M1 Carbine Reliability [M1 Carbine Series Part 4] 

I inherited a Plainfield circa 1962 (almost 60yo) that had sat, untouched, in a closet AT LEAST north of 40 years. The first time I fired it, I learned not to fill the 30rd mags to capacity (28 worked perfectly), and I had to bend one side of the 15rd mag back to shape (with my fingers) to make it work (loaded to 14rds). Keeping the feed ramp clean and wet with aerosol rem oil solved all 'failure to feed' issues upon my second trip to the range. That ramp seems to be the issue on mine. To my knowledge, no repairs/replacements have ever been made to it. I can honestly say that it runs so well, and is so accurate (at least at 100yds), that I would not hesitate to grab it for home defense. There is essentially ZERO recoil, and factory ammo rings my 9" steel plate just as loudly as my 5.56. I LOVE THIS RIFLE.

I spoke to a paratrooper from the 82nd who carried the M1 Carbine the whole war. He told me the magazines they were issued they considered them disposable. Every so often they would get new magazines in and they would ditch the old magazines.

When this gun was built, a pickup engine was old and due for a rebuild typically around 70,000 miles. Today, 70,000 is just past the "still breaking it in" point, and 200k is when we expect a Pickup engine to start showing it's age.

"It liked Tula steel cased better than anything else" We'll there's a sentence I've never heard before!

If you're gonna run 30 round mags, source the M2 mag release piece. Pops right in (simple standard tool required) and holds the mags from two securing points.

My A/O M1 Carbine has never hiccuped in 2000 rounds, keep them clean use good mags no problems at all. Knew a old Korean vet now long gone that told me in 1952 he used a M1 Carbine , the way they cleaned the M1 Carbine and Garand on the line was weird. He said they'd load a live round in the chamber pour a shot of military bore cleaner in the barrel and fire it. When I asked why they didn't just clean the bore normally he said why to many damn Chinese around and no one wanted to chance it by disassembling the rifle.

Should definitely not be the final video on the M-1 carbine.

I have two of these, one GI Winchester, and a Pennfeild. The repo is not horrible, love them both. Steel case runs fine in both. Loved this series!

For those malfunctions in the video, I would try replacing the extractor, extractor spring, ejector, and ejector spring. Just like any other gun, parts will become worn out or chipped or damaged over time and need replacing. Slide recoil spring should be at least 10 1/4" long. Also, for certain ammo and if you reload, the bullets used by the companies can sometimes have a different ogive from USGI ammunition and could "hang up" on the feed ramp randomly when shooting. The ogive of the bullet can be more fat and blunt, as opposed to USGI's somewhat more narrow, almost like a semi spitzer, meaning the bullets would have to be seated in deeper for reliable feeding. Good magazines are also important, KCI and Auto Ordnance 30rd mags work 100% for me. You shouldn't have to down-load less than 30 for 100% function, I always fill mine up to full capacity with no issues.

When it comes to reliability expectations then and now, it should be noted that the M1 Carbine was issued to members of a squad whose smallest subunit is the fireteam which is 4 guys. You were not meant to act on your own and if you had a malfunction, you had at least 3 other guys to cover you. There was also much more open field fighting back in WW2 and Korea so you had some space and time to quickly fix most issues. Today, most civilian shooters base their expectations on home defense or competions where in the close confines of your house or being on the clock, malfunctions can cost you dearly. Additionally, many are the sole firearm users in their home, so back-up is non existent. As for those with military experience, especially regarding close-quarters combat, I cannot say and welcome your opinions.

I had an Inland GI M1 Carbine and I rarely had a problem. Most common was the half feed. Keep it clean, use the right ammo, and stick to the 15 round mags.

One thing that can improve the reliability with the 30 round magazines is changing to an M2 (FA) style magazine release. It actually holds the magazine more firmly and can eliminate a lot of problems.

