When I was in high school I took a Military History class and our teacher, being the war buff that he is in the State of Texas, was also quite the gun collector. Every "period" that we studied he would bring in his museum collection of firearms for us to see. During the WW2 period we got to hold the Garand and the Carbine. I really liked how the Carbine felt. Very easy to handle.

As a Mexican the first thing I associate the m1 carbine is the 68’ student massacre. There is a lot of infamous fotos of Mexican army units holding garands, Springfields, and carbines arresting university students who where never seen again. The Mexican army at the time looked like American WW2 GIs since they got all the leftover equipment. A lot of defection and theft happened in the military in the 80’s and you can find indigenous militias or self defense groups wielding m1 carbines to this day in southern Mexico.

People might call the .30 Carbine "whimpy", but at 100 yards it has the same power as a .357 Magnum at the muzzle. And I don't know a single person willingly want to be shot point blank by a .357 Magnum.

So of interesting note, the M1 Carbine was loved in WWII, hated in Korea, and then loved again in Vietnam. This is because in WWII, it was predominately used in close quarters in cities or in the jungles and beach landings in the Pacific which meant close quarters combat. In Korea, it was forced beyond it's intended purpose and soldiers used it as a frontline weapon, trying to push it out several hundred meters. In Vietnam, it again moved back to the close quarters combat it excelled in and was highly appreciated by both the ARVN and MAC-V-SOG units that carried it.

The M1 Carbine ammo was also non-corrosive, a first among military ammo. Barrel and chamber lasted longer without cleaning. Ballistically, an M1 round was equivalent to a hot .357 Magnum still retaining its full energy at 100 yards. Plenty enough to do the job, as most jungle and urban firefights occurred at that range or less.

A revolutionary gun. People claiming it didn’t have any hitting power are usually people who have never been actually shot at before. Great video as usual.

My father owns an M1 carbine, and I had the pleasure of being able to shoot it. Not much recoil, and very fun! He was given it from one of his friends who served in the pacific during WW2. I've always been curious if that rifle had taken someone's life before. Such a beautiful and iconic gun.

My grandpa told me that during 1954 battle of Dien Bien Phu, he (A Viet Minh soldier) and his best friend tried to disassemble a M1 carbine in their free time, but they never managed to reassemble the gun back to one piece. They laughed it off every time they talked about that story. Most of my grandpa’s comrade has already gone, including his best friend. My grandpa is 90 and he is still going strong. His stories about war and firearms are really nice to hear.

The Navy was still using the M1 up to 1973. In 1971 I was in the Navy in Vietnam, as a non-combatant, and I carried the carbine. Loved it. Years later I got one for home defense and go to the range a couple times a month.

Also note, the M1 Carbine was a favored captured firearm for the Germans due to its compact design. It was also the basis for many civilian firearms such as the Ruger Mini-14. The M2 and M3 Carbine variants saw the first implementation of night vision sights and given its select fire capabilities, it was a precursor to Assault rifles.

I own three M-1 carbines. I purchased the first from the Civilian Marksmanship Program. It is a 1942 National Postal Meter. The second I purchased from a colleague at work. It was unfortunately a civilian clone. A 1962 National Ordinance. It had all military parts except the receiver. These were produced for law enforcement and prison guards. The receivers were manufactured in California. Impossible today. The third was inherited from my dad. It is a 1941 Inland. It never went through the arsenal upgrades. It has the pushbutton safety and the flip up peep sight and no bayonet mount. They all are accurate, and eat just about any ammo I feed them. They were brought back in service during the Vietnam War. The South Vietnamese soldiers had trouble handling the M-1 GARAND so they were issued the Carbine. They were a better fit and the soldiers could handle the recoil.

This weapon was one of Audie Murphy’s favorite weapons. People may think it’s the Ma Deuce or the Double Barrel he used to sleep with.

My Dad was a US Army captain when Japan invaded the Philippines. He and his group did not surrender and formed a guerilla unit to fight the Japanese. His M1 Carbine sent many enemy soldiers to their early demise.

When I was a kid, my dad bought me a M1 Carbine as my first rifle. Mine was made in 44. I loved shooting that little piece of history

this rifle was already written in history. already proven its worth in the field. Carbine, Garand, AK47... these are top of the line weapons in the field. Old but GOLD.

