M2 Carbine..worth it??

[Cohiba]

Hey All,

As a kid I had my dad's old M1 Carbine and I really enjoyed to plink with it. Now..40 + years later, I'm looking at an M2.

Yes, I've had plenty classIII toys, just never a M2.

So, are..M2...yes, M2 magazines available..M1 mags will not work. if it breaks down..will most of the parts interchange with an M1? I haven't priced 30 caliber carbine ammo in a while, available ? Costly ammo?

I have shot a few of guys that I knew that had one. It seems that they're a "picky" item..you either like'em or hate 'em. Seems this causes them to be slow sellers..or is it just me??


I love it that they're light weight, very little to no kick..just the full auto rise, nostalgic. .my dad shot an M2, in the Korean war.


Fill me in on the pros and cons of this carbine...the M2.

 

[Fyrtwuck]

I didn't know there was any difference in the magazines. I've shot both the M-1 and M-2 and just reloaded with the same magazines. Whats the difference in them?

I have two M-1's and I agree that they are a really fun to shoot. Ammo is costly. The last I saw was about $40.00 per box of 50 for Wolf. I have brass, primers and powder but I haven't seen any bullets to reload 30 carbine with in a while.

 

[HackerF15E]

M1 mags work just fine. Many of the other parts are common between the two.

 

[Sanford]

M1 Carbine ammo sells for about $.50 a round (give or take a few pennies) when you can find it. It's the finding that can be the tough part, though I've recently seen it at WalMart and Academy here, as well as quite a bit a week or so ago at the one on Walker just south of 240 in OKC.

If you're a CMP member, you can get 500 rounds of Aquila for $212 shipped, or 500 rounds of Federal (AE) for $285 shipped.

And yeah, they're a hoot to shoot!

 

[Sanford]

... I haven't seen any bullets to reload 30 carbine with in a while.

If it's any help, Graf's had Armscor FMJ's for $10.79/100 a few weeks ago, and Rocky Mountain Reloading has plateds $95/1000.

 

[Sanford]

In fact, just found this in my email:

50 round box - 30 Cal Carbine 110 gr Jacketed Soft Point Prvi Partizan ammo

50 rounds of 30 caliber carbine soft point ammunition. This is high quality brass case, reloadable, non-corrosive ammunition.

50 round box - $23.95

10 or more boxes at $22.95 each

 

[Cohiba]

The few guys that I knew that had M2 carbines swore that the magazines were a little different. Dang, its been a few years, but I thought I heard the guys(back a few years ago) talk about a ...mag catch upgrade for the M2 or it's magazines??

Something about 15 round was designed for the M1 and the 30 round was designed for the M2..?? Something to the effect that the 15 round mag would fit but cause wear on the bolt..?? Not really the mag, but wear on ..again...I think the bolt or something in the receiver??

Something like that...am I or was I dreaming??

I don't think it was like the Ruger AC556 and the issues with after market magazines( Ruger or PMI mags working the best) being faulty in full auto.

 

[Seadog]

Hey cohaba. The difference in mags was either a 15 rd M1 mag or a 30rn M2 mag. The 30s were less dependable. Also there was a different mag catch for the M2s. They have a little extra tit on them to help prevent them wobbling. There are a ton of parts still out there for them and M1s are real easy to work on

 

[AKguy1985]

I'd say it'd be worth it if you have the cash.

 

[Chard]

Complaint I have always heard is small parts breakage. I know back in 79 I considered buying one. It was $300 for a M2 for a total of $500. I was going to college and I could not make it fit into the budget.