CARBINE CLUB PO Box 998 BOWIE, MD 20718
Transcription
CARBINE CLUB PO Box 998 BOWIE, MD 20718
> CARBINE CLUB NEWSLETTER # 383 P.O. Box 998 July 1,2015 BOWIE, MD 20718-0998 © Copyright 2015 Carbine Club The Carbine Club exists for the purpose o f gathering, analyzing, and storing information about the M l Carbine and related accessories, for the private use o f its members. The data and information contained in its newsletters are not for commercial exploitation, and may not be copied, in whole or in part, without the permission of the Carbine Club. M A G A Z IN E “ B E L T P O U C H ” M A R K E D A L D O N 44 B rian S a ie r has purchased a “belt pouch” in m int condition m arked A L D O N 44. A lthough A L D O N 4 5 m arkings h a v e b een reported, this is th e first report o f one from 1944. See N L s 261 and 262 for Jim F lavin’s com prehensive listing and description o f reported m ag pouches. This p o u c h is also unusual, in th at it lacks the tw o steel grom m ets a t the bottom . The g rom m ets w e re used to a tta ch a first-aid k it or other item to the bottom o f the p o u c h using th e standard “belt h a n g e rs .” M ost, b u t n o t all “belt pouches” observed and reported have the grom m ets. In the early days o f carbine collecting, m in t unissued m ag pouches w ere plentiful at gun sh o w s an d easily available through m ail-order m ilitary surplus dealers, w ith p rices o f $5 or less apiece. I t w as q u ite easy to accum ulate a large collection on a m odest budget. H ow ever, in the last 25 years, th e y h a v e becom e quite difficult to find in m int condition, w ith prices clim bing above $20 apiece. U n fo rtu n a te ly for collectors, reproductions w ith fake m arkings have since filled th e void in the m arket for in e x p e n s iv e mag pouches. B y the way, the official m ilitary nom enclature w as “po ck et” not “pouch.” 3 8 3 -2 M l G A R A N D R I F L E R A C K M O D IF IE D T O A C C O M M O D A T E C A R B IN E S - 1 9 5 1 T o m B atha discovered these tw o photos w hile conducting research at the N ational A rchives. They are d a te d 11 January 1951 and show a rifle ra c k th at w as m odified b y the Ordnance Shop o f Cam p Chaffee, A rk an sas to “accom m odate th e carbine in th e sam e rack w ith th e M - l.” Unfortunately, there w as no attached docum entation to ex plain the details o f the m odification. Only the photos and the captions w ere located. A s can be seen, w hat appears to be a stainless steel barrel rest h a s been added to the rack, to accom m odate th e shorter length o f th e carbine. A hinged lever, show n partially open here, locks the barrels to the rack. (The tray n e a r the bottom o f the rack holds 20 M l 911 pistols, inserted m uzzle first.) 3 8 3 -3 T he below p h o to show s the opposite side o f the m odified rifle rack. C lose electronic exam ination o f the carbines sh o w s that all appear to b e M is w ith bayonet lugs and adjustable rear sights. The fourth from th e left has a late-cam slide and ro u n d bolt. There is a m ix o f different type handguards. A ll the rifles appear to h a v e a light coat o f oil o n the w ood. F o r G arand enthusiasts, all 5 o f the M is show n here have the late s ty le gas cylinder lock screw s, and as expected, the “lock b ar” rear sights. This rack, with the pistol tray in stalled , w as designated as th e M 3. It w as a m ainstay o f the 1940s and 1950s, until replaced by the M l 1 rack for the M 14 rifle. T hanks to B illy Pyle for assistance w ith this report. 3 8 3 -4 T H E T R A N S IT IO N F R O M T H E P U S H S A F E T Y T O T H E R O T A R Y SA FE T Y A s discussed in N L 109-3, M odification W ork O rder (M W O) O R D B 28-W 6 directed the replacem ent o f th e p u sh safety w ith the rotary safety. A lthough the rotary safety had been approved on 15 March 1945, a n d used b y W inchester and Inland a t th e end o f their production (see N L 355-7), the M W O to upgrade carb in es w as n o t issued until alm ost th ree years later, o n 10 D ecem ber 1947. T h e introduction o f the ro tary safety w as to be done o n a phased schedule: first priority w ere “M2 C arbines in th e field, and all M l, M l A l , and M 2 C arbines being rebuilt. A t a later date, when additional safeties C 7 162080 are available, a change w ill be issued authorizing m odification o f carbines, cal. .30 M l and M l A l in the field.” T his change w as n o t published until alm ost tw o years later, o n 16 S ep 1949. A lack o f post-w ar funding w ith no sense o f urgency or possible problem s w ith m anpow er or supply/availability o f the n e w safeties delayed a tim ely retrofit o f all carbines. D u rin g early 1947, the proposed draft o f this M W O w as distributed to various com m ands w ithin th e O rdnance D epartm ent to solicit com m ents and suggestions before the official publication date. C o lo n el W illiam L. M cC ulla, the C h ie f o f th e Industrial D ivision o f the Sm all A rm s B ranch, suggested in h is endorsem ent letter o f 11 A ugust 1947, th at - although the “early type” safeties (up through revision 5 o f 1-20-43) be disposed o f - those “interm ediate ty p e” safeties (revision 6 and later) “be returned to stores fo r issue i f th e lim ited supply o f th e rotary safety should becom e exhausted.” Col. M cC ulla ap p aren tly h a d som e concern th at the supply o f ro tary safeties w asn ’t enough to equip all th e carbines in the m ilita ry ’s inventory at that tim e. E xplaining h is reasoning fo r recom m ending th at the “early type” push safeties b e disposed of, w h ile retaining die “interm ediate types” as contingency spare parts, C olonel M cC ulla w rote “The d e sig n o f the detents in the Safety o f early m anufacture caused som e difficulty in production. The m achine o p e ra tio n s by w hich the detents had to be pro d u ced w ere n o t conducive to sm ooth functioning, and in o rd er to assure satisfactory operation, hand w ork had to be done on the Safeties as w ell as on the very sm a ll S afety Plungers. Such hand w ork, o f course, affects interchangeability som ew hat because special attention m ust be given to see th at w h en random parts are assem bled, the com bination is not s tic k y , y e t h a s sufficient retentive effect. In order to im prove the above condition, the draw ing o f the S afety, B -200980, u n d e r revision 6 dated 26 M arch 1943, w as changed to perm it the cutting o f th e d e te n ts b y a different m ethod, w hich afforded precise control, thereby elim inating the difficulty. E xcept a s it w a s im proved, interchangeability w as n o t affected and for th at reason the draw ing num ber w as not c h a n g e d .” T op left is the “early ty p e” safety (type 1 and 2 o n th e C arbine Club d a ta sheet), show ing the circular d e te n ts , w hich tend to batter the ends o f the rela tiv e ly -so ft spring plungers. B ottom left is the “interm ediate type” safety ( ty p e 3 o n the data sheet), w