M1 Carbine '43?

**wizardman** · 03-31-2014, 02:17 PM

Before being outlawed in Australia i had a number of these..great little weapons,as has been stated it is very easy to jam with 30 round mags..also if i remember correctly they were an easy conversion to fully auto..i still have an original ww2 US service manual for them

**RayG** · 03-31-2014, 03:15 PM

Mark's thread was right on. If you had trouble with the 30 rd mag, the lips may have been bent. Usually they run pretty well. Before it was such a big deal here in the states with owning machine guns, back in the 50's, well that's dating me, Lol. Several friends and I used to have fully auto M2 carbines and those 30 round mags would run with out a problem. Ray

**christek** · 04-09-2014, 01:17 PM

Thanks for all the great info Mark.
The rifle is not actually mine gentlemen; as has been stated above, we have draconian laws here in Oz in regards to firearms. A pre 1945 M1 can be legally owned under a collector’s license but the red tape is just so thick plus the storage and deactivation methods required are a bit harsh. The rifle belongs to an elderly friend who has had it forever. I plan to upgrade to a collectors license and own this in the near future but it will need to be rendered permanently inoperable

Thanks to all for the info and help

**lithgow** · 04-09-2014, 03:33 PM

Not a good idea to 'share' this on a public forum.

**christek** · 04-09-2014, 05:10 PM

by lithgow

Not a good idea to 'share' this on a public forum.

Yes at the moment I only have a Category A license but I have done a tonne of research on this recently and although difficult and pricey; there is a process in which I can legally own this with a NSW collectors license.

You're probably right mate. I'm gonna do it legit but best to keep my trap shut until then

**MarkV** · 04-09-2014, 10:45 PM

Chris,

I got the SN through the email alert - so I can tell by that number that it was manufactured by Inland. My math might be off just a bit, but based on monthly production, I'd guess that the receiver was manufactured in late August of '43 so odds are that the barrel is original. I can also surmise, based on that date, that the rifle went through at least one rebuild at some point. The rear sight, safety and barrel band are all late war production versions. The hand guard is also a replacement - the original would have been a two rivet, not four (the indentations on the top rear of the hand guard).

Of course, it is "possible" that the parts were swapped in the field, but since it has all of the late model parts, that would be unlikely.

Based on the stock, it also appears that the rifle was not modified for automatic fire.

Again, if you can get any of the markings from the stock or the parts, I can give you more info on the rifle.

Mark