SOLD - M1 Carbine

Description

Date Added: 8/15/12 - This is a IBM manufactured M1 Carbine with no bayonet lug or band. Other parts are early types. MW=.0,"AA" marked stock indicates Augusta Arsenal but no signs of re-working. Flip sights. Excellent condition! All original and matching. The M1 carbine (formally the United States Carbine, Caliber .30, M1) is a lightweight, easy to use semi-automatic carbine that became a standard firearm for the U.S. military during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and was produced in several variants. It was widely used by U.S. and foreign military, paramilitary and police forces, and has also been a popular civilian firearm. The first M1 carbines were delivered in mid-1942, with initial priority given to troops in the European Theater of Operations (ETO). The M1 carbine with its reduced-power .30 cartridge was not originally intended to serve as a primary weapon for combat infantrymen, nor was it comparable to more powerful assault rifles developed late in the war. Nevertheless, the carbine was soon widely issued to infantry officers, American paratroopers,[7] NCOs, ammunition bearers, forward artillery observers, and other frontline troops.[8] Its reputation in front-line combat was mixed. The M1 carbine gained generally high praise for its small size, light weight and firepower, especially by those troops who were unable to use a full-size rifle as their primary weapon. However, negative reports began to surface with airborne operations in Sicily in 1943, and increased during the fall and winter of 1944. In the Pacific theater, soldiers and guerrilla forces operating in heavy jungle with only occasional enemy contact praised the carbine for its small size, light weight, and firepower. Other soldiers and marines engaged in frequent daily firefights (particularly those serving in the Philippines) found the weapon to have insufficient stopping power and penetration.