M1 Carbine Review: This Old War Dog Still Bites

Estimated reading time: 16 minutes

The M1 Carbine is lightweight, fast-handling, historically fascinating, and more accurate than its reputation suggests. This battered Underwood still printed 2.5-3 inch groups at 100 yards and left the author grinning.

Why the M1 Carbine Became America’s Lightweight War Rifle

The M1 Garand was too heavy, too long, and too cumbersome for noncombatant troops. You know the GIs in tanks, drivers, radiomen, artillery crews, mortar crews, clerks, cooks, linemen, and all the other support personnel who keep battles rolling. Officers and NCOs also needed a weapon more effective than the 1911A1.

If you are thinking that the Thompson submachine gun was an option, it was too heavy and too expensive. A new light rifle had to be more maneuverable than an M1 Garand, more accurate than the 1911A1, and capable of delivering more firepower.

The new light rifle was designed as an in-between defensive weapon that was lightweight, easy to use, and cost-effective to produce in large numbers. The result was the M1 Carbine. It wasn’t classified as a PDW because that term was coined in the 1980s, but the M1 Carbine was still a personal defense weapon for all intents and purposes.

Was the M1 Carbine a Brilliant Idea or an Underpowered Compromise?

If you go by the number of M1 Carbines produced, the answer is a resounding yes. Between 1941 and 1945, some 6.1 to 6.5 million M1 Carbines were produced. More M1 Carbines were made than M1 Garands.

Success on the battlefield is a different story. Veterans from WWII liked the lightweight, handy M1 Carbine but found the power of the .30 Carbine caliber lacking. The lack of power was seen during the Korean War, too.

The M1 Carbine not only saw action in WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, but also nearly every war, skirmish, insurgency, and revolution well into the 21st century. Does the M1 Carbine need to be on your bucket list? Was the M1 Garand chambered in .30-06?

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The Ex-Con, Winchester, and General Motors Built a Legend

The U.S. Army saw a need for an intermediate weapon even before WWII started and began working on a design in 1940. But that’s not how the story of the M1 Carbine starts.

The story begins at Caledonia State Prison Farm in Halifax County, North Carolina, a minimum-security facility where David Marshall Williams, a convict serving a murder sentence, was serving his time and tinkering with all things mechanical.

Williams devised a short-stroke gas-piston system while in prison, which became the gas system used on the M1 Carbine. Winchester engineers had developed the cartridge for the new light rifle, a .30-caliber cartridge with a straight, rimless case that pushed its 110-grain bullet out of an 18-inch barrel at about 1,860 fps.

Winchester actually hired Williams after he was paroled to improve the new weapon design, and in 1941 the light rifle was finalized. The Inland Division of General Motors was the first manufacturer to produce the M1 Carbine even though Winchester designed the rifle.

The formal name for the light rifle became United States Carbine, Caliber .30, M1, or M1 Carbine for short. In 1952, MGM released the film “Carbine Williams,” starring James Stewart as Williams.

M1 Carbine Specifications: Light, Short, and Combat Ready

The M1 Carbine embodies everything the military brass had hoped for in a short, handy rifle. At 5.2 pounds, the M1 Carbine was lighter than the 9.5-pound M1 Garand, and it was nearly 8 inches shorter in length.

The M1 Carbine featured an 18-inch barrel and a gas-operated action. The short-stroke piston pushes the operating slide rearward, which operates the rotating bolt. A coiled recoil spring forces the bolt forward. The M1 was issued with a 15-round steel magazine. Throughout the M1’s service life, it was subject to a number of improvements and minor tweaks.

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Model	United States Carbine, Caliber .30, M1
Caliber	.30 Carbine
Action	Gas operated, short-stroke piston, rotating bolt
Barrel Length	18 inches
Weight	5.2 pounds
Standard Capacity	15 rounds
Later Magazine Capacity	30 rounds
Original Rear Sight	L-shaped dual peep sight for 150 and 300 yards

Sights, Safeties, Bolts, and Stocks Changed Through Service

Original sights featured a rear L-shaped dual peep sight for 150 and 300 yards. This sight was later changed to a fully adjustable rear sight. In 1944, a bayonet lug was added.

One of the major changes was the safety. Early M1 Carbines had a push-button safety that looked a lot like the push-button magazine release, and both were located on the right side of the rifle. This setup caused some GIs to mistake the magazine release for the safety and accidentally drop a magazine when they wanted to push the safety to fire.

The push-button safety was changed to a rotating lever safety in 1945. Many early M1 Carbines with the push-button safety were retrofitted with the rotating safety.

