I have been offered a Plainfield M1 carbine that's missing the completed trigger group and handguard. The owner says it has a barrel extension welded on. It all looks to be in VG condition. Any thoughts on worth, or the likelihood of finding a new trigger group for it? I'd like to rebarrel it to non restricted. It's being offered with a mix of 400+ rds of ammo. Some WCC '44 dated, Norma SP's and a pile of RP.
Plainfield M1 carbine
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TradeEx has the barrels. Fitting will be necessary. In the meantime, it will have to be transferred as a restricted firearm.
It should be possible to locate a complete trigger group. Doubt that it will cheap.
The ammunition is probably worth more than the carbine, as is.
It should be possible to locate a complete trigger group. Doubt that it will cheap.
The ammunition is probably worth more than the carbine, as is.
There's also a M1 Garand in the offering. It's an International harvester. Bore looks new, park looks great except the op-rod, but the stock is a beater. That has about 300rds with it too. Is st a big hassle to register it if it's never been in the system?
If you get the Plainfield for next to nothing, go for it.
Here is a link to an interesting civilian M1 Carbine website: http://www.m1carbinesinc.com/carbine_plainfield.html
When I see what currently made M1 Carbine copies go for (think Auto Ordinance) the Plainfield is a steal.
A good, used Plainfield can be had for around $4-500 bucks, sometimes less. Let that influence your decision
about rebarrelling.
Here is a link to an interesting civilian M1 Carbine website: http://www.m1carbinesinc.com/carbine_plainfield.html
When I see what currently made M1 Carbine copies go for (think Auto Ordinance) the Plainfield is a steal.
A good, used Plainfield can be had for around $4-500 bucks, sometimes less. Let that influence your decision
about rebarrelling.
Mark, It looks like you have been a firearms enthusiast since 2004. How is it that you don't know the M1 Garand isn't restricted??? As for the M1 Carbine, if it isn't already registered as tiriaq states you will need to get it done before sending it to a smith for rebarreling. This can turn into a real can of worms. The CFC will want to know where the rifle came from, Pal numbers etc.
The M1 Carbines were at one time able to be absolved from the restricted list by adding a permanent bbl extension. A lot of folks did that and stuck them away into safes or closets and never bothered to keep up on subsequent changes to their status.
It's up to you if you want to take this project on. By the time you purchase a tradex bbl and have it installed you may be just as far ahead purchasing an Auto Ordnance rifle.
If the Plainfield has one weakness it is their aftermarket trigger assembly frame. It is made of some sort of pot metal and I have seen several of them broken at the mag well juncture. Impossible to find replacement parts. Other than that, I like them.
You do have another option. Google Plainfield M1 Carbine barrels. One of the things some post war manufacturers did was to pick up surplus GI barrels. It seems that many of them were cut in half, just after the gas port. Plainfield as well as others drilled out the chamber/gas system stubs and fitted a sleeve to complete the barrel. I have had these in the past and they seem to stand up well. I have also made up the same barrels myself, using Titanium Putty to keep the pieces together. Of course the sleeve was stepped and in non restricted length. Not something done cheaply as a one off.
I figure even at $400 for the Plainfield add another $300 for a short chambered bbl and another $150 to get it installed you would be further ahead with the Auto Ord. There is another option, take a look at the Chiappa M9. It's a M1 carbine that operates on blowback instead of captured gas and it is chambered in 9mm luger as well as takes M92 Berretta mags which legally hold ten rounds. Very similar in appearance and just as much fun.
The M1 Carbines were at one time able to be absolved from the restricted list by adding a permanent bbl extension. A lot of folks did that and stuck them away into safes or closets and never bothered to keep up on subsequent changes to their status.
It's up to you if you want to take this project on. By the time you purchase a tradex bbl and have it installed you may be just as far ahead purchasing an Auto Ordnance rifle.
If the Plainfield has one weakness it is their aftermarket trigger assembly frame. It is made of some sort of pot metal and I have seen several of them broken at the mag well juncture. Impossible to find replacement parts. Other than that, I like them.
You do have another option. Google Plainfield M1 Carbine barrels. One of the things some post war manufacturers did was to pick up surplus GI barrels. It seems that many of them were cut in half, just after the gas port. Plainfield as well as others drilled out the chamber/gas system stubs and fitted a sleeve to complete the barrel. I have had these in the past and they seem to stand up well. I have also made up the same barrels myself, using Titanium Putty to keep the pieces together. Of course the sleeve was stepped and in non restricted length. Not something done cheaply as a one off.
I figure even at $400 for the Plainfield add another $300 for a short chambered bbl and another $150 to get it installed you would be further ahead with the Auto Ord. There is another option, take a look at the Chiappa M9. It's a M1 carbine that operates on blowback instead of captured gas and it is chambered in 9mm luger as well as takes M92 Berretta mags which legally hold ten rounds. Very similar in appearance and just as much fun.
The M1 carbine by Plainfield is a good copy of the original USGI. The good news is that if you need a trigger housing ass'y, a USGI fits just fine. Assuming you have the bolt, slide and spring, you would need to obtain one. The bad news, they can be hard to find.
Plainfield did not have a ready supply of USGI trigger housings so they went with a cast aluminum one, that was a little larger in dimensions and is the same one used by Universal GEN II carbines. USGI internal trigger hsg parts fit in it OK. I have never seen one of these for sale. Plainfield stocks have a bigger opening in the stock to accommodate the larger size trigger hsg. Used USGI carbine stocks (which you need to fit the USGI trigger hsg) show up from time to time for sale, and Boyds have had new ones in the past. Handguards can usually be obtained easier than stocks.
Plainfield did not have a ready supply of USGI trigger housings so they went with a cast aluminum one, that was a little larger in dimensions and is the same one used by Universal GEN II carbines. USGI internal trigger hsg parts fit in it OK. I have never seen one of these for sale. Plainfield stocks have a bigger opening in the stock to accommodate the larger size trigger hsg. Used USGI carbine stocks (which you need to fit the USGI trigger hsg) show up from time to time for sale, and Boyds have had new ones in the past. Handguards can usually be obtained easier than stocks.
If it really is an International Harvester as he claims, definitely grab it. Their barrels, subcontracted to Line Material Corp., were regarded as the most accurate and of the highest quality.
You can tell by the serial number if it's really an International Harvester. The serial number ranges assigned to International Harvester were 4,400,000–4,660,000 and 5,000,501–5,278,245. Most of the receivers were made by Springfield Armoury, but a small quantity, approximately 4,000, was supplied by Harrington & Richardson. Those receivers fall into the approximate 5,213,034 to 5,217,065 serial number range. The barrels were marked “LMR” on the right side and were stamped with the drawing number (“D653448”), month and year of production, heat lot identification, “P” (proof) and “M” (magnetic particle inspection). Except for very early examples, the barrels made under subcontract for International Harvester can be identified by a punch mark between the “LMR” and the drawing number.
Also, the protective ears of the barleycorn front sights made by IHC are wider than those made by Springfield, Winchester or H&R.
IHC made less than 400,000 rifles, so they're rarer and more valuable than other makes.
Yes, I bought both of them. The international Harvester has all Springfield parts on it. Even the receiver has a Springfield drawing number. Sadly, the stock is a replacement and beat up. I'm having the Plainfield re-barreled to non-restricted. I'm really looking forward to shooting that one.
