One of the most famous examples of American weapons was and remains the M1 carbine. It was he who became massively used by the Allies during the Second World War. Many M1 carbines are often confused with the Garand, but it should be noted right away that these are two completely different rifles.
History of creation
Back in the late 30s, among American experts there was an opinion that second-line soldiers (artillerymen, tankers and other soldiers and officers who did not take part in infantry battles) needed high-quality weapons. Before that, regular pistols were standard weapons. Alas, the gun in real combat is not very effective because of its low accuracy and short range.
However, using full-fledged rifles would be inconvenient for them because of their length. That is why preference was given to carbines - reliable, easy to use, long-range and at the same time quite compact.
It all started with the creation of a new cartridge. By order of the government, Winchester experts developed a cartridge of 7.62 x 33 mm or, by American standards, .30. The ammunition was quite successful. Some even call it intermediate, although for this he has clearly insufficient muzzle energy.
In 1938, a corresponding carbine was made under this cartridge. Of course, we are talking about the American M1 carbine.
Main characteristics
Outwardly, it is distinguished by elegance, sophistication and even beauty - it looks more like a hunting weapon than a combat one. It is important that the weight of the carbine without cartridges was only 2.36 kilograms - much lighter than the Thompson submachine gun, which was also considered as the main weapon for tankers and artillerymen.
Externally, the M1 carbine and the Garand are similar. "Garand" - the main rifle used by American infantry during the Second World War.
The carbine had much less weight and dimensions. Effectively used in close and medium combat, even in the hands of not the most experienced shooters, confidently hitting targets inaccessible to pistols and submachine guns
The total length was 904 mm. If you measure the folded modification of M1A1, then the length of the model is only 648 millimeters. The initial speed of the bullet was not too high - 600 meters. However, for the average shooter who does not claim to be a sniper, this turned out to be quite enough.
For the supply of cartridges, two types of box magazines were used - for 15 and 30 rounds - the latter appeared in 1944.
To this it is worth adding an extremely simple device that provides low cost and easy assembly.
It is not surprising that the M1 carbine, manufactured for only four years (from 1941 to 1945), became widespread - more than 6 million units were produced. Subsequently, they were used not only by the US Army, but also by soldiers of many other countries - American, European and Asian. We will talk about this a bit later.
Device
Developing a new weapon, the designers were well aware that it would most likely fall into the hands of a completely inexperienced, almost unable to shoot a rookie. Therefore, the main emphasis was on simplicity. At the same time, this allowed not only to increase reliability, but also to reduce cost.
Indeed, the carbine received a gas engine with an amazingly short stroke - only 8 millimeters. When fired, the residual gas pressure threw back the bolt frame, ejecting the sleeve and immediately feeding a new cartridge into the barrel.
The trigger mechanism, like all rifles of that time, was used trigger. The first samples had a conventional button fuse. After pressing it, he simply blocked the sear and the trigger, not allowing him to shoot even if the weapon was accidentally dropped or hit. However, newcomers often confused him with a magazine latch button, especially since they were located nearby. Therefore, subsequently, the button fuse was replaced by a lever.
Almost all parts were manufactured on the most common metal-cutting equipment. The abandonment of special high-precision weapons machines allowed a tremendous reduction in production costs. The US Army paid manufacturers only $ 45 for each carbine! For comparison - the M1 Garand rifle cost $ 85, the simplest Colt pistol - 12, and Thompson's infamous submachine gun - 209.
Subsequently, the device was slightly modified - in 1944 there was a place for the installation of a bayonet-knife. As it turned out, contrary to experts' forecasts, hand-to-hand fights did not recede at all, especially during the cleaning of houses and urban battles. Therefore, a soldier holding a long weapon with a bayonet found himself in a much more advantageous position than his opponent, who was forced to fight with a simple knife. Also, rifle grenade launchers M8 were installed on some carbines.
The largest manufacturers
During the war, the carbine was produced by three large private companies: Winchester, IBM, Rock-Ola. However, in 1945, with the end of World War II, production ceased.
But in the private sector - among ordinary hunters and shooters - there has always been a demand for such light and inexpensive weapons. Yes, and many veterans who returned from the war, with pleasure bought a proven, familiar carbine.
Civil manufacturers
The baton was immediately intercepted by several other companies, not so large: Springfield Armory, Auto-Ordnance and Howa Machinery Company Ltd. In addition, the license was purchased by the Italian company Chiappa Firearms. Some amateurs seriously believe that the same weapon was also produced in the Czech Republic, only under a slightly changed name - a carbine cz 527 m1. In fact, this, of course, is not so. What unites these two completely different carbines is only a small similarity in the marking. Looking at the device and simply comparing the appearance, you can easily verify this.
