2 30-06 you can get a good idea of the barrel wear. Barrels that look like they are worn can shoot decent groups. Not top accuracy but they do hit a bad guy out to 300 yards. Most muzzle damage was from USGI's cleaning and cleaning and cleaning their carbines again as their sergeants watched.

[Merc]

I bought this muzzle gauge a few years ago that works well when checking for muzzle erosion.


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[Allen]

Due to the roundness of the M1 carbine bullet if turned backwards to check for muzzle wear even a new barrel will swallow it up so not a good form of measurement. The M2 30/06 is typically used and a loaded round should show some bullet exposed. You probably know this though. Your gauge should be "Mo' better" than the bullet test.

Here's a picture of Garand barrels being checked.

[Merc]

I saw the M1 Carbine today and passed. Muzzle was worn to .302” which means it swallowed more than half the gage, but the rest of the rifle was in really sad shape. I’ve looked at a lot of old guns over the past few years and never saw one this bad. I confirmed that was an Israeli import.

[Allen]

Sorry it didn't work out for you.

Thanks for the update.

[Merc]

Thanks. A carbine was never very high on my wish list. This one probably has an interesting story behind how it got so beaten up. I guess his description of the stock being in nice shape meant no cracks or chips which is true. Add the fact that the owner has had it for 12 years but never fired it casts doubt on the operability of the action or whether the erroded muzzle had any impact on accuracy. So, I don’t know if it’s a shooter, I have no knowledge of any gunsmiths in my area who might know how to repair a carbine and it’s definitely not a wall hanger. Too many negatives.

[lyman]

no carbine people in PA?

that is odd,,

they are relatively easy to work on, (as most GI stuff is) unless you need to rebarrel, and even that is not hard,

[Merc]

I wanted to line one up to check out the carbine if I decided to buy it, but that became unnecessary once I saw it’s incredibly rough condition. I did find Orion 7 in Rocky Point, NY who services and sells M1s, but I hate to ship guns. It’s the throat erosion gauge that no-one has.

[Tuna]

On an M1 Carbine, throat erosion is a non problem. The use of non corrosive primers from the start, low flame temperatures and low velocity makes it so. Carbine throat wear is almost nothing. There never were armors gauges to measure it.

[Merc]

On an M1 Carbine, throat erosion is a non problem. The use of non corrosive primers from the start, low flame temperatures and low velocity makes it so. Carbine throat wear is almost nothing. There never were armors gauges to measure it.

Good reason that no-one has them. Thanks for the info.