Universal m1 30 carbine

C

chisholm

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
4   0   0
Location
saskatchewan
I've recently come into possession of a Universal M1 30 carbine. It has had a little bit of length added to the barrel I'm assuming to make it legal. Can anyone give me some info on this rifle? Possible value as well? At this point I have no interest keeping it as I don't want to feed it. I'll post pictures when I get the chance.

Thanks in advance
 
Google and you will find info on the 3 main variants of Universal Carbines, and how to tell them apart. In my opinion, value runs from $200 - $400 depending on which variant you have, and condition.
 
If that rifle has had a piece added to the barrel to make it longer, it is a restricted rifle. The barrel has to be one continuous piece from the muzzle to the start of the chamber. Be very careful with that rifle.

Don't post pics. Either get rid of it or register it.
 
bearhunter said:
If that rifle has had a piece added to the barrel to make it longer, it is a restricted rifle. The barrel has to be one continuous piece from the muzzle to the start of the chamber. Be very careful with that rifle.

Don't post pics. Either get rid of it or register it.
Click to expand...

Its been registered as non-restricted in the past, don't think there's any issue. Can't seem to find anywhere that this modification would signify it as a restricted rifle. Please elaborate.
 
I don't believe it is possible to change a firearm's classification from restricted to non restricted by adding to or lengthening the existing barrel so that it would exceed 18.5". You would need to replace the barrel with a new 18.5"+ barrel.
 
That USED to be allowed. It is no longer allowed.
As bearhunter says, the barrel needs to be one continuous rifled piece.
A flash-hider does not count as part of the 18.5" min.
 
3 generations of Universals. Google will set you straight what gen yours is. Gen 1 uses lots usgi parts. Which is good as there are lots of usgi parts out there. Gen 3 is ( according to google and the shooting faternity) unsafe ( went away from usgi bolt timeing and can fire out of battery Ie bolt not closed and locked up) also the op rod went from Usgi to a notched piece of steel that has a history of cracking and is not replaceable with usgi.
I have a gen 1 and a gen 3 no problems with either ( bought gen3 parts here on the ee a long time ago so have spares :)) i have changed both rifles to usgi trigger groups and the Gen 1 has had the barrel replaced to make it non-restricted. Gen 3 already came with long barrel (reason I bought it). Trigger groups were replaced due to universal using aluminium for the trigger group/guard. The magazines where very loose when inserted and cause many failure to feed issues. Once replaced, they ran as good as my USGI and Plainfied rifles. Don't expect quick sale if Gen 3. Look on the EE and see how long some have been for sale. Like I said earlier use google lots of info out there. Good luck

Sorry for being long winded. Up early and sitting at the airport, waiting and waiting and waiting. :)
 
Last edited:
tootall said:
That USED to be allowed. It is no longer allowed.
As bearhunter says, the barrel needs to be one continuous rifled piece.
A flash-hider does not count as part of the 18.5" min.
Click to expand...

Not a flash hider either, it's a piece that's the same outer dimensions as the barrel that has obviously been put on by a gunsmith. I'll look into it today with the RCMP.
 
chisholm said:
Its been registered as non-restricted in the past, don't think there's any issue. Can't seem to find anywhere that this modification would signify it as a restricted rifle. Please elaborate.
Click to expand...

Bearhunter is completely right. Years ago, we tried to get them to unify the rules between provinces re barrel extensions, and they adopted the toughest rule from any province. Sigh.
It's restricted. Only way to change that is to rebarrel it.
 
I believe the criteria was a continual rifled barrel.

What some places did was weld a piece of larger caliber barrel on to the existing one in order to meet the requirements of the law/ interpretation.

I don't know if that is what you have or if that modification still flies today.
 
wrangler4867 said:
I believe the criteria was a continual rifled barrel.

What some places did was weld a piece of larger caliber barrel on to the existing one in order to meet the requirements of the law/ interpretation.

I don't know if that is what you have or if that modification still flies today.
Click to expand...

That's exactly it.
 
wrangler4867 said:
I believe the criteria was a continual rifled barrel.

What some places did was weld a piece of larger caliber barrel on to the existing one in order to meet the requirements of the law/ interpretation.

I don't know if that is what you have or if that modification still flies today.
Click to expand...

yes that was the second work around, originally they allowed an extension but then said the barrel had to be rifled to the end so a 1" length of old enfield barrel was common.

then they disallowed this as well.

lost of M1 Carbines out there that were registered as non restricted and then owners never were informed about the changes to what was allowed.
 
Bearhunter & millwright are correct. Seems this M1 carbine barrel add-on issue has to continually be addressed. Semi-auto, centre-fire, fully rifled (except chamber) for greater than 470 mm (18.50") is the law now. Most common N/R length is 485 mm (19.1"), and 476.25 mm (18.75) . Externally, the extension seam is usually hiding under the front sight, so you can't see it til you look into the muzzle. Might be a smooth sleeve, or piece of 9 mm barrel.

I recently worked on a Gen III Universal, wasn't cycling properly. This is the first one I have had in my hands, and I have to say I was impressed with the quality of workmanship. New design features were intended to improve the USGI design, ie dual return springs, bolt hold-back feature, receiver drilled & 8-40 tapped for a side mount scope, but the major problem of cracking return slide is the flaw. New replacement slides are avail in US at around $99 USD. They are heat treated (as were the originals), so repair welding of the crack(s) is not a good idea. Gen III's also have an interesting feature of the gas port having a 2 position setting, one for S/A, and the other is for single shot.

The Gen III barrel/receiver are NOT compatible/interchangeable with USGI parts, so Criterion N/R barrels don't fit at all. Gen III's are a lot more difficult to rebarrel.

You can apply to register this carbine, as long as you have an RPAL. RCMP Firearms Registry is generally sympathetic to the M1 carbines with extensions.

Asking price of $400 -$450 with mag is about market value.
 
Just an update here, I did some measuring. I really don't know why they would have added an extension to this thing. With the action closed, I put a cleaning rod down the barrel up against the bolt, marking the end of the barrel with extension on. I then measured from the end of the muzzle to where the rifling starts. This gives me a total of 19" of original barrel.
 
Sounds like my Gen 3 oh which I happen to have right beside me. Just did same but mine comes up at 19 3/8 inches. So what generation is it? Or did I miss that in a previous post?
 
millwright said:
Sounds like my Gen 3 oh which I happen to have right beside me. Just did same but mine comes up at 19 3/8 inches. So what generation is it? Or did I miss that in a previous post?
Click to expand...

I honestly don't know what generation it is? I can't find the serial number on it at the moment. Judging by the band style on the forend, I almost want to say it's a GI. I'm assuming the barrel length is probably similar on mine, just with the addition of the extra metal it's hard to get an exact measurement.
 
Last edited:
Serial Number be where the rear sight overhangs. What does op rod look like, stamped steel, or google M1 Carbine Op Rod.

I beg to differ on the above. I had no problem mounting a USGI trigger group to replace the light aluminium Universal one. Cleared up my failure to feed issue with every magazine I had.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom