Ken Hackathorn on the M1 Carbine: Reputation vs Reality

[@rpddsmith]

back in the 80"s our history teacher brought his carbine and garand to class and passed them around. I can't imagine any teacher doing that today.

[@oldbatwit5102]

Alas, these days it's the kids who bring guns to school, not the teachers.

[@thokim84]

WW2 is dead now. The number of veterans alive is quickly diminishing towards 0. The world today is a fully beyond WW2 civilization. Cold War shit is still hanging on, but eastern Europe is free to fuck up as much as they want and Nazis are just a bunch of dumbfucks with small dicks and smaller brains now. They aren't going to launch too many rockets or fly a jet plane anymore.

[@55Quirll]

They would end up loosing their job and ending up in jail.

[@measl]

*I went to school in the 50's, and we all used to bring our OWN rifles to school! Of course almost all of them were .22 squirrel guns, but nobody batted an eye! There was a big rack for 'em in the back of the classroom!*

[@forestchicken3302]

If I was a teacher I would. I'm not a retarded liberal though. I believe in learning real history.

[@bassmith448bassist5]

Much respect to Ian for mostly keeping quiet and allowing his guest to speak. Mr. Hackathon is an absolute treasure of firearms knowledge. Many hosts on KZbin talk just to hear themselves speak. Respect to both of you.

[@J__C__]

Joe Rogan could take a few cues from Ian. 👍

[@Sheridan2LT]

fuck off with your ptsd

[@chrisstandingbear1947]

Well yes, you have to let the elders speak because you never know when they will be gone and their knowledge will be gone with them.

[@abeldgaf9965]

@@chrisstandingbear1947 amen this is a fact that keeps me up imagine the knowledge we have already lost what could our ancestors tell us from say the time that Jesus walked the earth

[@rookshaw4974]

Ian isn't really your average guntuber.

[@brucerobert227]

My dad was issued the M2, he carried it and used in combat. He had a few things to say: 1-NEVER use the full auto feature 2-See rule 1 3-The 15 round mags were waaaay better than the 'banana' mags 4-keep the damn thing clean 5-See rule 1 My dad fought at the Naktong River area (where he was never supposed to be, but that is another story), Pusan perimeter, 1950, then linked up with his correct division. He was there thru 1951, and shot NK's in summer and winter dress, and according to him, it worked really-really well. Dad passed away 1998 Max Lee Brannon 57th Ordnance Recovery Godspeed, Daddy, will see you again.

[@Filmpilot]

Bruce Robert mine was also. 2nd infantry division. He was a recon scout for a tank battalion and was well into natkong area, and when the got overrun by the Chinese, he had a Chinese regular pull a weapon on him pull the trigger and it didn’t discharge because it was US lend lease issued to China. It was full of cosmolene and he killed the sob. I have all his awards and photos. Go on koreanwar.org They have great records. When the got overrun they burned most of them in the retreat.

[@bad74maverick1]

Worked with 2 guys who carried the M2 in Vietnam. They hated their M 16's. They loved their M2's and had nothing but good things to say about them in the Jungles of Vietnam. Sounds like your dad got an M1 rework with a type VI trigger housing. A good amount of those weren't machined right early on. Had a lot of FA problems.

[@bad74maverick1]

@ADEBISI ADEBISI except they weren't, cry some more about it. Obviously you're hurt and triggered about it.

[@Filmpilot]

ADEBISI ADEBISI Perhaps the Kmart version you have is. Or perhaps you just can’t shoot well.

[@sartainja]

Sounds like good advice.

[@thirtyaughtnic6123]

Ian, I spent a lot of time shooting M1 Carbines with my dad and grandpa growing up, I’ve rebuilt a couple and after a lot of tinkering discovered a great way to make the magazines more reliable (or save “bad” magazines rather). The feed lips or ears on the front of the mag are thin steel and get bent from being smacked into the magazine well, this changes the feeding angle and causes the rounds to ride low and get stuck on the feed ramp occasionally. The magazine is basically loose in the well and moves around with recoil and the occasional shooter’s hand resting on it (which can make the situation worse). A quick bend up on the feed lips will increase reliability dramatically. I’ve found if you insert the mag and get some slop (with a good magazine catch spring) when rocking the magazine front to back, it will inevitably fail to feed. Bend the lips with pliers or something similar until the magazine is held firmly in the well and does not wiggle forward, and you’ll have a happy carbine. It should only be able to rock back slightly against the tension of the mag catch spring, which should hold the mag tight if it is not worn out. You will also notice an easier mag insertion process and a more positive retention click. I regularly use mine with both brass and steel case ammo, several different brands, and have noted a huge improvement across the board by doing this to my mags.

[@thirtyaughtnic6123]

Also, as you are likely aware, M2 mag catches and magazines with the matching 3rd “nub” work better than the original M1 mags. As Ken mentions, I never had much luck with the 30 round mags. I noticed it’s usually when the mag is full, which leads me to believe that the weight of the mag overcomes the tension of the mag catch spring and creates the problem I described above. The 15 round mags work best and are easier to carry in my opinion.

[@iac4357]

Looking at some used Surplus Mags online; I can see exactly what you describe. The top-front of the mag Lips have the Paint worn off, and/or are flattened down from years of being slapped into the Rifle !

[@barneyrice8502]

thanks for that info , I have some newer mags that are a little finicky about how they want to feed so I will try this out

[@gfurstnsu]

When I was in Vietnam, I was always in the field with the M1 Carbine. Yes, my security that came with me had M-16s. I always went to the local firing range before the field assignment. As an officer, I was assigned a 45 pistol, so I would pickup a carbine before leaving for the field. I liked the carbine because of its lightness and ease of exiting the chopper on landing. I was assigned to the II Field force, Nha Trang, in II Corps and my assignment as a geologist meant I was in the field allot looking for good basalt to mine and crush and mix with tar when we were paving the roads. So I was usually in the western area of the country but never had a problem as I had good support troops and I do not think the VC wanted to fool with us. I found many good locations to source the road material. After paving the roads, they could not mine them. This was the days when one could only mine by digging a hole and burying them. Great assignment and had a real Thanksgiving in 1969 as I was back in CONUS!

[@dwayneelizondomountaindewh6073]

@@susanmenegus5242 there are m1a's all over the place, just get one of those.

[@brandonrogers8621]

Love stories of the past living on keep history alive!

[@AmaraTheBarbarian]

US army geologist is not a job I knew existed, though when you put it in context like that it certainly makes sense. Very cool and interesting.

[@Prodigysportsman]

@@AmaraTheBarbarian many veterans had “non combat “ jobs like that and it’s absolutely fascinating. Thank you for your service and sharing your story sir.

[@AmaraTheBarbarian]

@@Prodigysportsman I mean I know lots of people have non combat jobs, there are millions of machines to maintain requiring different disciplines to do so, there's logistics personnel, theres the corps of engineers, medical personnel, etc. I just didn't think about a geologist. Just like until I saw a video about it it hadn't occurred to me that the air force would have meteorologists that are flown into large storms to collect weather data, but it absolutely makes sense when you think about it.

[@suddenwall]

"When I was 15 this was the AR-15 of my generation" This doesn't get said enough! The M1 Carbine was THE go-to tactical gun for ordinary Americans for decades. You'll still encounter older shooters who think of the Carbine this way. Before the mid-90's you really didn't see ordinary recreational shooters with ARs. Regular folks who wanted a fighting gun had an M1 Carbine.

[@leeburks4540]

My older bil had a scary attempted traffic stop one night which he managed to drive through ( not leos). He got a pistol grip fully auto 30 cal carbine, the enforcer, they called it. Never had to use it.

[@ahandgrenade3640]

Or the ruger mini 14.

[@hewhoplugwalks]

My grandpa actually told me about this. As teen, he wanted an M1 carbine, just like all the other cool guys on his block. But his mom said no, that his bolt-action .240 was good enough, he didn't need to go off with 'a soldier's gun' to go shooting and hunting.

[@AndrewGivens]

@@ahandgrenade3640 I've often thought that the modern hype about black rifles and 'assault weapons' (and the social problems the AR-15 has) largely comes down to the fact that the black, pistol-gripped AR-15 *looks* mean af to a teen psycho rifle geek who's going to get up to no good, whereas Grandad's wooden rifle-stocked Mini-14 just doesn't look like you can do Arnie-style cool firing postures with it and just isn't 'post-80s action movie' sexy enough to be the modern post-Columbine spree killer's weapon of choice. In other words, I'm saying it's the mass shooter's ego and cultural bias that keeps the Mini-14 from being tarnished with the same rep as the equally-powerful AR-15. But, ffs, the A-Team used the Mini-14!

[@jarrenrochester1879]

@@hewhoplugwalks”we have M1 Carbine at home.”

[@dutchman2205]

When my dad had to do his time in the Dutch Army in 1959, he was issued with an Garand initially. Later he received an Carbine. That's when he start his love for shooting. In the '80's he bought a surplus M1 carbine from our police department. That was the first fire arm I shot. And now he's dead, I inherited that rifle and it's my love till today.

[@Tiberius_I]

they let you own guns in Holland?! CAN'T BE

[@hanskuijsten2380]

@@Tiberius_I Yes they do. When you're member of a club, have no criminal record, no psychiatric history, you can get a permit. But it's very strictly regulated.

[@voorth]

During my time in the Dutch Army (1987-1988) I still was issued an M1 carbine. Lovely gun, just needed a lot of TLC...

[@richardlahan7068]

Even the firing reproductions are $800.00 in the US today.

[@neilbodwell9172]

Dutchman your story reminded me of both my paternal grandfather who served in the US Army in WWII in Europe, and one of my material great-grandfather who was in the Dutch Army right at the outset of the war. When the Dutch government capitulated he did what all good soldiers do in that situation. He became part of the underground...he never lived to see his country free, but by God he did everything he could to help. Don't ever give up that rifle. One day I will visit the resistance memorial. If I'm still rocking a green tuxedo I'll be there in full dress.

[@ds4hdw869]

I am a Korean and served in the Reserve Army Training Unit from 1992 to 1993. Our battalion had in our arsenal a lot of M1 carbines, most of them were Underwood M1 Cabines with the "Tree" shape ingravings, and the M1 Garand rifles for reservists who had been living in our area. We also had some M79 grenade launchers with a lot of 40mm grenades, some M1919A6 light machine guns with a lot of ammo(10,000 rounds for each M1919A6 LMG), and some old mortars. Each spring, we cleaned the M1 Carbines from storage and stocked each gun's serial number on the cellophane tape. We had to use the cellophan tapes and the red oil markers with skill as their stamped rear sight assembly with the windage knob covered some part of their serial number ingravings, it was not an easy job. We didn't like the M1 carbine except that it was super light. This is because, during the Gwangju Uprising (Gwangju Massacre) that took place in our city in 1980, when I was a 2nd grade in elementary school, the citizen militia soldiers armed with the M1 carbines were unilaterally slaughtered by the ROK Army special forces armed with M16A1 rifles. Although many of the militiamen had completed their military service, the old M1 carbines used in World War II and the Korean War were no match for the modern M16A1 rifles. (It was before the Special Forces' standard firearms were switched from the M16A1 rifles to the K1A submachine guns. I've noticed that some prototype K1 submachine guns have been battle-tested against ordinary citizens during the Gwangju Democratization Movement.) The only guns that were available for the citizen militia were old M1 carbines, M1 Garand rifles, and M1919 machine guns. I had my reservist shooting training with the M1 Carbine in 1998 and 1999.(I was given a M16A1 for my reservist training from 1994 to 1997.) Due to the light weight of the M1 carbine, it has more recoil and bounces more than the M16A1 rifle when fired. Some carbines were too old at the time of firing and automatically disassembled as the wooden furniture had completely dried out. However, during the Korean War in 1950, when this carbines were normal, the M1 carbine was generally more stable than the M1 Garand rifle in harsh environments and loaded more ammunition than the M1 Garand rifle, which only had 8 rounds in the en-bloc, so it was a barrage in close combat. I found out that it was the weapon of choice for the South Korean special operations forces because it was easy to hit. (Two 30 rounds taped together is really preferred). In the 50s and 60s, Korean snipers in the DMZ could fire a pheasant in the head with an M1 carbine from a distance of 200 m without a scope when special meals were needed. However, the fate of the current reservists, who have to fight the Democratic People's Republic of Korea armed with modern automated AK-47 and AK-74 rifles with an aging World War II M1 carbine, will be as miserable as that of the militia soldiers in 1980. Fortunately, the ROKA has just finished replacing the push-and-run M1 carbines with the M-16A1 rifles as the new K2C1 rifles are available to front-line soldiers. Of course, those M16A1 rifles are only 600,000. Due to the contract with Colt Co. of the United States to produce, they were produced only until the early 1980s, so the fact that they are at least 40 years old is a big problem. At that time, Korea's technology was too low, so Korean M16A1 rifles were only M16A1 rifles in shape, but they had different surface treatment colors, were corroded, and had poor performance than the American made M16A1 rifles.

[@terrycostakis6284]

When I first got my CMP Underwood M1 Carbine, I picked up a few surplus 15 round GI mags and proceeded to have at least one failure to feed in each mag. I then bought a few Korean mags and replaced the recoil spring and the number of malfunctions dropped to almost zero. As always, Mr. Hackathorn is spot on. Great interview.

[@skboog]

I love how passionate Ken is, you can tell he really knows his stuff! Also funny to notice that the gun will start with Ian, then change hands in the first few minutes and Ken will hold onto it through out.

[@rageagainstthehygiene2357]

Some older fellows have this fantastic quality to their speech. I could listen to this guy ramble on all day.

[@Curtislow2]

Which probably says more about you. :-)

[@paulmanson253]

Rage Against The Hygiene The man being interviewed is older than me. Ian not only created a niche job,it means he gets to interact with Jim Sullivan,Dolph Lundgren,and others like this man. Ian gets taken seriously by these men because of the body of info he has created. This guy is a die hard shooter,and I watched him handle the carbine with his face blocked to the camera. He took Ian perfectly seriously. Ignore the silly little clown who just insulted you. I have no idea what the WW2 officer Lucian Truscott sounded like but it was mentioned he had a gravelly voice. This fellow sounds sufficiently gravelly for me. Listen to that tone. Take him seriously by default. If he is wrong,fine,you learned something. Until then,listen carefully. Neat people like that are too rare. Finding them is of course the problem.Cheers

[@Curtislow2]

Sorry for the misunderstanding. Just meant the you have insight to people of character.

[@meatmissilef111]

My uncles are all like this. It's generally a result of being partially deaf. They have one voice volume setting, which is loud.

[@paulmanson253]

Curtis Low Appreciate the clarification.

[@AikenCoGamecock]

My dad was in the Korean war in the 50's. I remember his saying he was issued an M-1 carbine & had nothing but Praise for this weapon. But I could listen to Mr. Hackathorn talk about the M-1 all day! This gentleman is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to weapons. Excellent video!

[@robashton8606]

My Grandfather fought in Burma during the war, and he reckoned that, for the kind of fighting that they were often involved in, the M1 carbine was ideal. Vinegar Joe Stillwell gave General Slim an M1 as a present and after he'd tried it he made a point of getting hold of as many of them as he could for his troops. The semi-automatic action and the fifteen round box combined in the compact package were Ideal for shorter range jungle combat, and much more useful than the Lee Enfield was, even in it's jungle carbine format. An M1 and plenty of grenades, and a Tommy gun for the bloke on point and you were just about set according to Gramps. He said the same thing about the mags though. The insides rusted up very quickly in the humid conditions and they wouldn't work properly.