ith the im proved ridge detent, w h ic h allow ed for sm oother operation and less d a m a g e to th e plungers. A lthough approved o n 26 M arch 1 9 4 3 , th e se d id n ’t appear in factory-original carbines until A u g u s tSeptem ber-O ctober 1943. Thanks to D o n H illhouse for locating C olonel M cC ulla’s report. M a r ty B la c k 3 8 3 -5 C H IN E S E “ C O P Y C A T ” C A R B IN E S . B R IE F L Y R E V IS IT E D F O R N E W M E M B E R S W h en the flo o d o f “im ports” reached our shores in the m id-late 1980s, several very odd-looking C hinese copies o f carbines w ere reported to the Club. These w ere view ed as curiosities, b u t not collectable. T hey are a m ix o f original GI and crude hand-m ade p arts o f unknow n m etallurgical standards, and m em bers a re advised n o t to fire them . A fter the initial interest in them h a d passed, these “Frankensteins” quickly slipped into obscurity. T h ey rem ained there until recently, w hen D ave T ennent h a d the opportunity to inspect this crude copy o f an Inland that is ow ned b y a non-m em ber. These photos speak for them selves, and captions aren’t necessary. For n e w m em bers w ho have n o t seen one before, our thanks to D ave Tennent. This particular carbine was reported in N L 113-5, having been seen at an O hio gun show in 1986. It has an O yster Bay Im ports stam p on the barrel below th e P . The form er ow ner o f O yster B ay Im porting C om pany o f G reat N eck, N Y has acknow ledged th at he received one shipm ent o f carbines som etim e in the 1980s from the P eoples’ R epublic o f China, the quantity not being disclosed. W ithin this shipm ent were the “copycats,” w hich China claim ed had originated in S. K orea. For m ore info o n these, see N L s 1 0 8 ,1 1 3 ,1 2 5 ,1 3 8 ,1 7 4 , and 177. For details o n the history o f Chinese “c o p y c a t” w eapons, see WarBaby Comes Home, pp 710-711. 383-6 M 8 C A R B IN E C L E A N IN G R O D B Y STA N D A R D E N G IN E E R IN G O u r thanks to T om D avis for his recen t rep o rt o f w hat has been an under-reported accessory for the C arbine: the M 8 Cleaning Rod. W hile attending a gun show, T om saw a box o f 10 rods made by Standard E ngineering & M anufacturing C om pany during WWII, and to o k photos for th e Carbine C lub. A p relim inary article, identifying th e th ree basic types o f carbine cleaning rods, w as published in N ew sletter # 6 in 1977, but since then, v e ry little has been reported or learned. O n ly tw o subsequent articles h a v e been published, in N ew sletters 186-2 a n d 274-6, discussing packaging fo r those rods m ade in 1945 b y C& S T ools o f M inneapolis. S tandard E ngineering o f N e w Y ork C ity h a d several contracts for different cleaning rods. Their M8 co n tract w as from m id-1944 th ru m id -1945. T he ordnance part num ber D 44045 was altered to 6544045 c irc a 1950, a n d it is usually visible o n the shipping box. That change w as m ade to com ply with a directive to m ak e all ordnance p a rt num bers 7 digits long. The last tw o digits o f the p art num ber 45 h a s led m any collectors to assum e th at this w as strictly a 1945 contract, b u t th at is not true. Standard E ngineering's contract allow ed for a steel "T" handle, rath er than alum inum w hich h a d been com m only used to prev en t dam age to the crow n o f th e barrels. A t the tim e o f S tandard’s contract, how ever, th e requirem ents for alum inum fo r aviation production took precedence o v e r cleaning rods. T h is com pany also m anufactured a cleaning rod tip m ade o f brass. Several other M 8 contractors w ere forced to provide steel tip s, due to the availability a n d priority o f raw m aterials at th e tim e o f th eir contract approval. Standard Engineering's "T" handle does n o t have a contractor identification m ark. A sm all n u m b e r o f th e handles are m ark ed w ith num erals, for exam ple 11 or 16. These num bers m ay indicate that th e h a n d le s w ere produced b y a subcontractor, o r th ey m ay identify an inspection by a specific G o v ern m en t Inspector, or th e y m ay identify certain tooling uses or m ethods. B ill R ic c a 383-7 S L U N G M l A ls T h is photo w a s taken on 3 M arch 1944 n e a r W elford airfield in England. It show s troops o f the 327th G lid er Infan try Regim ent, 101st A irborne D ivision, being inspected by W inston C hurchill and G enerals E isen h o w er an d Taylor. N ote th e unique m anner in w hich the M 1A1 C arbines are being w orn - the slings are o v e r th e right shoulder, w ith th e carbine on the left hip w ith p isto l grip forward. T R IV IA Q U E S T IO N - S T E E L C A S E D A M M O IN W W II W e know that quantities o f M l Carbine (and .45 ACP am m unition) w ere m ade w ith steel c a se s in 1943, w hen brass w as deem ed a critical m aterial. Tw o other com m on cartridges continued to use o n ly b rass, although steel cases w ere deem ed satisfactory. W hy? (A nsw er on next page.) 383-8 A N S W E R T O S T E E L C A S E D A M M O Q U E S T IO N O N P R E V IO U S P A G E A ll (non-carbine) .30 and .50 caliber am m unition w as produced w ith brass cases only, because the m etal lin k s on m achinegun am m o w ould scratch th ru the rust-preventative coating on steel cases, causing corrosion. T he steel enbloc clips fo r the M l R ifle w ould have presented the sam e problem . During W W II, carbine and .45 ACP am m o w ere available only in cardboard boxes; no contact w ith other steel. A lth o u g h U S ground forces did n o t have steel-linked .30 cal m achinegun am m o until late in the war (cotton belts being u sed instead), m etal links w ere exclusively used in aircraft-m ounted m achineguns. Louis Losi T W O IT A L IA N M 2 -TY PE C A R B IN E S T w o relatively-unknow n Italian M 2-type carbines are the Luigi Franchi LF58 and the Pietro B eretta M odel 1958. B oth w ere cham bered for the U .S. carbine cartridge, and both had a very controllable cyclic rate o f about 500 rounds p e r m inute. The Franchi m odel used the U .S. carbine m agazine(s), w hereas the B eretta m odel utilized a 30 round m agazine o f its ow n design, b u t w hich could easily be loaded using standard U .S. 10-round stripper clips. Although b oth w eapons could be considered im provem ents over the M 2 C arbine, the tim ing o f th eir introduction in 1958 w as late. The 7.62m m N A T O cartridge had been adopted in 1954, and m o st NA TO countries subsequently chose the F N FA L assault rifle in th at caliber. Thus, b oth Italian designs were unfortunately relegated to obscurity. Inform ation an d photographs courtesy o f the American Rifleman m agazine. L ouis Losi N ote th at the B eretta M l 958 b e lo w utilized tw o triggers, the forw ard one fo r sem i-auto and t h e rearw ard one for full-auto. 383-9 IR W IN -P E D E R S E N R E L IC Thanks to M a rc u s R ust for reporting this item and sending th e photos. The item is a stool o f the type com m only used at drafting tab les, or at w orkstations w here a backrest w ould not b e suitable. It w as sold o n the eBay auction site. B elow is p a rt o f the description given in the eBay ad: "A ll orig in al from the O ak Seat to the height adjustm ent key. The o n ly thing it needs is linoleum pads for the legs. T h e w ood se at spins / swivels freely. T he stool has a 15 1/2" d iam eter w ood seat. The w ood seat and m etal fram e have no crack s in them . The m etal footrest has an outside diam eter o f 20 1/2". The height from the floor to the top o f the seat is adjustable from approx 21 inches up to 27". The stool w eig h s 22 pounds." T he b o tto m o f the seat has an oval shaped m arking stam ped in ink, as sh o w n below . The last line o f this m arking is illegible. T h e o th er 4 lines, w hich are no t easy to read, are as follow s: D E T R O IT O R D N A N C E D ISTR IC T C O N T W .374 O R D . 