20" m1 carbine barrel

bps540

bps540

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
126   0   0
Location
Belleville, ont
i inherited a early winchester m1 carbine back in the late 70's.
i was just a young fellow & was crushed when my m1 went on the newly announced restricted list.
not wanting to hang up my granddads hunting rifle, i took it to my lgs to have the barrel extended/replaced.
something i kick myself for now..however it came back with a very fresh parkerized 20'' barrel.
the rifle shots & functions flawlessly but i can't find any markings or info as to the barrel maker.
hoping someone out there can shed some light for me.
who made 20'' barrels?
i'm finding the 20'' appears to make the carbine look a bit disproportionate but cutting it back an inch doesn't seem reasonable.
thanks folks..
 
If you have a 20" barrel, it's probably an Iver-Johnson. I-J exported M1 carbines with 20" barrels to Canada starting in the late 1980's, and obviously, some of these barrels were available too.

Check this link and see if your gas block area looks like the ones in the photos. I-J barrels are unique in their design, and unmarked.

http://www.m1carbinesinc.com/carbine_ij05.html

This longer barrel does look a little funny, especially if the bayonet lug on the barrel band is present. I make shorter 18 3/4" barrels (still N/R) and they look a bit more original with a Type II barrel band (no bayo lug).
 
I can't help you with who made it but I'd cut it back to 18 5/8". Now 1 3/8" isn't much but it will have a dramatic impact on the look. However, the cost of such an endeavour doesn't make it worthwhile unless you know someone who can machine it for you.

I wish I could afford a non-restricted barrel for my carbine. National Postal Meter but it has been refinished and has likely been pieced together so I wouldn't be ruining any collector value.
 
Last edited:
a fast update..cgn member manteo97 worked on my carbine.
shortened & crowned the barrel to 18 3/4'', reset & pinned the front sight .
the finish he did was remarkable, it matched the original to perfection.
you would never know at first glance that the carbine was ever worked on.
it shoots great by the way.
a tip of the hat to Ted...great job.
 
Leg said:
I wish I could afford a non-restricted barrel for my carbine. National Postal Meter but it has been refinished and has likely been pieced together so I wouldn't be ruining any collector value.
Click to expand...

Technically all M1 carbines were re-arsenaled after the war. It would actually be highly suspect to have a complete matching rifle unless you have a good story to go with it, like the m1a1 carbine that jumped on d-day that sold for I think 10k USD, it had papers proving where it went and was unchanged. Its "normal" for it to be in post war configuration, (bayonet lug, adjustable sights, flip safety, non-matching parts) or even have non-matching parts from the factory. Marlin made just carbine barrels they might have been put on IBM receivers, and different factories supplied each other with shortfalls of excess parts.
 
Not all M1 Carbines were re-arsenaled. Many countries used the M1 Carbine post-war and many never rebuilt them (or had a mixture of features when they did rebuild them). For example I am currently waiting for a M1 Carbine to be transferred to me which is very likely a non-rebuilt example as it still has the early features (i.e. 2 position rear sight, push style safety, original style front band).
 
Eaglelord17 said:
Not all M1 Carbines were re-arsenaled. Many countries used the M1 Carbine post-war and many never rebuilt them (or had a mixture of features when they did rebuild them). For example I am currently waiting for a M1 Carbine to be transferred to me which is very likely a non-rebuilt example as it still has the early features (i.e. 2 position rear sight, push style safety, original style front band).
Click to expand...

I guess you're right if they were given or loaned out during WW2 and not given back during the rebuilding period, they probably weren't rebuilt. But the majority of carbines people would see would be M1 postwar rebuilt carbines so it doesn't matter too much if parts are mismatched.
 
as a general rule ONLY m1 carbines is the US military/government inventory received rebuilds/upgrades the millions given as lend lease or various military aid were not rebuilt to us specs. I purchased about 1 dozen m1 carbines in the 90s imported from asia all were 100% as issued flip sights push safeties high wood stocks ect all those items would have been "upgraded" by the usa
 
chillyrabbit said:
I guess you're right if they were given or loaned out during WW2 and not given back during the rebuilding period, they probably weren't rebuilt. But the majority of carbines people would see would be M1 postwar rebuilt carbines so it doesn't matter too much if parts are mismatched.
Click to expand...

'Mismatched' is a strong word to use with American Milsurps. To the American military for M1 Carbines and M1 Garands they didn't match the numbers on the firearm to the receiver, instead using drawing numbers on the parts. A rebuilt M1 Carbine would be a 'matching' parts firearm as it would be considered matching in service. It is not factory original, as to what it originally came out of the factory with, but it is still correct for a American issued M1 Carbine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom