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Replica M1 Carbine


Ronny67
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Here is my home made M1 Carbine replica. I love the M1 carbine, especially the early High-Wood Inlands. So, in lieu of the thousands of dollars it takes these days to buy one, I made one.

 

The stock is solid Birch- the hand guard and stock are one solid piece. The receiver and action are a combination of Poplar, Birch, and Fir. The Hardwood is used for things like the charging handle, which is more prone to breaking.

 

The Barrel is a length of 5/8 steel rod, cut the correct length for a real barrel and sunk into the stock. The whole thing is balanced with scrap 5/8 rod sunk into the butt stock. The drilling of the barrel hole and the butt holes have been the only time power tools were used in this build- so far.

 

There are a few real carbine parts thrown in as well, things that would have been too difficult to carve or too exposed and delicate to justify the time to carve them (like the front sight). The magazine is a real M1 mag, sunk into the stock. I added a salty M1 mag pouch and two more magazines for the combat look. I made the sling from WWII demo tape and a length from some scrap WWII M36 suspenders.

 

The whole build cost me maybe $20. Took me roughly 6 months from start to finish. As a full time college student with a part time job on the side, time is not always permitting for my many projects. Much of the time was spent detailing the paint and working on details.

 

It is still not finished. Maybe you can spot what is missing.

 

My favorite detail is the checkered faux butt plate and the screw. Just love that....

post-153625-0-35438700-1455836057.jpg

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Wow, very nice....I bought a couple Carbine barrels real cheap from a guy.....I was thinking about building one on a dummy receiver, but unfortunately I don't think anybody makes one.....Never thought about making one only from wood (sans the barrel and magazine)....Bodes

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Wow, very nice....I bought a couple Carbine barrels real cheap from a guy.....I was thinking about building one on a dummy receiver, but unfortunately I don't think anybody makes one.....Never thought about making one made only of wood (sans the barrel)....Bodes

 

My dad made me a few WWII guns out of 2x4's when I was real little for playing war in the yard with my friends. That notion that you can physically create your own toys influenced me ever since. I started when I was 13 or so. I have made: M1928A1 Thompson, M1918 BAR, M1903 Springfield w/Pederson device, G43/K43, FG42, M1919 .30 Cal, 1903 Colt Hammerless, Sten Gun... Maybe more I am forgetting.

 

The problem was as I got older, the more concerned with details I became and projects became longer and more detail oriented.

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what a great job...painting is great with patina...what is missing...? I might not see it in the pic, but the bolt hold back pin? will pass any 5 ft rule...

 

great work college boy....(what show was that from...5 points for right answer) : )

 

edit..oh and the trigger..on second pass...

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Bolt Hold back pin is present, you can see it shining in the 2nd picture. The missing trigger is actually a stylistic choice on my part. I have made functional triggers in projects past, but on this one I am leaving it absent. It is missing the Push Button safety and the Mag catch. The old mag catch actually few off when I sunk the mag into the action. I need to build a stronger one...

 

I sold the G43 I made. It was exquisite, and was a symbol of my passion for G43s, even from a young age. It had a removable magazine, and a working trigger. Looked amazing. I sold it when I was 17 for $300 bucks to a a guy in Georga on ebay. I regret that sale even now. I own a Real G43 and I wish I had my old handy work back to compare.

 

Thanks for the kind words, gents.

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Stunning work..

 

Could not even tell it was wooden at first glance...

 

Do you have pictures of the G43 that you made.. I would really like to see your other works..

 

Very talented.. Very....

 

Leigh

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Stunning work..

 

Could not even tell it was wooden at first glance...

 

Do you have pictures of the G43 that you made.. I would really like to see your other works..

 

Very talented.. Very....

 

Leigh

 

Thank you for the kind words.

 

Unfortunately I do not have any photos of the G43 I made. I am notoriously terrible at documenting my projects...

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Nice replica.
I would suggest replacing the butt plate.
That was the only part that really gives it away.
You could also put a hole through the stock like the originals to allow for the sling to be more authentic.
Or you could hide the end of the sling behind the mag pouches.
Not trying to be critical or negative.
Just some friendly suggestions.
Feel free to accept or reject them as you please.

Everything else looks amazingly real.

I thought the receiver and barrel were actually metal.

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Thanks for the kind words. My favorite part so far is the buttplate, I checkered the wooden butt and added a screw with the proper head. The Butt is actually too skinny for a USGI plate, so I had to improvise.Also, due to the skinny butt, the mag pouch will work its way off the end without much trouble. I solved the problem by using a 1903 sling swivel, sunk into the wood so the profile is flush. The swivel and sling retain the pouch perfectly, and I didn't have to carve the oiler slot. My goal here is not to build a perfectly accurate M1, but to improvise on top of the original design to create something unique and personalized. Maybe some guy in the Pacific had a carbine like this?

 

Barrel is metal, blued 5/8 steel rod. I hand filed the taper at the end. Took me 2 days.

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That is amazing! Looks like your attention to detail & level of patience must be much higher than mine! You should carry it in to the post office or bank on your next trip & see if they can spot the missing piece!!

 

 

Beautiful work. Have you built anything like this in the past, or was this your first go round?

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