1548 W A R D EPT. Irwin-Pedersen Anns Co. The bottom o f the seat has tw o m etal tags. T h e oval-shaped tag is m ad e o f brass. T h e o th er tag is m ade o f alum inum . N otice th at the contract num ber in the ink stam ping is not the same as the one on the rectangular m etal tag. The one stam ped in ink, W -374-O R D -1548, is the know n Irw in-Pedersen carbine contract num ber. The num ber on the m etal plate, W -374-O R D -1242, has not been identified. There is no inform ation available as to w here this stool was u sed in the I-P plant. A s show n in War stated that Irw in-Pedersen w as to acquire and b ill the governm ent for all the necessary jig s, dies, tools, fixtures, m achinery, equipm ent and m aterial n e e d ed to equip the plant and m ake 100,000 carbines. Fixtures and equipm ent probably included such th in g s as w orkbenches and stools. U pon paym ent, these item s becam e governm ent property. The p re s e n c e o f th e ink stam p and m etal tags on the stool then served to identify the item as being governm ent p ro p erty . Baby!, page 414, contract W -374-O R D -1548 383-10 P A R A T R O O P E R C A N V A S C A R B IN E H O L S T E R A N D C A N V A S M U Z Z L E C O V E R C ollectors are fam iliar w ith the canvas hip holster fo r the folded M l A1 Carbine, w hich paratroopers u se d in the various W W II “jum ps.” T he official nom enclature is “H olster A ssem bly, Parachutist’s.” It w a s replaced b y a larger, padded/quilted rectangular case that snapped onto the paratrooper’s harness a n d could accom m odate other w eapons besides the M l A1 Carbine. T he initial nom enclature was “ Case, Individual W eapons, P arachutist’s.” T his w as later changed to “H olster A ssem bly, Parachutist’s R ifle, C arbine, or Sub-m achine G un.” It is com m only called a “Griswold bag.” V ariations and “rigger” m odifications continued in the 1950s. N ote the part num ber 8300 - 442650 in the upper photo. The stencil indicates the 2 nd B attalion, S -4 (Supply O fficer) o f the 505th Parachute Infantry Regim ent, 82nd A irborne Division. T his p a rtic u la r case has been m odified w ith a 6” extension (left in photo) to accom m odate a full-stock carbine. (P h o to s courtesy o f F rank H avlicek.) It has not been generally know n w hen this large m ulti-purpose case replaced the folded M l A1 h o lste r. M ost have assum ed that it is a post-W W II item . L uckily, D on H illhouse stum bled upon a re fe re n c e in the A pril 1945 issue o f the A rm y’s FieldArtillery Journal. It states: “The Scabbard, canvas, c a rb in e , cal. .30, M 1A 1, form erly authorized for parachutists, is being replaced by a Case, individual w e a p o n s , parachutists, w h ich w ill accom m odate a rifle, subm achine gun, o r carbine.” (Note the d iffe re n c e in nom enclature fo r the M l A1 holster/scabbard. B ill R icca reports th at changes/differences a m o n g equipm ent designations w ere not uncom m on. See pages 645-649 o f War Baby Comes Home f o r exam ples o f the various cases used for the carbine.) It is not know n i f any o f these larger cases (G risw old bags) w ere used w ith the carbine in W W II c o m b a t, but it is certainly possible. The last ju m p in the Pacific theater w as the recapture o f C orregidor I s la n d in the Philippines on 16 Feb 1945. T he last ETO ju m p w as O peration V arsity into G erm any on 2 4 M a rc h 1945. The above-referenced article m ay have been w ritten earlier than A pril, because it re p o rts o th e r artillery organizational and equipm ent changes dated in February. 383-11 A 23 M a rc h 1945 O peration V arsity photograph h as been published show ing a 17th A irborne Division tro o p er w ith the larger case, bu t his case has been m odified w ith a long extension to hold a Browning A utom atic R ifle, not a carbine. L astly, the FieldArtillery Journal article states “C over, canvas, m uzzle, rifle or carbine, is being replaced b y a n expendable item to be included in A S F C atalog Q M -4 w ith th e nom enclature Tape, cellulose, m u z z le .” O u r thanks to D o n H illhouse for spotting these tw o little tidbits and reporting them to the Club. U N U S U A L S -P M A R K E D R E A R S IG H T F O R IR W IN -P E D E R S E N T he m ost recent Irw in-Pedersen m anufacturer’s update article was published in N L 374. O n page 9, C hris A lbright w rote “Tw o carbines (1777305,1782879) w ere reported w ith rear sight leafs m arked S-P. O ne had a rea r sight base m arked B-IP ......T he source o f the S-P m arked sight leafs is unknow n.” M arcus R ust noticed a torch-cut dem illed S ’G ’ receiver 1818228 b ein g auctioned on e-bay, th a t still retained the rear sight, w hich w as m arked this w ay. The sight, rem oved from th e receiver, sold for m ore than $300. B ob Eakins reports th at th e C lub’s data files indicate sporadic use o f th is p art through the 1.8 m illion range and into the 3 m illio n range. The highest S ’G ’ reported w ith th is part is 3607xxx w ith a 10-43 barrel. D O U B L E M A R K IN G O N SN F A B R IC A T E D F R O N T S IG H T S T hanks to D ave T ennent for pointing out an ite m that is often overlooked. M any (perhaps m o st or all?) SN fabricated front sights have a double m arking on the top piece. O bviously, the m arking w as done before the sighting blade w as w elded on top. A lthough the possibility exists th a t a batch o f those top pieces were accidentally run through the m arking step a second tim e, this double m arking could have been intentional, and could have been applied b y a single stam p having both m arkings. W ith th e m arking on both sides o f the piece, the people who assem bled the sight w ould not have to look at the m arking to know w hich end w ent w hich way. This m akes sense from the stan d p o in t o f production efficiency and risk o f having the m arking obscured by th e sight blade. M em bers’ reports in the club’s data files indicate that this double m arking by Super M etal M fg C o . is quite w idespread. The SN fabricated sight cam e into use at N ational Postal M eter in late 1943 a n d continued to the end o f production in A pril 1944. T he double m arking has been reported fro m th e 4.1 m illion serial num ber range (Buffalo A im s barrel dates o f 9 and 10-43) through the late 4.3 m illio n range w ith undated IBM and M arlin barrels. Thanks to D ave Tennent, JB Pow ers and Bob Eakins for assistance w ith th is report. 