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M1 Carbine - Need some help


davidwh1
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Team,

 

Hope everyone is doing well. I bought a 1943 NPM M1 Carbine from Scott Duff around 13 years ago. It has been in my display case since then. I decided to take it to the range today and expend a couple of magazines.....well I have a problem.

 

I loaded a 15 round mag and sent the first round down range. When I went to pull the trigger for the next shot - nothing. I cycled the bolt again which ejected the live round and chambered another round - pulled the trigger - it fired. Then again the same problem. I basically had to cycle the bolt after each successful shot - so every other round fired.

 

I dont know if it is the bolt or the lower or maybe he spring on the oprod needs to be replaced....I don't know what it could be for sure -

 

Any ideas - please help if you can.

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Give it a good cleaning and make sure the piston is freely moving.Old oil from long storage in your display may have turned a little on the varnishy side. Make sure to reoil after cleaning.

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Was the ammunition current production or? On the misfired rounds, did the firing pin leave a dent the same depth as the

fired cases? If not, sticky firing pin?

In addition to other suggestions made, soak the bolt in solvent for a couple of days then blow it out with an air line.

If you have a bolt disassembly tool, take the bolt apart to clean it.

Good luck and have fun!

 

Chuck

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Back in "the day" it was not uncommon to find M1 carbines with the gas piston shortened so as to make them a " straight pull" bolt action rifle. Got around bans on some ranges for semi-autos. Replacing the piston restored semi-auto function.

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Was the ammunition current production or? On the misfired rounds, did the firing pin leave a dent the same depth as the

fired cases? If not, sticky firing pin?

In addition to other suggestions made, soak the bolt in solvent for a couple of days then blow it out with an air line.

If you have a bolt disassembly tool, take the bolt apart to clean it.

Good luck and have fun!

 

Chuck

 

The ammo was fresh out of the box. The firing pin - when engaged - left a clear demple. The ones that I had to eject and cycle the bolt - every other one basically - had not strike mark on the primer. I have an extra bolt somewhere - could take it back it to the range with the bolt swap and try it out. Of course after a good clean as suggested. I will say again it sat in my display case for 12 years prior to going to the range.

 

I am on it!!!

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nothing as in the hammer dropped and it didn't fire or nothing as in the hammer never recocked?

 

assuming that it failed to cock my shop manual lists:

 

sear altered or damaged

sear spring weak, altered, broken or wrong

hammer sear engagement altered or damaged

bolt does not move rearward enough to cock hammer (see short recoil)

 

short recoil:

 

barrel gas port restriced or partially plugged

barrel gas port dia. too small or port holes offset

gas piston under ordnance specified minimum diameter

gas piston worn or out of round

gas piston stuck/frozen

gas cylinder over ordnance specified maximum diameter

gas cylinder cracked/broken

gas cylinder worn out of round

gas cylinder leaks around barrel

op slide guide stud/receiver guide stud slot deformed or damaged

op slide arm bent or twisted

op slide/bolt assembly bind

op slide/barrel bind

op slide spring, guide, and/or receiver spring passage dried oil/dirt impacted

op slide spring, guide, and/or receiver spring passage deformed/damaged

reciever bolt lug ways damaged

receiver bolt lug ways rough, warped, or mislocated

receiver bolt passage off tolerance or warped

trigger group or hammer rusted or damaged

trigger housing mislocated

fired cartridge cases expand into pitted or otherwise irregular chamber

dirt or toher foreign material inside stock

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm betting on short stroke.

 

Scott Duff would have known if there was something broken and "Safe Sitting" probably would break things.

 

That gas piston is probably gummed up good.

 

Could be dried grease in the bolt track too.

 

Give the ole girl a good bath and try again. :D

 

 

ETA

Oh yea. What BRAND of ammo? Aguila is a bit under powered IIRCC.

 

Also I got my old girl out and cycled the bolt and if it is spitting out the old round and picking up a new round then it may not be a short stroke because if you pull the bolt back far enough to pick up that round the sear SHOULD have caught the hammer.

 

Clean the snot out of the trigger group too and check that sear.

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I had a similar issue with my Carbine when I first got it. It would fire the first time and after that it wouldn’t work and would have to play around with it a bit to have it fire again. The people at the range said it was the magazine. I checked and it was an aftermarket mag. So I get an original USGI mag for it and it fires great. Not sure if that has anything to due with your issue but I just thought I’d throw it out there.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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  • 3 weeks later...

I'm betting on short stroke.

 

Scott Duff would have known if there was something broken and "Safe Sitting" probably would break things.

 

That gas piston is probably gummed up good.

 

Could be dried grease in the bolt track too.

 

Give the ole girl a good bath and try again. :D

 

 

ETA

Oh yea. What BRAND of ammo? Aguila is a bit under powered IIRCC.

 

Also I got my old girl out and cycled the bolt and if it is spitting out the old round and picking up a new round then it may not be a short stroke because if you pull the bolt back far enough to pick up that round the sear SHOULD have caught the hammer.

 

Clean the snot out of the trigger group too and check that sear.

 

 

Well -

 

In an effort to improve myself by listening to good advice - the work is done. I did a thorough cleaning and for good measure replaced the recoil spring. Problem is fixed. It is now cycling - by the way I was using American Eagle ammo.

 

Thanks for the help - the NPM is now sitting back in the display case - looking good I might say.

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post-6058-0-52649300-1522873581_thumb.jpg

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