[sourdough44]

I’ve kinda had my eye on one, the 30 carbine, not necessarily Universal. This one was local, a mid ‘Gen 1’ from the Universal lineup, 69,xxx SN. I’ll test fire tomorrow, cleaned, lubed, & inspected today.

It was about 1/2 the price for the G.I. original types. Universal seems to get mixed reviews. I’m looking for a casual pinker that’s at least mostly reliable. It came with about 75-80 rounds of ammo.

I looked closely, no cracks, no high-round wear indications. Hopefully my testing goes well, I’ll report back. I have never shot one, it feels like a 10/22.

 

[njl]

I've got a couple of the GI ones direct from CMP. They're real fun rifles to shoot.

 

[lazarus66]

Always wanted one. Neat little rifles.

 

[pgg00]

I have one I got from my grandfather. It is an Inland

 

[Deaf Smith]

Does this Universal have twin recoil springs? That is one on each side under the receiver? And does it have a little toggle on the receiver to hold the bolt open? That is not like the GI's little pin that holds the bolt open.

 

[Bomber Nav]

Congrats. Looks like a fun rifle!

 

[Jonny Yuma]

Nice rifle, I hope it shots great for you.

 

[warbow150]

Nice. That ought to be a fun one.

 

[mj9mm]

fun rifle... an uncle of mine had a carbine and the Ruger blackhawk(?) in .30. after shooting the Ruger, the M1 carbine was tame...

 

[Valmet]

They are loads of fun. I owned a National Postalmeter about twenty years ago that I paid $400 for- sold it like an idiot.

 

[garya1961]

Does this Universal have twin recoil springs? That is one on each side under the receiver? And does it have a little toggle on the receiver to hold the bolt open? That is not like the GI's little pin that holds the bolt open.

I have one really close to that serial #.and it's one of the good ones, mostly GI parts and before Universal "improved" on the design.
Thay are really fun for anyone to shoot, light weight and low recoil.

 

[professor kv]

I had a Universal about 40 years ago. The operating slide looked like it was stamped, instead of forged. It was a real turd. I couldn't get off two or three shots without it jamming, regardless of which magazine I used. I traded it in, and was going to buy a milsurp carbine. They were going for $375 at the time, in Nassau County, NY. A few rifles down the rack was a new, stainless Mini 14 for $379. I bought the Mini 14, still have it, love it.

But honestly, I still would like to have an M1 Carbine.

 

[garya1961]

I had a Universal about 40 years ago. The operating slide looked like it was stamped, instead of forged. It was a real turd. I couldn't get off two or three shots without it jamming, regardless of which magazine I used. I traded it in, and was going to buy a milsurp carbine. They were going for $375 at the time, in Nassau County, NY. A few rifles down the rack was a new, stainless Mini 14 for $379. I bought the Mini 14, still have it, love it.

But honestly, I still would like to have an M1 Carbine.

Sounds like you had one of latter models after Unversal screwed with the design, they can be dangerous.

 

[sourdough44]

This one has the single recoil spring, not the later dual. I have read the hit & miss reviews on Universal. With all the AR’s floating around, this will never replace one. I just want at least a fairly reliable plinker.

I didn’t see a lot of signs from use, wear marks, etc.. None of the screws to remove the stock were buggered in the least.

I’ll at least fire some test rounds later today.

 

[cadillacguns]

Borrowed one for deer season in Michigan as a teen ager, got to shoot it a lot and always liked them.

 

[sourdough44]

The ballistics seem comparable to a 357 mag, lighter bullet though, going a little faster. It’s also a fairly ‘low-pressure’ cartridge. Most loadings are FMJ type bllets.

Not a great choice for the big 10 pointer at 125 yards, especially when the property line is 40 yards away.

 

[Grumpy_old_man]

M1 Carbine?

Great little rifles, the "AR15 of the '50's". If yours proves out, be on the lookout for South Korean surplus ball ammo, usually comes on bandoleers of 120 ctgs on stripper clips. KCI (also South Korean) is a decent supplier for mags, 15 bangers are generally more reliable in my book, though the 30 bangers are sweet lookin'. You can also find replica mag pouch holders, originally went on a GI's belt but will fit on the buttstock of the carbine holding 2x 15 bangers. And there are replica rifle drop bags out there too if you look. Really sweetens the package up when you show up at the range with a GI OD or khaki bag that is made for the rifle.

Good luck with your rifle, hope you got a good one.
Grumpy
PS Stay far, far away from New Jersey with your new toy. M1 Carbines are outright banned by name in that tyrannical kingdom, have been since the '90's.

 

[DrewBone]

PS Stay far, far away from New Jersey with your new toy. M1 Carbines are outright banned by name in that tyrannical kingdom, have been since the '90's.

Your commentary above brings back a memory for me. I was travelling with a friend from NY to Sarco and the The Heritage Guild in PA, and on the way we stopped into another Heritage Guild store in NJ, and I asked one of the guys behind the counter, "Hey, do you guys have any M1 carbine mags?" The store went silent and the look I got back from the guy was as if I'd just insulted his Mother, and I received a stern warning that anything M1 Carbine was strictly verboten in New Jersey. Geez... 😬 ...don't have a conniption!

If I had to guess why I would say that it's the M1 carbine's ability to be very easily converted to the select fire M2 configuration by simply removing a number of M1 Carbine parts and replacing them with the required M2 Carbine parts (e.g., no machining involved) that scared NJ into outright banning the rifle. In fact, according to the firearm branch of the BATFE, if one owns the parts necessary for the M2 conversion and you're in possession of an M1 Carbine - you are in constructive possession of a MG. Some have stated that even the possession of the required M2 conversion parts and no M1 Carbine rifle will land you in hot water if one part of the "kit" isn't an NFA registered/transferable part, but as usual the validity of such statements are murky at best.

In any event I certainly wouldn't want to be the test case for that one!

 

[Gino]

How much are they asking for it? Since these guns have a checkered past, I'd say you should be able to talk them down to a pretty low price. If possible, you should ask to test-fire it before buying.

If this gun were above $200, I'd pass on it. JMHO. Too much of a chance you end up with a jam-a-matic. If you want it but they ask too much, just get a Ruger 9mm carbine instead. Or a Hipoint carbine. They will shoot close to the same.

Friends don't let friends buy crap guns.

 

[Grumpy_old_man]

Your commentary above brings back a memory for me. I was travelling with a friend from NY to Sarco and the The Heritage Guild in PA, and on the way we stopped into another Heritage Guild store in NJ, and I asked one of the guys behind the counter, "Hey, do you guys have any M1 carbine mags?" The store went silent and the look I got back from the guy was as if I'd just insulted his Mother, and I received a stern warning that anything M1 Carbine was strictly verboten in New Jersey. Geez... 😬 ...don't have a conniption!

If I had to guess why I would say that it's the M1 carbine's ability to be very easily converted to the select fire M2 configuration by simply removing a number of M1 Carbine parts and replacing them with the required M2 Carbine parts (e.g., no machining involved) that scared NJ into outright banning the rifle. In fact, according to the firearm branch of the BATFE, if one owns the parts necessary for the M2 conversion and you're in possession of an M1 Carbine - you are in constructive possession of a MG. Some have stated that even the possession of the required M2 conversion parts and no M1 Carbine rifle will land you in hot water if one part of the "kit" isn't an NFA registered/transferable part, but as usual the validity of such statements are murky at best.

In any event I certainly wouldn't want to be the test case for that one!

Actually the NJ ban is not based on anything so rational (though an unconstitutional infringement) as easy convertibility.

There was a media fear campaign back in the late '80's-early '90's timeframe in NJ about how the M1 Carbine was a cheap gun that gangs were using, sort of the "saturday night special" of rifles. Antigun gov't there was ecstatic with the press and cheerfully banned it by name. IIRC there is no variant of the M1 Carbine that won't get jail time in NJ, which is why the people in the gun shop were so uptight - it would be like walking into an LGS and loudly asking where the (forbidden send you to jail right now) parts are.

I remember the NJ BS pretty well because the M1 Carbine was my trunk gun at one time, since it was legal pretty much anywhere you could have a firearm - until then. Really sucked, because with a 15 shot mag limit the Carbine is one of the better choices.

Grumpy