Since the Carbine is a mid-20th century design, there are a few features that might seem dated to the modern shooter, because they are. Bottom line, our test team found these two carbines to be reliable, depending on the ammunition employed, offer good performance if the cartridge is used within its limits, and unlike some other M1 Carbines our testers have fired in the past, these two reproductions are accurate enough for nearly any use. In our opinion, the Inland is suitable for all three, where the A-O is not competition ready, but it satisfies the other two roles pretty well.
We looked at these two Carbines for historical accuracy, for competition use in M1 Carbine Matches, and as a home-defense choice. Both of these are built like Uncle Sam intended using a gas-operated, short-stroke piston system with a rotating bolt, and they are chambered in 30 Carbine.
We found on three websites (, and ) that the Inland’s cost ranged from $999 to $992 and the A-O from $828 to $752. but a new company) and the M1 Carbine Paratrooper from Auto-Ordnance (A-O). We opted to test two new M1 Carbine reproductions, the M1 1945 Carbine from Inland Mfg. A true M1 Carbine is chambered in 30 Carbine and uses a gas-operated, short-stroke piston mechanism with a rotating bolt. They sort of look like an M1 Carbine but use a different operating mechanism. Some are even chambered in 22 L.R., such as the Ruger 10/22 M1 and 9mm Luger, such as the Chiappa M1-9, respectively. These commercial copies cost less, but their quality varies depending on the manufacturer, and some are not true reproductions of the M1 Carbine rather, they are more of each manufacturer’s “interpretation” of the M1 Carbine. Numerous commercial copies were produced after WWII. Eleven manufacturers in total produced the M1 Carbine for the U.S. Division of General Motors Corp., Underwood (a typewriter manufacturer), IBM (when they made adding machines), Rock-Ola (a jukebox manufacturer), and others all received government contracts to produce the Carbine. Costs, however, will vary dramatically depending on which manufacturer produced the M1 Carbine, the model, features, and condition.Īvid M1 Carbine collectors know that Winchester finalized the design of the M1 Carbine and produced the rifle, but other manufacturers like Inland Mfg. Try finding a vintage M1 Carbine today, and you will pay close to $1000 for a well-used specimen.
Millions were produced, and at one time, surplus models were quite common and inexpensive. The M1 Carbine was adopted during World War II, then proceeded to arm our soldiers during the Korean War and Vietnam War, making it one of the most widely produced of all U.S.