I have an M1 Carbine my grandfather gave me about 8 years ago. I have always wondered when it was made. Its not a rare one, but its not one of the most common ones. It was made by National Postal Meter. The Ser# is 420XXXX.

Anyone know where I can find the date of manufacture. I was looking, but cant find it.

EDIT: There are also some markings on the stock. One says T.T. and the other is a 10. They are both on the left side of the stock.

This post has been edited by AnonymousD: August 31st 2009 12:12 AM

January to March, 1944

You can't get the exact date, but that serial number was made during those dates.

This post has been edited by Gmountain: August 31st 2009 12:15 AM

Pictures!!!!

Thanks.



I need to get a few good ones of it.

And by the title I thought your M1 carbine was looking for a date! I thought I might let her date my Garand.

You are a Lucky Man Have you read this
http://home.att.net/~ra-carbines/history.html

May have some of the info you are looking for

AnonymousD, that's very fine specimen of a "Postal Meter" carbine. As you may know, the M1 carbine's are a subset of collecting "all their own". Many pristine original specimens (e.g., right sights, and matching parts) can command up to four-figures. There were actually (9) prime contractors for the carbine: Winchester, Inland Manufacturing (GMC), Underwood Elliot Fisher, National Postal Meter, Rock-ola Manufacturing Corp., Quality Hardware, Standard Products, Saginaw (Steering Gear), and IBM. National Postal Meter produced 413,017 units for the government. IBM made approximately: 346,500 units. Rock-ola made carbines are the rarest types found with a total production output of 228,500 carbines. Yet, Winchester-made (809,451 units) guns are highly collectible with the right accoutrements.* I saw a very pricey, Rock-ola version at a gun show, a few years ago, and it was in the four-figures zone! A friend's father has a Standard-made version with all the correct matching parts, I almost managed to "hustle" it from him for a decent price. Complete, correct specimens are getting harder to find. Many were Lend-Lease to Europe, and have come back from there, more or less as mixed-bagged affairs. Auto-Ordnance was making brand-new civilian versions, but I don't know if this is still true or not.



*Source: Small Arms of World 10th Rev. ED., Smith, Joseph E.
Copyright 1973




This post has been edited by Zephyr One/Zero: September 3rd 2009 5:52 AM

That's a nice carbine AnonymousD

As far as I know everything is matching on it. Id love to get someone who knows about them to check it out and let me know for sure though. Its in really good condition and everything has the same finish.

What are the barrel markings and markings on the trigger group, sights, recoil plate and slide?

This post has been edited by Gmountain: September 1st 2009 2:27 AM

Barrel says

Buffalo Arms
11-43

Probably the date lol. If it is the date then the serial no on the receiver was made at a different time, and probably isnt all original.

Trigger group says

B - EB

I think the - may actually be a sideways 1 though.

Sight has a PI on it

Slide has large Z on it and 7100001

There is also an M on the rear of the barrel, on the bottom. The flat spot about an inch ahead of the front of the trigger package.

The barrel may well be original to the reciever. November 43 and Jan-Feb 44. The companies making the recievers would get barrels from subcontractors. I'll check all this stuff out when I get home. I'm not sure what companies used Buffalo as the barrel maker.

You would be hard pressed to find an all original carbine. Even during the war, parts were interchanged as needed. They are designed that way. The guns were made to be used and when they needed rpars or parts, the armorers used what was available.

A little off topic here, but is there a special tool for removing the rear sight? I dont need to take it out, but it did come a little loose and moves side to side a little.

I don't remember. I'll look when I get home.

Go to the "BiggerHammer.net" and locate the M1 CARBINE file. Follow the instructions on the site to open the file, you will need the login and password. When you open the file the info for the rear sight starts on page 75. It shows the tool used to remove the sight but, more important, it shows the proper staking of the rear sight.

Let's see what we have here.

Buffalo Arms supplied barrels to NPM, so that would be correct.
Trigger housing is IBM
Rear sight is Inland
Slide is NPM

Almost every little part on the carbine is marked. The stock is marked on the inside, the recoil plate, the trigger, the sear, the safety, the magazine disconnecy, the bolt and the bolt parts. It's fun to see what you have. What kind of bolt do you have?

Ill have to tear it down tomorrow and get more into it. I think the hammer had a W on it though.

How much would it increase in value if I got matching parts for it? I wouldnt because I want to keep it like it was when my great grandfather carried it, but Im interested lol. My grandfather has another carbine that Id like to foi up for him. Its in bad shape though. It was in a big sock in the garage for years. The rear sight is a homemade brass sight that almost looks like a pistol sight, and I think the front sight is the same. Shoots good though. lol

This post has been edited by AnonymousD: September 2nd 2009 2:56 AM

It wouldn't increase much in value if you got matching parts, unless you lied to someone and said it was all original as it came from the factory. It's fun to get the matching parts, but that is only for fun, although I do like to find those parts too. Most , probably like 99.9%, of these guns were mixmasters after the war-they were designed and built for wartime use and when something wore out, it was replaced by the nearest available part. The guns that were used in Korea were updated after the war too.

The value in your gun is the provenance-you knew it was your grandfather's and he carried it the way you have it. That is pretty cool.

Id love to get my hands on that other one and put a paratrooper stock on it and get all the parts for it. 2 Carbines would be sweet.