383-12 C A R B IN E S O N T H E G R O U N D A N D I N T H E A IR - T H E U.S. A R M Y A IR F O R C E S IN W W II C arbine quantities authorized in W W II Tables o f O rganization have been covered previously in NL373 a n d 374. This article addresses sm all arm s in U SA A F units. N L 384 w ill look at U.S. N av y carbines. T h e A rm y A ir Forces in W W II consisted o f about 60 different types o f air, technical, and HQ units. A dditional ground support units: Q M , Signal, MP, O rdnance, and Engineers, differing only slightly fro m com parable support units fo r ground forces, w ere also organized to serve U SA A F operations. In M arch 1945, U SA A F m anpow er w as o v er 2.2 m illion officers and m en , a b it over 25% o f U.S. A rm y strength at th a t tim e. U S A A F strength in the ETO in m id-February 1945 - alm ost 440,000 - only com prised a b o u t 15% o f th is theater's force. The discrepancy can be explained b y the fact that alm ost h a lf o f the U S A A F in 1945 w as serving stateside - m any as trainers and trainees - a m u ch larger percentage in training th a n arm y ground o r service forces. The February 1945 ETO strength report show s about 60% o f theater U S A A F personnel w ere stationed in the U K (w hich, o f course, would h a v e included bom ber air crew s w hose “w ork” to o k th em to the continent o n a regular basis). C arbine % SM G P istols 42-0-234 276 206 75% 23 41 7-2-236 245 216 88% 23 2 12-1-589 602 533 89% 58 3 3-26-43 72 45 63% 5 22 7-0-150 157 134 85% 18 1 F ighter C ontrol SQ (O ct 44) 23-0-217 240 209 87% 21 1 B om bardm ent SQ H vy (Jul 44) 65-0-312 377 255 68% 28 126 B om bardm ent SQ M ed (A ug 44) 66-0-299 365 229 63% 30 102 68-17-275 360 240 67% 44 72 Photo T ech SQ (Sep 43) 82-1-198 281 260 93% 20 1 L iaison SQ (M ay 45) 13-0-133 146 79 54% 19 44 3-0-99 102 74 73% 4 0 pH £ U n it Type N ig h t Fighter SQ (Sep 44) Service SQ A v i (Jan 44) E ngine O verhaul SQ A vi (N ov 43) H Q B om b G P H vy o r M ed (N ov 4 3) A irdrom e SQ (M ay 44) T roop C arrier SQ (O ct 44) Q M Truck C O A vi (Jan 45) o R ifle, M 1903 C arbines & to ta l Strength s 69 o R ifle, M l Several Tables o f O rganization & E quipm ent (T/O & E) have been located for U SA A F units: 24 0 Q M CO A ir Serv GP (Jan 45) 5-0-76 81 60 74% 4 0 0 17 M P CO A vi (Jan 45) O rd Supply/M aint CO A vi (O ct 44) 4-0-97 101 0 0% 6 87 8 0 4-0-74 78 58 74% 5 0 0 15 33-0-774 807 156 19% 27 3 603 0 E ngr B N A vi (M ay 44) [O ff = O fficers; W O = W arrant O fficers; FO = F light O fficers; EM = E nlisted M en] T hanks to R ic h a rd D ow ns, A m erican V eterans M useum , D allas/Ft. W orth, T X for m uch o f the T /O & E d a ta on the previous page. 382-13 N L 3 7 7 p resen ted a Septem ber 1943 sm all arm s issuance receipt for a B -17 crew. It show ed M1911 p isto ls for th e fo u r com m issioned officers on the crew, a .45 cal. SM G for one enlisted m an, and five carbines fo r the o th er crew m en. A ccording to the July 1944 heavy bom ber squadron T /O & E , bomber c rew s got a .45 cal. SM G fo r one enlisted m an and pistols fo r all the other crew m en (elim inating the carbine). F o u r different revisions o f the T /O & E for a heavy bom ber squadron appeared in 1943. U nfortunately, n o n e o f these have been located, so it is im possible to say w hether the Septem ber 1943 carbine issuance detailed in N L 377 w as a result o f existing T /O & E, a special exception fo r ferrying new bom bers across th e A tlantic, or th e result o f a local supply shortage. In another case, tw o consecutive editions o f a U SA A F T/O & E have been located. The M ay 1944 T /O & E fo r a Troop C arrier Squadron calls for its 17 pairs o f glider pilots and copilots to carry 34 Garands. F ive m o n th s la te r the T/O & E w as revised to replace these G arands w ith 17 carbines for copilots and 17 S M G s for p ilo ts (sm all arm s for the ground echelon rem ained unchanged). D a ta has n o t b een found to establish h o w m any carbines w ere issued to the entire U SA A F in W W II. I f th e percentages show n in the previous table are representative o f all u nit types (a big 'if), perhaps 750.000 carbines w ere in th e h ands o f U SA A F personnel overseas w h en the w ar ended. A n even big g er unknow n - w hether sm all arm s w ere issued in accordance w ith T/O & Es for stateside units - m akes a n estim ate fo r th at portion o f the force even trickier. I f full issuance happened in the U.S., th e n another 700.000 carbines w ent to U S A A F units. C om bining these num bers w ould m ean that m ore th an 1 in 5 carbines produced w ent to U S A A F units (w ithout accounting for losses). W ith little opportunity to use m o st o f these carbines in com bat, h o w m any o f today's carbines had an easy life in W W II's U SA A F? A nd how m any “bring backs” started th eir jo u rn e y hom e from a U S A A F airfield or supply depot? In an earlier article on U .S. A rm y W W II T/O & Es (NL373), a pattern w as noticed w here Q M service u n its seem ed to have been authorized M l 903 s for about 25% o f unit strength. W ith nothing found th a t established this percentage, it w as proposed that perhaps th ere w as a need for a w eapon capable o f m ounting a bayonet for guarding airfields, supplies, vehicles, etc. and the carbine lacked that capability. N o w the reason has been found in the June 3 0 ,1 9 4 3 , annual report o f A rm y Service Forces. Incredibly enough, the report says, “A m ajor w eakness o f service units w as their defense against low -flying aircraft....T he pistol, sub-m achine gun, and carbine had too short a range or too low a velocity to do m u ch good. For this reason a policy w as adopted w hereby at least 25 percent o f the enlisted p erso n n el o f service units w ere arm ed w ith th e caliber .30 rifle.” (A few 1942 service u n it T/O & Es found since the previous discussion do indeed show alm ost 100% carbines w ith no ’03 s.) T h e move m ay have been m ore about m orale than effectiveness as sim ilar U SA A F service u n its did n o t a d o p t this '03 requirem ent (the U SA A F set the requirem ents for its o w n service troops). It is n o t k n o w n w hether this w as because air bases w ould routinely have th eir o w n anti-aircraft units assigned - or w hether the air force recognized the futility o f shooting at enem y aircraft w ith bolt action rifles. In e ith er event, this use o f ’03s in ground forces service units took som e o f th e pressure o ff o f carbine p ro d u ctio n . W ith troops in arm y service units num bering about 1.5 m illion in January 1945, som ething lik e a n o th er 350,000 carbines w ould have been needed. W ithout the M 1903A 3 production success b y R em in g to n an d Smith Corona, how m uch longer into 1944 w ould the full range o f carbine m anufacturers h a v e continued? D o n H illh o u se (For more info on Carbines aboard WWII USAAF aircraft, see NL 377 pages 12-14.) 