Ken Hackathorn on the M1 Carbine: Reputation vs Reality

Interesting video! I recall hearing stories of Korean war vets complaining of it not knocking down attaching Chinese through their frozen quilted tunics. I have always wanted an M1 Carbine, and recall them being very cheap when we were selling them at Roses decades ago.
 
Funny how the rifle that was designed for cooks and truck drivers, so that they could skip 1911 pistol training, became one of the most popular weapons in WWII, in spite of it's serious limitations.
 
With Hornady’s CD 110gr ammo @ 2000fps a little 5lb M1 Carbine is a handy HD weapon. I only have a couple small concerns, first the ammo availability and cost is spotty and $20 for a 25 round box then second is I really only would trust 15 round mags and my mag changing skills on the little Carbine aren’t near as good as a M4. Now those two concerns verses the application of a M1 Carbine if needed are no biggie.
 
With Hornady’s CD 110gr ammo @ 2000fps a little 5lb M1 Carbine is a handy HD weapon. I only have a couple small concerns, first the ammo availability and cost is spotty and $20 for a 25 round box then second is I really only would trust 15 round mags and my mag changing skills on the little Carbine aren’t near as good as a M4. Now those two concerns verses the application of a M1 Carbine if needed are no biggie.
I have several NOS Type IV mag catches that are for the 30 round mags.
They hold the 30s in tight.
 
They were (and are) cool for their day, once affordable American made carbines with milspec surplus ammo readily available. All that's gone now, and we're left with $1500-up collectibles and shoddy (and expensive) clones.

.30 caliber 5.5lb carbines with 20+ round magazines? 2,000fps+ and accurate? My .300blk pistol works exactly for that purpose.
 
Friend of mine was a USMC truck driver in the first marine unit sent in. He traded 3 or 4 cartons of cigarettes to a Arvn MP for a m1 carbine. He cut the stock down and kept it in his truck the whole time he was there, his m14 was too big to maneuver in the cab. Kept that stashed behind the seat.
 
They were (and are) cool for their day, once affordable American made carbines with milspec surplus ammo readily available. All that's gone now, and we're left with $1500-up collectibles and shoddy (and expensive) clones.
I bought mine last month for $300... excellent condition, but stock and metal were refinished... came with 9 mags.
Ya gotta keep yer ear to th' ground. Only took me 15 years to find an affordable one.
 
Grandfather carried one in Vietnam, he hated it.

I've always wanted to pick one up just for the heck of it but haven't found a deal that made me jump yet.


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I had a clone and it ran fine. But between the relative expense of the ammo and how loud it was compared to other rifles I had (it was meant to be an HD gun for my then wife but she fired it once and refused to again) it ended up getting sold.
 
If passed on some nice ones that have come through the gunshop because of the stories I've heard. this video was informative, so the next nice one that comes in, at the right price I think I'll take it home. Thanks Amp Mangum
 
25 yrs ago local gunshop had a CASE of IBM carbines that appeared to me to be new. Packed in cosmoline and brown (wax) paper. $150 for 1 in the grease or $300 cleaned up. Of course i did not buy one.
 
I have had 4 through out the years and have loved every one of them. I have never had one hiccup on me they are great rifles period.
 
I have an IBM with a Winchester Stock. I bought it almost 15 years ago. It rearsenaled at some point and was used by the Bavarian Police. There are markings on it establish its history which at one time I verified. IIRC I paid $450. It is in excellent condition for its age. It shoots well with USGI or even the Korean Mags. I don't shoot it very often anymore because of the cost of ammo but they are fun plinkers. I think there are better modern choices for home defense but I not letting mine go.
 
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I have an IBM with a Winchester Stock. I bought it almost 15 years ago. It rearsenaled at some point and was used by the Bavarian Police. There are markings on it establish its history which at one time I verified. IIRC I paid $450. It is in excellent condition for its age. It shoots well with USGI or even the Korean Mags. I don't shoot it very often anymore because of the cost of ammo but they are fun plinkers. I think there are better modern choices for home defense but I not letting mine go.

Academy Sports has 'Monarch' brand M1 Carbine ammo at reasonable prices. It's made by PPU and pretty good stuff. It goes on sale frequently for around $17 a box. Excellent brass also.

https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/monarch®-30-carbine-sp-110-grain-ammunition?storeId=10151&catalogId=10051&storeId=10151&catalogId=10051
 
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My ibm was bubbafied with a bad thread job and cannot be restored.

That being said it is a fine candidate to become an sbr with proper threads someday if I don't sell it first.
 
Interesting video! I recall hearing stories of Korean war vets complaining of it not knocking down attaching Chinese through their frozen quilted tunics....

I imagine they were actually missing altogether or the enemy was so hypothermic that they didn't register the hit. The uniforms didn't stop anything, including the cold.