I have heard of a story where somebody had an M1 carbine in the pacific, somebody asked him if it was an underpowered round. The Marine's response - "Seemed to kill everybody I shot at" Having both this and the Garand, i'll say i'd greatly prefer the lightweight one if I was having to carry it with me for months.

My grandfather was in the 65th Infantry regiment in Korea, my father told me stories of him complaining about having to use the Garand and how much he loved the Carbine over it due to its light weight

I call the M1 carbine the little gun that could. It doesn't look like much, but it punches above its weight and is a fun plinker/piece of history today. The best feature for me is the buttstock ammo pouch, 45 rounds just by picking it up.

Can't wait to watch band of brothers got it on sale.

I remember back in the 1970’s, you could purchase a M-1 Carbine dirt cheap. Lots of WWII and Korean War veterans used the rifles for deer hunting east of the Mississippi River where the shots close. Rabbi Goldstein said he used it on the Chinese up close and personal but never in the winter when their clothes froze too hard.

My paratrooper grandpa had a M1 Carbine in his war room. His favorite piece that he always liked showing off.

Research had shown no clerk typist ever killed anyone with a .45, so Winchester looked at their .30 cal semi-auto hunting rifle (I think). Overheard two Korean War vets talking about many troops "exchanging" their Garand for the .30 Carbine, bc of recoil.

I was the director of a county history museum near Carbine Williams' hometown in NC. We had an M1 carbine in our collection, with his autograph on the buttstock. According to local lore, he'd trade his autograph for a bottle of whiskey lol

Great breakdown and explanation of a weapon so many took for granted but performed so well.

Ahh the M1 carbine, the second firearm I learned to shoot. The M1903 Springfield was my first., and M1 Garand my third.

My father, who was in the Army, in the Pacific, carried one, as well as a 1911. It was good in jungle warfare where the distances were much shorter than the M1 Garand was designed for. He also talked about being trained to fire from the hip, which is interesting. With more than twice the capacity of the M1 Garand, this was not aimed fire, but a volume of fire laid down at a target that might be concealed by jungle foliage.

This military drill hall in my city has a regimental museum with a genuine M1A1 Carbine with the folding stock. This is in a city in Canada mind you so it's a bit unusual since it wasn't standard issue for CND army.

Audie Murphy stated his favorite weapon was the carbine, with which he became quite proficient when firing from the hip. We trained with the M-1 carbine in the USAF. The rifle was accurate, easy to carry and load, and the manual of arms was simple to master. Surplus carbines were for sale ($20) when I was in the service, and one of my regrets is failing to obtain one at that time. Now you'd be fortunate to get one for $1,000.

One of the most iconic photos of the (Northern Ireland) Troubles depicts OIRA member Joe McCann with his M1 Carbine, silhouetted against flames and the Starry Plough flag during the Battle of Inglis Bakery.

I have a 1944 Underwood. Always fun to fire. My favorite hand-me-down from my dad, who bought it surplus in the 50’s.

My dad bought an M-1 Carbine from government surplus. It is a very sturdy rifle. I have heard many people trash it and say it was a peashooter. I wasn't happy with its accuracy (partly due to the sights), but it was a close-quarters weapon, suited for house to house fighting.

The .30 Carbine round also used non-corrosive primers so it was much easier to clean.

The funny part in "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb"... Keenan Wynn as Colonel Bat Guano, if coke squirts in his face you let it out hahah! Nice video Johnny!

The M1 carbine is possibly one of the most represented guns in Japanese cinema because of its MGC replica counterpart . It appeared in movies like Atragon, Mothra, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah and TV shows like Fight! Mighty Jack. There was also a scoped version that appeared in 弾痕

I bought a Mossburg 250C (New Haven) 22 caliber copy of the M1 in 1964. It has been my go to backpacking rifle for decades. I have 10 & 15 round magazines for it and carry them in an ammo pouch just like the one they strapped onto the stock of the M1 Carbine. I would love to have a 30 cal M1 Carbine. Maybe someday I'll add one to my collection. I also have a M6 Scout folding, ejection seat rifle from the 70's era. It's chambered in 22 Hornet on the top barrel and 410 in the lower. I keep it in my 4X4 truck for a survival tool. I have always been a fan of lightweight firearms. Especially folding ones that adapt well to backpacking.