383-14 "U N -U S U A L ” U N -Q U A L IT Y T h e UN-QUALITY nam e on the receiv er appears to have been applied a fte r buffing o f f an earlier m arking. N ote in th e first photo th a t the m achining line indicated by th e rig h t hand arrow has been buffed o ff in th e area indicated b y the left h an d arrow . A t the left arrow, the e d g e o f the receiver has a slight curvature w here m etal was rem oved. A lso note in th is photo that w hat appears to be a + or a num ber 4 w as n o t com pletely buffed o f f the receiver. In th e second photo, traces o f a bu ffed out m arking can be seen. Just above the Q there is w hat appears to b e the rem ains o f the top p art o f the le tte r T that w as not com pletely bu ffed off. A n d ju s t above th e second U th e re is w hat appears to be the to p p a rt o f the letter O . The location o f th e T and O suggests th at they co u ld b e part o f the w ord NATIONAL on a receiver that h a d b een m arked w ith the NATIONAL POSTAL METER nam e. O n e possibility is th at w hen U n io n Sw itch & Signal w as m aking receivers for b oth N P M and Q H M C , this receiver or a b atch o f receivers got crossed u p betw een the m arking operations and got the N P M n am e and Q H M C num ber. If this happened, it w o uld have been sim p ler to change th e nam e than to keep track o f the serial num bers and m anually set the num bering m achine to reuse th e num bers. N o te th at no buffing has been done in the area o f th e U N -Q serial num ber. T he m ost puzzling aspect o f th is receiv er is th e rem nant o f th e m ark n e a r the left edge o f die receiver. It does not m atch th e 4 in th e font u sed by U S& S in num bering receiv ers for N P M and QHM C. T he horizontal line in the m ark is lo cated too high. T he photo o f a N P M /U receiver at the rig h t show s the shape o f the 4 u sed by U S& S o n receivers they m ade for N PM . Perhaps that m ark is the rem ains o f the letter P th at could have been lined out before being buffed off? Thanks to M arcus R ust for the ph o to s and the report on this interesting carbine. A re there any m ore like th is one? N A T IO N A L P O S T A L M E T E R R E C E IV E R W IT H IN L A N D S E R IA L N U M B E R Thanks to D on H illhouse for sending this photo that he found on an internet site. N P M 5260783 has an Inland serial num ber, and other photos o f the receiver (not show n here) prove that it w as m anufactured by N PM , n o t Inland. The carbine has m ixed parts, indicative o f a rebuild, and an undated M arlin barrel. N P M used undated M arlin barrels from the latter p art o f the 1.9 m illion range (fall o f 1943) through the entire 4 m illion range (to the end o f production in A pril 1944), so it is im possible to tell w hen this error occurred. T here are probably others out there! M em bers, keep looking and reporting! (NL 381-16 featured an U nderw ood carbine w ith an IBM serial num ber.) 383-15 BUTTPLATES MARKED GR J im M ock fo u n d th e buttplate p ictu red at rig h t a m ong num erous surplus G I buttplates purchased i n bulk from a U .S. source. The e x te n t o f w e a r on the front o f th e buttplate m ak e s identification o f the m anufacturer im possible. H ow ever, the pattern inside the b u ttplate is consistent w ith the late type p a tte rn found on carbines assem bled at W in ch ester (w hich is sim ilar to In lan d ’s). Stam ped in sid e th e bottom (the to e) o f the b u ttplate a re the letters GR. R ear (inside) D a n Pinto has reported another loose buttplate w ith the sam e G R letters, font, size and location, T he extent o f w ear on the front o f this buttplate m akes identification im possible, bu t the pattern on the inside is very sim ilar to th e W inchester pattern above. War Baby Comes Home, page 332 lists the A.C. G ilbert Com pany o f N ew H aven, CT as the subcontractor that m anufactured W inchester's buttplates. Their parts code m arkings, i f any, are unknown. M em bers are asked to closely exam ine the inside o f buttplates to see if any are m arked GR. T h e significance o f the G R m arking is unknown. 383-16 R E L I C H U N T E R S O N T H E E A S T E R N F R O N T F IN D A N M lA 1 C A R B IN E ! T h e below Y ouT ube lin k docum ents th e discovery o f a M l A1 Carbine am ong G erm an weapons and o th e r item s on a form er E astern Front battlefield. W as this a Lend-Lease item to the Russians that had b e e n captured b y the G erm ans, or w as it a G erm an souvenir from a W estern Front battle against the A m erican A rm y ? T h e video is entitled “V ery rare U S paratrooper carbine - WWII R elic H unting & M etal detecting W W 2 - E astern F ront Ep. 10” w w w ,voutube.com /w atch?v= 6N F einR 70Q A t 6:21 in the video, the carbine action is unearthed, follow ed by the trigger housing group, and th en the m agazine. A t 8:13, th e folding m etal fram e w ith leather cheekpiece and buttplate is located. A t 10:53 a n d again at 11:15, the M 1A1 C arbine is laid out o n the ground. The w ood parts have disintegrated. R E P R O R O C K -O L A A N D IN LA N D C A R B IN E S N L 376-21 discussed the reproduction R ock-O la m arked receivers being sold by Jam es R iver A rm ory. T h e June 2015 issue o f American Rifleman m agazine reports that these receivers are n ow being m arketed as com plete carbines w ith reproduction barrels, fake cartouches, and late feature parts. T h e June 2015 issue o f Guns & Ammo m agazine contains an article o n reproduction Inland m ark ed carbines m ade b y “Inland M anufacturing” o f D ayton, OH , and m arketed by M KS Supply. T hree m odels are offered - “ 1944” (w ith #2 barrel band), “ 1945” (w ith bayonet lug), and M l A1 (w ith #2 b arrel band). A ll parts are o f m o d em m anufacture except the GI oiler. The receiver and barrel are m arked In la n d and an Inland style cartouche is stam ped o n the 01 m ark ed stock. B eginning collectors: be careful! L O R D L O V A T A N D T H E M l C A R B IN E O N D -D A Y M ark A. K eefe, IV , E ditor in C h ie f o f the N R A ’s American Rifleman m agazine, w rote a very in te restin g article concerning B ritish use o f the M l C arbine o n pages 38-39 o f th e M ay 2015 issue. W W II h istorians and m ovie buffs are fam iliar w ith “T he Longest D ay,” a n d actor P eter L a w fo rd ’s portrayal o f th e dashing Sim on Fraser, the 15th L ord Lovat. H e com m anded th e (British) F irst S p e c ia l Service B rigade, w hich landed on Sw ord B each o n D -D ay. L ovat’s jo b w as to m sh h is unit s ix m iles behind G erm an lines to relieve the outnum bered B ritish paratroopers