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mlow369
Starting Member
USA
2 Posts |
 Posted - 01/05/2018 : 4:26:45 PM
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I recently inherited a NPM M1 Carbine, I'd appreciate any feedback/information that you may have. I believe that the original owner fought in WWII-USN pacific theater, but he was also an avid gun collector, so it could have been picked up/modified later. I'm really hoping this is his WWII service rifle.
I've field stripped, cleaned, and lightly oiled the receiver, bolt, barrel, and trigger group. The bluing is in great shape, no rust, some minor discolorations. The stock is a little dark, especially in areas around the receiver and where hands might have routinely touched. I would love to clean it up per some of the tips that I've seen on this forum (I.e., murphy's oil soap then linseed oil), but I don't want to do that until I confirm it's not some ultra collectible M1, in which case, I believe the best move would be to do nothing.
Here's the data that I have so far -Questions/comments welcomed)
Barrel:
POSTAL METER
1,492,7xx
U.S. CARBINE
CAL 30M1
UNDERWOOD
3-43 <- just below front site on barrel
bomb insignia
bayonet lug is present
Front sight:
stamped: RIA
Rear sight:
stamped: H in a shield on right hand side
adjustable 1|2|2.5|3
windage knob
Bolt:
flat top, very black bluing
(no stamp - that I could find)
Operational Rod: (charging handle)
Stamped W in two places.
Trigger Group:
Trigger:
Stamped: F and upside down T (Almost like FL but the L is an upside down T)
Sear:
Stamped W
Hammer:
Stamped W
Trigger Housing:
stamped: INLAND
Magazine Release - push:
Stamped W
Safety:
two position switch
Stamped: Appears to be a double S in a circle, or the shape of a tropical storm icon in a circle (diagonal rectangle with two tails)
Front band assembly
Stamped AI
Stock:
NPM
FJA Cartouche is present on the right hand side of the stock
Armory stamp about an inch to the right of the NPM cartouche
On the left hand side of the stock.
TRIMBLE TN stamp in the sling well.
Upside .U stamped askew about an inch to the left of the start of the sling well
note: no stamp on the bottom of the pistol grip or on the pistol grip itself.
hand guard wood (assume walnut) is consistent with rest of stock. 4 ports (2 & 2)
stamped: L-J underneath or (could be P-9 depending on how you look at it)
Oiler: Stamped: IS
Sling is present, push the dot clasp at front, buckle at the back
Butt Stock Plate:
Not marked. Intact (some wear present) -1 dent on the right hand edge.
It came with 4 magazines (2 x 15 round, 2 x 30 round) RUGG, SEY, KSG, IS
I'll get around to adding some pictures when I figure out how to do it.
Thanks
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MLow
USMC 90'-95'
HMLA-369 Gunfighters |
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Mountain View |
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Jackp
Veteran Member
USA
1013 Posts |
Posted - 01/05/2018 : 5:56:39 PM
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Welcome to the M1 Carbine Forum and congratulations on your inheritance!
From your description, your carbine has been through at least one arsenal rebuild. There they replaced the original Type 1 barrel band with a Type 3 having a bayonet lug. While doing this they switched the front sight with a post war replacement made by Rock Island Arsenal. They also replaced the rear Type 1 flip sight with a Type 3 adjustable sight. The push safety was replaced with a flip safety. Look on the end of the bolt lugs for the makers code. A number of the original NPM parts were switched out with parts from other manufacturers such as Inland and Winchester. It looks like you may still have the original barrel and stock. National Postal Meter carbines used mostly Underwood barrels. Underwood Elliot Fisher Company of New York did the rebuild thus the .U. stamped on the stock. All your magazines are USGI. The only thing that seems odd is the marking of your trigger. Double check to see if it might be "FI" (Inland). Otherwise everything is typical for a rebuilt carbine. Go ahead and clean the stock with Murphy's Oil Soap and rub it down real well with raw linseed oil (aka flak seed oil). It won't hurt the value.
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JackP
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mlow369
Starting Member
USA
2 Posts |
Posted - 01/10/2018 : 06:45:52 AM
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Great info. I will take another look at the trigger and the bayonet lugs for the markings. Otherwise, makes a lot of sense.
I did clean and re-oil with about 7 coats of flax seed oil, looking great!
Thanks Again,
Low |
MLow
USMC 90'-95'
HMLA-369 Gunfighters |
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Jackp
Veteran Member
USA
1013 Posts |
Posted - 01/10/2018 : 09:00:02 AM
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| Sounds like you are happy with it so far. Let us know how it shoots. |
JackP
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Inherited an NPM M1 Carbine- trying to research
