In the original wrapping, this is an auction for ONE magazine for a M1, M2 or M3 US Army Carbine. It is in perfect condition and has never been opened or used. You will get one similar to the one in the picture. Stored for years, and manufacturer is unknown. There are no markings on the paper or magazine.
The first M1 carbines were delivered in mid-1942, with initial priority given to troops in the European Theater of Operations (ETO).
The M1 carbine with its reduced-power .30 cartridge was not originally intended to serve as a primary weapon for combat infantrymen, nor was it comparable to more powerful assault rifles developed late in the war. Nevertheless, the carbine was soon widely issued to infantry officers, American paratroopers, NCOs, ammunition bearers, forward artillery observers, and other frontline troops. Its reputation in front-line combat was mixed. The M1 carbine gained generally high praise for its small size, light weight and firepower, especially by those troops who were unable to use a full-size rifle as their primary weapon. However, negative reports began to surface with airborne operations in Sicily in 1943, and increased during the fall and winter of 1944.
In the Pacific theater, soldiers and guerrilla forces operating in heavy jungle with only occasional enemy contact praised the carbine for its small size, light weight, and firepower.[ Other soldiers and marines engaged in frequent daily firefights (particularly those serving in the Philippines) found the weapon to have insufficient stopping power and penetration. Reports of the carbine's failure to stop enemy soldiers, sometimes after multiple hits, appeared in individual after-action reports, postwar evaluations, and service histories of both the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps.[ Aware of these shortcomings, the U.S. Army, its Pacific Command Ordnance staff, and the Aberdeen small arms facility continued to work on shortened versions of the M1 rifle throughout the war, though none was ever officially adopted.
While the .30 Carbine cartridge used in the M1 Carbine could not penetrate small trees and light cover as well as the standard U.S. .30-06 rifle cartridge, it was markedly superior to the .45-caliber Reising and Thompson submachineguns in both accuracy and penetration, while its lighter .30 cartridge allowed soldiers to carry more ammunition. Lt. Col. John George, a small arms expert and intelligence officer serving in Burma with Merrill's Marauders, reported that .30 carbine bullets would easily penetrate the front and back of steel helmets, as well as the body armor used by Japanese forces of the era.
The carbine's exclusive use of non-corrosive primered ammunition was found to be a godsend by troops and ordnance personnel serving in the Pacific, where barrel corrosion was a significant issue with the corrosive primers used in .30-06 caliber weapons. However, in the ETO some soldiers reported misfires attributed to moisture ingress of the non-corrosive primer compound.
The magazine will fit all of the US made carbines, and post WW2 commercial made carbines, including:
Inland Division, General Motors (production: 2,632,097), sole producer of the M1A1 Carbine. Receiver marked "INLAND DIV."
Winchester Repeating Arms (production: 828,059) Receiver marked "WINCHESTER"[
Irwin-Pedersen (operated by Saginaw Steering Gear and production included with Saginaw total)
Saginaw Steering Gear Division General Motors (production: 517,213 ) Receivers marked "SAGINAW S.G." (370,490) and "IRWIN-PEDERSEN" (146,723 )
Underwood Elliot Fisher (production: 545,616) Receiver marked "UNDERWOOD"
National Postal Meter (production: 413,017) Receiver marked "NATIONAL POSTAL METER"
Quality Hardware Manufacturing Corp. (production: 359,666) Receiver marked "QUALITY H.M.C."
International Business Machines (production: 346,500) Receiver marked "I.B.M. CORP." Also barrel marked "IBM Corp"
Standard Products (production: 247,100) Receiver marked "STD. PRO."
Rock-Ola Manufacturing Corporation (production: 228,500) Receiver Marked "ROCK-OLA"
Commercial Controls Corporation (production: 239) Receiver marked "COMMERCIAL CONTROLS"
Shipping only to the United States. No shipping to California, New York, Chicago, or anywhere else restricted. By bidding, you confirm that this item is being purchased for legal ownership. The carbine in the picture is not for sale and is there just to show how the magazine fits.
These magazines are getting highly collectible, and may not be available much longer. Do not delay and think you can get them tomorrow...
