Just to brief those who don’t know a lot about it, the M1 Carbine is a gas-operated, .30-cal., semi-automatic rifle that uses a short-stroke piston system and a reciprocating operating handle. Overall length was 35.5 -inches, and the gun weighed about 5.5 pounds, unloaded. Muzzle velocity with a 110-gr., jacketed round-nose bullet was around 1900 f.p.s. It was originally fed by 15-round detachable box magazines—30 rounders weren’t adopted until 1945. The operating handle is on the right, and its bolt could be locked in the open position by retracting it, lining up its locking pin with a recess for it on the receiver’s top right, and pressing it down. The Auto-Ordnance conforms to the original design in just about every way.

Unlike the IAI gun reviewed previously, all the sample gun’s significant parts are newly manufactured. The receiver starts as a 4140 steel investment casting that is then finished on the firm’s CNC machines. The operating slide is also an investment casting finished by CNC machines. This part, too, was made originally by Auto-Ordnance for IBM.

The trigger guard assembly is also a machined casting. In fact, the precision work on the new gun actually outshines most original guns I have examined. The two-lugged bolt, with its extractor in the right lug, is the early flat type. The barrel is made by Green Mountain Barrels for Auto- Ordnance and has four-groove rifling with a 1:20-inch, right-hand twist. The post front sight and protective ears are retained by a crosspin.

The magazine release, on the front right of the trigger guard assembly, is of the elongated push-button type, lacking the “M” of later carbines. Pressing it from right to left allows the magazine to drop free. The barrel band has the front sling swivel and vertical retaining screw on the left side, again, a feature found on early carbines, as no bayonet was issued with the little gun until 1945.

The rear sight is the early non-adjustable flip type, with two heights, one for 100 yards and one for 300 yards. Its base is dovetailed into the receiver and is drift-adjustable for windage. On our sample carbine, it was pretty stiff at first, but eventually broke-in with use. It and its base, unlike the rest of the metal parts, are blued, not Parkerized.

The sample’s well-finished, two-piece stock is of American walnut with attractive grain. The fore-end is of the somewhat later low-wood type that leaves the operating slide uncovered (the high-wood fore-ends broke a lot). There is a recess for the oiler and sling attachment in the side of the buttstock. It is of the “oval” type, not the very early “I-cut” variety. There is also a birch-stocked model offered, but thankfully the metal handguards have been dropped entirely.

The only change I’d like to see are “ao” markings added on some of the parts, such as the rear sight, bolt and safety, so collectors in the future will not mistake Auto-Ordnance’s modern-made parts for original ones. As a matter of fact, Auto-Ordnance is seriously thinking about offering many of its modern remakes of early parts to consumers.

So with the M1 Carbine, Auto-Ordnance is in the nostalgic gun business. The Tommy gun—in semi-automatic of course—the M1911A1 pistol and now the M1 Carbine, are all offered by the company founded by Gen. John T. Thompson back in 1919. All-in-all, this is the best commercial M1 Carbine that we have ever received. It looks close to the guns that went ashore on D-Day and Okinawa. They’re brand new, have a warranty from Auto-Ordnance, and the one we had shot like a champ, averaging groups right at 2 inches at 100 yardds., even with rudimentary iron sights. Out of more than 500 rounds fired, there were no malfunctions of any kind with G.I. magazines. Magtech’s affordable 110-gr. FMJ loading in particular impressed us at the range.

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