Bolts were originally milled flat. Later ones were fully round. The wood stocks are referred to as either high wood or low wood, which describes the portion of the stock inlet that allows movement of the operating rod. Early M1 Carbines had high-wood stocks, while later guns with the stock modification had low wood.

M1 Carbine Variants: From Paratrooper Folder to Night Fighter

There were four main standard-issue M1 Carbine variants: the M1, M1A1, M2, and M3.

M1 Carbine: This was the original M1 Carbine with a fixed wood stock and no bayonet lug on early guns. Bayonet lugs appeared in 1944, and many early-production carbines were retrofitted with a bayonet lug.

M1A1 Carbine: This design featured a metal wire folding stock and was produced starting in 1944 for paratroop units. It is identical to the M1 Carbine except for the folding stock.

M2 Carbine: This is the select-fire version of the M1 Carbine, which was introduced in 1944. On full auto, the M2 spat out 750 bullets per minute. Recoil was generally manageable for an experienced shooter. This was also the time the 30-round magazine was introduced.

M3 Carbine: The M3 variant was an M2 Carbine fitted with an early infrared night-vision scope. The M3 briefly saw action at the end of WWII but came into its own during the Korean War, where the night-vision scope extended its effective range to 100-150 yards. It was also used for a short time during the Vietnam War.

The 10 Companies That Cranked Out Millions of M1 Carbines

With WWII raging, the U.S. military needed M1 Carbines. A lot of M1 Carbines.

There were 10 manufacturers contracted by the U.S. government to manufacture M1 Carbines during WWII. A wide range of manufacturers from different industries took part, including a jukebox manufacturer, Rock-Ola; typewriter and cash-register makers, IBM and Underwood; automobile-parts suppliers, Inland and National Postal Meter; and firearms producers such as Winchester.

Here is the complete list of M1 Carbine manufacturers between 1942 and 1945:

• Inland Manufacturing Division (General Motors)
• Winchester Repeating Arms Company
• Underwood Elliott Fisher
• Saginaw Steering Gear (General Motors)
• National Postal Meter
• Quality Hardware & Machine Co.
• International Business Machines (IBM)
• Standard Products
• Rock-Ola Manufacturing Corporation
• Irwin-Pedersen Arms Company

Post-WWII commercial M1 Carbines have been manufactured by a variety of companies over the years, including Iver Johnson, Plainfield Machine, and Universal Firearms. Auto-Ordnance, Inland Manufacturing, and Fulton Armory also produce high-quality clones.

Is the M1 Carbine Reliable, or Are the Magazines the Problem?

There are two camps when it comes to the M1 Carbine: those who love the platform and those who hate it.

The haters usually have had reliability issues with the guns, and with surplus guns, you have to remember that the M1 Carbine was used in combat, not just in one war but in multiple conflicts. They are used weapons.

Reliability issues are typically caused by the magazine. The M1 Carbine magazine is not the best magazine design. In fact, some GIs during WWII would discard used magazines after a few uses and replace them with new magazines.

Most jams are failure-to-feed jams, which are easily fixed by pushing the charging handle forward. Remember, the M1 Carbine likes to run wet, so keep the action lubed.

Back in the mid-20th century, shooters knew the M1 Carbine had its quirks and dealt with them. Manufacturing technology back then was not what it is today. Current M1 Carbines made by Auto-Ordnance and Inland Manufacturing show how an old design and modern manufacturing methods can create a reliable gun.

.30 Carbine Ballistics: More Punch Than a Pistol, Less Than a Garand

The M1 Carbine did not have the power of the M1 Garand, but it wasn’t designed to match the .30-06 caliber.

The M1 Carbine was chambered in .30 Carbine, an intermediate caliber loaded with a 110-grain FMJ bullet with a muzzle velocity of about 1,900-2,000 fps and a muzzle energy of about 881 ft-lbs. The power of the .30 Carbine cartridge lies between the .45 Auto and .30-06.

Data from WWII-era loads shows the 1911A1 in .45 Auto had a muzzle velocity of about 835 fps and a muzzle energy of 356 ft-lbs. using a 230-grain FMJ bullet.

The M1 Garand’s .30-06 caliber M2 load of that era pushed a 152-grain bullet to a muzzle velocity of 2,805 fps with muzzle energy at about 2,656 ft-lbs.

A similar caliber to the .30 Carbine is the .357 Magnum fired out of a carbine-length barrel. The .357 Mag., depending on the load, will produce a muzzle velocity of 970-1120 fps and muzzle energy of 330-450 ft-lbs.

