Universal M1 .30 cal Carbine for SHOOTING?
I know, I know, this has been covered here before but I've had no success with a search of the archives. If I'm interested in a .30 cal. carbine for SHOOTING, not collecting, is there anything wrong with the Universal brand? I have an opportunity (locally) to obtain one in the $200-250 range. Does that sound reasonable?
ANY AND ALL INPUT APPRECIATED...PRONTO, Please!
[8)]
ANY AND ALL INPUT APPRECIATED...PRONTO, Please!
[8)]
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I have one and they are great fun. It has been a while but I think I paid about $250 for it. The mags an acc are cheep and easy to find. It does have one BIG down fall though......check the price of ammo. Ammo ususaly runs about $170-$200/1000. If anyone else knows where to get it cheeper I would love to know.
John0 -
Quality depends on when it was assembled.
Low ser # USGI parts as good as the orig. GI
Later ones with stamped parts made when Universal ran out of GI parts pretty much junk.
If the action is stamped US 30 carbine then it's a early mfg.
If it's stamped Universal the I would stay away from it.
I load my own so ammo cost is not a problem for me
This one shoots groups under 1" @ 50 yrds
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Parts will likely be a problem as they are not inter-changeable with the GI ones. 0 -
Are the new Kahr M-1 carbines interchangable with GI parts?
Austin Raider
SFA ROTC Lumberjack Battalion
Raiders Lead The Way!0 -
If the Universal has a action marked US 30 Carbine then USGI parts fit. After all it is a rebuilt GI action 0 -
The problem with the Universal is that the poorly made ones may fire out of battery. This is a gun with the power of a .357 mag, held a few inches in front of your face. Imagine yourself lying on your back in an emergency room while a plastic surgeon attempts to remove chunks of steel from your face. At least you will be able to tell him, "Doc, you don't understand! I saved almost $300 on that carbine!"
Neal0 -
no expert but i will throw my m1 knowledge in here.
Universal m1 carbine parts will not interchange with usgi m1 carbines and the quality is not as good as usgi parts.
plainfield m1 carbines [ made in the 60's i think ]were assembled out of surplus usgi parts. all parts interchange. one of these should be around the same price as a universal [ maybe a tad more ] as they are shooters with no collectable value but good quality.
if you just want a shooter i recommend one of these.
"When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe
~ Jesus Christ [Luke 11:21.6]
Mauser Central
MidwayUSA, if your not signed up for the Eblast alerts you are missing some great deals !0 -
Universals are OK for shooting, lots of GI parts DO interchange, cheapest factory ammo is at www.cheaperthandirt.com Last I checked, they had Aguila for $8.
"Qui non est hodie cras minus aptus erit" --OVID0 -
The easiest way to tell is to check how many recoil springs your Universal carbine has. When Universal ran out of surplus GI receivers they starting having their own made and they did a little redesign and added a second recoil spring.
On the 2-spring Universals (by far the majority) many GI parts will NOT fit. The operating slide, barrel, bolt, wood, front sight and trigger housing are among the unique parts to this model. I have fitted USGI extractors, etc, without difficulty.
That said, the Universal carbines seem to be OK shooters but I would try to get in it for that $200 figure.
Scrappy Doo sleeps with the fishes.0 -
Thanks for ALL the varied and sundry comments. Will consider ALL before making the leap. Again, I appreciate your input!...and it was free! Wow! Is this STILL a great country or what? [:)][:D][8D][^] 0
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