Is $599.00 a good price for a M1 carbine?

[Big_Red]

First of, please forgive my ignorance. I am still fairly new to firearms in general and even more so to Mil Surp (WW2) era weapons. I was looking at various gun sites and came across a 1945 M1 .30 carbine for $599. Is this generally a good price for one of those? Unfortunately I do not have any details on the gun other than it had a folding stock. I've been trying to find the site again with no luck. I swear I must be going through early stages of Alzheimer's

 

[Fsorrent]

If you go to the FourSeasons website they have one used for $490. It appears that price is around the ballpark though.

 

[hminsky]

Check out www.odcmp.com , they have surplus rifles at the best prices, and their service is outstanding. You can probably save some $$ although anything with a folding stock (paratrooper model) from them will be sold at an auction for thousands of dollars because those are collectors items. $600 is not a bad price if the rifle is in very good shape. The ones from the CMP range from $420 to $675, depending on how rare and how good condition they are in.

http://www.odcmp.com/rifles/carbine.htm

 

[rscalzo]

Way too many variables to say if the price is good or not. Some of the rarer manufacturers can go for twice that amount. condition means a lot to the bottom line. Unless the folding stock is a true military item, it isn't worth much.

 

[calsdad]

The previous advice to go to the CMP site is good - www.odcmp.com.

There are a lot of variables - manufacturer, condition, etc., $599.00 is not a bad price in general. But depending on the condition you could pick up the same rifle from CMP for less money - as long as they have them.

Check out the forums on the CMP site - there are guys there who live and breathe this stuff and should be able to tell you with a lot more authority how much the rifle is really worth.

To give you an idea of the price range CMP is currently selling Inland (the most prolific WW2 mfr. and therefore the least rare) in a "Rack Grade" for $419.00. I picked up a Winchester "Service Grade" for $695.00 a couple of months ago - but this thing almost looks brand new. The metal had really - really good finish - and the barrel looked like it hadn't even been used.

Find out some more info on the rifle - manufacturer - serial number, etc. - that will help you figure out what it is really worth. I would also say that if you plan on keeping it for a while you will in all likelihood always be able to get your money back out of at some time in the future.

 

[calsdad]

Sorry - I went back and read your post again - if this rifle has a folding stock - and the stock is original - then $599.00 is probably a very good deal.

 

[vellnueve]

If it's a original military stock, BUY IT. The stock alone could be worth two grand. Otherwise, it's value depends on the manufacturer, whether the original parts are on it, etc. These days, $600 retail for a standard carbine is part for the course at most stores. Post the site and I can have a look, or PM it to me. Don't worry, I have too little money to sneak in and grab it ahead of you.

FSorrent, the $490 one at FS is a Universal. Universals are commercial copies and the trashiest of all the M1 carbine commercial copies.