I'm getting more and more field info on the M1 Carbine and .30 Carbine cartridge's effectiveness in actual battle. Every anecdotal comment that comes over the transom confirms that the .30 Carbine was a solid manstopper, and the people who've actually used the little carbine all seem to wax poetic about the gun.
Apparently the only people who had any qualms about the .30 Carbine's effectiveness as a manstopper were gunwriters. Nudge, nudge; wink wink...say no more!
I'm starting to think this is an episode of SHOOTING GALLERY for Season 4...The Resurrection of the M1 Carbine.
BTW, if you're dying for a companion handgun for the little M1 Carbine you just ordered based on my recommendation, not to worry — you've still actually got a selection to choose from. If you fish around, you can still find the Ruger Blackhawks chambered in .30 Carbine for chump change, in the $300 range for like-new guns. Here's an example from gunsamerica.com. I may get one of these myself for those kinds of prices! Old Model Blackhawks will set you back a few bucks more.
The Taurus "Raging Thirty" DA revolver is still cataloged; I have one of the big Tauruses in .357 (sort of a "Raging Wuss," I guess), which is Big Fun to shoot since it weighs enough to soak up anything the .357 can throw at it. Make sure you keep the Taurus locking thingie behind the hammer cranked down TIGHT! If it backs out even slightly, the gun won't go bang on command.
There also a few of the old AMT Automag IIIs in .30 Carbine for sale, if you're looking for something to tinker with. Here's a hint: hard-chrome the frame, "shake-&-bake" the slide...then there's a miniscule chance the thing will run for an entire magazine! The old AMT stainless steel galled like crazy. Some of the ones I've shot were like shooting a gun made out of pumice stone.
If you've got money burning a hole in your pocket and you want a real show-stopper for the next local gun club dinner, check out this US Firearms' absolutely beautiful Single Action Army in .30 Carbine. Yes it cost a bunch ($1275, but I'd pop for elephant ivory grips, too, which will add another six bills), but you're not likely to run into another one! Have Kirkpatrick Leather tool you up a real purty holster for your blaster, then go to the range and annoy everyone with the HUGE MUZZLE BLAST! By golly, that's entertainment!
Not that I have a problem with the "War Baby" or its cartridge, but I believe there are more than gunwriters who have questioned its effectiveness. It has been some years since I read it, but IIRC, S.L.A. Marshall's "Battlefield Analysis of Infantry Weapons" related survey results and anecdotes of failures attributed to the carbine round in the Korean conflict. I recall it also mentioned that confidence in the carbine was not high among many troops due to poor reliability in cold weather and a cartridge that was ineffective against winter-clothed Chinese troops. I don't recall if the work came to conclusions if the anecdotes were valid, but the perception that the round is not particularly effective in battle is not something we can hang solely on gunwriters.
ReplyDeleteFWIW, one friend of my family who was a WWII US Army Sgt. and saw lots of action from France into Germany said that his soldiers would dump their carbines as soon as they could substitute an M1 Rifle. This is admittedly anecdotal and a small sample, but I value the source.
I found a lot of useful data in this post!
ReplyDeleteIt can't work in fact, that is exactly what I believe.
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