Are Universal M1 Carbines Any Good?

[ATAK, Inc.]

Might be able to get a good deal on one. Are parts interchangable with standard carbines? Overall, are they even worth it?

[mriddick]

Supposedly some early ones are better then the later versions that used all stamped parts but IMO no they really aren't that good. A $200 SKS will be 4 times the rifle any universal will ever be. Look at the op rod, that will tell you if it's an early one with more GI parts VS the later ones with the stamped parts.

[blobman]

i had one and it was junk.......dont do it man

[Richard Simmons]

Bought a new one at a Big 5 store in the late 80's when I lived in SoCal. Didn't have an military parts that I know of and never gave me any problems. It was a fun plinker. Ended up gifting it to one of my BIL.

If I were in the market for another I'd opt for a CMP GI carbine. It might not shoot any better but you'll ba able to get parts easy enough and chances are it'll increase in value unlike a Universal. Plus you'll be a steward of history for as long as you own it and we need all the stewards for these type of firearms we can get.

[ATAK, Inc.]

I think I'll steer clear and hope dumbo and his circus get their act together and allow the Korean arms in!

[mrkalashnikov]

No.

[dfariswheel]

Depends.
The early Universal was built with all USGI parts and a cast steel receiver.
As time went on the supply of GI parts started to dry up and Universal began making more and more of the parts from castings.

Finally, in the 1970's Universal did a complete redesign of the carbine and from then on it was more of a "look alike" than a carbine.
These later Universals used a redesigned gas system with a double recoil spring and many stamped parts, including an operating slide made from stamped and welded pieces.
You can ID one of the later Universals by the stamped handle with an open cut where the operating slide cam surface is. You can see the bolt lug through the open cut.

It was these later stamped Universals that got a bad reputation.

[Notch]

i owned a howa for a short time, i cant imagine it could be crappier than those.

[Helen Keller]

It was these later stamped Universals that got a bad reputation.

I had a late one BUT It was mixed with a pile of USGI parts other than the dual recoil setup.

after I replaced the recoil springs, extractor and ejector and their srpings . I had no issues for over 2000 rounds.




Passed on a beater inland last week..... current price of 30 carbine is depressing.

[O.S.O.K.]

Is is woth what? $$$ to get a functional carbine shooting essentially a pistol cartridge.

That is the real question.

I opted to buy a Saginaw GI WWII model myself. It's collectible, functional and unquestionably, an M1 Carbine compatible... M1 Cabine.

[El Duce]

I Have actually owned three of them. First one was crap. The other two were pretty reliable. I don't have any of them now. But I paid less that 200.00 for each of them.

[American Rage]

If you want a cheap M1 that's not usgi, but functions reliably they say to look for a "plainfield"




Rage

[gewehr44]

Auto-Ordnance is currently producing new M1 Carbines. Don't know the quality but American Rifleman did a story on them a while back on how they were designed to be close to the originals.

http://www.auto-ordnance.com/PA-1AO_m1.html