cut down m1 carbine

Antonio · 01-13-2005, 03:02 PM

I´ve read about some Huey pilots in Nam cutting the barrels of the M1´s so they´d be more easy to handle as a defensive weapon inside the cramped cockpits during landings ¿Was this true? ¿How short can you make an M1 barrel before feeding failures due to gas piston problems appear?

hired_gun · 01-13-2005, 03:21 PM

Piston problems wouldn't normally be a problem if the barrel were cut down. The carbine bleeds off the gas that drives the piston just a few inches past the chamber. That pressure normally won't change even with a shorter barrel.

Now, if it bled the gas off closer to the muzzle end, like a Garand, that could cause problems.

pusil · 01-13-2005, 04:31 PM

Met a guy at a MG shoot last 4th of July who had a 13" barrel on an
M2. He said that it works fine and even reduced the cyclic rate making handling easier.

gman552 · 01-13-2005, 08:20 PM

What kind of muzzle velocity do you get with a 13" barrel and .30 Carbine ammo? Would this effectively make it a short-range gun (less than fifty yards)?

TommyGunn · 01-13-2005, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gman552

What kind of muzzle velocity do you get with a 13" barrel and .30 Carbine ammo? Would this effectively make it a short-range gun (less than fifty yards)?

Careful, this may violate NFA rules if you actually cut it this short.
A guy with an M-2 most likely has the right paperwork & tax stamp, but it doesn't mean you can just cut off a rifle barrel and ignore legal ramifications.
It's dumb, (IMHO) but it IS THE LAW.

pktrkt · 01-13-2005, 09:05 PM

I have an Iver Johnson Enforcer with a 9 in. barrel, its a pistol version of the rifle, and have had absoultly no problems using all kinds of ammo. Reloads and also commercial rounds have been reliable 100%. I have noticed that when bumping the Enforcer it is slower firing than the carbine. It may just be my own personal guns but it seems to be true in both of my rifles they cycle faster. The shorter barrel Enforcer is louder though

pktrkt

01-13-2005, 09:25 PM

I've got a 10 inch barrel that came on what I believed at the time, was an NVA weapon, but might have been one that Antonio wrote about. It's cut off at the pistol grip, even has a shortened handguard. I removed the barrel from the receiver and disassembled it as I was nervous having it around, never learned if it was legal or not! it worked fine, both semi and full. Is this what you are referring to Antonio?

Antonio · 01-14-2005, 05:12 AM

Not quite, but this is close; i remember even seen somewhere a picture of a short-barreled (Maybe 10") M1 that a Huey pilot used to carry back in ´Nam, along with a M60 spare barrel canvas pouch he used as a carrying holster.

Bolo-7 · 01-14-2005, 05:52 AM

About two or three years ago a guy wrote in SOF about his cut down carbine. He was a Chopper pilot in Nam. He said it was still burried there.

Tailgunner · 01-15-2005, 06:26 AM

The article was by Col. Mike Peck , SOF issue Sept 2001. Well worth reading from a "been there, done that" . That does look like a VC hack job Wayne. Some time back, I had a carbine that was bought at a local GS. There were about 12 of them in the rack. We kept looking at them as there was something strange about all of them that we couldn't put our finger on at first. Then we realized they all had cut back 16.5 inch barrels. ????? Store owner claims they were obtained from a local Schools ROTC unit???? Put in a M1A1 stock, it was handy indeed. No problems with function were encountered. Traded later for an FN 49 in 30'06. Another "wish I had it back" item. Maybe a future project for a muzzle worn "cleaned out" Inland barrel I have.

01-16-2005, 02:21 AM

What is interesting about this one (and I still have it), is that somebody went to alot of trouble modifying the stock. The nose was cut off then glued with a dowel through it, a relief was cut on the right side of the mag well, and the pistol grip is nicely rounded. Overall, pretty good work except the barrel band spring was eliminated, and it tended to loosen up often. Measuring from the recoil plate inlet, it is 14 inches to the nose, and 17 inches for a regular stock.

shep854 · 01-17-2005, 05:53 AM

This reminds me of a WWII photo I saw in "Machine Gun News" once of US troops in Europe (IIRC the caption said tankers) who were shooting a carbine whose barrel was cut back to the handguard.