5:10 Thank you! I was trying to figure out what this movie was. "To hell and back!" Now I can go watch it. Murphy Plays himself and I wanted to see some nice handling of the M1Carbine, since he was actually trained. Not just an actor.

Gregory Peck carries an M-1 Carbine throughout the Korean War movie Pork Chop Hill. It was because of this movie that I always wanted an M-1 Carbine. I eventually ended up owning two Carbines once upon a time, plus a Ruger Blackhawk revolver in .30 Carbine as a handgun using the same ammo. The fact that there were more Carbines built during WW2 than Garands is perhaps a reflection of the emphasis the U.S. Army placed on having a comparatively lavish number of men working in support roles; equal to or more than the front line troops.

3:08, the actor in Band of Brothers was also in The Thin Red Line where Welsh rushes to treat a wounded soldier.

My late dad shot in the top 3 in his company with the M-1Carbine his reward he was issued the BAR in WW2.

My family aquired an M1 Carbine from a house clearing, they also found one of the first color tvs in existance (so a wwii surplus gun with the holy grail of televisions). The carbine feels nice! We didnt shoot it because it seemed like it never fired, but it felt nice. Not a big rifle, but not too small so it can hit something from a distance

My dad stood watch during the Battle of the Bulge with an M1A1 but due to the lack of resupply he had no ammo. He was watching over the 381st Field Artillery in Belgium. Fortunately no attacks.

I LOVE the M1 Catbine! I scored the highest score in basic trainings --boot camp (298 out of 300) with this very fine weapon. I have two now. They will go to my grandsons upon my death... I hope they will pass them on to their children...

My dad was a forward radio operator in the 5th Marine Div on Iwo and carried the M1 carbine.

Nice Star Trek mention, I own The Pacific, and recently head that the Navy has named one of their latest Aleigh Burke class destroyers after John Basilone, USS John Basilone DDG-122. Take care, and all the est.

My great grandmother, when she lived in South Korea had one, not sure how she got it, but she had one. She called it "The Carbine" according to my dad. Anyway, one night she was in her house, and someone broke into, kicked down the door. She grabbed her Carbine, racked the bolt, and the guy ran out as fast as he could, even climbed over a wall. She apparently saw him, she thinks anyway, limping along because he probably pulled every muscle he had when he ran. Because of that, I ended up getting my own M1 Carbine, a 43 Inland with an IBM barrel and the later pattern retrofit parts, mainly the safety. Just holding that gun puts a smile on my face, and shooting it is just fantastic, light recoil, incredibly easy to aim, trigger is very good, everything you'd ever want in a rifle.

Should be noted that it was Audie Murphy playing as himself in To Hell And Back. PTSD gave him hell for it though.

Hey Johnny! I remember as a kid watching my favourite show, Combat, Rick Jason as Lt. Hanley had a M1 Carbine.

Wow another great video!! I am so impressed by your abilities to (a) come up with interesting topics, (b) find the movie clips that support them, and (c) deliver a narrative that is so much informative and entertaining. I have a .30 cal M1 Carbine in my collection but I have never fired it as it is restricted in my province and my gun range is only for handguns and small calibre rifles. Chiappa Firearms makes a .22 cal. semi auto that is really convincing! I have 1 of these and it is a fun shooter. Also had a Garand and it was heavy in comparison!!

My scoutmaster who was in the 106th division in the ETO (he wasn't captured) managed to bring home his carbine and got it past the MPs. He taught us the riflery merit badge and after we qualified on .22s he let each one of us fire it. Beautiful weapon.