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My CMP carbine
 
I have had several, do not have one presently. Ken brought up the reliability and pointed out that the issue then was not as great as it seems today. I think in some ways we have become spoiled. I was brought up on 1911s. A half century ago pistols did not perform the way guns do today. Malfunctions were to be figured out and worked around. Honestly, on the range today, if I see a malfunction, a mechanical malfunction, I am stunned.
 
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I have had several, do not have one presently. Ken brought up the reliability and pointed out that the issue then was not as great as it seems today. I think in some ways we have become spoiled. I was brought up on 1911s. A half century ago pistols did not perform the way guns do today. Malfunctions were to be figured out and worked around. Honestly, on the range today, if I see a malfunction, a mechanical malfunction, I am stunned.

More often then not when I see a malfunction at the range these days I think operator error unless its a first generation Sig Sauer. LOL ;)
 
Keep in mind that, despite Mr Hackathorn's many accolades as an instructor and firearms "ex-spurt", he has yet to step onto the 2-way range and play for keeps. In my opinion, that places him on the same level as a college professor. One who is to be respected, yet not taken as THE definitive answer.
 
What 2 way range do you speak of. He served in Viet Nam, he has been a sheriff's deputy and other LE positions. He has KILLED men. Lawbreakers and military adversaries. What 2 way range do you speak of?
 
I stand corrected then. Looked him up this morning and in all of his writeupss I could find nothing but his training history.
 
I served with two NCOs who carried M2 carbines in Vietnam. One was SF (I'm not and was never in an SF unit), the other an adviser to RVN rangers. They both said that the M2 was the best weapon for that environment, better than the M16 or anything else they could have chosen including Thompsons, shotguns, M3s, etc. They were excellent NCOs and no BSrs, so I take their word on the subject.

It seems that a well maintained Carbine, except in extreme cold weather, is an effective and reliable arm out to 200 yards. In most geographic regions except abnormal ones such as Afghanistan or Southern Africa terrain features or man made structures limit shots to that distance anyway.
 
I served with two NCOs who carried M2 carbines in Vietnam. One was SF (I'm not and was never in an SF unit), the other an adviser to RVN rangers. They both said that the M2 was the best weapon for that environment, better than the M16 or anything else they could have chosen including Thompsons, shotguns, M3s, etc. They were excellent NCOs and no BSrs, so I take their word on the subject.

It seems that a well maintained Carbine, except in extreme cold weather, is an effective and reliable arm out to 200 yards. In most geographic regions except abnormal ones such as Afghanistan or Southern Africa terrain features or man made structures limit shots to that distance anyway.
My uncle carried an M2 on both trips to Vietnam, 63/64 as an advisor to an RVN infantry battalion, and 67/68 with the 23rd ID. Only weapon he ever said he liked better was a Winchester M12 on occasion.
 
What 2 way range do you speak of. He served in Viet Nam, he has been a sheriff's deputy and other LE positions. He has KILLED men. Lawbreakers and military adversaries. What 2 way range do you speak of?

Interesting...maybe I do not stand corrected...seems the SOC guys called him out years ago. A tour in the Ohio(WV?) NG, with no deployment, may be the limits of his military service. Dunno about his LEO history.
http://www.socnet.com/archive/index.php/t-61722.html
 
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Darkrain, that started the above link you gave was found at the end to be a liar and a poser. Did you even read the full link you gave. Please, read the Entire link.
 
I did read all the way down. All the way to xusmico's post of 28May18...where the DD214 is still in question. Not disputing that he served, just appears quite evident he never left CONUS, and his qualification status is questionable at best.
 
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What 2 way range do you speak of. He served in Viet Nam, he has been a sheriff's deputy and other LE positions. He has KILLED men. Lawbreakers and military adversaries. What 2 way range do you speak of?

I’m gonna need a little more than that :p (sarcasm)

Hell, one of the highest paid trainers out there was a Coastie
 
And at this point I will be out of this discussion. I consider myself to be a friend of Ken's and so I probably cannot conduct myself in a proper fashion. Since he is my friend, I hate to see bad things about him. If it is any consolation, I would do the same for you if we were on those terms.
 
Understood. My point wasn't to discredit his abilities, the man is probably better with a handgun than any here on this board can ever hope to be. We all could learn from him. However, his military history differs widely depending on the source. He's renowned as an instructor,that I won't argue. However, most building inspectors I know are contractors who couldn't make it on their own

Appreciate your respect for your friend regardless. Not much of that in this world any more
 
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Only got a few stories out of my grandad who was a marine sergeant in the pacific. He opened up to my wife one Christmas and we were able to talk some about the war. He was not a fan of the carbine he was issued. He said he much preferred the Garand and his 45 for stopping power. Went into some detail at that point but could see my wife was not a fan of talking about shooting japs point blank and the damage from different calibers.

This is the same man that made me move my Honda Accord off his driveway in the early nineties when I stopped by for a visit. Said, you can drive any damn car you want to but you can’t park that one at my house. We had a great relationship and ultimately he gave me the Colt 45 he brought back with him.
 
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