01-13-2005, 03:02 PM	#1
Antonio Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 229	Cutting down the M1 barrel I´ve read about some Huey pilots in Nam cutting the barrels of the M1´s so they´d be more easy to handle as a defensive weapon inside the cramped cockpits during landings ¿Was this true? ¿How short can you make an M1 barrel before feeding failures due to gas piston problems appear?

01-13-2005, 09:05 PM	#6
pktrkt Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 18	short barrel I have an Iver Johnson Enforcer with a 9 in. barrel, its a pistol version of the rifle, and have had absoultly no problems using all kinds of ammo. Reloads and also commercial rounds have been reliable 100%. I have noticed that when bumping the Enforcer it is slower firing than the carbine. It may just be my own personal guns but it seems to be true in both of my rifles they cycle faster. The shorter barrel Enforcer is louder though pktrkt

01-15-2005, 06:26 AM	#10
Tailgunner Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: outside Atlanta Posts: 642	cut down carbine The article was by Col. Mike Peck , SOF issue Sept 2001. Well worth reading from a "been there, done that" . That does look like a VC hack job Wayne. Some time back, I had a carbine that was bought at a local GS. There were about 12 of them in the rack. We kept looking at them as there was something strange about all of them that we couldn't put our finger on at first. Then we realized they all had cut back 16.5 inch barrels. ????? Store owner claims they were obtained from a local Schools ROTC unit???? Put in a M1A1 stock, it was handy indeed. No problems with function were encountered. Traded later for an FN 49 in 30'06. Another "wish I had it back" item. Maybe a future project for a muzzle worn "cleaned out" Inland barrel I have.

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01-13-2005, 03:21 PM	#2
hired_gun Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 555	Piston problems wouldn't normally be a problem if the barrel were cut down. The carbine bleeds off the gas that drives the piston just a few inches past the chamber. That pressure normally won't change even with a shorter barrel. Now, if it bled the gas off closer to the muzzle end, like a Garand, that could cause problems.

01-13-2005, 04:31 PM	#3
pusil Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 31	Met a guy at a MG shoot last 4th of July who had a 13" barrel on an M2. He said that it works fine and even reduced the cyclic rate making handling easier.

01-13-2005, 08:20 PM	#4
gman552 Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 331	What kind of muzzle velocity do you get with a 13" barrel and .30 Carbine ammo? Would this effectively make it a short-range gun (less than fifty yards)?

01-14-2005, 05:12 AM	#8
Antonio Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 229	Not quite, but this is close; i remember even seen somewhere a picture of a short-barreled (Maybe 10") M1 that a Huey pilot used to carry back in ´Nam, along with a M60 spare barrel canvas pouch he used as a carrying holster.

01-14-2005, 05:52 AM	#9
Bolo-7 Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 1,318	About two or three years ago a guy wrote in SOF about his cut down carbine. He was a Chopper pilot in Nam. He said it was still burried there.

01-16-2005, 02:21 AM	#11
Guest Posts: n/a	What is interesting about this one (and I still have it), is that somebody went to alot of trouble modifying the stock. The nose was cut off then glued with a dowel through it, a relief was cut on the right side of the mag well, and the pistol grip is nicely rounded. Overall, pretty good work except the barrel band spring was eliminated, and it tended to loosen up often. Measuring from the recoil plate inlet, it is 14 inches to the nose, and 17 inches for a regular stock.

01-17-2005, 05:53 AM	#12
shep854 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Birmingham AL Posts: 2,168	This reminds me of a WWII photo I saw in "Machine Gun News" once of US troops in Europe (IIRC the caption said tankers) who were shooting a carbine whose barrel was cut back to the handguard.