[@tamlandipper29]

Rob Ashton - interesting. I guess you're American, so you may not have heard of the book Quartered Safe Out Here. It's a Toms eye view of Burma. Well worthwhile.

[@robashton8606]

You should have heard of General Slim then. He was the British general in command in Burma. My Grandfather was British, as am I. He was actually a WAG in the RAF, but was folded into what became known as the Admin Army and ended up fighting on the ground. As far as I'm aware, the Yanks didn't see a lot of fighting in Burma itself, they were more concerned with trying to keep Chang kai Sheck's rather haphazard efforts supplied.

[@tamlandipper29]

Rob Ashton - agreed. I double down on my book recommendation then.

[@steveha3925]

Some Yanks did; an acquaintance of mine was an Air Commando in the area, ended up spending some time with Gurkhas, who he had enormous respect for. I've also read Quartered Safe Out Here, it's my favorite work of Fraser's; his Flashman books are a lot of fun, too.

[@robashton8606]

I shall have to try and track down a copy in that case. There's a lamentable dearth of decent reading matter on the War in that part of the world. I have General Bill Slim's book and a couple of overview histories of the campaign in Burma, but a more "soldier's eye" account would be fascinating.

[@GuyverZ]

"New spring(s), lube it, good ammo" is pretty much universal advice for buying any used gun.

[@bdmolloy52]

My dad fought with an M1 Carbine on Iwo Jima. He said it never failed him, and he came home... It was designed for up close and personal, and that is what the carbine was designed for...150 yards or less. I personally killed a 200 pound buck deer at 97 long paces with a single heart/lung shot.

[@visassess8607]

I'm surprised actually since the sand of Iwo Jima makes it seem like a nightmare for pretty much every gun

[@576103]

My M1carbine was my first gun. It had been arsenal refurbished and was purchased from Montgomery Ward department store for $50 right after the Korean War. It has an Underwood barrel and a Saginaw receiver with the round bolt and later sights. The buyer put it in his closet and never once fired it, and I was able to buy it from him for $200 in 1984 when I was still in high school. It was literally like brand new. I fired about 400 rounds a month through it for many years (initially generic Winchester commercial ball ammo, and later I reloaded using Speer 100-grain ‘plinkers’) and I honestly can’t remember having a single stoppage, either with 15- or 30-round magazines. I ‘parked’ it for about 20 years and just fired it again two weeks ago. 100 rounds, zero stoppages. It wasn’t as accurate as I remembered it to be, but that is probably a reflection of my lack of rifle experience and 20 years of eyes aging. I recall I used to get 3-inch groups at 100 yards (sometimes better) and now it’s more like 3-4 inch groups at 50 yards. I need more practice! I ran then gun soaking wet with Hoppe’s gun oil, which makes a bit of a mess but cuts down on wear and tear. It’s a lot of fun, highly recommended!

[@deannahext]

576103 I agree.

[@cleondubois1270]

Circa 1968-1970 M1 & M2 carbines were issued to USAF security police stateside. I was at a SAC base & mine was an M-2 with a pristine blond stock. Standard carry was 60 rounds with 15 loaded when on post. The weapons were maintained by armory airmen when not carried.

[@andrewwaterman9240]

In the late 80's you could buy carbine magazines at gun shows for $1. In the original wrap, either brown paper or red cellophane. I bought 10 and thought that was enough. Boy, was I wrong!

[@susanboylefanable]

Andrew Waterman They were THAT BAD, huh?! Wow....

California wants you to turn them in.

[@handoverthejewgoldkyle3321]

Modern 30rd mags for the m1 are perfectly reliable

[@dannpatrick4766]

I've had some success with stretching the springs for better feed ... for a while.

[@Coldfront15]

jeff pace Just as bad as a garand, right?

[@Mizzle420420]

Mine has always been super reliable, one of my most consistent guns. I for the longest time greased my carbine and Garand, an old ww2 vet told me about that, instead of using gun oil I used grease like for packing ball bearings. I changed the greese when I would get dark but I could run it for quite awhile off one cleaning and greasing, would run much longer than gun oil. I don't do that anymore because I found the grease collected to much metal dust and shavings so I figured it would cause wear long term, so now I use WD40 specialty lithium dry lube which is made for metal on metal lubrication at high heat, it drys into a film so it doesn't collect any dirt or metal dust (use lithium not silicon dry lube, silicon doesn't do well with heat). Not sure what makes the most sense scientificly. My carbine was made by Inland division of GM late war Era. The magazine is a big problem the extended banana mags don't work very well, I have 3 short mags that I got with the gun and those run fine, just about every other mag I've tried does not.

[@randysiler7458]

My dad bought me one in 1963 for deer hunting. It was military surplus and I absolutely loved it.

[@mildbill2806]

Mighty great information. Things I have never heard about the carbine before. Constantly throwing away used magazines and replacing with new magazines, constant oiling, and replacing well used recoil springs. Got it.... Many thanks, y'all.

[@SootHead]

Never shot one but my dad, a WWII Vet, was the range NCO for the Engineer unit to which he was assigned in the late '50s, early '60s that used the M1 Carbine. As a boy, I got to watch him supervise the requalification of some members of his unit. It was not going well, with some failing to qualify. The excuse was, "These damned carbines... you can't hit the side of a Quonset Hut from ten feet away!" Dad gave his best grizzled top shirt look, growled and snatched the rifle away from the nearest guy. He had a target raised, walked up to the line, slapped in a magazine and started firing while weaving, ducking and doing some classic boxing sidesteps. He put all 15 in the black and handed the rifle back to the guy saying, "There's not a GD thing wrong with this rifle! Get back on the line!" After a short period of stunned silence, some chagrined GIs walked back up to the line and tried again. Dad was a good shooter, having been on various Army pistol teams in the '50s and we inherited a locker full of medals and trophies. I saw a different side of my dad that day. Wish I shot 25% as well as he did.

[@paulmanson253]

Jim Allen That is one heck of a story. Not the sort of guy to cross. I really like people like that.

[@matthayward7889]

Jim Allen Similar story: my uncle was in the Royal engineers. Whilst repeatedly failing to hit a target on the range, he complained about his SLR. A nearby senior officer overheard him, picked up the rifle and put three rounds in the bull. He told my uncle “Well if I can do it, you bloody well ought to” To which my uncle replied “if we could all do it, sir, we’d all be colonels ”

[@SootHead]

Better story than mine!

[@xmm-cf5eg]

I met a guy on a range who was sighting in a .38 revolver with a 3 inch barrel, at about 30-40 yards. The gun had virtually no iron sights, he was in his late 40's early 50's. I asked him why he was so far back, about double where most handgun shooters would stand at this range. His reply was "my dad told me when I was young, if you can't hit anyone with a handgun past 25 yards, you shouldn't be shooting at them." and he went back to attempting his shots. He was by no means a perfect marksman, but he hit more center mass on a target with that 3 inch barrel revolver with crappy sights than I would've been able to, really neat guy.

[@thJune]

Hahahaha sounds like one bad ass dude

[@onelonleyfarmer]

i have a winchester 30 carbine that was spared the rebuild its in perfect condition.

[@dreadjavapirate]

These were all modified during their service.

[@anthonyhayes1267]

I unmodified my Underwood. Best decision I ever made.

[@beefcakes27]

@@dreadjavapirate I think he means bayonet lug, the most visible mod.

[@measl]

I'm a stone cold fan of 30-30, in lever actions myself. It's nearly the perfect round: big and heavy enough for light to medium game (deer and such), while also easy to shoot, and in carbine form, a great self defense weapon. I have almost a fetish for Henry levers! So far, I've had 30-30, 30-06, and 45-70 (a little big for everyday use, but if you need something to stop, NOW, the 45-70 will certainly do it!*

[@juandemarko8348]

@@roguespearsf stfu dude no one cares

[@hugebartlett1884]

I have always felt that the appeal about the M1 Carbine is that it just looks so damned good. There's not a line out of place,and the overall visual balance is perfect. It looks like a soldier's gun,and proved itself all through its working life.

