IAI M-888 (M1Carbine) questions.....

[srv656s]

Well, I've been poking around and thinking about buying the M-888 for a while now.... I have read bits and pieces of info here and there, but can't seem to find a lot of solid opinions on the M-888.

http://aimsurplus.com/acatalog/carbine750x220.jpg

What I want: I want a nice little subgun with a little history that I can goof off with. I want a nice short little carbine that I can haul around with me.

Is the M-888 a quality firearm? I have the M-444 from IAI, and I'm not sure if they are related. Are they?

I do not like the metal heatshield on the upper part of the rifle. Can I find a replacement for this?

Is the ammo expensive? I want something I can plink with and goof off with. Is the ammo cheap? I remember hearing someone say that it was expensive.

Anyone have one? I think I remember one of you ordering one recently. Are you satisfied? You like it? Got any pics?

Are there any C&R M1 Carbines around? Any good deals?

Sorry for the amount of questions. Thanks for any help you can offer.

Shawn

[whos2kno]

get with 1 Patriot-of-many he just ordered one from aim.look at the bottom of this link we are talking about the ammo.

http://www.gunsnet.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=46182

[zouavexx]

Are there any C&R M1 Carbines around? Any good deals?


They are around, but mostly in collectors hands. I see them at gunshows all the time though.

[1 Patriot-of-many]

Originally posted by srv656s
Well, I've been poking around and thinking about buying the M-888 for a while now.... I have read bits and pieces of info here and there, but can't seem to find a lot of solid opinions on the M-888.

http://aimsurplus.com/acatalog/carbine750x220.jpg

What I want: I want a nice little subgun with a little history that I can goof off with. I want a nice short little carbine that I can haul around with me.

Is the M-888 a quality firearm? I have the M-444 from IAI, and I'm not sure if they are related. Are they?

I do not like the metal heatshield on the upper part of the rifle. Can I find a replacement for this?

Is the ammo expensive? I want something I can plink with and goof off with. Is the ammo cheap? I remember hearing someone say that it was expensive.

Anyone have one? I think I remember one of you ordering one recently. Are you satisfied? You like it? Got any pics?

Are there any C&R M1 Carbines around? Any good deals?

Sorry for the amount of questions. Thanks for any help you can offer.

Shawn

Same company,so I'd expect the same quality....You've indicated that the 444 was pretty sweet,so I'd expect the same......
www.israelarms.com
Ammo can be as cheap as .25 a round shipped,not real cheap but cheaper than some.....I picked up the bandoleer/strippers/ammo combo from www.ammoman.com
The ammo seperately is more reasonable,but I wanted a couple bandolleers and strippers....
Also he has a 5 for $59 shipped 15 round mags deal which sounded reasonable to me....CDNN has GI 30 rounders for $25 a piece and Asian military 30's for $14.99? a piece.......
Personally I like the metal sheild but they are available in wood also....I imagine the one I got from Aim is Birch since it's the cheapest,but they are available in Walnut also......
Aim's includes the Bayo too....At $375 I thought it was pretty damn good deal.

[neilwest]

1. This is a Israeli remake, there was an article on them about 4 months ago in the American Rifleman, The reviews were excellent. I would link to the American Rifleman thread and scroll back a couple months and they will have the article. Overall I would say get one, but I would rather have a C&R qualifyer personaly.

:D

[Schuetzenman]

The first ones out Shawn, had problems with the chambers being too tight. I believe they have modified that in the mean time and people now report very reliable function.

Can you get rid of the metal handguard with a replacement. Yes, one should be able to find a Birch replacement GI hand guard for one at a gunshow. Possibly over the net as well.

Is the ammo cheap . . . hell no! Expect to fork out $11.50 / 50 round box. .303 South African ammo is way cheaper as is 7.62 Nato!

They are very light handy weapons but IMO no more so than a SAR-2 or 3. Those rounds are mucho cheaper.

Carbines are great for kids and women to shoot as they are very light, short and no recoil to speak of. Effective range of the round is about 100 yds. maximum. It would make a good sentry rifle as they don't weigh much.

[Flinter]

I own one of these. I ordered it from IAI About 9 months ago. It's a good gun! Over the years I've owned quite a few m-1 carbines and I will say that this one is the best. I've never owned a military one though, only aftermarkets. As far as reliability goes.......expect it to jam some.........all of the carbines I've ever fired in my life jammed some. This one jams the least of them all. As far as the handguard goes, you can order it from the factory with a wooden handguard. You can also get birch or walnut stocks.

[TheRifleman]

Some of the aftermarket M1 carbines have crappy stamped metal parts. At least thats what I'm told. I've heard the name of a manufacturer in particular but I can't remember who it was. I don't believe it was IAI.

I see real ones at gun shows all Winchester etc, in excellent cond. in the $700-$750 range but I think that has to do with "winchesters" name on the rifle. You can find other like Inland(General Motors Corp) for less, like $500-$600. or so. I stumbled across an Inland mfg. one a few months back and grabbed it for $350. The rifle is in good shape but the stock and handgaurd do not match and the stock is not in all that good of shape. I'm looking for a GI M1/M2 stock that is in decent condition that I can put on this. If anybody knows where I can get one LMK please.

[Flinter]

The Sportsmans Guide has brand new birch stocks for about 30 bucks I think.........Cheaper Than Dirt has used military stocks, I can't think of the price though.

[Faulkner]

I shoot USGI carbines regularly and they are not prone to jam. IAI carbines were reported to have tighter chambers than original USGI carbines. It proved to improve accuracy at the expense of reliability . . . but then again IAI carbines were not designed to take into combat.

M1 Carbines are great fun. You can get US military surplus ball ammo from CMP at reasonable prices, around 7 or 8 bucks a box if you buy a 1000 round can, and I've picked up .30 carbine at gunshows lately for under $10.00. Soft or hollow point is another story, they get close to $20.00 a box in a hurry.

http://www.picturefuse.com/images/1201/2235.jpg

[zouavexx]

Faulkner,

Nice collection! This board is a great place for like minds to converge. :)

None of my friends or family share my love for historic firearms, it is good to see that we are not alone in our hobby.