My best friend and I restored his grandfathers carbine from Korea, made by IBM. Ammo is a bit pricey and hard to find, but it’s an absolute nail driver to shoot. Every new shooter falls in love with it hahaha and I can definitely imagine soldiers thanking god they get to carry that little thing instead of a Garand or god forbid a BAR 😂

It was designed to outperform the 9mm pistol round , German submachine gun weapons. The .30 carbine round did just that. The German sub guns were fired with trigger control with 2 or 3 round's fired at a time , not like the movies . This meant you could engage 10 to 15 targets before reloading your 30 round magazine. The .30 carbine worked just fine with selectively firing 2 or 3 rounds at each target. The greater range going to the .30 caliber over the 9mm . The Carbine size made it more accurate over any sub model gun . The Germans just had the advantage of 9mm for both the handgun and their sub 9mm gun to reduce supply problems . Stopping power close to the same at close range ! Forget firing submachine guns like in the gangster movies of drive by cars . In military use you would run out of ammo and be completely helpless , soon dead .

Friends that were in E/506 said that they dropped their carbines soon after landing as they didn’t feel it packed as much of a punch as they’d have liked after using it in combat. They all picked up Garands off of casualties and used them during Normandy.

Great gun. It was used well into the 70s, my dad and my uncles used them in the falangist militia.

I've fired both back to back, and I'll say this. I like the Garand for accuracy and stopping power, but the Carbine is like a feather in your hands. If I'm shooting out to less than 200 yards the carbine would be just fine, and excellent inside of 100.

Very good. Like the photos of the real people who the characters portrayed. Very important difference between real heroes and actors. In some ways it’s sad that we give greater recognition to actors than the real people who are the reason for the story. So many of these soldiers not only suffered and died in combat but returned to poverty, PTS, and people who moved on in their lives. At least their stories are being told and people like you are reminding us of these stories that deserve rewatching.

I served in Vietnam and carried an M-14 and later an M-16. As the video mentions I saw a lot of ARVNs carrying the carbine . I never discussed the carbine with anyone who actually used one . In reading some World War II books , the characters often ridiculed it . One comment was " The carbine is not a weapon carried by a soldier who shoots for a living ". Later , I read that it was hated in Korea , because it had such low muzzle velocity that it couldn't penetrate the heavily padded jackets that the North Koreans wore . As a combat marine , I was exposed to a lot of bullshit that was dead ass wrong but people passed it along anyway. One such bad scoop was that you should only load your magazine with 18 rounds , also that the M-16 round tumbled into flesh and did more damage. After I got out of the Corps , I did some target shooting With the carbine and I liked it fine

M-1 carbine ammunition had sealed primers. This greatly enhanced reliability in the harsh climate of the Pacific Theatre. And, the Thompson really is a heavy firearm.

I was in the Dutch army from 1989 to 1990 in a special logistics unit called Werktroepen (worker troops). The unit still used the M1 carbine and the Brengun(!) for extra firepower. The Werktroepen were specifically set up for providing extra support in the Netherlands for “manual labour”. Shooting the carbine was very easy and it was really hard to miss a target! Cleaning it was maybe even easier.

Appreciate that you finally mentioned the M2 following the M1 carbine the only thing I'm missing is the M3 carbine that is the night vision well hopefully we can learn about the xm4, commando, and leading towards the M4 Carbine

When my father was in the Navy he always chose the M1 carbine for standing watch because it was so much lighter than the Garand

The .30 carbine is light and the round tumbles on impact really ripping up what ever it hit …good rifle I can see why they kept it in service so long

I have had a Winchester M-1 Carbine since 1992. It is a fantastic rifle and easily shoots 1.5 MOA with my handloads. I reload my own rounds with Hercules 2400 powder and Hornady 115 gr jacketed round nose bullets. It is a fantastic combination.

The m1 carbine is a good lightweight weapon. It's got as much power as a 357 magnum. It's not a bad little weapon. And I'm sorry I got rid of mine. And it's a accurate weapon out to one hundred yards and fairly accurate. It wasn't as powerful as a M1 Garand rifle nor did have the range. But for most combat situations the M1 carbine was a competent and useful weapon. And for home defense and personal defensive situations it's a ideal lightweight weapon that's handy for most defensive situations and quite effective useing 110 grain soft lead tipped bullets. If I can find another one at a decent price, it will be a decent home defensive weapon. And a good backup for my ar9 carbine. And I'm surprised no one as come up with a updated version that will accept weapons mounted lights and dot scopes. It really would be a good mid range defensive weapon as well as a great hime defensive weapon. And outclass any handgun, due to a longer site radius and three points of contact. And the power that equals a 357 magnum, in a small compact a carbine size package with ab15 to thirty round capacity. All it needs is a change of configuration to accept red dot scopes and a weapons mounted light and laser combo. And you've got a compact lightweight pitbull that is both powerful and accurate and handy in a confined area or good for most distances encountered out doors.

