I've got a RI M1 Carbine, and the GI's are lots more reliable.. well, the ones that didn't spend the last 60 years with rounds in them, anyway. I need to get some new spring kits for the ones that came back after the war...
For the 30 rounders, I think you definately need to go GI - I've bought some cheaper ones, but they're not reliable.
If anybody can point to reliable 30s, I'd love to know that (or tips to get them to run better)
Normally I despise SportsmansGuide. Their stock is normally shabby, sub-quality sh**.
Once in awhile though, they have something decent. I've scored good Lake City XM193 off of them and my father scored some dead reliable, cosmolined .30 cal mags.
Keep a look out, because their stock turns over quite a bit.
Keep shopping. I've seen them occasionally for as low as $15.00 at gun shows but $20.00 is more usual. You'll pay a premium for magazines still in the wrap and I'll buy them that way but have not noticed a big difference with that. Don't bother with the aftermarket ones (IMHO). I had a couple and never used them. They didn't feel right compared to the few GI ones I have.
I'm also waiting eagerly for the CMP carbines to show up, and I heard the same rumor about no magazine. I just picked up 3 new (but not in wrapper) 15-round GI issue mags from KY Imports (http://www.kyimports.com/).
They are not rusty, but a bit sticky (probably cosmoline). New condition, 3/$25.00 or 1/$9.99. Used, 1/$7.99 or 3/$21.99.
They have 30 rounders in new condition for $19.99, 3/$54.00.
The Fulton Armory website says the standard M1 magazine catch won't work right for 30-rounders. They sell the M2 carbine mag catch which will work with all, apparently. I don't know enough about the M1 Carbine to know if this is correct or not. I think Fulton also has magazines.
I'd heard that KY Imports was closing its doors. Thanks for the pointer. I just ordered 10 of the 15-round new-in-wrapper magazines for $90. Sweet! They are out of the 30-rounders.
You might want to try "What A Country". They've got GI 30-round M1 carbine magazines for $21.95. Web site is below (I couldn't figure out how to make this an active link, sorry).
Those aren't USGI, and all I've seen says that non-USGI 30 round magazines make great paperweights and not much else. But thanks!
Heartless: The KY web site doesn't say "USGI" but it does say "Original Vintage,(New Condition in Wrapper)." So I assume (knowing what "assume" means) that they are.
The 30-round mags have an extra 'tooth'(or whatever the right term is) on the left side, and the later M2-style mag catch is designed to hold on that as well as the two in the back. My understanding is due to both the extra weight, and in the case of the M2 carbine the stresses caused by auto fire.
Most 30 rounds mags are not USGI. I bought several last year that were "genuine USGI mags" and they were not, and none of them feed reliably. My brother in law bought a 40 round magazine and it will only feed if there are less than ten rounds in the mag! And that was _after_ swapping out the follower with a USGI one (before that it would only feed with three or less rounds!)
There is a M1 Carbine Magazine FAQ here:
http://www.rawles.to/M1_Carbine_Mag_FAQ.html
Seems pretty good, has info on the various markings so you can tell where your mags came from.
I have had _zero_ problems with any of the USGI 15 round mags I have, even the scruffy looking ones I've picked up, but YMMV.
I've had no problems with 15-round USGI mags, and problems with 10-round commercial (Pro-Mag from Midway and "anonymous whatever" from Numerich). The Pro-Mag 10-rounders have each exhibited 8th or 9th round FTFs.
The Numerich 10-rounders have the extra "tooth" for the mag-catch that 30-rounders should have which I believe is a late Korean-War era (full-auto) feature. One of them works fine with no hiccups. I think the FTF's are a feed-lip geometry problem, but I've read at the CSP Carbine Collector's Forum that it's the springs. I replaced the springs in the 15's with Wolf replacement springs - springs for 10-rounders were unavailable.