[@massmanute]

My dad was a Marine Corps lieutenant in WW II. He loved the M1 carbine, although he never saw combat. He told me that he was a much better shot with the carbine than with the Garand rifle.

[@rayc3278]

Less powder, less recoil, and wasn't invented by a Canadian, I guess.

[@nelsondisalvatore9812]

6:05 "you could buy one of this thru the civilian market for about 20 bucks" it doesnt get any more merica' than that.

[@nelsondisalvatore9812]

ha I dont think thats accurate.

[@dutchman2205]

Nelson Di Salvatore : we could buy this rifles directly from our police department in Holland. The money was used by our city police to organise an bbq. True story. That was in the era the MP5 was issued in the early 90's. Can't get more Dutch than that ;-)

[@SnarkyPosters]

@Nelson Di Salvatore He said *DCM* or the Director of Civilian Marksmanship program.

[@509Gman]

SnarkyPosters you can still get M1 Garlands from them.

[@steveha3925]

My first job was in '64, at $1.05/hr, and I was 14. Before taxes that would be $168/mo. The $1.05 was minimum wage (as of about two weeks before I started).

[@airbornesoldieramerica7125]

Another great and educational video. I had around 9 WW2 Veterans in my family and now they all now passed away since the past 20 years or so. Back then never occurred to me to ask any of them about the m1 carbine in 30 caliber, 30-06 Garand etc.... and other rifles they had during WW2, till watching this video now. Also did not know the 30 caliber m1 carbine was considered as the ar-15 or ak-47 back in the 1960's, like they are now days. Please keep up with the great educational video's !

[@jameshealy4594]

I grew up reading articles written by Mr Hackathorn, it was a real pleasure to see him still kicking around imparting knowledge in today's world. Great video, I'd flat out love to own an M1 carbine and if it were possible, it'd probably be the second thing I bought after an AR-15.

[@cawensil3264]

James Healy why not the first? I have an original IBM made 1942-3 M1 Carbine and I love it. What he says is the truth about magazines being the issue. The gun just runs with the right magazines. Since I reload, I can custom tailor rounds to shoot tiny groups or to really throw a hurting on something. Parts... You can find em all day long if you are willing to do a little work. Is it an AR platform you can slap the latest and greatest doodad onto. Nope, but it works and IMO better than the 5.56 at normal combat engagement distances.

[@jameshealy4594]

The AR would be the first partly because it's forbidden fruit where I live and all the videos extolling the virtues of the platform have me basically foaming at the mouth to own one. In addition, I am a big fan of the 5.56 round, it's hit everything I've ever pointed it at with good results and it's super cheap to shoot, third point is I'd give my left nut (what's left of it after that motorcycle crash in my 20's) for one of the WWSD carbines, that weight with that power is fantastically appealing. M1 carbines are still cool as hell though.

[@Toolness1]

James, a lower receiver is under 50 bucks shipped. That's the only part you need to worry about with a potential ban. All the other parts would still be available, so get the lower and then buy the rest as you have the money. Parts are cheaper now than I've seen them in 8 years so this is the time to buy. And if you can't assemble a AR15 with all the step by step youtube videos, sell the parts because you have no business shooting a gun. It's that easy to put together.

[@jameshealy4594]

Sorry, I should have been clearer, I live in Australia and many of the necessary parts would see me in prison if I tried to import them. Thanks for the positive thinking though. :)

[@gw5436]

James Healy - isn’t living in a past British colony just great. No 1st and 2nd amendments, no right to own a single shot 22 for self defence, police see citizens as needing to be under the thumb and unarmed because of their status as government puppets. Don’t give in you guys. Don’t be like us, ever. Freedom is more important than anything else.

[@michael7324]

My dad was a WWII vet. He carried the carbine from North Africa all the way into Germany. He loved it. Didn't have the stopping power of the Garand but was still a great gun.

[@duanesamuelson2256]

My grandfather did the same. He seldom said anything about the war but one of the few comments he made was that he kept getting issued garrands and would trade them off for the m1 as soon as possible.

[@sisleymichael]

I had two M1 carbines in my younger years. I sold them when I entered the Marine Corps. When the SKS rifles were cheap and plentiful, I bought a bunch of those and tested them all and kept the really good shooters, sold the rest. Wish I had an M1 carbine today.

[@B60IN3]

My 1st Carbine was mostly IBM. I was 12 year old. Ammo was 1 cent per round. I pitched pennys at school so I could shoot on weekends. Have owned several over the years and have never had any problems. Oh yea, took that 1st one to school for Show & tell.

[@ErwinPommel]

What's IBM?

[@B60IN3]

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE, a little company that messed with computers some.

[@brenmasl6519]

man the disconnection from your generation to mine! i graduated last year of 2017, i got in trouble with the principal in 4th grade because i broke off the tines of the plastic forks to show my mom when i got home (i don't know why.... i was little ok) and they were treating me and my parents like we were a bunch of terrorists in the making. meanwhile you where taking a m1 carbine to show and tell lol.

[@xmm-cf5eg]

When my dad went to high school half the kids left their hunting shotguns in their trucks, now the only people who can bring guns are those who shoot trap, and they have to bring them in secret (approved by the club within the school, but they don't want to scare no-gun students) in heavy 20 pound carrying cases with shock absorption. Wonderful world eh?

[@johnhardin2269]

Show and Tell. Those were the days. I don't think I would have tried that. You never know what kind of reaction people will have. Some get exercised just because a neighbor keeps a .38 around the house. What they don't know doesn't stir up trouble.

[@harrychung433]

Thanks for another great video, Ken and Ian. Like how it was unbiased on the pros and cons of the weapon. Always knew about short loading the 30 rounds magazines, because the spring was not strong enough to push the weight of all the cartridges up when fully compressed. Forgot who made the replacement spring that worked perfectly in them. Hope Mr. Hackathorn gets the chance to write a book on this weapon. If nothing else, those side stories are worth the book signing wait.

[@JakeAnthony98]

There are ample pictures of Germans carrying M1 Carbines. Also a few pictures of Fallschirmjagers in the Mediterranean inspecting a M1928 Thompson, probably captured from the British.

[@theoriginaldylangreene]

The picture you are talking about was taken in mid 1943 in Tunisia. So they most probably captured that Thompson when an American dropped it and ran at Kasserine Pass.

[@JakeAnthony98]

I didn't mean that in a disrespectful way towards British courage. I thought the picture was from earlier in the war and I didn't know it was in Tunisia. What I was thinking it was earlier, like 1942, and at that point it was mostly the British using the Thompson in combat in the Mediterranean. I wasn't throwing shade at the Brits. We'll never know where that Thompson was captured at and who it was captured from. Remember guns can be captured without cowardice or surrender being involved.

[@davidschaadt5929]

Yes ,I've seen photos ,impressive .

[@doozledorf7036]

@@JakeAnthony98 You didn’t but the other guy was clearly throwing shade at Americans. How typical....

[@doozledorf7036]

@@theoriginaldylangreene And you know for a fact the American “dropped it and ran”? Or are you just being hateful?

[@montanamountainmen6104]

I own a M1 Carbine, I have heard all the rumors and facts. My Grandfather used one in WWII and bragged about it and loved it. My father served in Vietnam and had guys as late as 1968 still using them with great effect in the jungle. I have used mine deer hunting with soft point ammo and out to 150 yards kills very dead as any rifle.

[@danapatelzick594]

I talked to a friend whose father was in the Nisei brigade. His dad originally had an M1 in 30-06. He came off the beach (Italy) with a M1 carbine and carried it through the rest of the war. After listening to Ken I can see why.

