Description

From a huge lot from a foundry in Texas that made these by the 1000’s in the 1980’s. These M1 Carbine Castings while having the barrel threaded, still will not accept the bolt, trigger pack or main spring and still has a long way to go. NO FFL Needed

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Background

The M1 carbine (formally the United States Carbine, Caliber .30, M1) is a lightweight semi-automatic carbine that was a standard firearm for the U.S. military during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The M1 carbine was produced in several variants and was widely used by paramilitary and police forces around the world, and also became a popular civilian firearm after World War II.

The M2 carbine is the selective-fire version of the M1 carbine, capable of firing in both semi-automatic and full-automatic. The M3 carbine was an M2 carbine with an active infrared scope system.

Despite having a similar name and physical outward appearance, the M1 carbine is not a carbine version of the M1 Garand rifle. On July 1, 1925, the U.S. Army began using the current naming convention where the “M” is the designation for “Model” and the number represents the sequential development of equipment and weapons. Therefore, the “M1 carbine” was the first carbine developed under this system. The “M2 carbine” was the second carbine developed under the system, etc.

Design

In 1938, the chief of infantry requested that the ordnance department develop a “light rifle” or carbine. However, the formal requirement for this type of weapon was not approved until 1940.

To meet this requirement, Winchester developed the .30 Carbine cartridge for the ordnance department. Initially, Winchester did not submit a carbine design as it was busy developing the .30-06 Winchester M2 military rifle, which was designed by Jonathan “Ed” Browning, brother of the famous firearm designer John Browning. After Ed Browning’s death in May 1939, Winchester hired David Marshall “Carbine” Williams who had been working on a short-stroke gas piston design while serving a prison sentence. Williams incorporated his short-stroke piston in the existing design, resulting in the M2 rifle prototype.

However, the Marine Corps’ semi-automatic rifle trials in 1940 found Browning’s rear-locking tilting bolt design unreliable in sandy conditions. As a result, Williams redesigned the M2 to incorporate a Garand-style rotating bolt and operating slide, retaining the short-stroke piston. By May 1941, Williams had reduced the M2 rifle prototype from 9.5 lb (4.3 kg) to 7.5 lb (3.4 kg).

Although several firearms companies and independent designers submitted prototype carbines, the initial prototypes were deemed unsatisfactory by Ordnance. Winchester proposed that their M2 rifle design be scaled down to a carbine, and a patchwork prototype was created in just 13 days by William C. Roemer, Fred Humeston, and three other Winchester engineers under the supervision of Edwin Pugsley. The prototype used the trigger housing and lockwork of a Winchester M1905 rifle and a modified Garand operating rod. The prototype was an immediate hit with army observers.

Following the initial Army testing in August 1941, the Winchester design team developed a more refined prototype, with Williams participating in the finishing of this second prototype. In September 1941, the second prototype competed successfully against all remaining carbine candidates, and Winchester was notified of their success the following month. Standardization as the M1 carbine was approved on October 22, 1941.

Although the 1952 movie “Carbine Williams” starring James Stewart loosely based its plot on this story, Williams had little to do with the carbine’s development beyond his short-stroke gas piston design. Williams worked on his own design apart from the other Winchester staff, but it was not ready for testing until December 1941, two months after the Winchester M1 carbine had been adopted and type-classified. Winchester supervisor Edwin Pugsley conceded that Williams’ final design was “an advance on the one that was accepted,” but noted that Williams’ decision to work alone was a hindrance to the project, and Williams’ additional design features were not incorporated into M1 production. In a 1951 memo, Winchester noted that Williams’ patent for the short-stroke piston may have been improperly granted as a previous patent covering the same principle of operation was overlooked by the patent office.

Technical Information