This has been a topical series for me albeit with some sadness; among the firearms I'll inherit on my father's passing is a M1 carbine that he has probably had longer than I've been around (1962) along with a British .303, a 20 Ga single shot from Sears that I remember going with my Mom to get circa 1968 or so for Christmas that I think has been shot once to dispatch a mouse that the trap failed to kill, a strange little single shot .22 that had a trap door to fold back to extract the spent round, the bolt action .22 I got to shoot a few times growing up, a .25 in his nightstand and a few others that escape my memory at the moment. A lot of ammo for the M1 & .303 including some mags and stripper clips and "Western Auto" branded .22 LR. (Wouldn't trust any of it for defense, but for range fodder... heck yeah! And I know where to buy the fresh ammo.) I'll buy the bolt tool and spring kit when the time comes that it is in my gun safe to keep it fresh which based on e-mails from my Mom may be coming in the near(ish) future but I pray/hope i is not.

Your ammo literally gets to my house faster than Amazon packages. Love your videos and ammo.

Nice series on a historically important gun, and a really cool gun at that. All of the significant parts are stamped with a letter or symbol indicating the manufacturer, so mismatched parts most likely means it was rebuilt or arsenal overhauled. There are really good reference works on the M-1 Carbine.

Also the M1 carbine likes to run fairly wet, keep it well lubed and it runs well.

More on the little carbine please. More ammo and magazine testing and figure out what’s causing it’s hiccups. I really think it’s an excellent home defense carbine being how handy and easy to operate it is and that it doesn’t take much to train someone on the basics of operation.

Paul harrell says that the reliability is often contingent on the mags. The mags where originally designed to be disposable, allegedly.

Yes, I have listened to other people on other youtube channels talking about the trouble they had with 30 rd magazines. Filling them up to only 25 rd.s like you did cut out the magazine failures. Thank you for a good and informative video. Sad that B.O. put a ban on importing US arms back into the country - usually from S.K. - I would like to own an M1 Carbine. Take care and stay safe and well.

I have enjoyed the M1 carbine series. Thank you for presenting it in all its episodes.

I had an Inland(newly made), had over 4,500 rounds through it before I sold it. Out of all of those rounds, I can recall exactly what failed and why. I had one box of steel cased Tula ammo that was a bad lot, as at least half of the rounds fired in that gun were Tula. I had some PPU JSP's, 4 boxes that had the same problem of improperly seated bullets, so some were longer than others and this caused failures to feed. But it wasnt consistent... maybe every 4th or 6th round it may happen but not usually back to back. And lastly... 2 boxes of Hornady Critical Defense that failed in numerous ways from feeding, ejecting, extracting, and even a swollen case stuck in the chamber. As far as rounds getting stuck on the feed ramp, this only happened with the above mentioned malfunctions. The first time it happened with the PPU ammo, I polished the feed ramp after firing and never had a single round of FMJ fail. Federal Power Shok was always 100% and top notch. The Hornady Custom XTP's ran great, as did Israeli made .30 Carbine JSP's. Now I understand I'm a data point of 1, but this was simply my experience with the rifle. I had read several others having similar experiences to me. But most of the complaints appeared to be people who werent aware of an M1 Carbine's shortcomings or they got buyer's remorse because the price they paid. Oil them well, find what they like and keep giving it to them.

Mine is an import GI gun. I rebuilt it years ago with late model parts and NOS 1951 barrel. Late revision parts were created for reliability based on tests and field reports. SO it is a mixmaster but intended for shooting. I would say that nowadays building one and finding parts to hand select would be difficult and expensive. Not 20 years ago. Winchester ball has always been my benchmark for accuracy but there could be others as good. You can handload SP or HP ammo observing the critical trim-to length and OAL but it is hard to make it group quite as good as Winchester. But good enough for home defense. Now that beater carbines cost like a new AR, you probably will either work with the one you got, or select another platform unless you are a history nut.

This is the first gun I became fond of when I was a boy. Back in those days I was playing old First Person Shooters such as the original Call Of Duty, Brothers In Arms etc and watched a lot of films from the 50's and 60's which had GI's wielding the carbine.

I just purchased my first M1 Carbine a few weeks ago and I took it out to the range to test it out. I put about 60 rounds through it and I had no malfunctions at all. I was using PPU brass cased soft point and FMJ ammo, and I tested out two 15 round mags and one 30 round mag I purchased for $10. It is a National Postal Meter built in 1944 and it also has the Blue Sky marking on the barrel.