[@hillbillynick2000]

Outstanding!!! Ken has forgotten more about firearms than many "experts" know. Nice to see a review from the shooters perspective, now if we could get Magpul to make some mags.....

[@danielwatters1203]

Without widening the magazine well, I don't think that Magpul would have enough room for a suitable thickness of polymer in the top of the magazine tube. There's barely enough room for the standard metal magazine.

[@mattwalters6834]

Nick Spittler indeed; most of your so called “experts” only know the bare minimum.

[@Bialy_1]

This "expert" forgot that he was not able to speak to the WW2 veterans that got malfunction with that wepond in life-and-death situation because there are 6 feet under. And if you deffending wepond as good that needs replacement of critical part after only few days of heavy use then you are maybe an "expert" but very biased or in another field...

[@marvindebot3264]

As Ken said, buy the current Korean ones, great mags.

[@williamsullivan9401]

Carburetor cleaner can be used to clean a sticky gas tappet. Put your finger over the muzzle, and spray it in the chamber to fill the bore. The crud will dissolve shortly, and run out around the tappet. make sure to take it out of the stock first! Soft point ammo has trouble feeding. And if you can't zero the rifle, you may have the wrong front sight on it. There were two different heights- one for the early rear sight, and one for the later model.

[@immikeurnot]

Yeah, the only time my Plainfield has decided not to run is when I've stupidly fed it soft point ammo. The rest of the time, it's been rock solid.

[@drizler]

Standard procedure for cleaning an M60 machine gun. Hose it down join the shower with it brush it and dry it then oil. So fast compared to repeated cleanings.

[@akilgour13]

That is useful info,i have a" parts" M1 that i shoot frequently,and changed the rear sight a few years back seemed fine but i will now recheck mine,thanks!

[@Antigonus.]

I guess a stoppage seems like much less of a big deal when the guys you are fighting are all having to run the bolt manually *every shot*.

[@hvymtal8566]

When rectifying the malf is as simple as look in chamber, see failure, re-charge the bolt, and continue, is it really that big of a deal with a semi-auto? Especially when you already know it's a high-maintenance gun and you have the logistical supply to support it.

[@509Gman]

hvymtal back then, no. Today? Fuck yes.

[@shawnr771]

Weapons malfunctions are part of life. All weapons will malfunction. US army teaches Immediate action drills for just such problems with every weapon. Malfunction while firing. SPORTS for the M16 SLAP up on the magazine PULL charging handle to the rear. OBSERVE the chamber. check that it is clear. RELEASE the charging handle. TAP the forward assist. SQUEEZE the trigger. A well trained soldier can do that in under 2 seconds.

[@stephanmast.8634]

Stoner 63 i think the main thing in this kind of combat is that the guys who need to run the bolt actually need and know that they need to aim firing semi or fully automatic fire arms make the users of these fire arms somewhat less carefull. Also the statistics of u.s versus German soldiers fore example don't show much difference in deaths by rifle fire. In combat artillery was one of the main causes of death and to some point still is today in non guerilla warfare.

[@192mickey]

Heh, one of our 249's in basic got all sorts of messed up from firing a few thousand rounds non-stop. Had to do POPS for every few rounds. PULL charging handle, OBSERVE ejection of a case, PUSH charging handle, SQUEEZE the trigger. Started to become instinctual.

[@charles1964]

The people who dismiss the .30 Cal Carbine are the same people who say the .32 ACP has no stopping power-they just repeat things they heard to try and sound smart....

[@measl]

*I carried .32 for 30 years, testing every quarter on my local phonebooks. It had plenty of stopping power, but only up close: we guess what??? .32 is a PDW cartridge, so up close and personal is the expected distance for .32 to be in use (7-20ft)! I hate people who diss a whole class of anything, just to sound "wise". Every tool has it's sweetspot, or it wouldn't be here!*

[@brushwolf]

I read a story some years back that was told by a Jackass (#1) who knew a second Jackass (#2 ) who had been shot point blank during a mugging with a .32 acp in the mouth, to be more specific, the front teeth which Jackass #1 stated in his story, stopped the .32 projectile, albeit breaking both front teeth. After reading this garbage I took my CZ 70 to the backyard where I commenced to put 5 rounds of Fiocchi FMJ and five rounds of Critical defense into two 2x4s nailed together. Both rounds penetrated the first timber into the second from 5 yards and nearly penetrated completely through the first timber at 15 yards, pretty much dispelling the tooth story.

[@Tiberius_I]

The carbine round was little better then a submachine gun round as far as the ballistics went, over and over I have read and heard accounts where the GI hit the enemy, sometimes more then once with carbine rounds and they kept right on coming. This did not happen with the M1 garand nor even the M14, DOES happen rather often with the M16. Ask any combat GI... even the army trains GI;s to shoot an enemy at least 3 times whenever possible. The army is even giving serious consideration to adopting a 6.5 or 6.8 round - what more proof is required? (An additional benefit might be, the army might only need change the uppers on existing M16/M4s and could even recycle the lower receivers, if they ever did switch to one of these rounds)

[@measl]

@@Tiberius_I I literally _hate_ the 5.56/.223: yes, speed counts for tremendous damage up close, but past 20 years I trust nothing under 6.5/.30(8). I can't imagine any soldier wanting to keep a 5.56 if offered a 6.5/6.8 - it's LONG past due!

[@brushwolf]

measl ; Hell ya, we speak the same language! My 6.5x55 is my "Slay everything" cartridge! There is not much out there that can tolerate a 720 BC and an SD of almost 300.

[@lilrubfrsocal6708]

Great interview!! The wealth of information Mr. Hackathorn has is amazing, I could've listened all day! Thank you both. 👍🏽

[@kamaangirthearcher]

What an interesting guy! Wealth of knowledge and entertaining too. You should do more vids with him Ian!!

[@wlewisiii]

I had one and agree completely - replace the springs, buy new Korean 15 round mags and spend the money on good ammo (even Armscor is OK to get the reloadable brass). I also replaced the safety and mag release with later, better, versions. Really delightful little rifle and I miss it. My Rossi lever action Cowboy Assault Rifle does come close though :D

[@mfreed40k]

William Barnett-Lewis I've got a Rockolla that's a little champ. Have to agree with you about the Rossi for cowboy, my. 357 is a ball to shoot in cowboy

[@SchwererGustavThe800mm]

In regards to mag reliability lemme tell you guys what I did to fix them. I bought 9 Korean mags with notches for the bolt to hold open. Initially they ran great but eventually over time my most used ones began to have feeding issues. Thats when I realized the notch in the mag to allow bolt hold open was the issue. When the bolt locked back and slammed into the notch it would nosedive the mag followers downward into the mag, it would weaken the springs enough and cause the bullets to nosedive in the mag when the bolt tried to pick one up. I went and bought like 20, 15 round mag springs and 9 original GI mag followers that didnt lock the bolt open on last shot and swapped them into my Korean mags as well as replace the springs in the ones that needed replacement and it did the trick! My mags run 100% and are noticeably more reliable than they were before. If a mag goes bad now, instead of buying an entirely new mag I swap a new spring into them and they're good as new. Springs are $4 versus $25 for a new mag.

[@allanatwick1606]

I don't have guns as I live in the UK but I do have an interest in them, this channel shows so many different weapons I'm literally spoilt for choice, loads of info and well done videos. This one was great listening to another person who, like Ian, has a good knowledge of what he's talking about from first hand experience and talking to the veterans who carried and used the weapon in combat, a place where all weapons get put to the test and are usually used above and beyond what they're expected to. Kee up the great work and thank you.

