'STRIKE-THROUGH' RECEIVERS- It was not uncommon for M-1 Carbine manufacturers to produce parts for another manufacturer.
Half as heavy as the M1 Rifle, it was quite handy and its fifteen, and later in the war, thirty round magazine gave a fair amount of firepower. The M1 Carbine was appreciated, first and foremost, for its weight. The M1 and M2 were the only ones to be made in large numbers. In addition there were many experimental configurations of the firearm created for the commercial as well as foreign military markets. The M2 carbine was designed to permit both semi-automatic and fully-automatic fire, allowing a soldier to select which mode of operation he required in the heat of battle.įinally a selective-fire version that could accept early infrared viewers was created and designated the M3. Later a selective-fire version was fielded in an effort to create a more potent weapon. The original gun was designated by the US military as the M1 Carbine. There were over 6 million Carbines produced over a span of just 38 months (the first carbines were delivered in June 1942, the last in August 1945). It took over a year and a half to decide on this example.
The Carbine was one of over twenty designs submitted to the Government. The Army was looking for a semi-automatic rifle more powerful than a handgun, but less powerful than the M1 Rifle, effective out to 300 yards and light enough to be issued to personnel who needed a weapon, but didn't need the M1 Rifle. Williams helped engineers at Winchester perfect his basic design. The Carbine was the most unusually produced service rifle. Oddly enough the magazine release is a button on the right side of the receiver-an arrangement that was later apparently copied by designers of the AR-15 rifle.
#M1 carbine serial numbers and dates serial number#
Is there a website that lists serial number ranges for Carbines? It was less expensive than CMP, and it's a decent shooter so far. Is this a commercial receiver? If so, who built it? It's also marked as Houston TX.
Hi I just purchased an M1 at a gun show, the serial number is H888-R202XXX. If you have a Universal M1 Carbine, especially one with a SN in the transition ranges listed below, or examples that don't fit the range, please send the. Thanks to John Blood for providing the serial number info. Universal's records are long gone, but some information has been collected from serial numbers and configurations of known guns. The charging handle is similar to that of the M14/Mini-14 rifles and the safety in the front of the trigger guard is somewhat like them, though the 'switch' of the lever is much different. The M1 Carbine is gas operated with a rotating bolt that locks into the barrel. Up until just recently, the M1 Carbine had the distinction of being the most mass produced U.S.