w ho held key bridges to p re v e n t th e Germ ans fro m reinforcing the b each defenses. T hey were successful in that m ission. In the m ovie, F raser (Peter Law ford) is arm ed w ith h is personal hunting rifle, a bolt-action M a n n lic h erSchoenauer carbine. This w eapon w as chosen for th e “The Longest D ay” because p h o to g ra p h s ta k e n during the ill-fated D ieppe raid in 1942 show Fraser w ith this rifle. H ow ever, in F raser’s a u to b io g ra p h y , March Past, he states th at - on D -D ay - he carried, an d engaged the enem y w ith “a light, s h o rt-b a rre le d U .S. A rm y carbine.” Fraser w as w ounded 6 days later, ending his com bat service. N E W S L E T T E R B A C K IS S U E S E T S AND IN D IV ID U A L B A C K IS S U E S D ue to health problem s, Tom Spring is no longer able to serve as T he C arbine C lub’s b a c k -is s u e guy. W e need a vo lu n teer to take over the jo b o f m aintaining and shipping back issues to m em bers. W e sell a handful o f com plete back issue sets (384 new sletters) every year, and individual back issues o n a m ore frequent basis. Please contact the Editor, address o n th e Ads page. Thanks! 383-17 #1 C A R B IN E O F T H E M O N T H : IW O J IM A U N D E R W O O D 1421327 O n C h ristm as D ay 1988, C olonel M artin Reinem ann, U SM C retired, w rote the follow ing affidavit fo r h is children: The U.S. .30 caliber Ml Carbine (serial number 1421327) was issuedto me by the 5thMarine Division after I hadreturnedfrom two overseas campaigns at Guadalcanal and Tarawa, where I had been with the 2nd Marine Division. This carbine was constantlywith me during our training inHawaiipreparatoryto landingat Iwo Jima, during the entire month ofthe bitterfighting on Iwo Jima, duringthe recuperationperiodback in Hawaii after the Iwo campaign, through theperiod of time we landedin Sasebo Harbor inJapan andreceived the surrender ofnaval academypersonnel there, and finally accompaniedme back to the ‘states’ where I was discharged. During the Iwo campaign, I was the operations officer of the 3rdBattalion, 28thMarine Regiment, 5thMarine Division, andit was aspecially selectedgroupofmen from one of our companies whoput thefamousflag up on the top ofMt. Suribachi. One wouldhave thought that the entire war was over, basedon the noise ofship sirens, horns, andmen's shouts that responded to the sighting ofthatflag. Before theflag-raising, as operations officer, I was orderedto the front’ lines ofour companies near the base ofMt. Suribachi, andmymission was to get the companies andmen movingagain to the caves andgun emplacement trenches which harboredthe enemy. During this time myenlistedman runner was woundedthrough the legs while we were moving towardtheforwardpositions under grenade and riflefire attackfrom enemy entrenchments aroundus that hadbeen bypassedbyour advancingtroops. For mysuccessful efforts here, I was awardedthe Bronze Star.M A s m arked, this Field M anual w as issued to Captain R einem ann w hile he w as assigned to “M ” Com pany, 3rd B attalion, 6th M arine R egim ent, 2nd M arine D ivision, a t M a rin e C orps Base San D iego, CA. 383-18 T he sling w e ll m arking is P - U an d the deep groove h a n d guard is RMC. one o f 20,000 authorized to be transferred from R ock-O la to U nderw ood in A pril 1943. The circled P w as u sed b y U nderw ood through 1943 to indicate proof-firing o f the assem bled carbine. T he boxed UEF GHD cartouche is oriented sidew ays and w as struck at an angle, m aking th e G H D unreadable. This appears to be U nderw oods’s first type cartouche, w hich lacked th e crossed-cannons stam p. T his carbine w as assem bled during the transition period, w hen U nderw ood began adding the crossed-cannons stamp. See N L 325-1. T he unm arked sling is for the. M 50/55 Reising subm achine gun, w hich was used by the M arine Corps during W W II. It is very sim ilar to the carbine sling, b u t has a longer distance betw een the tw o portions o f the snap fastener, and is a n o tic e a b ly thicker m aterial. O verall length is 42 ” , 5 inches shorter than a carbine sling. N ote the D -ty p e e n d cap s, sim ilar to those used on postw ar carbine slings. These R eising slings w ere occasionally seen a t gun show s decades ago, and often m istaken for carbine slings. F o r m ore info, see N L s 180-3 and 2 4 0 -9 . 383-20 DATA CARBINE REV REPORTER SHEET CLUB © 01-01-11 f l ADDITIONAL DATAON BACK M . BLACK 11 LEFT LUG ............jRJGHT LUG PARK. | | 1 1BELOW LEFT LUG ■Q ■ I OTHER | FLAT GAS PORT IN BOTTOM (1/18“HOLE) I iYES N O H EJECTORTIP 1 I ROUND EXTRACTOR MARKING PLUNGER B © 1■ ■ = □ > RT. LUG SHAPE ® ® ® TOP — Q 0 2D ____ ROUNDED , 1 □ v CD MOD ■ FLAT INSIDE * U * FIRING'™ BLUE ■ 1. f ) Z ( r\ 3. f l l D @ » n , ----- l POINTED BO LT O MARKI N G - O - SLID E TYPE“ BOXES I- E278A AR M 3/B" BEVEL JOINT SLIDE □ W H ir E C H L OP SPRING GUIDE TIP =0a n □ i M2 STEP , ROUND - > U - APPROX. HOLE TO CAM CUT BOTTOM T J 3#33T 2/32* V I6 W 0 F // El SLIDE * ■ F FLATTOP SLIDE STOP t= D « « D D iLEFT SIDE I ARM SLID E COLOR BEVELS ON MILLED HOUSING HOUSING TR IG G ER HOUSING RETAIN. PIN TOP REAR ^ _ „ nMT CORNERS I fig! h n ""rzB M1 ■ _ J MILLED □ ■ STAMPED/ j r f T ] D yes ■ B = I i ■ no V r r ^ YEs no BRAZED HAMMER :MAGWELL :OTHER MARKING RIGHT HOLE IN LEFT SPRING •WALL SIDE BEHIND RECESS Le f t ....... MAG CATCH ■ YES :IH6BE Outside □ no | NO YESO ;BOTTOM C&. HAMMER COLOR TOPWjW - NARROW • WIDE .WIDE LEFTM2 SPRING COILS RsScvmLL: □ H ^ s Q i □ HEIGHT CHAMBER SKIRT ID 1 SIGHT KEY RETENTION I NONE a _ h £ CHISEL M; INSIDE BOTTOM u a :............................ r : OUTSIDE BOTTOM K ;............................ m ‘ SITOPOF SOX WALL MARKS 5 - 43 DATE: FRONT SIGHT KEYWAY S t round' .2.1.3.2.7 UNDERW OOD INTERNAL CAM CUT IJ l UNDERWOOD BARREL NAME ■■=#> 9/16'* STEP 3/16" STEP UNDERWOOD SERIAL 1.4 NUMBER CODE ORMARKING BELOWSERIALNUMBER D 0 « n J n U LATE CAM EARLY SHAPE ■ k CHECKED EXAMPLE: E169A REAR NAME ON RECEIVER BLUE ___ - D BOX MANUFACTURER j ] NOTCH MARK GASCYL. BBL. COLOR. ___ * • PUNCH q W L o im i ■ 6 NONE PISTON □ w M ARKINGS 3Q M h an dstam pedD i -^ d ) MARK +■•[□ lEf^filDE IF SERIAL NUMBER IS ALSO STAMPED IN FRONTOF SIGHT RT. SIDE BOTTOM (D TRIG. HSNG. LUG □ M i ■ 22 Q _ Q l (mS (m)] {g b B U4rui . D Uka. . □ uU l3s.r m s rDhlsfcH m <5^1h C # MAG CATCH ~ D |la T Q lZz SAFETY hl& u MK. HAMMER I I PARK. " ~~i BLUED □ NO FINISH LEFT _ RIGHT NO HOLE M 2D □ BARREL BAND 2 0S □ t Aj MARK •u * h o le BAND BAND 3□ SEAR SPRING I tqiggfr ■ STRAIGHT I □ TAPER END l MARKING BAND O | [stam ped T | | CASTING LEAF A [—1 ADJUST. R L J MILLED Si u 1 2 □ □ 3 □ B | □ T 3 M 2Q a: r: K* RIGHTSIDE Ll |Ml M1Ali~l M2 POTBELLY i I LEFT W UJIL INSUDEWELL | 5 INGUNGCVT ' O CROSS , CUT3-»c N ! Si O p -u WOOD AT SLIDE a GUARD RMC 0 ® ® '" □ \ SHORT LONG ^ REC. COLOR H sar *—1ROUND NO SLOPE HANDGUARD GROOVE ■ DEEP f l SHALLOW RIVETS 2 1 f HIGH OTHER twmbnail ;L6AF I *n LEFTSIDE !GRIP q I D CD LEFT*" □ ■HR (§) OP. SPRING HOUSING HOLE FOR TUBE LUG_ ■ INTEGRAL □ YES NO □ DETACHABLETUBE REAR .......... tObe ’ " "marks'" ' HOLE TANG NARROW □ NONE — ■ 3/18“ d~ ■ ■ '□ no ;END____ WIDE □ FULL LEFT REAR DETAIL W.BUSH. MILL <§) NOTCHES CUT ■ FRONTONLY ■ s a ^ □ REAR ONLY □ rd. ^ □ both 31 HANDGUARD UP LENGTH 1/4 * REAR ® 4 □ □ □ I ADJUST. 