[@racerleonidas1022]

I have a new manufacture Inland- beautiful execution and smooth function! It came with just one problem - an untuned magazine. As with virtually all untuned M-1 mags, they tend to miss feed from the right side, when full, or near so. The round will swing hard left and jam against the receiver just lateral to the chamber. This is due to feed friction between bolt and cartridge rim combined with lack of feed lip contact on the case body along both sides. Tuning carbine mags is quite easy once the process and rationale is understood. The front half of the right lip needs to be gently coaxed downward until it lays fully along the case body. This, combined with the left side cartridge controls the round as it chambers. The left side lip seldom needs adjustment, but when it does the process is the same. I started with the factory 10rd, two 15’s, and 3, rather pricey Fulton Armory 30’s. Only one fed reliably - a 15rd. So I examined it to learn the “secret” and applied it to the others. Believe it or not ALL my M-1 carbine mags are reliable feeders! I have a suspicion that the same feed problems came with original mags, but were sorted out by unit armorers, because once understood, M-1 carbine mags are quickly “tuned” and work just fine. Mine feed Armscor brass, Wolf steel, and reloaded mixed without a hitch. Originally I hated those FA 30’s that seemed like a total rip-off, but about 30 seconds after I fixed them, I really began to enjoy their nice finish and premium construction! Like many aspects of purchasing guns and accessories in the modern era, factories spend little if any time refining details under the premise that most of a given product will work without issue. The rest will either send back for warranty work, or sort it out themselves. I do find it disconcerting in the internet age so see such negative piling on regarding MANY things gun related, and so many who simply “me too” rather than invest themselves into actually knowing how to improve their guns, or tune their mags. Fact is, I’ve never handled an unreliable M-1 carbine, only unreliable MAGAZINES. I have a friend with an Auto Ordnance M-1 that he thought had problems until I tuned his mags...now his carbine is reliable. Be nice to see a little more commentary from people who figure out solutions, and less “me too” negative piling on that unfairly maligns a perfectly fine product because of an easily understood and correctable issue.

[@Youtubefishdoc]

I love hearing from the older guys. I love the idea of documenting the knowledge. Thanks Ian.

[@devinohara1516]

I thoroughly enjoyed this video, and some truth on the M1 Carbine. There is a lot of second-hand accounts floating around out there. That little rifle has always intrigued me. Thank you for interviewing Ken and sharing his insights on this great piece of American history!

[@SuperVonKiller]

FINALLY!!! Somebody said it! I grew up in the cool gun transition period, with the American public, from carbine to ar, got my first ar in 77.. Huge respect for the carbine in it's intended purpose. This conversation mirrors many I had with WWII and Korean war veterans that saw heavy fighting.. Always raised an eyebrow when I would hear the, " I put a whole mag in the enemy and he just kept coming!" thing... Thought to myself either you can't shoot or your a liar..

[@victorjohnson7512]

If the 30 carbine wasn't lethal enough, then why was it used in 3 major wars? He said knowingly.

[@williamryan7403]

Good question.

[@jamessmelcer616]

Exactly!!😁👍

[@velwheel3135]

One of my carbine magazines I found in a bunker in Viet Nam. One of my few mementos from that conflict.

[@yoitired]

It really has the weight and feel of a ruger 10/22, an absolute featherweight for the cartridge it uses. I'll bet this factor gave everyone a bit of tolerance for the guns shortcomings.

[@kameronjones7139]

ha the .30 carbine wasn't that difficult to control...but you seem twelve be your comment

[@alexsassaman1249]

ha The M1 carbine has very light recoil. It's the gun that I learned to shoot on, and I often use it to teach my friends because the recoil is so light.

[@papacap979]

The 10/22 was molded after the M1 Carbine by Mr Ruger himself.

[@deafsmith1006]

My Ruger 10/22 has a peep sight on it so it mimic's my GI Carbine. Great way to practice cheaply.

[@jonathanallen9596]

Duke Nukem with the 15rd mags it's a gem. Best piece to have behind a door. They give all the really small females and teachers these in Israel with the two spare mag pounch mounted on the buttstock 45rds and even though .30 isn't too good with body armour it makes heads explode but I just know it's good at chopping trees down and they got Lee high bullets that cavitate almost as good as a rifle...

[@Southernguitar74]

My uncle was a scout in Patton's 3rd Army and he carried an M1 carbine.

[@carbidejones5076]

I can offer what I know. GI 15 round mags work best, avoid no name or anything with softly defined edges, for 30 rd mags, the only that work well that I have found are stamped with a letter J. Ammo, real Lake City surplus or carefully made handloads, 296 powder, you decide on charge, no white box, yellow box or fake LC berdan bullshit. In the eighties there became available a high speed recoil spring, never knew who made it or where it came from , but it really helped where a better mainspring was needed. The arm wants some grease on sliding surfaces, place a dab where metal shines. Parting shot... many of the invincible Chinese were shot at by someone in excitement using one of the front sight wings for the front sight. Great vid Ian, love you

[@immikeurnot]

I've actually seen someone use a wing instead of the sight post on the range before.

[@danielgray2872]

My dad fought in Korea, he swore by his M2. He said he had a choice between a Thompson or the M2. He said the cycle speed and ease of manuovering was Great! He said it could cut a man in half in a close fight.

[@brain4154]

your Dad is a big fat fibber

[@johnwilliams8855]

Mine too! Said they dropped the chinese by the dozens.

[@mose717]

Fantastic video, very informative. Love the casual conversation format.

[@Inkompetent]

@ForgottenWeapons (and everyone else): I can recommend taking a look at the report ORO-T-160 Operational Requrements for an Infantry Hand Weapon (from 19 June 1952). In it they pretty much describe why the M1 Garand wasn't a good infantry rifle because of what conditions it was used under, and made recommendations that more or less fit the M2 Carbine, aside from the M2 having a too weak cartridge. Unfortunately they ended up making the M14 which is the opposite of every single thing that report mentions, but then again it's the weapon with the shortest standard issue service life in modern US history (6 years). The AR15 series however is spot on for the requirements outlined in that report.

[@measl]

Except for the ammunition. Grotesquely underpowered. The AR10 was the right answer.

[@NaruSanavai]

Eh, typical Army move, tbh.

[@toddy2519]

It was a bit longer than 6 years. It was still being issued and trained with when I went into the Army in 1969!

[@thatrealba]

Ken is one of my all-time gun guys. Thanks for giving us this interview, Ian. As an aside, the M1 Carbine is the only gun I want just because.

[@OPFORTactical]

I had a Plainfield M1 carbine I bought new in the early 70's. Paid $90. I shot that thing so much that I had to learn to reload to keep it fed. I never had a single stoppage that wasn't the result of one of my bad reloads. I loved that gun. It must have been one of the good ones. Wish I still had it.

[@Limestone_Wolf]

What happened to it

[@approachingtarget.4503]

Thank you so much for sharing this history. Just inherited one. While very experienced with fire arms, this was a first introduction into the platform. Immediately took it apart to clean it. I found what i suspect as the original factory grease used for long term storage. With modern poly lubes, it has shot flawlessly. To support the idea of "it needs to be wet to work". The rear strap mount is actually a oil canisters. Take the strap out and it will fall out. Untwist the top and wallah. Oil supply. I appreciate the history lesson from your grandparents farm. Knowledge we need to keep sharing. !!! Thank you sir.

[@kiwihame]

Every day is a school day, even for Ian. Great interview. Having said that, given Ian's class, his humility is very endearing. Two top blokes. (Great comnents too)

[@TheArchaos]

As said by many vets across the entire history of mankind, across all known forms of combat involving humans: Enemies may come and go but fatigue is a constant threat.

[@neverable2]

As a serviceman I hate dirty things. Grime hates everyone.

[@wesleyna8686]

I have heard that German blitzkrieg troops combats fatigue with amphetamines, resulting in little need for sleep and food, increasing focus and aggression.

[@Leo___________]

@@wesleyna8686 amphetamines was all over ww2, from the finish winter war to the japanese.

