The M1 carbine
The .30 caliber M1 carbine is a favorite gun of mine, and since nothing is going on at Pete’s to write about, I will tell the story of how I ended up with this rifle.
In Air Force basic training, we were required to train with and show proficiency in the use of a military rifle, which at the time happened to be the M-16. But since the military was handing out tens of thousands of M-16s during Vietnam to folks in the military who actually shot at people, the Air Force had no M-16s to train with, so we were issued a World War II rifle, the M1 carbine. I liked the M1 carbine, and not only did I learn how to take care of it, but I shot expert with it.
Many years went by, and I developed a gun hobby and owned a lot of guns, but for some reason, the M1 carbine was not one of them. While I was working at Homestead Air Force Base as a civilian, I was working with a senior master sergeant, whom I considered a friend, and who was retiring shortly. He knew I liked and collected guns, and occasionally would buy guns to sell for a profit. And he told me one day that he would sell me his favorite rifle that he used for turkey hunting in the Everglades, but I had to promise not to flip it and sell it at a profit. I had to keep it and take care of it because it was special to him.
I promised him I wouldn't sell it, and the next day he brought the rifle to work, and I gave him his asking price of $150. The rifle is an M1 carbine made during World War II by Winchester, in beautiful condition with all matching serial numbers. It’s the rifle you see lying on my shooting bench, which means I've never sold it. But every once in a while, I'll look on the Internet to see what they're worth, and since Winchester makes it with all matching serial numbers and in excellent condition, its value on Gunbroker.com is about $2000.
I heard a long time ago that the old Sergeant had passed away, so I suppose that relieves me of my promise not to sell it. But every time I look at the rifle, I can see the old Sergeant slogging through the Glades carrying that rifle, and it's starting to look like there's no time limit on a promise.
theboondork
My little M1 carbine. A veteran of World War II.
G.I. with M1 carbine, World War II
Marines raising the first flag on Mount Suribachi Iwo Jima. They all had M1 carbines.
I didn’t take these last two pictures….. Obviously, I got them off the Internet.
The Marines raised the flag several times that day. They raised it for the photographers, and they raised it again for the big shots that didn’t get to the top of Mount Suribachi until the shooting had stopped. But this is the photograph the world remembers, and it became one of the most famous photographs of World War II.