Barrel question m1 carbine

[German_military]

Hello,
I was wondering. Are the ww2 m1 carbines also marked on the barrel, with the year of manufacture?


Thanks!

Frank

[Gene]

Yes, on top of the barrel very close to the front sight

[German_military]

Hello,
Are they always marked? So if theres no marking, the barrel is post-war?

Greetings,
Frank!

[Gene]

Yes

[Ronnie Fry]

I'll bet you'll remember

Gene, Frank
Gene, I'm sure you will recall that some of the Winchester bbls were not dated. In fact, dated Winchester bbls are very early ones. Most Buffalo Arms, and Marlin Bbls are undated. You just don't see these last two guys much, so many think they are post-war or after-market, but they are not.
The mfgrs. used Buffalo Arms and Marlin bbls. as a "substitute standard" as the Wehrmacht would say. If the mfgr ran out of their usual bbls, they would use these two, tho they didn't like the quality.
Good question, Frank, gets us to scratching our collective heads...

r

[Gunbunny]

Hello, looking at the reference "Collecting the M1 Carbine II" by Jesse C. Harrison it seems clear that all are marked as to manufacture but not all are dated. Some like Winchester started with dates and discontinued them and other never had them. Also some dates indicate when the barrel was made and not the gun itself (alot of carbine makers used contracted out parts).

Do you own a carbine? If so what manufacturer is it? I will look up what it is supposed to have if you would like me to.

There are a number of excellent reference books out there on M1 carbines, Garands, .45's, etc. that really go into detail on what's what on the markings on the components. Hope this helps.

[Gene]

I never said they had to be dated, I was referring to their being marked.

[German_military]

Hello,
The barrel of my rock-ola carbine, also has no date at the barrel.

I indeed noticed the confusion among collectors, whether the barrels were always marked with a date, or not.

Greetings,
Frank

[Gunbunny]

Hello,
The barrel of my rock-ola carbine, also has no date at the barrel.

I indeed noticed the confusion among collectors, whether the barrels were always marked with a date, or not.

Greetings,
Frank

According to my reference ROCK-OLA would have a date until 6-43 then it was dispensed with. After that just "ROCK-OLA" with a firing proof "P" a few inches behind that.

Hope this helps.

[jdbwoodsman]

The mfgrs. used Buffalo Arms and Marlin bbls. as a "substitute standard" as the Wehrmacht would say. If the mfgr ran out of their usual bbls, they would use these two, tho they didn't like the quality.

The US Program to make sure the manufacturers of the M1 Carbine never ran out of barrels was called the Government Free Issue Barrel Program whereby a builder could draw from manufacturers that had spares on hand. Some makers like Standard Products never made their own barrels and drew their entire requirement from the GFIBP, while others only used the program to make up for shortfalls.