My grandfather fought in WWII and Korea. He carried the M1 Carbine in both wars, he loved it. Its was his stories that inspired me to buy one, I love it.

I loved my m1A1 Carbine. My only issue with it was how small the peep sights were. Hard to see in evening settings at times, other than that it was a great rifle. It had just enough punch to it, but small enough to shoot all day (if you got the $) Good for white-tailed deer if you are in the right range and a decent shot. I should get one again.

I inherited my Marine Corp Uncle’s M1 Carb. Such a sweet shooting gun. He carried his in the early 60’s pre Vietnam. He was in during some conflicts in Lebanon. Pride of my collection.

Come a ways since this weapon but it’s still on the market today as a scout rifle or small game gun with lower calibers. Good video!

I sometimes imagine an alternate history where the M1 Carbine was chambered for a slightly more powerful round, though still much more compact and economical than the .30-06. A possible candidate could have been the .25-35 Winchester (available at the time, it had similar energy to the .223 Remington, though less than the 5.56 NATO). If it had been, the M1 Carbine may have had bragging rights as the 1st assault rifle. Just some random musings.

In the movie Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, there's a great scene of George Kennedy using an M1 with a civilian folding stock and flash hider. Also, the M1 was a favorite gun of the Black Panthers and Bugsy Siegel was shot and killed with one.

I've had the pleasure of handing many weapons from WWII via a great little local museum. From the M1 Garand, Carbine Grease gun a Thompson, British Enfield and Sten, German and Czech made Mauser and Schmeiser machine pistol I have to say the M1 Carbine is a fine weapon. Not only lightweight and accurate but also easy to care for. Such a great weapon with few having the service longevity.

Loaded right, you can get .357 magnum 6" match barrel ballistics outta the .30 carbine. A guy in the now abolished New York stakeout squad got most of his kills using a m1 Carbine loaded with hollow tips

2:01 I have an M1 Carbine that was used by an Army General from 1944. the one time i had my hands on it to clean it after receiving a maintenance commission; I decided to learn how it operated and performed readying and neutralization (emptying the weapon and chamber including de-cocking without dry-firing as to not damage the spring in storage) I Enjoyed playing with the mechanism.

Still over 400 bucks to produce today, that's pretty wild considering you can easily get a lower end ar 15 for close to that, ESPECIALLY a couple years ago

Nice one JJ, another iconic weapon often seen in movies

I had a Rock Ola made WW2 made M-1 carbine and at 100 yards I could repeatedly hit a bouncing soda can with bullets fired from it. I was quite surprised at just how accurate that M-1 carbine was.

Check out the carbine scenes (graphic) in "From Hell to Eternity" with Jeff Hunter. Also there's a mad minute scene in "Retreat Hell" with Frank Lovejoy that really highlights the carbine's firepower.

I privately own one of these and kept it in my unit's arms room for a bit. One time I was waiting for the armorer to put it back away, and a few friends wanted to see what was in my case. They commented that it was even lighter than the M4A1 (actually true) and wished they could carry it instead. Given I'm a medic and they infantrymen, I wonder how they'd have responded if I told them that 80 years ago I would have carried this and they would have had something else

I'm so glad you included Dr. Strangelove in this. It's still the most memorable depiction of the gun for me hah. I did get a chance to fire it at a historical gun day, too. Compared to the P14 Enfield and M38 Mosin I fired, it was just so easy to use and pleasant to shoot!

In his book 'With British Snipers To The Reich', Captain Cyril Shore said that in his opinion the M1 carbine would have been an ideal weapon for the second man in a sniper team. There's a chap who knew firearms.

To be completely honest, I'm surprised 30 carbine or a modern version isn't in use today, it would be a devastating cartridge in an SMG role.

