underwood .30 cal carbine
I need some info on the underwood .30cal. saw on in a pawn shop for $450.00 and need to know a little about price and characteristics of rifle compared to inland, winchester, iai, and universal. I would appreciate any help one could give me
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It's really difficult to dissect a rifle such as this on a forum, because we can't see it, and you don't know what to look for.
Briefly, there are no significant differences between carbines made by the 10 USGI manufacturers; some are more expensive because of scarcity. Underwood was one of the high volume makers and made many of their own parts; some of the others primarily used parts made by subcontractors or other prime contractors. All are collectible.
In decreasing order by value, USGI carbines will be 1) substantially original, 2) arsenal rebuilt, 3) parts guns, 4) imports, and 5) abused guns. Being able to tell the difference requires a lot of experience & knowledge. An inexpensive book I recommend is Craig Riesch's US M1 Carbines Wartime Production. Imports can be identified by the importers name stamped on the barrel or receiver, sometimes below the wood line (the seller should be willing to let you remove the action from the stock.)
Original carbines sell for $800 & way up. Rebuilds sell in the $500-700 range. Parts guns sell for $400-600. Imports go for $200-400; those stamped on the barrel "Blue Sky" often sell for less, since the barrel may be squashed by the import stamp.
Commercial carbines vary in value, but are never collecible; they are only shooters. IAI seem fine, but sell for > $500. Universal & variants are in the $200-300 range, but poor quality often results in problems that are not always fixable.
USGI carbines have codes stamped on many parts. Re-examine the Underwood & write down everything, especially ALL stock markings. Better yet, take a bunch of digital photos & email them to me at nmyers@comcast.net. I'm willing to bet that Mark Christian knows even more about them than I do.
Neal0 -
A subject dear to my heart!
As Mark Christian says, Underwood was the third carbine manufacturer on board, and made the third largest number (about 545,000 of 'em).
When WWII broke out, my father was a tool designer at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in East Hartford, CT. Prior to that, he had worked at the Springfield Armory with John C. Garand on the M1 (rifle) Project, then went to Colt for a couple of years, before going on to P&WA.
In early 1942 he was "asked" by the War Production Board (in those days, you didn't say "No" to the WPB) to transfer to Underwood (just across the river, in Hartford) to do the tool design for the manufacture of the M1 Carbine.
Funny, with all the guns in his background, my Dad was never a "GunNut". I guess it just skipped a generation.
Sure do have a soft place in my heart for those little Underwoods.0 -
UNDERWOOD RECEIVER MARKED? IF SO GOOD, UNDERWOOD BARREL MARKED(BEHIND THE FRONT SIGHT)? IF SO GOOD, (UNDERWOOD & DATE)? (EXAMPLE 3-43), GOOD, (BARREL MARKINGS REIMPORTED) BLUE SKY,(LARGE LETTERS) SOME OTHERS (VERY SMALL LETTERS) UNDER SIDE OF BARREL. NOT SO GOOD,>>>>ON THE METAL PIECE THAT HOLDS THE ACTION IN THE STOCK, BEHIND THE ACTION(RECOIL PLATE) A (U) MARK. THE OTHER MAJOR PART IS THE TRIGGER HOUSING, BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER THE MARKINGS. METAL PARTS SHOULD NOT BE BRIGHT BLUE, OR NEW LOOKING GRAY PARKERIZING. STOCK SHOULD BE A DULL OIL TYPE FINISH, NOT VARNISH, IF THE BORE IS GOOD, BRIGHT, IT'S WORTH THE MONEY, GET A 3 DAY TRIAL, & SHOOT WITH NEW FACTORY AMMO, SHOULD SHOOT 1-2" GROUPS OR BETTER AT 25-50 YDS. WITH NO MALFUNCTION. 0
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