Firearm Suggestion - M1 Carbine

[j3hill]

I have often wondered why nobody has come out with a M1 carbine copy since Universal and Iver Johnson stopped. Universal was money problems and manufacturing, Iver Johnson failed because of basically the same thing. Then along comes Thompson and they start producing the M1 carbine again. And we have seen an increase of .30 carbine ammo availability and to some extent, accessories. Just because of Thompson.
It seems to me that Taurus has the production capabilities, and you are not that far away from where Universal was located. That equipment has to be someplace? And the owners or at least some of the paperwork must be around. It has only been 30 years.
I think Taurus could achieve a marketable success by producing a M1 carbine in .30 cal. You would not even have to go with wood stocks, as obviously Taurus does not like wood on anything. Say black synthetic with stainless or keep it simple and stay true to traditional designs. The market needs a good home defense rifle and a Taurus branded M1 carbine would fit that market. Hell, I will send you one of my universals if you want to break it down. ...

[RevolverFan]

Yeah, you would think it would easy. Perhaps they will do a feasibility study? However, look how long it's already taking Taurus to deliver the carbines which are supposed to be in the pipeline. It would be the same with the M1C.......

[j3hill]

Yeah, you would think it would easy. Perhaps they will do a feasibility study? However, look how long it's already taking Taurus to deliver the carbines which are supposed to be in the pipeline. It would be the same with the M1C.......

Not necessarily. It is a proven design, I cant see any more than 6 months from re-tooling to out the door.

[NoobCannon]

Try with Rossi, since they punch out more rifles than Taurus does, but I do like your idea. I spent far too much on the Mixmaster M1 I picked up recently, to replace the Thompson/Kahr one I lost awhile back. A budget oriented clone of the M1 Carbine would be very well received I'm thinking, since it's a very lightweight, low-recoil platform with ballistics lending it to be a great home defense piece.

Lord knows I've practically given my M1 Carbine to my long-term girlfriend to ease her into my shooting hobby since it's easy to use and the recoil is perfect for the slight of figure people. If Taurus/Rossi made one, I'd keep mine for myself and give her a new one, especially considering she wants black/pink, and it feels a tad wrong to do that to a rifle such as that(I'm looking into fiberglass replacement stocks and a railed heatshield so I don't desecrate the original wood with pink paint.)

[Qwiks draw]

Kahr beat them to it, but the price is high.

Taurus might be able to trim the price down, but not sure on that.

The M1 carbine makes sense for a lot of people.

From www.handloads.com.


30 Carbine Stopping Power, all bullet weights
Brand Bullet Shootings One Shot Stops Percent Diameter Penetration Notes
Winchester 110 gr JSP 43 38 88% 0.42" 0" Through and through, routinely exited human target
Federal 110 gr JSP 63 55 87% 0.44" 20.9"
Federal 110 gr FMJ 27 22 81% 0.3" 0" Through and through, routinely exited human target
Winchester 110 gr FMJ 20 16 80% 0.3" 0" Through and through, routinely exited human target
Mil Surplus 110 gr 1033 826 79% 0.3" 0" Through and through, routinely exited human target

Just use the right ammo if used for home defense inside the dwelling.

[TexasDeputy]

There is a reason why there are so few Taurus long guns on the market. It was recently discussed in another thread:

Why are there almost no Taurus long guns available?


There is an UNSUBSTANTIATED RUMOR floating around based on some second-hand discussions at the NRA convention (how is that for a weasel response?) that when Taurus expands its Miami facility, it MAY produce or otherwise finish some long guns there. It was mentioned (link above) that the various import bans are what are restricted the Taurus long guns from being imported, but they can be made here.

[whichfinger]

I think Taurus could achieve a marketable success by producing a M1 carbine in .30 cal. You would not even have to go with wood stocks, as obviously Taurus does not like wood on anything. Say black synthetic with stainless or keep it simple and stay true to traditional designs. The market needs a good home defense rifle and a Taurus branded M1 carbine would fit that market. Hell, I will send you one of my universals if you want to break it down. ...

No wood stocks?!?!?11! What is wrong with you?

[Maximumbob54]

Sign me up for one of those. I see no reason to buy the Kahr when for not too much more I can have an original. But then I'm still pissed all the South Korean M1C's won't be coming home. I was really hoping to get one.

[paulrabe78]

Did Taurus ever make the AR 15 for US sale? I haven't seen or heard anything on this lately?

[wiredgeorge]

I believe Springfield Armory holds the patent for the M1A which is a civilianized version (semi-auto) of the full auto M14. I don't think many of the "clones" are near the same as an M1A or they would be in violation of US patent laws. The M1A is chambered in .308 by the way. The M1A runs from about $1300 to about $3200 at budgunshop.com... My personal opinion is that this rifle is a bit on the heavy side and if I want a semi-auto in .308 I would choose one on an AR platform. Just my opinion as I do love steel and walnut but not enough to shell out those kind of bucks.

On a closely related front, our dear President has banned the re-importation of M1 Garands which would normally be considered a C&R weapon (due to age). Mr. Obama has declared that these rifles are a threat to the safety of the USA! Read the article: Backlash against Obama’s rifle ban to target Congress

I think the idea of a well armed citizenry scares our President! I wonder why?