M1 Carbine Black Gun

Some military guns reach a legendary status with enthusiasts that attempting to alter or improve these legends is frowned on in most circles. The United States Carbine, Caliber .30, M1 certainly falls into this category, and merely asking the question of possible upgrades to the original can unleash a torrent of admonition, typically coupled with a lengthy history lesson about why this is a heretical line of thought.

On that note, let me be clear that any gun projects I take on first start with a decision if I should do anything to the gun that I cannot reverse. The subject of this article is a 30 M1 Carbine manufactured in 1978 by Iver Johnson. Since it is a reproduction of the iconic WWII namesake the project (I think) is much less contentious. Nonetheless, I decided to make my "prime directive" that I would make no alterations that could not be completely undone, leaving the gun easily put back to 100% original condition.

The Carbine Collectors Club (M1CarbinesInc.com) has an excellent website that details the history of the M1 Carbine, including postwar variations like my Iver Johnson. This site describes the convoluted path that led to the Iver Johnson company marking on a Plainfield Machine Company M1 variant. In addition to the standard carbine, a Paratrooper model and machine pistol ("Enforcer" variant) were also offered. The motivation for my effort predominately revolved around the stock.

My example is the folding stock designed for paratroopers; This Paratrooper model was manufactured around 1978. wood handgrips front and back and a collapsing wire shoulder stock. It is quite possibly the most uncomfortable rifle to put to shoulder I have come across. Fortunately, the 30 Carbine’s limited recoil is easily absorbed by the action; a stouter round would undoubtedly result in bruises on the cheek and shoulder.

I considered fitting the action to a traditional new-production M1 Carbine stock as modifying an original would violate the prime directive. While this would have been a distinct improvement, I must admit that I am not a huge fan of that stock either as I prefer a longer length of pull. Fortunately, Choate Machine and Tool (RifleStock.com, produces fixed and telescoping composite stocks for the original military M1. Both feature the ability to mount a bipod, which seemed like a good idea.

I also liked the idea of the telescoping stock but noted that Choate is very clear that these stocks will only fit the military model. I decided to take a chance and see if I could make it work. Midway USA (Midway U- SA.com) was out of inventory, so I signed up for their "notify me" service and was pleasantly surprised when I received an email a couple The Choate features an adjustable pull and two waterproof compartments. of weeks later indicating the stock was available.

I quickly ordered it and as usual Midway had it on my doorstep shortly thereafter. The claims that the stock would not fit my model were right. Fortunately, the problem was interference and not basic dimensions. This meant the action should fit with some judicious machining to the stock. The first order of business was to field strip the rifle. To remove the rifle from the stock, first remove the magazine (if present) and open the bolt by pulling the charging handle back to assure the action is empty.

Depress the spring lock on the front band and slide it forward towards the muzzle until it clears the lower stock. Lift the barrel by the muzzle until it can be removed from the recoil plate. Remove the main spring by pulling back on the guide until it is disengaged and then forward and

This rifle was designed for easy field stripping without the need for any specialized tools.. to the right for removal. The trigger housing is held in by a single pin which is removed from left to right. Slide the housing forward to free it from the frame. Pull the operating slide back until the slide stop is aligned with the notch in the receiver, and then pull the handle up and to the right to free the lug from the groove.

Move the slide forward until the rightside lug is aligned with its notch and rotate the slide free from the frame. If desired the bolt can be removed by positioning the operating lug behind the locking lugs and rotating it free. Next, I removed the recoil plate as this would be the first piece requiring fitting. A cursory inspection of the remaining parts indicated that the action, trigger housing, and front band would also require work.

The recoil plate fits into a curved mortise on the top of the stock and includes a small tenon fitting into a rectangular mortise along the bottom edge of the plate. The recoil plate required several small dimensions to be adjusted in the new stock. The groove on the new stock was too narrow, a bit short along the length and the mortise was a bit too shallow. The amount of material removal was minimal, so I opted to handle the fit with a handheld rotary tool.

Painter’s tape applied to the stock allowed for a careful marking of the material to be removed, starting with the width, then toggling between the depth and the mortise. The Choate stock proved amenable to milling; the material was solid with no signs of porosity or spring-back with a smooth finish. Only a bit of file deburring was required for the edges and the recoil plate was mated. With the recoil plate fitted I checked the fit of the action.

The left side of the receiver required more space, but it was difficult to gauge the required dimensions since the stock is asymmetric. A common centerline for each stock was needed to accurately transfer dimensions. Fortunately, the recoil plate screw is on center as is the midpoint of the front-band spring-lock. Oak "gauge blocks" were made that referenced these features on each stock. The gauge blocks must be the same width and secured to the stocks along the centerline of the barrel.

This permits direct measurements of the gap between the gauge and the stock. The actual gauge width does not matter (within reason) since the amount of material to be removed is the difference between the two stock measurements. I opted to use calipers, but a good measuring ruler would have worked fine. I found it useful to only work on one section at a time and to have the stocks next to each other to avoid transferring measurements to the wrong location.

To prepare the Choate stock for machining, the buttstock was removed by unscrewing the spanner nut behind the pistol grip. The threaded portion of the stock is metal, including the two flats above the pistol grip. This makes an ideal place to clamp this end of the stock in the milling machine using padded fixtures. I fashioned an oak block to provide the right spacing for the forearm incorporating a screw to secure it to the milling

machine table and an offset nut to accommodate a hold-down clamp. The stock required relieving 0.080" along the left side of the receiver. The left side of the magazine needed an additional 0.060" removed after re-fixturing to the table. The trigger housing required both sides to be opened by a total of 0.120" and the trigger guard required removing and straightening the front of pistol grip.

Working with the receiver first assured that the centerlines could be maintained when fitting the magazine and trigger housing. There was very little cleanup required after the machining as Choate’s composite material machines very nicely. The front band was a snug fit on the Choate stock, resulting in the front band screw not quite engaging. I considered machining the stock back but decided instead to fit anew screw as the band would open to accommodate the stock. The band spring functioned as designed.

With the action fitted I ordered a Champion stud-mount adjustable bipod with 6-9" legs from Midway. After a quick check I confirmed the location indicated on the stock was correct and bored the appropriate hole for the included stud. The bipod was easily secured and fits the Choate stock perfectly. To complete the "black gun" theme I considered a dot-type sight with an elevated mount to allow the iron sights to be used with the optic mounted.

The M1 Carbine has low iron sights, ruling out many of the options as the housing blocks the view. I bought a Sig Sauer ROMEO-MSR Compact Green Dot Sight from Midway based on its extremely low profile to see what could be done. The Sig Sauer dot-sight is quite solid and the controls are easy to operate despite the small size. The packaging is very nice and the sight comes with all the tools neatly compartmentalized.

It was going to be a challenge to fit it to the gun as the sight basically needed to sit on top of the receiver to work. I tried a few things short of machining the receiver (recalling the prime directive) but nothing has worked out to this point. I decided to leave the optical sight challenge for another day. A trip to the range proved that the Choate stock was a winner. The gun is much easier to shoulder standing and sitting (I’m getting a bit too stiff to try it prone).

With a longer pull and full stock the sight picture comes naturally and the factory sights have a great field of view at 100 yards. The bipod is nice for bench shooting and much faster to set up than other rests. An M1 Carbine always stands out at the range, but this 30 M1 with a "black gun look " brings both old and young shooters over for a closer look. AG