1/4* 5/16* FORTYPE1 BANDSSTAMPED SLINGWINDOWWIDTH □ FRONTSIGHTMARKS REAR SIGHTMARKS BAND RETAINER •FRONT m t f ---------------H & U TIP TOP UNE • n 3= ___NO LINE «: w h it e MILLED * j ” '§&IveU STO CK □ SIGHT PIN STAKING SIG HTS □ W * □H T* □ 281/2 HAMMER PLUNGER ■BLUE FRONT* SEAR M1 : u MARKS: p □ MARK (OTHER MARKS U.S.CARBINE CAL _ r(F □ M ARK- RECEIVER © © © STAKING OF KEY □ 4 BUTTPLATE PATTERN 9SGSS6 SQUAREf~1 M OlAG. □ P I OTHER __ M1A1 RIVETS steel □ RECO IL. PLA TE « g jg p u<at *n MARKING MARIONS B257614 BRASS □ SQUARE n ^ L A R n a p RIVET MARK u MARKLOCATION TOP □ □ TANGSIDE FRONT □ i—j TANG BOTTOM W m'—1BOTTOM RECO IL P L. S C R E W ; HEW THREAD® AREA ■ MARK a... - .imusui m ; 383-21 #2 C A R B IN E O F T H E M O N T H : IW O J IM A R O C K -O L A 1692988 T his R o c k -O la carbine w as purchased sight-unseen from a Florida paw n shop, v ia a n internet listing. The sto c k h a d been sanded and varnished, an d the ru s ty buttplate painted black. T here was also a series o f scribbled letters sc ra tch e d into the stock w ith a knife. C ertainly n o t the best looking c a rb in e o n the m arket, but it appeared to be factory-original. C loser e x a m in atio n show ed it to be a very interesting w ar relic. C arved in to the left side o f the stock is: IWO (unidentified unit m arking) 4th DIV 2-19-45 IW O is o b v io u sly Iw o Jim a, and 2-19-45 is the U .S . invasion date. The 4th D ivision w as one o f three M arine d iv isio n s in the assault force. W hat appears to be a unit m arking shows a 3 above a square th at contains so m eth in g resem bling an interlaced V M D . The M arine C orps used a unique system o f coded u n it m ark in g s stenciled and painted o n to backpacks, canteen covers, jack ets and other gear as a secondary m ean s o f identification. U nfortunately, this unit m arking cannot be deciphered. A bove in se t is the insignia (shoulder patch) o f the 4 m arkings o n the stock. M arine D ivision, to help readers view th e T he nam e R ICC I is carved in to the rig h t side o f the stock, ju st fo rw a rd o f th e R M C cartouche. B elow is R o c k O la ’s typically crude carto u ch e. 383-22 T h e rear sight is m arked w ith a ro u n d S o n th e left, BR on the right, and A-R on the leaf. C hisel staking to th e dovetail can be seen. T h e front sight is m arked o n front w ith R P. The characteristic horizontal p in staking is slightly angled. The E -279 slide has a deep X below ROCK-OLA. Its significance is unknow n. The only unexpected part on this carbine is the type 1 firing p in m ade by U nderw ood. There is either the result o f a n undocum ented transfer o f p arts betw een U E F and RM C , o r it is a field-replacem ent firing pin. O th er interesting features o f th is carbine show n on the accom panying data sheet: T he stock is I-slo t, assem bled a t about the tim e th a t the first oval-slot stocks started being produced by R ock-O la. T h e fro n t b an d swivel is the narrow %” w id e type, w hich continued to be used b y R ock-O la in th eir la te r 4 m illio n R ock-O la buttplates are generally described as “m issing a dot” at th e 3 o ’clock position o f th e c e n te r boss. H ow ever, this buttplate an d others reported on original-appearing carbines show d iff e re n t c e n te r boss details. Photo above right show s a sim ilar, if not identical R ock-O la buttplate w ith m is s in g d o ts at th e sam e positions. If every m em ber w ith an original-appearing R ock-O la carbine w ill s u b m it a p h o to o f the buttplate to the Editor, w e can provide m ore definite inform ation in a future update. 383-23 DATA CARBINE REV REPORTER SHEET CLUB © 01-01-11 BO LT RT, LUG SHAPE ROUNDED EJ POINTED CD ■ ^ LJ V □ MOD ■ ROCK-OLA INSIDE FIRING PIN gLUE ■ WHITE™ [~~l[ I- E279A * C 2. ( a □ ljm U LATE OP SPRING GUIDE TIP & = B * D o = fl» JilMP SLfMflL £ "ioUTSIDEBOTTraj” ^ K :................................s s :top of box wall ■ MILLED STAMPED/ BRAZED MARKING ; RK3HT Le ft ........ : __ . ; ROCK-OLA ; m m □ JSILYiSft * SLIDE STOP ^ rflllY E S W n ■ I In NO X-ZZL^YES no OTHER : MAGWELL HOLE IN LEFT SIDE BEHIND ,•WALL MAG CATCH fjfjg'iDg" I NO y e s Q iBOTTOM NARROW . WIDE >W(DE LEFTM2 COLOR REWVMU! H s B ^ iD is B S S S s iin iB S B Z iQ Cfa MAG @ b n .Cla CATCH 1 .1 —J la. □ 2T □ 3. U 4. Pl4a. □ 5. O Sa. □ MK. ***** h 4 P <& ■ □ SEAR M1 M2Q D LEFT _ K R . j D RIGHT FRONT' SEAR SPRING INO HOLE MARK ROCK-OLA □ STRAIGHT hole ■ TAPER END FOR TYPE 1 BANDS SUNG WINDOW WIDTH BAND RETAINER LINE ___NO LINE STO CK I H M 21 I lf 3 'RIGHT SIDE BAND □ = M D n RMC A I— I ADJUST. R L J MILLED FRONTSIGHTMARK3 FRONT □ □ INSUDEWELL □ □ □ I ADJUST. STAMPED □ FRONT SIGHT KEYWAY C =3 CHAMBER SKIRT LEAF OILERI SLOT ■ RIVETS 21 GUARD WOOD AT SLIDE □ w h it e FRONT SIGHT SHAPES RIDGE 3 □ VALLEY 4 □ THUMBNAIL □ 6 NO SLOPE HANDGUARP GROOVE H DEEP □ SHALLOW DEEPER CROSS CUT3-»j TLew RMC © @ STAKING OF KEY D q iX Q P P (TWO) • PUNCH □M A R K l □ m MARKPISTON OTHER MARKS NONE NOTCH MARK GASCYL. BBL. COLOR. □ 4 □A □ $ ) □ w MARKINGS le^t 'side IF SERIAL NUMBER IS ALSO STAMPED IN FRONT OF SIGHT RT. SIDE (S MARK-^-n BOTTOM TRIG. t rSNG. LUG □ T sT 1 □ W * □ F » ■ H J« HOLE FOR © OP. SPRING HOUSING TUBE LUG ■ INTEGRAL □ yes n q B □ DETACHABLETUBE REAR REAR ......... tObE 'V marks " HOLE TANG NARROW ■ none SIDE LUGD y e s j; sS |„id e --------□ 3/16" El— " , [ ] no ; end WIDE □ FULL LEFT REAR DETAIL 1—1W.BUSH. e r a (S ) M ILL JNOTCHES VS/ CUT | FRONT ONLY ■ S Q .^ I I^ L I _ u rir I REAR ONLY BOTH ft HANDGUARD UP ® ® © LENGTH 3 /4 “ LONG SHORT REC. COLOR Green e a r L-J R EC O IL P LA TE B UTTFLA TE mm luuuii* 11 m ia i PATTERN g e ra 1 *nooMf □ SQUARE DIAG. < g flj □ MARKING __ MARKING ROCK-OLA L J B257814 □ OTHER __ MARK LOCATION M1A1 RIVETS BRASS □ n 2 2 ULAR STEEL □ □ RIVET MARK P | sa rI _ ROUND ■—JSQUARE SLOPE ONLY BR A-R t HIGH OTHER 4 REARSIGHTMARKS RIGHT M 2 POTBELLY □ LffTSIDE ; GRIP 3 ■ P HEIGHT ROCK-OLA HAMMER PLUNGER ■BLUE by^udge 1 2 RIGHf LEFT I I INSUNS CUT S! J □ STAMPED T Q CASTING MARKS_ DATE:. □ 22 ■ 261/2 6 MILLED m ia i[ U Mj K *___ SIGHT PIN STAKING R P m i BARREL NAME □ NO MARKING ROCK-OLA LEW1 1/4* S/18* 1 . 6 . 9 . 2 . 9 . 8 . 8 CODE OR MARKING BELOW SERIAL NUMBER HAMMER SPRING COILS TRIG GER SIGHTS * □ SERIAL NUMBER RECEIVER HOUSING U.S.CARBINE RETAIN. PIN 0 CAL-_» - « 30M _1 ■ □ Q -? = t ■ B = 3 handstamfedC JJHAMMER SPRING RECESS ■ YES □ MARKS: BARREL BAND 2 02 □ t BAND M ; BAND A : M -R * :"'svW vel s ! H MK A-R <&>uts& P HAMMER □ PARK. Z T BLUED □ NOFINISH m □ c d SLIDE COLOR BEVELS ON MILLED HOUSING TOP REAR _ _ cDmrr CORNERS_ I f f if io i TRIG G ER HOUSING ROCK-OLA CHISEL 'ARM f t j OUTSIDE BOTTOM ROC* 0LA to NAME ON RECEIVER STEP 171 INTERNAL CAM CUT REAR ROUND\|_±J/ ROUNd V L U /______ \l_ L i/ 1 fijflS P ~ H !