Love the channel and series, but it drives me crazy the way you run the oprod with your trigger finger. The military taught that if you do that and it slam fires, it will hit you in the web of the hand and break your wrist. Always operate and oprod with your palm up to sky (use pinky and ring finger) if it slams it will slide over your palm and not injure you. Old timers taught me that on Garand first minute out.

2nd version gasplug and clean the gasport. That also helps

The M1 carbine is a case where G.I. magazines are not actually better. They are flimsy and garbage. Ken Hackathorn and Larry Vickers have confirmed this in their videos on the M1. The Korean mags are far better. Replace all of the springs in your rifle and get Korean magazines and you will eliminate 90% of the problems.

I got lucky with my repro M1, in that my AO carbine works really well. I use KCI 30rd mags that work great, and I shoot mostly Tula through it... with very good results. My example is pretty accurate, sorta 'good AK' - like at 100yds. I've had some good results with Federal FMJ out to 200yds, once you know the hold. It's good for man-sized targets out that far. I prefer to lube mine with lithium based grease over motor oil, as it sticks and stays. Overall, I'm very happy with the AO. I should note: I only load my 30rd mags to 25rds, seems to help.

Wow this episode really put a damper on my M1 carbine craving.

Recoil spring is one of the most common parts to cause reliability issues with this. That and the magazines.

I enjoy working on old firearms with problems. I enjoy a lot, finding and fixing the problems to make the firearm once again dependable. Plus it's good fun and great mental therapy for me.

I love the G.I. M1 Carbine and really appreciated, enjoyed your series on it! I've owned a couple in the past 10 years, both Inlands. First one, I should have kept! She was all G.I. and ran flawlessly. Out of well over a thousand rounds, I never had a single malfunction. Got rid of that one and later on, picked up another Inland.. many issued with that one so sold it a handful of years ago. Just picked up a gorgeous Standard Products M1 that has been as reliable as the first Carbine I owned; looking forward to more range time with her! Thanks again for all you folks do - keep up the great work!

I bought one at a gun show in Charlotte NC. I bought it specifically because Malcolm X used it to protect his home from assassins. As a teen I had a poster hanging on my wall with him holding his rifle and looking out the window. I thought it was the coolest photo on the planet. So when I saw it for sale at the show, I had to buy. I shoot it regularly, use it for home defense, and my wife and oldest daughter knows how to use it in case something happens and I'm not there. The M1 Carbine is very reliable as long as it's kept clean and maintained.

A couple of things from my experience and what I have found in research. The M2 bolt works better than the M1 bolt and is interchangeable, it has more mass. My carbine had an M2 bolt. I could not load my 30 round magazine with more than 24 rounds or it would have feed issues, but loaded with less it worked well. Frequently lubricate with light lubricants, the guns were issued with an oil bottle for a reason. In WW2 and Korea some soldiers reported using Vitalis hair tonic to keep their guns running, I used Singer sewing machine oil. Though I have no personal experience with this, I have heard the Carbines made by Howa in the 60's are of very high quality.

I have a Universal M1 carbine that my father bought after WWII. I have never replaced any springs or parts, and to my knowledge, neither did my father. I have never had a malfunction of any kind.

Feeding issues: Lead tipped bullets sticking to the feedramp. With each clambering a little bit of the lead will coat the reedramp thereby making it _sticky_ . Winchester leadtip being extremely troublesome.

Just a note - The 1944 vintage M1 carbine did not have the bayonet lug. They got upgraded with the lug, between WW2 and the Korean war in 1950.

Great video..spring fatigue is the biggest problem with U.S govt contacted ww2 carbines..op rod return spring and magazine springs lose their..resilience..GREAT handy rifle

Really like this four-part series on the M-1 Carbine, which is my "legally-safe" home defense choice. I've got a Ruger 556, but I don't want to explain to a jury why I needed an "assault rifle" to defend myself, my wife and my cats.

Yea, I’m in MA. I’ll check out the suggestions and thank you to all.

Carried one in Vietnam and loved it. Never had any issues but like one of the previous comments kept it wet. Inherited one from my dad, a very early production number built in Dayton Ohio. I believe it was Maytag and it has preformed well except when I neglect to lube it. Think I'll buy a spring kit and freshen it up.

