A buddy just got an M1 Carbine from the CMP. I'd never handled one before...very handy and really light. Was wondering if this would be a good home defense/pickup gun?

Put a plastic stock on it and get a 30 round mag. That 120 grain round at 1950 fps might be a good stopper, if somebody makes an expanding bullet that feeds well.

Anybody gone that route?

I've been a fan of the M1 Carbine ever since I was issued one in '63. They are extremely reliable and do very well with any reasonable handload. I've taken a couple of whitetails with a handloaded Speer 110 grain varminter hollow point and the deer never knew it wasn't an '06, good wound channel with a golf ball size exit. I haven't tried any of the factory soft points on game but that Speer flat nosed hollow-point seems ideal. As a weapon of defense I'd take the carbine over any .357 Magnum handgun any day, likewise for hunting, and I do like the .357 mag.

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Agree with Joe; if it will feed good expanding bullets, will work well. Not a big fan of FMJ for anything made of meat in this little round. Much of the bad press for the .30carbine really centers around the military FMJ ammo's lack of energy transfer, the little carbines were well liked (and the military versons are very well made).

I have a real fondness for the M-l Carbine myself. They make a great pickup or fun gun. That said I wouldn't buy one as a primary home defense arm. I prefer a handgun for home defense with loads which are not over penetrative. If I were to use a long gun I 'm convinced a short barrel shotgun is the way to go. Anything 20 gauge or larger is plenty. I personally don't think the load makes much difference. A trap or skeet load of 8 or 9 shot is plenty lethal at inside the house ranges. I actually prefer these loads for said purpose because they do not over penetrate inside the house as buckshot can. Also the racking noise of chambering a round in a pump action has made many would be attackers turn tail and run...... As a camp "defense" arm things change and I go with #4 buckshot in the shotguns. If an M-1 is all I had for home defense I would definately go with soft or hollow point ammo. Good luck with whatever you choose and lord willing I hope you never have to use it...

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I'm a big fan of the little M1 Carbine.
With the Hornady 100 grain Short Jaket bullet,It's a great Self Defence weapon.
Frank

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Frank

Allegedly, the talk when I was young, the average officer did not care for the weight or kick of the .45 ACP auto. More as a badge of rank a short light rifle was created for them to swing around. There are stories about enemy soldiers who took several hits and kept coming... Makes a fair club... And it don't put them all in one hole at 100 yards... Then there is the light bullet in hardball... Soft points help a lot... Defense? You dealing with punk kids who will run upon being discovered, great. Some doped up, DOPED UP punk... a shotgun might not be enough...

As said, the guns made for the military are well made and reliable, mostly. Some got worn out. The CON here is that many, many guns were made with surplus parts and fill in parts of questionable quality. Not all are reliable. Buyer beware. Of course, cheap ammo was a great selling point when it was available. Ruger made a single action in .30 carbine at one time. !!

So, yes, for fun and used wisely... great little tool and reasonable price... Expect too much and you might be disappointed.

Not really known as a man-stopper.

Carried the full auto M2 model in Korea years back. Was for convenience more than anything - better than a pocket full of rocks. Was later issued the M3 "grease gun" .45 ACP submachinegun. Felt I had something that would put the guy down then.

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My question is really with the bullet. If a 110 gr 357 mag at 1300 fps is a good defense round, then why not a 100-110 grain round at 1950-2050 fps?

You wouldn't want to just drill holes, but a good hp that feeds (there's the question)ought to be just right.

Considering how HP's work, the higher speed 110 from the .30 carbine would be a plus for bullet perfomance.

Yep...even a full auto M2 kind of lacks stopping power with FMJ ammo.

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had a bunch of beat up and mangled 168gr. HPBT Sierra match bullets...a lot of time....a mini-lathe. Cutting off the front 1/2 left a nice looking 120gr. back half...loading those back halves made for a nice flat point FMJ. Certainly not an easy way to go about getting a flat point, but I had no other use for those well mangled bullets and a lot of time to kill.

Didn't have a lot of game to try them on (was shooting a Marlin 62 in .30carbine) but from the game I did shoot, the flat point of that cut-off boat tail did a much better job on nutria.

The Remington SP load is designed for varmints. Low penetration and will fragment. Apprently it takes a good center hit near the spine for the fmj bullet to work. I looked up the stats on close range one shot stops and the fmj showed at 90 per cent, not bad. The SP and HP loads were better. So make center hits. Thats not hard with the carbine at short range.

With the right ammo, the M-1 carbine is a very suitable home defense round. We don't hesitate to use or recommend a 9mm when the M1 carbine is pushing a bullet of similar weight at nearly twice the velocity.

Use what you got. My least worry would be what the rest of the world thinks of my survival. My main concern would be staying alive. If I am not near a gun, I know where the knives are. I also have a big dog. The dog may give me time to get a gun. I may just grab a .30-06 and start blasting. I'll worry about over penetration and law suits AFTER the fact.

"Put a plastic stock on it.."
Why, Oh why, would you want to do a thing like that? Leave it alone; it's a classic piece, don't pimp it up.
Pete

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Here's a neat folder! Keep the old, oily stock saved away.

I have an M1 Carbine I bought it in 1968 that was 40 years ago. My advise is, put the bullets in the clips, with the safety ON cycle the bolt back and forth by hand slow enough to check and see that every bullet goes all the way into the barrel easy and the bolt locks shut. Pull the bolt back slow to make sure every bullet comes out easy and smooth. Most fastory loads are fine but sometimes you find a bullet that was damaged in shipping and it will not cycle in the gun. It would be very bad to be depending on that gun to save your life and have a bullet jam in the barrel.

I reload my own and the bullets MUST be absolutely correct or they will not shoot. The gun is very reliable but the bullets are a different story.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Xz_q...eature=related

Hi Guys,

If I could ask a question regarding the Carbine, is it normal for the trigger guard/assembly to move around a bit in the stock or do they rely on a snug stock fit to control this movement? I see the whole assembly just uses a pin to hold it in place.

Regards

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I think it would be good as long as you use soft point bullets.

Kudu40

A 30-M1 needs for home defense:

1. Soft point bullets
2. Lenghten stock
3. AND a BAYONET!!!!!

See:

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Ray

works for me!

My grandfather dropped into Normandy with 3rd platoon, Fox Company, 506th PIR, 101st and used his Carbine until the end. I have that gem. If it could kill (and it did) a good number of Germans and tell the tale...its good enough (or too good) for me- that is for sure. He liked the Garand for more power and range, and the TSMG for close in, but for everyday work of killing, the Carbine did it. He told us the only guys that complained about it NOT being an enemy killing machine 1. never used it as such, or 2. could not hit anything with it to begin with. The latter was actually proved out in a study the Marines did shortly after the war.