Once again, great post Johnny, you're getting very good at this...nice editing 👍

You should do a second video about its post war and civilian use. Because of the shear number of these things floating around in the latter half of the 20th century they turned up everywhere. From South American revolutions, to American bank robberies. Some of the more famous users included Macolm X, the Black Panthers, and the Symbonise Liberation Army. Before the widespread distribution of the AK in the 60’s and 70’s, the M1 and M2 Carbine were the cheap lightweight automatic rifle of choice.

When I was in the Army Nat'l Guard, in 1968, the company was having lunch when the Co.Commander's (Capt) 10 or 11 year old son suddenly appeared, wearing full fatigues with Capt.'s bars & carrying a real M-1 carbine, with ease! After getting over the shock of seeing a child with a real rifle, I realized how light this weapon was, compared to my M-14!

One of my many WWII favourites

In his after action review of US Infantry combat performance during the Korean War, Army historian, Brigadier General SLA Marshall found that the M1 carbine was frequently discarded by troops during combat in favor of the M1 Garand of fallen of wounded soldiers. This was due to frequent jams caused by the new 30 round magazines and poor stopping power against Chinese troops, who often continued to advance despite numerous hits from the carbine.

Recently a friend of mine and myself both owned surplus M-1 Carbines we both went to a local shooting range where it was wintertime and 12 degrees F. We were both shooting new quality ammunition and in both cases our M-1 Carbines would continue to jam in that cold weather.

The M1 Carbine was one of the first guns I got into, I want to buy one for myself someday.

I know of a story where the soldier telling it did not like his carbine. He was in Korea and was charged by an enemy. He shot the man with his carbine and watched the other guy stand up, dust himself off, and keep coming. The teller claimed he shot the enemy soldier several more times before switching to his .45 and finishing things. He later turned in his carbine to the quarter master and only carried his sidearm for the rest of that deployment.

the fact that you read every single one of the comments on your videos, not to mention your very underrated. amazing video by the way.

I own one. They have a lot of failure to feed stoppages with older magazines. It is a little known fact that the same thing happened even when they were brand new during WW2. The soldiers learned quickly that new mags fed good, so after they finished a mag, they'd simply discard it. Pros: sweet little round with low recoil and good handling Cons: $$$Expensive$$$

I had a M2 carbine back in the 80's. It was illegal, and I sold it. Full auto is fun, but expensive.

Recently came across 3 military surplus versions of this fine firearm this year alone. Great to own a piece of history

The Carbine Rifle is the one being carried by Lt Hanley (Rick Jason) in the television series Combat

The carbine is relatively light, and when it entered service in 1980, the station guards liked to carry it.

It’s because of the M1 Carbine that the U.S. military now uses the M16/M4, while most branches had adopted the M14 as it’s standard issue weapon the Air Force was still using M1 Carbines for Air Base defense, looking to modernize but not requiring something as large as the M14 General Curtis LeMay fell in love with the AR-15 at a Fourth of July picnic and decided it would replace the M1 Carbine, following the Air Force’s success with the AR-15 the other branches began to adopt it and it was redesignated the M16. Unfortunately the way the Air Force utilized the rifles for Air Base defense was wildly different than the combat the Army and Marines were experiencing in the jungles of Vietnam and it took them a while to realize that they had to do maintenance on them more often than the Air Force had to,

I used to own an M1 carbine. It was a surplus Inland manufactured. It was a joy to take to the range and shoot. Little sucker ran like a sewing machine smooth as silk.

I’ve shot it many times. Recoil is light. Accuracy is pretty good. Capacity is great. My two cons about it is that the breach is very close to the shooters face, and difficult to see inside the receiver. So when firing cheap ammo, you get smoke in your face, and rendering it to a safe state, it’s hard to look inside to check the shell extracted. I’ve had one accidental discharge after cycling the bolt three times with no magazine. Don’t trust any extractor in any gun was my lesson that day.

ive got a beauty in my collection produced by underwood(typewriter company) unmodified with original soft case and sling. these rifles were ahead of their time. we are starting to see a lot of carbine rifles that fire handgun ammo....m1 carbine was one of the first and few up until now

There is also the two models with a Night vision scope which was used during the Battle of Okinawa and the Korean War.

one of Audie Murphy's favorites. met a lady in the `70s that worked in a factory in WWII and her job was to QC carbine barrels she told me that she would not let one thru that wasn't perfect