Good magazines and checking to see if the extractor, ejector, and springs are not broken/worn are also key to making them run reliably. Ammo can also affect reliability if the bullet profile and powder charge isn’t close to the original spec ammo. The rifles are old so these parts have a good chance of being worn or broken down the line.

I have owned two reproductions (Inland& Kahr) and one USGI Inland. I got the same reliability on all three. Basically they are kinda reliable in the end. Just a very cool range toy for me.

After watching this great series, I will stick with my Ruger Mini 14. Looks about the same, shoots about the same, cheaper ammo and never jams.

I own 10 M1 Carbines and have only suffered one non-ammo malfunction and it was with my M2 - a chipped extractor. All function fine, even with 70-year old springs. One of our favorites firearms. reliability was high as our modern guns when these were initially issued with contract ammo. And as a factory certified AR-platform armorer, I can attest that most MSR's would not survive combat operations very well, unless they are made by a Tier 1 manufacturer.

I have an original IBM M-1 carbine. Works perfectly fine. KCI magazines generally are good as South Korea still uses the M-1 carbine as a military arm and they have a lot of experience. Many after market 30 rd. magazines suck because they are curved and your using a straight wall cartridge and tend to drag in the mag housing causing failure to feed . Stick with 20 round magazines and you'll have less issues. 20 round magazines were original magazines used.

This series started out as “M1 carbine surprisingly good for self defense” then went on to say all the reasons it’s actually not, and all the things you have to do to make it good. Ended on “not a good rifle for self defense”

My Auto Ordinance Carbine is very reliable. Most failures are caused by the magazines. Often times the springs in the mags have been reinstalled backwards after cleaning as I discovered recently. I had a few that gave me problem. I went through my mags, sure enough some had springs in my mags backwards. Test fired, no further issues, performed perfectly.

I have an Inland carbine made in 1942. I have fired several hundred rounds thru it without a single failure. I replaced the bolt because the face of it was banged up pretty good and the person I bought it from said that it went full auto. That is the only thing I have done to it in the 20 or so years that Ive owned it. I reload my ammo so that may be part of the reason it works so well.

A european hit the jackpot - the story: My carbine is a 1943 standard products original. It was clearly left behind in Europe since it does not have the bayonette lug modification. It's my son's favorite centerfire and it's one of my all time favorites. I replaced extractor and some springs. It's _very_ reliable with round nose jacketed ammo and good magazines. It's very unreliable with bad magazines or if you tilt the magazine when shooting. I have competed with it using even israeli 30 round M2 magazines - they work perfectly when shooting in standing stance but if the magazine hits something and gets tilted - feeding issues ensue. I bough mine from holland or belgium, can't remember which one, and paid the ludicrously low 320€ for it shipping included. I got 15 round unused GI magazines for the rest of my life for 8€ a piece still in paper wrapping. Love the gun.

My WWII M 1 carbine has given me no problems at all jamming. Fires very well.

I love this series and the model 66 series. I have always wanted a m1 carbine but like anyone else cash is a consideration and someone always seems to talk me out of buying one! Keep up the great work

I own two M1 carbines, and the only malfunctions I have had were related to worn out magazine springs, causing failures to feed. Total of six instances so far. Replaced the mag springs with Wolff springs and no further problems.

I have a Inland General Motors, made 9 44 , have issues when I use Federal soft points, 95 percent of the time it cycles good . Enjoyed your post. 🇺🇸

Concerning ammo, some French surplus was imported that was corrosive, as well as a load of Chinese ammo that was indestingable from Lake City 1953 production, right up to the brown paperboard 50 round boxes. All of the above were berdan primed. I suggest cleaning with ammonia based cleaner, including the gas piston, then regular cleaning.

FYI, I put new wolff springs in my 30 round Mags, the wolff springs have xtra power and now my 30 round mags work great . you can now run 30 rounds in them no problem

I have a newly manufactured Inland (fake Inland) and after I self gunsmith'd and had a real gunsmith go over it (just before he died, R.I.P.) it is probably more reliable than any original. Most likely because it's not all wore out. I made some simple mods that are too much to post here. But one thing I did was mirror polish the feed ramp using 1200 grit foamtec and 100% IPA (alcohol) as a polishing lube. It's now smoother than you can imagine. We use IPA at work with the 1200 grit foamtec (silicone carbide (SIC) scrub pads, not the diamond grit scrub pads they sell) and we can get aluminum to look like a mirror, as well as steel components too. So that's where I got that idea if anyone thinks it's weird. But it works! That is just one of many little things I did though. I am not going to write a novel here. But a new Inland gone over really well with mods and improvements is actually very nice and the cast parts are not a problem at all over forged. If you don't want to fiddle with a gun, don't have time, whatever, then I don't recommend the newer fake Inlands.