Range Review: An Early Underwood M1 Carbine Still Has Teeth

I have run newly manufactured M1 Carbines from Auto-Ordnance and Inland Manufacturing and found the rifles to run well and deliver good accuracy. As I recall, accuracy was good, with 3-shot groups measuring 2.5 to 3 inches at 100 yards.

To get reacquainted with the M1 Carbine platform, I had access to an early original M1 Carbine manufactured between 1942 and 1943 by Underwood.

The condition of this gun would rate fair, and that is being generous. This M1 Carbine looks its age, and I have no doubt it saw some action in WWII and possibly Korea. It has the high-wood stock, push-button magazine release, and L-shaped rear sight.

25-Yard Accuracy: Three Loads, Tight Groups, and Real Numbers

Ammo tested included Hornady Critical Defense loaded with a 100-grain FTX bullet, Aguila with a 110-grain FMJ, and surplus Israeli ammo with a 110-grain SP bullet.

I started at 25 yards to get my dope and found the rifle shot high and to the right. Using a bit of Kentucky windage and elevation, I easily grouped 5 shots under 2 inches on average.

With the Hornady Critical Defense, average group size measured 1.5 inches with an average muzzle velocity of 2016 fps and muzzle energy of 993 ft-lbs.

On average, the surplus Israeli ammo produced groups measuring 1.75 inches with a muzzle velocity average of 1,866 fps and muzzle energy average of 850 ft-lbs.

The Aguila averaged 1.14 inches and generated 1,924 fps/904 ft-lbs.

Load	Bullet	Average Group at 25 Yards	Average Velocity	Average Energy
Hornady Critical Defense	100-grain FTX	1.5 inches	2016 fps	993 ft-lbs.
Surplus Israeli	110-grain SP	1.75 inches	1,866 fps	850 ft-lbs.
Aguila	110-grain FMJ	1.14 inches	1,924 fps	904 ft-lbs.

100-Yard M1 Carbine Accuracy Put a Grin on My Face

The Aguila ammo held better groups, so I used it and moved an official 100-yard military-type target to 100 yards.

Honestly, I was a little shocked that once I got my dope at 100 yards, I could consistently hit the black bullseye, which has a 6.3-inch diameter. I still have a grin on my face.

I averaged 2.5-3 inch groups with 5 shots at 100 yards. This old war dog still has teeth, and the M1 Carbine accuracy results proved it.

The trigger is a single stage with no creep and broke crisply with a 6.6-pound press. Not a target trigger by any means.

Old-School Handling, Light Recoil, and One Magazine Lesson

I used an original 15-round magazine and found I had a few FTF jams. I squirted the bolt and charging-handle track with lube, worked it back and forth, and continued without any stoppages. Switching to the new 30-round magazine, I had no issues.

Firing the M1 Carbine is like taking a step back in time. The bolt doesn’t lock back on the last round fired, which is odd for modern shooters raised on the AR15 platform. Magazines insert straight into the magwell.

The charging handle can be locked back via a tiny button. In fact, it can quickly become a habit when retracting the charging handle to press the button with your thumb.

The M1 Carbine picked up where it last left off. Recoil is minimal. Shooting an M1 Carbine is actually a lot of fun.

M1 Carbine Pros and Cons: History Meets Real-World Quirks

• Pros: Lightweight 5.2-pound design, handy overall size, minimal recoil, engaging military history, good practical accuracy, crisp single-stage trigger, and excellent pure shooting enjoyment.
• Cons: Less power and penetration than full-size rifle cartridges, surplus magazines can cause failure-to-feed stoppages, the action prefers generous lubrication, and the bolt does not lock open after the last round.

Final Verdict: The M1 Carbine Belongs on Your Bucket List

The M1 Carbine performed exactly as designed. It is a handy, lightweight, and accurate rifle. It wasn’t nearly as powerful as the M1 Garand, and it was a hell of a lot easier to shoot than the 1911A1.

The .30 Carbine caliber does have insufficient power and lackluster penetration when compared with other calibers, but the sheer number of rifles built for WWII, then used in the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and every other conflict in between leaves little doubt that the light rifle did its job.

That combination of history, handling, accuracy, and pure shooting enjoyment is why the M1 Carbine belongs on your rifle bucket list.

Related Reads from GunsAmerica Digest

• M1 Garand Review: America’s Legendary Battle Rifle
• Auto-Ordnance M1 Carbine Review
• Historic Military Rifles Every Collector Should Shoot