±- APPROX. m -LEFT SIDE Mj;inside INSIDE BOTTOM VIEW OF SLIDE ROCK-OLA SIGHT KEY RETENTION S f e s T l w D @ * n 3. « MANUFACTURER Q © 4 □ ft— CAM EARLY SHAPE ^ i a s s n o o * n TO P— FLAT MARKING * U * TYPE-BOXES CHECKED EXAMPLE: E279A t RIGHT LUG R ....................................................................... .. GAS PORT IN BOTTOM (1/1S"HOLE) f |YES NOBB EJECTORTIP EXTRACTOR MARKING PLUNGER 0 © ' ■ D = o ROUND S L ID E ■ DATAON BACK a I LEFT LUG BLUE | FLAT □ □ ADDmONAL M Rust 5 t ,° ’ TOP ■ FRONT C J BOTTOM f—I □ TANG SIDE 1—1 TANG J BOTTOM RECOIL PL. SCREW! Hfffi ^threadedare^ ; MARK ,IM... . |___| | T H E C A R B IN E C L U B : W H O D O E S W H A T DUES PAYMENTS, REQUESTS FOR MEMBERSHIP, ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES to include CHANGE OF ADDRESS go to Faith Tennent, Carbine Club, P.O. Box 998, Bowie, MD 20718-0998 ([email protected] CARBINE DATA SHEETS go to Robert Eakins, P.O. Box 251, Canal Fulton, OH 44614-0251 [email protected] MATERIAL FOR NEWSLETTER ARTICLES and PHOTOS go to (Editor) Marty Black, 458 Stimson Ave., Pismo Beach, CA. 93449-2713 ( [email protected] CLASSIFIED ADS go to Marty Black, address above, no later than September 15th for the October newsletter PUBLISHER: Rich Van Damme, Chester, VA PROOFREADERS: Charles Wallace, Troy, AL; Bill Dunn, Shavertown, PA; Faith Tennent, Bowie, MD CARBINE OF THE MONTH ILLUSTRATOR: Dave Tennent, Bowie, MD TECHNICAL EDITOR: Chris Albright, Voorheesville, NY CHARLES W. CLAWSON: The Carbine Club has learned that Chuck Clawson, 83, of Ft. Wayne, IN passed away on Friday, 24 April. Chuck was one of the early Carbine Club members who contributed much information to our data base. While conducting research for his book on the M l911 .45 pistol at Springfield Armory, Chuck discovered and shared carbine production data, subcontractor lists and parts codes. ADMIN NOTE. CLASSIFIED ADS: Effective with this newsletter, Editor Marty Black will take over the Classified Ads job, while Tom Spring deals with health problems. Marty’s address is above in “Who Does What.” M E M B E R S * AD S WANTED Metal Scope can for ART I Scope. Inland double bevel trigger housing with no hammer spring recess. Rear flip sight S with serifs on left side of Base. Hammer for IHC 5 million range Garand. Have many parts for trade. Tom Spring, 8 Windsor Drive, Glens Falls, NY 12801-2046 WANTED T3 Winchester housing, Winchester Mag Release, T3 Winchester Mag Release, T2 NPM Mag Release, T2 (SN) Inland trigger, RJ or FI Thanks, Tom Godwin 360.893.7543 [email protected] FOR SALE M2 trigger housing, stripped, SA, excellent condition, $70.00. M2 slide, SG, w/drawing number on the bottom, stripped, $65.00. INLAND round bolt, complete, $90.00; same stripped, $ 70.00. Carbine handguard, birch, new, USGI, $20.00. Carbine stock, birch, USGI, new, w/metal, $90.00. Carbine small parts, various manufactures, call for availability and price. Carbine slide and hammer springs, new, USGI, $10.00. Also, M l rifle and M1903A3 parts for sale. Discounts on large ($) orders. Telephone: 801 262 7321; email: [email protected] (UT1 WANTED Rockola parts; Sear T-l marked R on top, Trigger Housing T -l double bevel, Slide T-2 (E169) marked Rockola inside bottom, Extractor T-2 marked SR on inside, Recoil Plate T-2 dark finish. I w ill purchase, or I have some Rockola parts to trade. Tom Linn 1921 Samuel Dr., Denver, Colorado 80221 720-999-2103 [email protected] FOR SALE Infrared Light Source and Handle (M3 Snooper Scope and M2 Sniperscope). M2 parts disconnector, selector, selector spring, disconnector lever. R.W. Rainbow 315-458-0971 WANTED Irwin-Pedersen receiver or barreled receiver. Richard Pedersen [email protected] or 716-741-2300 WANTED Standard Products M l Carbine in original excellent condition. Will Wilbom, 131 Leslie Rd. Guntersville, AL 35976 (256)582-3581 FOR SALE Mv collection: Inland 32 exc, xc48 and xc49, Underwood E l32 & B code, Irwin Pederson lineout .U., Saginaw S'G' (upside down), many originals plus M-4 bayonets, canvas scabbards, 15 rd mags and 30 rd mags, etc. 256-536-8710/256-425-5011 cell WANTED Springfield Armory parts: Bolt, Sear, Hammer, Rear Sight, Trigger. Will buy or trade good GI parts. Tele: 951-676 6640. E-mail: [email protected] FOR SALE Just acquired a lot of carbine parts. Too many to list here. No slides or barrels yet. E-MAIL [email protected] or phone (615) 443-3124. Bob Ricci TN WANTED original HW stock and handguard for S'G'. Darold Shirwo, DShirwo@aol,com. 310 278-2000 FOR SALE once fired Lake City 30.06 brass cases dated 63 & 66. Have several thousand available at $37 per hundred. 2 Bandoliers of 30 cal. ball M-2. Each Bandolier has 48 rounds dated 53 and includes 6 clips and 6 cardboards. 3 Bandoliers of 30 M l carbine dated 1973. Each Bandolier has 120 rounds, stripper clips and cardboards. Also have a quantity of unopened collector 50 round boxes of M I carbine and 30.06 ball 20 round boxes of ammunition from various Ordnance plants. Also, UNDERWOOD Type B barreled receiver with "S" on bevel indicating receiver made United Shoe Machinery Company. SN range is in the 257xxx range with a 1-44 Underwood barrel. Ammunition ships UPS. Prices do not include actual shipping charges nor insurance. No sales where prohibited by state law. Contact Chuck @ cl [email protected] FOR SALE WRA trigger housing, stripped, excellent condition, $70.00. M2 slide, complete, $75.00. INLAND round bolt, complete, $90.00. Same bolt strippped, $75.00. Handguard, birch, new, $25.00. Stock, birch, M2 w/metal, $90.00. M4 bayonet, Case, $200.00. Various carbine small parts to include springs, call for availability and price. I have purchased many M l rifle, M14 and M l903 and M l903A3 parts from an estate sale. Call or email your needs, telephone: 801 262 7321. Email; [email protected] (UT) FOR SALE Carbine of the month Underwood 6,138,121 (see NL357 pages 22&23) Price $1600.WWIIC tab OD Sling EX $45. WWII CTab Khaki Sling EX- $70, Two shooter carbines all GI parts no repros L, Inland 491,133 w/IBM barrel $650. 2.. NPM 4,169,083 w/Inland 6-44 barrel $700. Both guns shoot dead on, bores fine. NPM N9 trigger housing $65. Butt plates- Have early and late Inland, QH, early Win, early Rockola and Underwood. Win flat bolt. AI/1 flat bolt. Oilers- IN, SP, and IR Only. Type I unmarked barrel bands ex $115. Rare spring loaded trigger housing pins, conical extractor plunger, spring tube with lug all for earliest carbines. 22 coil springs $22. S.G. Slide Spring Guide in sealed wrap marked Saginaw Steering Gear division $7.50. SS-4 mag in translucent cellophane wrap marked Standard Products Company $40. Other 15rd mags in WWII wraps - A.I/IA,SS, IW, QU, U B, KSG all mint/minty condition $22 to $32 each. Some coded and uncoded parts such as springs, pins, push safeties, mag catches etc. Fred Powers,1505 Tyringham, Eustis FI 32726 (352)5895456