There is nothing more fun to shoot or work on. I’ve had many and some never malfunction.

It's funny that the suggestions are "Get a GI M1 then change out all the old parts".

I had that gun, exactly... 1944 Inland with a Blue Sky import mark, bought it 25 years ago at a gun show for $180. Had it for 20 years, never had a jam, NEVER... thousands of rounds. Wish I still had it, best gun I ever owned, accurate as hell with the original iron sights. Gave it to a old friend. He still has it. Get to see her once in a while. Too expensive to replace these days.

I have a Plainfield model that was dated 1963 that was actually used on a based in Vietnam. It it runs amazing! Not all Plainfields were used just for commercial usage. Not one hick up.

I ALWAYS had problems with feeding lead-tipped Winchester ammo in my GI (deport rebuilt in the 60's) Inland (1944 vintage) carbine.. The 'sticky' lead tips would rub against the feedramp and stick with bolt open and round partly out of the magazine and that leadtip hard against the feedramp. FMJ of any brand was not a problem.

Given decent ammo, the primary cause of malfunctions in the Carbine is a ganked-up magazine. When you run into a bad magazine, give it the shop-hammer test or sell it off. The best ones available now are the KCI 30-round. Get the spring kit from Wolff, keep it clean and oiled and run modern ammo. The best solvent and oil on the market today is Shooter Lube.

I have a Universal made from GI parts in the early '50s and it works well, it's been reliable and accurate so far.

I have one of the reproductions, a Universal. I replaced the entire bolt assembly with a Winchester and replaced the gas piston and nut with the MIL spec design. Got all the parts at a gun show, new old stock, at reasonable cost. I have had no operation problems at all.

People, remember you do maintenance on your houses, your cars, why not your carbine as well? I still have several weapons that I’ve had since the mid to late 60’s while I was still in the Corps. One is a Winchester Model 70 African in .264 magnum. Another is a magnificently beautiful Weatherby MK V in .458 magnum. The last one is a Roger M77 in .243. Now a days all I do is clean and lube them on a regular basis. I’m 72+ now and will only fire them on a rifle range. The Weatherby gets the most admiration. When you fire that shoulder mounted field artillery piece you get a lot of attention. Just the fireball out the muzzle and the report when fired impress anybody short of an artillery man!

One reason for complaints of inaccuracy is the shrink-fit gas block. It can make a tight spot in the bore, and that can swage the bullet down as it passes through, which means the bullet is undersized for the remainder of its trip down the barrel. If you can feel a tight spot there with a cleaning patch, carefully lap the barrel til the tight spot is gone. That, and checking/fixing the crown, should restore acceptable accuracy.

I would still switch mags and test. My KCIs are mostly good, but a few have been a bit dodgy. gas cleaning does need to happen at times, otherwise I think you hit the main points. If the slide is cleaned and smooth, and the unlocking isn't hanging- with new properly lubed (not gooped) springs int he bolt, and a cleaned gas system, if you still have more than an occasional failure, it's time for more detailed bolt cleaning and examination, i think.

My dad swapped his issue lee enfield No4 for an M1 in Korea , loved it in that theatre 👌🏻😎

Dude some of the Universals made after the war are excellent carbines with all the reliability of a GI model. It all comes down to the specific, particular rifle.

