The M1 Carbine as a Defensive Tool

[JimF]

. . . . .. As with mine I have the 20 round mags, that all I need. . . . . ..

I’m thinking if your magazines are U.S. GI, they are 15 rounders, yes?

[RicM]

Sorry my mistake, 15 round mags, was typing on my phone earlier, just re-read now when I got home on the computer. My M1 Carbine along with her two older brothers

Serial Number dates her April-June 1944. Found it 6 years ago in a small ammo shop, pretty dirty, it must have been in an attic for the last 50 years! Even had a dead dried out spider down the barrel! Can't say it's all original as they are difficult to actually find one. But its pretty accurate and extremely reliable! Bayonet Lug I believe came in later years not too sure, but I did manage to find an original bayonet for it. I also attached photo of the stock stampings if anyone has an idea on the 84 E stamping. Couldn't find any other stampings on the stock.
Three Rifles complete.jpg

IMG_E6598.jpg

[togor]

Art that image....middle school kids defending their bedroom with a carbine?

I'll say it....bad idea.

[bruce]

Re: Image. Yes. It is a bad as in unpleasant image. Must say, it is reality and not just recently. In 1973 a school friend and his brother were home alone on a Saturday morning. He shot and killed one of two men trying to get into the house through the kitchen door. He used his deer rifle. Some folks wanted him charged for shooting through the door. Thankfully that did not happen. He was not a survivalist extremist. He was just a kid with his brother having to face a man alone. Sadly, it does not always turn out so well. Outside of Albany, Ga. in a little small village, one of my church children was assaulted by a man who waited until the mother had left for work. He hurt that little boy. If the authorities had not caught that man, he probably would have been severely injured or even killed by the men and women who were combing the bushes and woods for him. I wish that boy had had access to a gun. Sincerely. bruce.

[togor]

What's the weak spot of the Carbine? The magazines, specifically the thin sheet metal lips deforming just enough to interfere with feeding.

So the idea is....let a kid keep one under his bed, with a full mag nearby? A mag which may or may not feed properly for having sat their loaded for months or longer? Never mind the liability to the parents if the kid takes a turn and does something illegal with the firearm. Ethan Crumbley's parents thought they were doing everything right. So did Nancy Lanza.

One of the real virtues of the Garand system is that the rounds can stay in the clip forever with no issues. Most modern pistols have re-enforced lips and high quality springs so that the mags stay reliable (eg Glock). Carbine magazines like AR magazines were almost considered disposable items. All this said I do have a few loaded AR mags in the house. They are PMAG gen3 with the top clip on them, to take the load off of the lips.

[High Plaines Doug r]

Art that image....middle school kids defending their bedroom with a carbine?

I'll say it....bad idea.

Thanks for your opinion, Karen...

[jcg&jmbfan]

Thanks for your opinion, Karen...

You just insulted a lot of Karens out there......

[lyman]

What's the weak spot of the Carbine? The magazines, specifically the thin sheet metal lips deforming just enough to interfere with feeding.

So the idea is....let a kid keep one under his bed, with a full mag nearby? A mag which may or may not feed properly for having sat their loaded for months or longer? Never mind the liability to the parents if the kid takes a turn and does something illegal with the firearm. Ethan Crumbley's parents thought they were doing everything right. So did Nancy Lanza.

One of the real virtues of the Garand system is that the rounds can stay in the clip forever with no issues. Most modern pistols have re-enforced lips and high quality springs so that the mags stay reliable (eg Glock). Carbine magazines like AR magazines were almost considered disposable items. All this said I do have a few loaded AR mags in the house. They are PMAG gen3 with the top clip on them, to take the load off of the lips.

well, that's like your opinion man,

and lets see,,
Carbine magazine issues,

never really experienced or heard such a thing

but I only have a few dozen of my own, mags that is, and do not shoot the one carbine I have much,
did shoot it at perry once,

have shot quite a few M2's,

never had an issue,

and yes, had some loaded for years,,,


now, re the liability to the parents,

did you allow your kids to shoot when they were young?

I know a few folks who lost kids to shooting accidents when they (the kids) were young,
terrible thing, affects the parents for life, even it they could have not done anything different

and I know many many more that were shooting at that age, some competitively,


re Lanza, ,her son was known to have issues, and she enabled him,
do you think the girl in the pic has issues?

BTW that looks like an Oleg Volk picture, he tends to do well produced pictures that are aimed, pun intended, at sparking some degree of controversy to bring home a point,


so back to the mags, they , like most magazines, and enblocs, are disposable, for the most part,

M16, AR15 or Carbine, the feed lips don't wear when they are loaded for long periods,

very long periods, like years, but then again,
I shoot GI mags in my Carbine, and my AR's and M16's get GI 20 or 30 round mags,

I have tossed one mag, in 40+ years of using and AR, one,

and I tossed that in the shooting bag, and marked it for 2 or 8 round, since there is a helluva dent in the side from who knows what,

but it will hold 2 or 8 and feed flawlessly,

[lyman]

You just insulted a lot of Karens out there......

this made me LOL

[togor]

The point isn't if the girl has issues....the image is hypothetical.

The point is that kids are supposed to be kids, not deciding life v. death. If the adults put them in that situation then the adults have failed them.

Kids brains don't work the same as adult brains. Something every parent of a teen knows only too well.

For home defense, there are better, newer alternatives to a M1 carbine. But maybe the actual need is so unlikely that it's a theoretical argument. Hopefully that stays true for everyone reading this.

My opinions, YMMV.