M1 Carbine?

[3gunr]

Anyone using a M1 carbine for 3-gun? Have been using a M1A with iron sights with good results, up until the 20 round mags handicap me against 30-40 round AR15's. Local matches around here have long shots of 100 yards max. With a Smith muzzle break the carbine handles and recoils like a 10-22. Why isnt anyone shooting one of these? For close stuff you have 30 rounds with low recoil, as for limited class your sights are closer to the bore than an AR and you can see .30 caliber holes. Im gonna give it a try......if it fails Ive always got the fallback M1A. Bought a 16" AR, but never got comfortable enough with it to take it to a match.

3gunr

[Religious Shooter]

If your club only has 100 yards and you don't plan on going to any other matches that have 100-350 yards shots, I think the M1 carbine is actually a good and maybe better choice than the M1A for Limited.

But most of the shooters out there are lucky enough to have local matches that have 100+ yard shots. For me my local club has to 300+ yards, each of the CA3Gun match location have a minimum of 200+ yards, SM3G and RM3G has 300+ yard capability, Area 2 at Bakersfield had 350+ yards shots, last year Reno had 200-300 yard shots and this year's Nationals the Vegas club is 300+ yards capable.

So for me personally... the M1 carbine's ballistics would not cut it.

I saw a shooter shoot one in our local match. He had a scope on his carbine. He actually did pretty well on the 200 yard steel. Only thing was the .223 were going BANG..CLANG. While the .30 was Bang..........Clang. Really, really long wait.

Reminded me of that PPC joke where the shooter's actually shot themselves when they went down range to tape their targets.

...see the bullets were so slow that they walked downrange and got hit by the bullets that they fired.

[davidwiz]

Didn't Pat Kelly do a article on 3-Gun in Front Sight where he discussed using non-AR rifles, including the M1 Carbine?

[pisgahrifle]

I used to 3G with a carbine. The matches we had locally were all CQB-100 yds. so range wasn't an issue; the breaking point was cycling time. The M1 cycles soooo much slower than the AR it isn't funny. I didn't realize how bad it was until my wife took pictures of me shooting prone from over my shoulder. She had one that showed the last spent case almost three feet away from the gun as it was just about to lock back up.

In addition, most mag catches are tight and mags really have to be licked pretty good to seat. And I'm not sure it makes major unless you're at one of "those" clubs that calls any .30 rifle major.

[Barry in IN]

Just for fun, I shot mine at a club's fundraising rifle side-match this Summer.

I was concerned about how far they would shoot, and if the Carbine could handle it.

As it turned out, they re-shot a stage used in the pistol match earlier, whose targets were at something like 3-8 yards!

I only had 15-rd mags, and it was a 21 round stage, so I was one of the few that had to reload.

Which I fumbled.

The mag didn't have enough weight to drop free with only a couple of rounds in it, so it had to be pulled free. I already had my fresh mag in hand, so had to do some juggling.

Still, I placed fairly well due to getting good hits. I had an advantage in that the Carbine's bore-to-sight line is low as compared to the AR15s that most used. They had to compensate for that, or take hits on the no-shoot.

I could hold dead-on.

Like I said, I shot it for fun, but I learned a few things:

-The bore-to-sight line allows holding dead-on at ultra-close range.

-I need to practice mag changes with it.

-It handles very well. We shot around a barricade, and I had no trouble keeping the muzzle from striking the wall while staying in the box.

-It stays on target pretty well. There was some bouncing around, but mostly I just had to shoot.

[pisgahrifle]

Reliable 30 rnd. mags= necessity. Sometimes carbine mags are more finnicky than AR mags, and the inconsistencies in non-military guns doesn't help matters. I can personally recommend any of the GM carbines and Winchesters, but the latter are getting awfully hard to find. I personally favor the adjustable ramp over the earlier aperature as well, but I s'pose that can more or less be a matter of personal preference. You get a bit more precise zero, but the ranges marked on the sight are for this little gun, well... academic. More abstract, really. Shooting the carbine over 200 yards requires previous experience with mortars and other things similairly high-angle.

[Tengu]

I think the M1 is a great little gun when the range isn't too long. It never really has lived down the bad rap it got in WWII for its cartridge's lack of stopping power compared to the 30-06, but then again, the same criticism could be made of the 5.56x45. And handling counts for a lot in close quarters. If the shots at your home club are within 100 yards, go for it!

[OLD SF MJT]

I've used my M-1 Carbine for some of my local shoots. Like it a bunch! Even considering putting a red dot optic on it. Along those lines, I remember seeing a scope mount for the carbine, required the receiver be drilled & tapped to mount. I've looked around quite a bit trying to find the thing to no avail. Is there anyone out there who knows where to get one of the things or if it is even still available?

Thanks in advance.

[1911user]

I've used my M-1 Carbine for some of my local shoots.  Like it a bunch!  Even considering putting a red dot optic on it.  Along those lines, I remember seeing a scope mount for the carbine, required the receiver be drilled & tapped to mount.  I've looked around quite a bit trying to find the thing to no avail.  Is there anyone out there who knows where to get one of the things or if it is even still available?

Thanks in advance.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think there was a forward mount that replaced the top of the handguard and clamped to the barrel somehow. That would work well for a red dot sight. Maybe it was an ultimak mount.

[IPSCDRL]

Try here;

http://www.gunaccessories.com/MilitaryScop...rbine/index.asp

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/ctd/product.asp?sku=63591

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?p=WX2&i=69384

http://www.thecountryshed.com/m1carbine_scope_mounts.htm

I've wanted an M1 carbine for a while. Haven't found one that suits my fancy yet.

[OLD SF MJT]

Thanks for all the good information. I knew about the Ultimak mount, but it's for a 'genuine' GI carbine...I have one of those Universal 'knock-offs.' No complaints, though. Got it for a great price. Once I got it cleaned properly, it hasn't missed a lick. I don't have to worry about 'shooting up' a collectable piece. It's already drilled & tapped for a scope mount. AND!!! It's accurate as all get-out! (Within reason, of course!) I need to look at the other mounts and figure out which one will do best and if they will fit up to my off-brand shooter!

Again, thanks.

Old SF