Purchased mine many years ago brand new from the military for $47.00 It's a National Postal Meter.

the best way to make an m1 carbine stop jamming is to 1- make sure the mags are good 2- keep it lubed, and 3- fire the hell out of it. you mentioned you replaced the recoil spring, i noticed the opposite helps - a less stiff recoil spring actually helps it run better than a brand new, and therefore stiffer spring. throw that old spring in there and fire the living hell out of it, and when you're done firing it and clean it good, sit there and work the action over, and over, and over. do what i used to do with my rifles when i was younger (ok, i still might since i'm single) and lay in bed working the action and dry firing it at the ceiling. the important part is working the action more than the dry firing, but sitting there dry firing gets it done and makes you one with the rifle as well. but m1 carbines, especially those old ones that likely had parts replaced here and there, like to be very, very well broken in, and decently lubed, and lastly keep an eye on your mags, they tend to have problems if they've been loaded for years before you got them, so new springs and often new followers in the mags helps, and also i've seen mags that were slightly bent that made them hang up with good springs and followers and had to be bent back into shape slightly. take care of those things and a carbine can be extremely reliable. the most reliable one i had or shot was my dad's Inland that went through WWII in the pacific theatre, Korea, and early Vietnam wars. it was shot a lot and it was the smoothest carbine i've ever shot, and the roughest one ever oddly enough was a brand new production Auto Ordnance one that i got brand new, back in 2008.

I got a 1944 with the import stamp not so long ago, probably the most anti-collector example you can get, and it maybe has a FTF 1 in 100 rounds. I've replaced the main spring and it works great.

I would like to see a lever action series with traditional lever action caliber and some new school ones would be really cool series

Tip of the day, newer phones have awesome slow motion video capture. Use this to take video of your bolt cycling, and any problems you witness in feeding and ejecting can be tinkered with and resolved, because you'll be able to see what's going on!

Mine was finicky with brass ammo in general. FTE every 2 to 3 magazines. When I use Wolf or Tula (ODD I KNOW!) it never jammed. I can't stand using Wolf or Tula but the stuff worked flawless in my M1. I got the advise to change the ejector and spring and it did a lot better with brass but jammed once every 200-300 rds. I then did flitz polish the action and feed area, changed springs etc. Total cost under $30 total. Now I have 5k through it, no jams. I had a buddy with a brand new AR come out and every other mag he had a problem. I broke out my M1 and quick fired 5 30rd mags, no issue. I looked at him and said "GI Issue, Made for war :)" . Just treat your rifle right and it will be there when you need it. Old age means pitting and things so polishing is good, good cleaning and proper lubing is key. I use Super Lube in all my guns with great success. I also always polish feed ramps and slick up the slide actions.

The gun oil from World War II was different than the oil of today. try sewing machine oil.

I have a Blue Sky marked carbine, bought straight from a distributor in the mid'90s. My understanding was that it was from Austria, used by police and was/is in absolutely beautiful shape. The carbine you are featuring sounds and looks the same.

Spot on assessment. For the record I have had excellent results with all KCI magazines. KCI AR15, AK47, and M1A magazines are well built and exceptionally reliable. Due to their weight and cost they are my dump mags for competition and they continue to run exceptionally well.

The chamber needs polished and to be as clean and smooth as glass. Just FYI my experience with the AR15/ M16 is late 1979-82 in the Marine Corp and I was never issued one that did not jam. I tell my self some times I need another but I have yet to pull the trigger on one. I do have a lot of other Semi Auto firearms and they are all flawless and I truly believe reliably is with who maintains it.

The main recoil spring on one of mine is definitely worn. I get an ejection failure about every 5-6 rounds. It was also made by inland and imported by blue sky. My dad bought it in the early 80s and it was passed down to me. The barrel is almost completely shot out, but it’s still somewhat accurate considering how many rounds must have been put through it. The other one I own works fantastic though.

It looks like your rifle has the proper M2 bolt, make sure it also has the proper M2 magazine catch/release, it will have the M underlined. If not replace that, it helps keep the mags, especially 30 round mags, from tipping in rapid/automatic fire. Also, watch how much you allow the rifle to move under recoil. If you can shoot 1 round every 10 seconds from the shoulder and experience no malfunctions, but they exhibit under 2 or 3 shot failure drills then the issue isn't the rifle, you may be letting it move freely too much. According to TM 9-1276 function testing is to be done from the shoulder or rest that allows at least 1/2" of movement under recoil. Rests that don't allow recoil may not identify a rifle that doesn't have sufficient power to cycle. I take this to mean you may be allowing the rifle to move too much in rapid fire robbing some of the energy used to cycle the action. Remember, a tiny, short stroke piston is moving that heavy operating slide, the bolt and pushing against the spring. Great video series, I've enjoyed all of them. I like the upper handguard rail system you have on there, looks nice and very functional.