Where were the weapons used?
Of course, the United States remained the main country where these carbines were used. However, soldiers of other states, both allied and not quite, met him.
For example, under the Lend-Lease program, about 25 thousand carbines were delivered to the UK. Also, nearly 100,000 were brought to France to support local resistance forces.
Quite a lot of captured weapons fell into the hands of soldiers of the Third Reich, where they continued to use them under the name Selbstladekarabiner 455. By the way, subsequently, when the Bundeswehr was created, the United States delivered more than 34 thousand rifles to the Federal Republic of Germany. Semi-automatic M1 was called G54, and automatic M2 was assigned G55.
Weapons were also delivered to other countries. For example, China received about 300 units during the Second World War, and then almost another 116 thousand - from 1951 to 1968, when the carbine was withdrawn from service in the United States. Japan received a certain amount in the postwar years.
Norway has become a major user. The military assistance provided in the post-war years included the transfer of almost 100 thousand carbines M1 and M2.
Finally, about a thousand units were purchased by Panama, where they were in service until 1989.
Such a scatter of weapons around the world provided him with a certain fame. And these carbines were used in a variety of conflicts - from the Second World War to the wars in Korea, Vietnam and Malaya.
Key Benefits
Why did the carbine M1 carbine get such fame? If only because he really possessed some important advantages, highly valued, especially during the war years.
As mentioned above, the US government was pleased with the surprisingly low cost. Well, ordinary soldiers liked the fact that the weapons turned out to be very simple. On the one hand, this provided high reliability - the carbine did not stop working due to a grain of sand accidentally caught in the mechanism. On the other hand, all the same simplicity greatly facilitated the process of familiarization with weapons.
A major plus was the high rate of fire. This turned out to be useful during battles over long distances and especially in narrow corridors and rooms.
The small size made it possible to easily transport it in tanks and trucks - he did not cling to anything, which allowed him to quickly jump out of the cabin to join the battle.
The weak cartridge provided surprisingly soft recoil and, accordingly, high accuracy. True, mostly at short range. However, tankers and gunners rarely have to fire at great distances - this is not their specificity at all.
But most of all, the soldiers liked the weight of the new weapon. The carabiner itself weighed 2.4 kg, and with a magazine for 15 rounds - 2.6 kg. For comparison - the modern hunting carbine "Saiga" M 7 62x39 isp M1 without cartridges weighs 3.6 kilograms, tested PPSh without a magazine - 3.5 kilograms, and the well-known German MP-38 with cartridges - almost 5 kilograms! But a soldier must carry weapons everywhere and always. So low weight was a very pleasant surprise.
In addition, the M1 carbine on the Garand rifle was very similar - there was no need to retrain the fighters who switched from one weapon to another.
Shortcomings
One of the main disadvantages of the carbine was the unsuccessful cartridge. Quite weak, he did not allow targeted fire at a distance of more than 250 meters. Yes, in most cases this was not critical, but still, for a full carbine, this is a very small battle range.
Also, at low temperatures, as it turned out during the fighting, even the simplest available automation often failed.
Major modifications
In total, during the war years to this day, about a dozen modifications were developed. Let's talk about the most interesting of them.
For example, the M1A1 was designed specifically for landing units and was equipped not with wooden but with a folding butt - metal. In total, about 150 thousand of such units were produced.
M1A2 received modified sights, but the series did not go. The same fate befell M1A3, which received a modified folding butt.
But the M2, released in 1944, came in handy. Unlike the original carbine, it had the ability to fire automatically. Due to the increased rate of fire, a new store for 30 rounds was hastily designed and released. Very on time - the battles for German cities were brewing, and the automatic fire mode was extremely important when capturing and cleaning the premises. The carabiner also showed a very good rate of fire - up to 750 rounds per minute.
A rather interesting solution is the M3 carbine. It differed from M2 by the presence of mounts, allowing the installation of an infrared sight, as well as a removable arrester. In total, approximately 3 thousand units were released. Of course, the use of a carbine as a sniper weapon is a rather controversial decision, but opinions differ widely here.
Civil Modifications
M1 Enforcer - the first civilian modification. Experts removed the butt, and also significantly shortened the barrel, creating something incomprehensible, but rather funny.
The private company LSI Citadel has contributed by releasing two new modifications: the Citadel M1 Carbine Ciadel M1-22. The first was intended for use with a 9 x 19 cartridge , essentially turning into a submachine gun. And for the second, a very common .22LR cartridge was used.
Conclusion
Our article is drawing to a close. In it, we tried to talk about the M1 carbine, the history of its creation, advantages and disadvantages. And at the same time, you learned about the most interesting modifications of this widely known weapon.