[@falcon19x]

I have used and carried an M1 Carbine since USAF basic training in 1963. Carried daily while serving and was a personal firearm carried for nearly 30 years of Law Enforcement service. I have both an Inland and an Underwood that are both reliable and accurate out to reasonable distances. I have always found the Carbine to be reliable and trustworthy. I wouldn't want to be shot with one.

[@oldbatwit5102]

That is an experience I would also gladly forgo.

[@5teep]

There's your next project then, an M1 carbine, new spring, decent mag and stress test it.

[@thomaskok5773]

u mean mud test

[@torbai]

No... An M2 Carbine, muzzle break, new spring, decent mag, and stress test it.

[@TheShawna1]

Stay away from the muzzle break they clamp around the barrel when i was firing mine " Stress test' about a hundred continuous rounds the cooperator got so hot it sagged right down below the Bore!... I don't know why it didn't blow right off the end?... I must have just stopped at the exact right second the very next round would have blown it right off It was glowing.Jim

[@8aleph]

My Dad was the Communications specialist in his company during WW2 Carried one from June 7th 44 until he was wounded in August 44.

[@jimcaufman2328]

Carried an M-1 carbine my first tour in Vietnam (11-67 to 11-68). Was issued an M-16 but turned it in. The damn thing was a piece of junk. Being a helicopter pilot, it was impossible to not be in a dusty area. We made dust every time we landed. My M-1 never failed to work when I needed it. and by that, I mean my life depended on it working or I could have been wounded or killed. I used the 30 round mags with 25 rounds of which the last three were tracers. When I finished my tour and passed the rifle on to another pilot. Have no idea what happened to it. Mine was a Singer Sewing Machine Company manufactured. During WW-II my mother was a final inspector for Singer on the M-1 carbine line. Did not know that until I came home from Vietnam during a slide show of my tour my mom told me of her war time service.

[@q-man762]

Are you sure it wasn't a Saginaw as singer never made m1 carbines.

[@jimcaufman2328]

Yes. Dayton, Ohio they made a few.

[@User-gs1dk]

@@q-man762 It doesn't appear Singer made complete rifles but apparently they did make approximately 5,000 carbine receivers as a subcontractor of Underwood. The rifles will be an Underwood rifle but will have a "B" stamped in the rear tang to denote a Singer made receiver.

[@jesusisalive3227]

My Grandfather is a Korean war vet, he loves the 30 carbine. He now owns one and I've never seen his malfunction.

[@johnwilliams8855]

Glad he made it home. My step-dad and his buddy both carried m2 carbines (full‐auto versions). He said during mass assaults they had to shove them into snow to cool them , then lay into the chinese again. He couldn't understand the bs about the carbine.

[@The_Hi_Life]

Love my Auto Ordinance M1. I put an ultimak picatinny rail on, with a red dot, and a side mounted surefire light, My favorite SHTF gun 4 sure!

[@ernestbywater411]

In conversations with people who've used them I was told that they were a good combat weapon, but they needed to be looked after. As Ken says, the main issue was with the magazines. Also, after a several years of heavy usage they became worn and started to have issues. You should try getting an used one to see how you like it.

[@sparky191]

Nice to do another piece with this guy. Talks really well, and is engaging to listen to.

[@jeffmoore6279]

Probably one of the funnest guns to shoot that I own. If your a reloader, you can really have fun with one of these. Ammo is a little pricey for these. Great interview! Thanks for the info.

[@MrMaxthemarine]

Literally the exact same advice I was given for running the M16 reliably when I was in the Marines. Keep the gun lubricated, she needs to be wet, and download magazines to 27-25 rounds.

[@nailbomb3006]

Putting new springs in surplus firearms should be SOP. I just put Wolff springs in my Rockola....👍👍

[@NaruSanavai]

Yeah, I need to do that in my Mosin. My 100-year-old bolt is getting kinda mushy.

[@cbwelch4]

I never owned an M1 Carbine, but I’m quite fond of my Mini-14. It is quite reliable.

[@davidharris6581]

I love the Ruger Ranch Rifle.

[@mattn1224]

It's a Ruger, of course it's good

[@panthermartin7784]

C.Welch .. was standing in a dry creek bed with a brand new unfired .223 Ruger m14 last year.. popped of the first round and the whole trigger group fell out and landed in the sand.. talk about shocked shitless.. very disappointed.. sold it after that as at 150 yards hitting a popcan was impossible on most days...

[@leroy592]

I love my Ruger Mini 14

[@jeffwarren4938]

@@panthermartin7784 you can't shoot then

[@donogoobo9992]

I met Ken back in 1988 or so when he was here with Terry Allison and the Cactus League. It only took 5 minutes for us to tell that he was legit and a nice guy also. I have one of those Korean lend lease carbines. It needed a few parts and some TLC because it looked to have been shot in a dry state. A lot! It is a beauty now and holds a permanent spot in my safe. Side note, in 1967, my high school put on a play, "LIL Abner". As a supporting actor I needed to bring my own props to the play. A 12Ga single shot shotgun. I had it in my locker and took it home weekends. I was on the ROTC Rifle team and went shooting twice per week during the day. Imagine that today when even drawing a picture of a gun can get you kicked out of school.

[@shaunw9092]

My grandfather served in the army from 1953-55 or so and he tells me the Carbine was super popular just due to its weight, it was easy to lug around on a march. Great video to look back on.

[@vaselivitch]

you can tell that larry vickers spends A LOT of time around ken. his idiosyncrasies, his mannerisms, his cadence. pretty funny.

[@thegoldencaulk2742]

Holy crap, it's uncanny how right you are

[@WalksWithNoFear]

Larry is his brother from another mother.

[@joehunt1980]

Bromance made in heaven! lol

[@Sn4k3f1st]

oh sht I just made the same comment!

[@xmm-cf5eg]

I think all "old" gun experts who focus on american / ww2 stuff are like that. I have conversations with a 300 LBS guy at his gun store and he talks just the same as Larry or Ken, that's just how they are!

[@jamesbulldogmiller]

MOST INTERESTING !! The M-1 carbine was my Dad's choice in the Korea 1951-1953.

[@828enigma6]

Cautionary Note: A decade or so ago our friends the Chinese exactly copied the Lake City 53 cartridges, a perfect copy of the round except it was Berdan primed and corrosive primer. The box and round were indistinguishable from the original, but if fired, had two primer holes. Be suspicious of any LC53 ammo. If you you do run some through a carbine, clean the bore and gas piston throughly with hot soapy water. Then clean and lube as normal.

[@marcogram1216]

Plain water is fine.

[@fast_richard]

25 years ago, when I picked up a Korea re-import carbine, I stumbled on that replace the recoil spring advice. lots of feed and ejection problems with the spring that came with it. After putting in a much more robust replacement, the problems went away. Ken Hackathorn knows what he's talking about. (No surprise there)

[@yankeepapa304]

One place where you really wanted the Garand rather than the carbine was at the Chosin Reservoir. At 25 below zero, metal can get a touch "brittle" it seems and trying to "knock ice" off carbine sometimes didn't turn out well. I owned one back in the early 70s and it was well-behaved...but of course I never fired it in obscenely cold temperatures... YP

[@atomicbill]

My late stepfather was a paratrooper in WW2, 82nd airborne. He dropped at Normandy, Italy, Holland and was in the battle of the bulge. They carried this gun I believe.

[@02greasemonkeyski]

I grew up deer hunting with a Universal M1 with a scope mount my grandfather machined while on lunch. That rifle was "so-so". My 1943 Inland has had one failure to feed since I bought it in 2014. I do run all new magazines and try to stick with hot ammunition.

[@lunarpking]

What sort of new magazines do you have? I have only heard bad about new manufactured mags.

[@02greasemonkeyski]

lunarpking I use several newly manufactured magazines made by a Korean company and two original WW2 magazines with new springs.