FYI - Reading US Infantry Weapons in Combat: Personal Experiences from World War II and Korea, Jack Walentine writes re: Korea, "You hear stories about the Chinese being shot with carbines in their winter clothing and they just brushed it off. I have shot Chinese in all their winter gear with an M2 carbine, and those rounds had gone completely through them, in the front and out the back. I know because I had to search them for maps and documents after I shot them. At 100 to 150 yards that sucker was bad news. I thought it was a lot more powerful than that Russian submachine gun."
Another guy said he could accurately hit stuff out to 300-yards, and yet another preferred 15-round magazines over 30-round magazines because you could hunker-down closer to the dirt and still fire - and thought them being compact, it was easier to carry more of 'em.
I repeat Gandalf's statement of _zero_ problems with any of the USGI 15 round mags I have, even the scruffy looking ones.
"...I just ordered 10 of the 15-round new-in-wrapper magazines for $90..."
Less than 24 hours later the price was $110 for 10. Ain't capitalism grand. Looks like they were paying attention to the suddenly increased demand.
Note:
All avatars and any images or other media embedded in comments were hosted on the JS-Kit website and have been lost;
references to haloscan comments have been partially automatically remapped, but accuracy is not guaranteed and corrections are solicited.
If you notice any problems with this page or wish to have your home page link updated, please contact John Hardin <jhardin@impsec.org>
JS-Kit/Echo comments for article at http://smallestminority.blogspot.com/2007/01/anybody-know-good-source-for.html (18 comments)
Tentative mapping of comments to original article, corrections solicited.
GI issue might be worth it.
I've got a RI M1 Carbine, and the GI's are lots more reliable.. well, the ones that didn't spend the last 60 years with rounds in them, anyway. I need to get some new spring kits for the ones that came back after the war...
For the 30 rounders, I think you definately need to go GI - I've bought some cheaper ones, but they're not reliable.
If anybody can point to reliable 30s, I'd love to know that (or tips to get them to run better)
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showpage?saleitemid=214774&utm_source=froogle&utm_medium=free&utm_campaign=10613
Anybody ever tried these?
Kevin,
Normally I despise SportsmansGuide. Their stock is normally shabby, sub-quality sh**.
Once in awhile though, they have something decent. I've scored good Lake City XM193 off of them and my father scored some dead reliable, cosmolined .30 cal mags.
Keep a look out, because their stock turns over quite a bit.
March is going to be a good month.
Best regards,
Benjamin
Keep shopping. I've seen them occasionally for as low as $15.00 at gun shows but $20.00 is more usual. You'll pay a premium for magazines still in the wrap and I'll buy them that way but have not noticed a big difference with that. Don't bother with the aftermarket ones (IMHO). I had a couple and never used them. They didn't feel right compared to the few GI ones I have.
I'm also waiting eagerly for the CMP carbines to show up, and I heard the same rumor about no magazine. I just picked up 3 new (but not in wrapper) 15-round GI issue mags from KY Imports (http://www.kyimports.com/).
They are not rusty, but a bit sticky (probably cosmoline). New condition, 3/$25.00 or 1/$9.99. Used, 1/$7.99 or 3/$21.99.
They have 30 rounders in new condition for $19.99, 3/$54.00.
The Fulton Armory website says the standard M1 magazine catch won't work right for 30-rounders. They sell the M2 carbine mag catch which will work with all, apparently. I don't know enough about the M1 Carbine to know if this is correct or not. I think Fulton also has magazines.
I'd heard that KY Imports was closing its doors. Thanks for the pointer. I just ordered 10 of the 15-round new-in-wrapper magazines for $90. Sweet! They are out of the 30-rounders.
Kevin:
You might want to try "What A Country". They've got GI 30-round M1 carbine magazines for $21.95. Web site is below (I couldn't figure out how to make this an active link, sorry).
http://www.whatacountry.com/aspcart/default.asp
WAC gunshow is next weekend. I'm going to see what I can get. Let us know if the mags from KY are GI.