My Inland has a 12/1943 marked barrel and the serial number on the receiver is from late in the January-August 1944 block. It has sat in a safe for decades. I have some original GI magazines but those I am replacing with KCI 15 and 30-round magazines over time. I am getting a Wolf spring kit to at least replace the main spring with. I have a lot of 1950's manufactured 30 carbine ammo most in the original box.

They are old workhorses. My shooter Rock-ola hiccups once in a while, but still fun to shoot. It’s in battlefield pickup condition, which looks really cool. I find it to be picky with mags, and the occasional failure to extract.

Chris - Thanks for ANOTHER great video. The information conveyed was, as always, excellent. BUT the ways in which you present it, your articulateness, your cogency and organization, your humor, and your tangible attitude of expertise without any condescension are even better. = = = = = = = = P. S.: FWIW, I’ve never owned an M1 Carbine, but my maternal grandfather (a World War I infantry corporal) carried one as a civil service security guard, at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, during World War II. Generally, he loved it, BUT he always said the GI magazines were comparatively flimsy and caused many malfunctions.

Wow .... I bought a Universal M1 Carbine about 25 years ago. I have only fired maybe 500 rds through it .... and have had two failures to eject, and no other failures .... I run a mostly dry gun, very little oil, and mostly just swab the barrel, and use a foam swab to clean internals ....

I have an aftermarket made in the 70s. Just had it taken in for all the same reasons you described. The smith, who is a friend of mine luckily. Did a deep cleaning, tested it and it cycled fine. He decided to shoot the two mags of ammo I provided for testing. And the firing pin broke. I don’t know if he checked the springs but he said everything seemed functionally sound. I might have him upgrade the springs since he already has it. And order that sweet rail at the same time

I imagine that the M1 Carbine is very reliable. The real problem is the magazines. The WW2 vets would say that the carbine was great but the mags were trash and failed all the time.

Great vid series! I built my usgi spec carbine from new surplus parts except the bbl and receiver, it is new Fulton , barrel is new criterion match grade. I reload using ww296 15 grains, per load data. These guns were designed to run with a pretty consistent loading. They don’t respond well with downloaded or under pressured ammo.

Hey Chris, I'm missing your handgun reviews. Would love to see a review of the Taurus 856 revolver, or that strange double-shot 22 magnum revolver. Thunder 333 or somesuch name. I really respect your discretion and even-handedness in the reviews.

This was a great series, thanks. I can't believe no one makes a great copy of this gun. Hey Ruger!

Blue Skye guns were imported from South Korea in the mid to late 80's.

This video series has been hugely entertaining.

Just got a rebuilt GI carbine, new stock, new springs, new magazines. I have around 500 rounds through it so far, no issues yet.

I have an old M-1 Carbine, and the only issue I ever encountered was the extractor eventually wore down to the point that one out of few hundred rounds failed to eject. Replaced it, and updated the main string (might as well), and no more issues.

The only two veterans I talked to who were old enough to be issued these described them as unreliable even when new fwiw

I guess mine's an anomaly since I've owned it for over 30 years, put over 10k rounds through it and haven't ever noticed a malfunction. I do religiously clean and lube it after every trip to the range and have detail stripped and cleaned it probably annually. It's a GM Saginaw plant SN 3516xxx. It has what may be an import mark, N.A. Co., Ridgefield NJ on the side of the barrel. I've no idea what it's history was prior to my buying it probably in the late '80s. I agree that it's great fun to shoot and probably one of my favorite rifles I own. Everything in the series except the reliability matches my experience.

As far as self defense gose the question should always be "is YOURS reliable" I've seen out of speck ars, glocks, colts and smiths. If it works and you trust it use it. If it doesn't then don't. Iver Johnsons and highpoints might be clunky junk piles but if it gose band and you can hit shit with it. Go for it. You just have to be faster and shoot straighter than the other guy.

Blue sky was exclusive to Korea. That gun was sold to South Korea as surplus, reimported in the early 70s, then the importer went out of business. I have one from this importer. Never had a failure.

Anti tilt followers for M1 mags should be a thing.