[@lunarpking]

I only use WW2 mags, only one has a problem, most likely springs. They seem to be by far the best unless they're all screwed or the spring is in backwards. I'll give those Korean ones a try, they seem to run about 15 dollars, way cheaper than the 40+ GI mags run.

[@02greasemonkeyski]

lunarpking yes the are much more affordable than the originals. I like the blued over the parkerized ones because they feed into my receiver more smoothly and the bolt seems to have less drag. I have had success with new 30 rnd magazines as well. I think it truly is a case by case basis for quality.

[@lunarpking]

Oh absolutely on the blued vs parkerized magazines, goes the same for stripper clips as well. Parkerized stripper clips can go to hell.

[@MrTigre6]

Look up the video of Hickock 45 shooting the carbine at 200 yards. He was amazed at how forcefully the round knocked down the steel targets. Audie Murphy's favorite weapon was the carbine.

[@deannahext]

FullMetalJacket Shooting a 50 gal. oil drum at 30 yards will smoke through it like butter. It’s kinda potent.

[@stevewilliams4234]

Dad was issued an M1 carbine during WWII, as a Radio Operator for a Field Artillery Forward Observation team in the European Theatre. He liked his, talked about taping two mags together, replacing them whenever possible, and keeping it clean and oiled.

[@celoceanicon]

Super informative as always. Also, great interview as Ian allowed Ken to speak without talking over him or trying to match his knowledge.

[@singami465]

I've literally just been reading about M1/M2 and its mixed reputation during Korean War. Good to have another source.

[@828enigma6]

Remember the NK troops were jacked up, near freezing, and knew if they turned and ran, they'd be shot by sergeants behind them. Plus, the NK troops wore thick cotton padded greatcoats, which, at ranges past a couple of hundred rounds, limited it's penetration capabilities.

[@MarineVeteran99]

Yagi My father hunted deer with an M1 Carbine for years. He told me he never had any problems with it. I also read the different Police Departments in the U.S. used M1 Carbines during the 1960's, 70's and early 80's. From the few police stores that I read, the officers who used them in shootings loved them. Never having to shoot a perpetrator more then once.

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

Ken Royce, a.k.a. of "Boston's Gun Bible" fame recounted the story of famed NYC Police stakeout squad officer the late Jim Cirillo, a veteran of more than a dozen shootouts, saying that their best weapon was an M-1/M-2 Carbine loaded with soft-point or hollow-point ammo. One-shot stops.

[@danphariss133]

@@GeorgiaBoy1961 Bullet design is everything here.

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

It often is. Many otherwise fine weapons do not perform well if they are not employed with the proper type/design of ammunition for whatever is attempting to be done, be it combat, hunting, target-shooting, etc. Conversely, well-designed ammunition of the proper type can elevate the performance of a particular firearm above what it might otherwise be. The M-1/M-2 Carbine is a case in point.

[@jacobbrownthe2nd]

You guys need to try out the Fulton Armory M1 Carbines, i've seen some videos on them and they seem really reliable.

[@TJH1]

What a particularly interesting video, bravo!

[@AlaskanBallistics]

Trevor this is a great channel.., lots of info

[@circuscase]

The pickle barrel is my favorite story. So, a mentor of mine when I was kid, was a Ranger Captain in Vietnam, wounded. He told me that when he was a kid in New Jersey in the 1950s, there was a pickle barrel at the local town's barber shop. The barrel was filled with p38's, 08 lugers and other pistols from the War. The sign on the side of the barrel said: '$5 - $10s, your choice, see the barber'...….Damn....Old School.....

[@ThumperLust]

I received a M-1 carbine from my father when I was very young (1970s) and from then until recently (I am no longer able to get out), it never has mis-fed. Same magazine but it was a short 15 round mag. It was six years before I found out I should clean it. Loved it!

[@jlavamesa]

Audie Murphy preferred the M1 Carbine - just sayin' ....

[@freddyflintstoned913]

Murphy was a very small man.

[@Aaaden]

Bigger man than you think..I would say

[@susanboylefanable]

jlavamesa Àudie Murphy probably replaced his magazines every chance he had, too. Also just sayin’.....

[@Frankensteins_Highboy]

Audie Murphy was one man Everyone had the weapon platform they prefer for different reasons

[@Stellar001100]

German soldiers that were able to capture M1 carbines always had positive reviews.

[@disgustedvet]

After serving my 2 years in the Army 64-66 I was put into an active reserve unit that used the M1 carbine. Don't get me wrong , I loved my M-14 but this little carbine was a delight to shoot . Very accurate and we never had magazine issues , perhaps they had rectified that issue by the 60's ?

[@desroin]

Quite frankly if all you have to do is keep the gun in good condition, get new mags and from time to time cycle the gun to fix a failure to feed you probably still have a fire power advantage over a 5 shot bolt action rifle given the right distance of course ^^'

[@matthayward7889]

DesRoin excellent point, well made!

[@Porty1119]

DesRoin Not to mention a size and weight advantage. The M1 is one of the ancestors of the modern assault rifle, in my estimation.

[@desroin]

Hm to me it definitely was the first PDW as the guys mentioned in the movies. I think the cartridge it used might still be a bit "too weak" for an assault rifle but then again that probably depends on the point of view one has :D

[@Porty1119]

I think that's fair. The Carbine, when chambered for 5.7mm Johnson. came closer to the modern SCHV ideal, insofar as shooting quite a bit flatter and with negligible recoil.

[@mfree80286]

Not an assault rifle, but a repel rifle.

[@garywulfhop2558]

This guy is great. You can just feel how experienced he is the way he speaks. Great guest!!!

[@johngifford7725]

Great conversation. Thanks for sharing this. Mine has an L sight and the Windage is spot on. Very few, nearly no, stoppages with good mags. Love these little guns.

[@Jeff566868]

Id say that shot placement and ammo capacity is significantly more important than shooting a more powerful round. I'd take those aspects, plus the maneuverability of the carbine over a Garand.

[@rayc3278]

Shot placement requires training. Ammo capacity requires logistics. Which is why the AK-47 was made. 😢

[@bobmalack481]

I'd take the M1A "scout sqaud' for close quarters jungle support with the more knock down power.

[@cullenmayes3370]

13:12 I now fully intend to incorporate "Japanamese" into my everyday vocabulary

[@gumecindogarcia1070]

I was at a gun shop looking and mentioned an ak was Afrikanized, it had a red bandanna and stuff marks, the salesman was telling everybody his new word. I think my being a Country Indian made it ok

[@claytonlockhart5519]

Hey Guys! I got some news for you, I discovered a defect on the M1 carbine! This defect is in most of the carbines back to the first ones, the mags are not the problem, a lug was cut out beneath the feed ramp which allows the mag to drop as much as 1/8th inch which causes the bullet to get caught on the feed ramp ( a little JB Weld ) in that cut out will fix that address this for all our Veterans please

[@maxmuller1585]

I really enjoyed this video. My dad has an M1 carbine that he bought for $25 in the 60's and I grew up shooting it. They have a special place for me and I now have my own. Love the gun. I did hear the same thing about the mags from WW2 vets, AND, I am going to go buy some recoil springs... Great video.

[@gswovoka6286]

Thanks for the great video! Very interesting discussion! Here is my carbine story: In 1959 I was in AIT at Ft Bliss Texas. The way it worked was Officers carried carbines and we carried M1 Garands, and therefor the feeling was that Carbines were no good, because the officers carried them. One day i was among those chosen to pull targets for the officers range training. Several of the officers found they could shoot low and kick sand and rocks down on us in the pit. All of a sudden i felt a rock hit my leg, and i looked down and there balanced neatly on my thigh was a spent bullet! I kept it for good luck for a long time but eventually lost it. That added to the idea that carbines were weak. even though now I understand any bullet traveling through dirt will get pretty wimpy. btw I loved my M1 even though it was a heavy beast. I would not have traded it for a carbine.