What A Country's 15 rounders don't claim to be GI, although the 30 rounders do.
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/38730-47497-1336.html
$13.10, $11.79 with a logtime customer discount.
Those aren't USGI, and all I've seen says that non-USGI 30 round magazines make great paperweights and not much else. But thanks!
Heartless: The KY web site doesn't say "USGI" but it does say "Original Vintage,(New Condition in Wrapper)." So I assume (knowing what "assume" means) that they are.
Oh, just found out Cole Dist has them, too.
New cond, 10/$90, same as KY
Used VGC (80%), 10/$70. Although the reviews on Gunboards say these are more like 95%.
The nice lady I spoke to at KYI said that the used ones "had seen better days" or words to that effect.
Ebay has them for $16.49
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&satitle=usgi+m1+carbine+magazine
Keepshooting.com has them for $14.95, and look! They're "made of metal".
http://www.keepshooting.com/firearmaccessories/magazines/m1carbinemag.htm
The 30-round mags have an extra 'tooth'(or whatever the right term is) on the left side, and the later M2-style mag catch is designed to hold on that as well as the two in the back. My understanding is due to both the extra weight, and in the case of the M2 carbine the stresses caused by auto fire.
Stay away from non-USGI mags!
Most 30 rounds mags are not USGI. I bought several last year that were "genuine USGI mags" and they were not, and none of them feed reliably. My brother in law bought a 40 round magazine and it will only feed if there are less than ten rounds in the mag! And that was _after_ swapping out the follower with a USGI one (before that it would only feed with three or less rounds!)
There is a M1 Carbine Magazine FAQ here:
http://www.rawles.to/M1_Carbine_Mag_FAQ.html
Seems pretty good, has info on the various markings so you can tell where your mags came from.
I have had _zero_ problems with any of the USGI 15 round mags I have, even the scruffy looking ones I've picked up, but YMMV.
I've had no problems with 15-round USGI mags, and problems with 10-round commercial (Pro-Mag from Midway and "anonymous whatever" from Numerich). The Pro-Mag 10-rounders have each exhibited 8th or 9th round FTFs.
The Numerich 10-rounders have the extra "tooth" for the mag-catch that 30-rounders should have which I believe is a late Korean-War era (full-auto) feature. One of them works fine with no hiccups. I think the FTF's are a feed-lip geometry problem, but I've read at the CSP Carbine Collector's Forum that it's the springs. I replaced the springs in the 15's with Wolf replacement springs - springs for 10-rounders were unavailable.
FYI - Reading US Infantry Weapons in Combat: Personal Experiences from World War II and Korea, Jack Walentine writes re: Korea, "You hear stories about the Chinese being shot with carbines in their winter clothing and they just brushed it off. I have shot Chinese in all their winter gear with an M2 carbine, and those rounds had gone completely through them, in the front and out the back. I know because I had to search them for maps and documents after I shot them. At 100 to 150 yards that sucker was bad news. I thought it was a lot more powerful than that Russian submachine gun."
Another guy said he could accurately hit stuff out to 300-yards, and yet another preferred 15-round magazines over 30-round magazines because you could hunker-down closer to the dirt and still fire - and thought them being compact, it was easier to carry more of 'em.
I repeat Gandalf's statement of _zero_ problems with any of the USGI 15 round mags I have, even the scruffy looking ones.
"...I just ordered 10 of the 15-round new-in-wrapper magazines for $90..."
Less than 24 hours later the price was $110 for 10. Ain't capitalism grand. Looks like they were paying attention to the suddenly increased demand.
Note: All avatars and any images or other media embedded in comments were hosted on the JS-Kit website and have been lost; references to haloscan comments have been partially automatically remapped, but accuracy is not guaranteed and corrections are solicited.
If you notice any problems with this page or wish to have your home page link updated, please contact John Hardin <jhardin@impsec.org>