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Featured Carbine Inland 210424

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hunterman View Drop Down
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    Posted: Nov 18 2017 at 6:01pm

November 2017-D

Featured Carbine

Inland 210424





The most prolific maker of M1 carbines was Inland Division of General Motors. The first production block assigned to Inland spanned almost a million serial numbers, from 11 to 999,999. In Carbine Club Newsletter 346, Chris Albright provides details on Inland’s first block carbines and the various changes in production and markings that were implemented during the approximate year and a half of production. Inland 210424, barrel dated 2-43, gives us a look at a carbine completed at about half way through the time period of the production block. A mix with some recognizably earlier features or components reflects the overlapping transition from old to new.






The receiver is Configuration 3, with its Type 1 trigger housing lug, distinguishing two notches, round mill cut, and no hole in the operating spring housing. The serial number is the large (5/32”) size.










Finish on the receiver appears two-tone as a result of roughening the metal above the wood line to reduce glare. 




The carbine has a flip rear sight marked with S~ on the left side and chisel stake marks on the right side.






The front receiver ring has a “dot” before the “30 M1”. The CCNL 346, dated March 1, 2008, reported intermittent use of the dot up to serial number 205,355, which slightly predates this carbine. 






The buttplate has the coarse diagonal pattern, found occasionally on early Inland but used sporadically throughout production into 1944. These are presumed to have been made by G. & G. Manufacturing. With the buttplate removed, the only marks on the wood are those of the diagonal pattern. I was surprised to see the buttplate was originally blued, as evidenced when viewed from the bottom. According to the CCNL 346, some first production block Inland buttplates were blued and others parkerized.


 


The flat bolt is marked “A I” on the left lug and contains a Type 1 firing pin marked “WI.”

The extractor is a Type 2, stamped W-I, and is considered transitional from Type 1 with the V cut to the flat Type 3.

 Type 1 extractors were found to occasionally pop from the bolt leaving the user with an inoperable weapon. This condition was alleviated by the Type 2 modification. According to CCNL 226-5, Type 2 extractors were not manufactured as such but were actually modified from Type 1 extractors. Here are photos of a Type 1 extractor (on the left) and the Type 2 extractor from the Inland 210424 (on the right). Notice the larger cut out area in the Type 2. 


The operating slide is the E169 design with the partial curve on the rear of the box. The operating spring guide is pointed.

The trigger housing is a mixture of very early and later parts. It has the rear bevel only. It is equipped with a Type 1 trigger housing retaining pin, “R I” sear with no hole, “R.I.” trigger, unmarked Type 2 safety, and Type 3 “W-I” magazine catch.  


In the overhead view, note the hieroglyph in the bottom of the trigger housing.  Hieroglyphs in this location are frequently seen in early Inland trigger housings. 







The Type 1 Hemphill hammer is marked with H in a shield and a flaming bomb. According to CC NL 346-20, records show the highest serial number for this hammer as 4958x. The finish on this trigger housing and the corresponding wear, or lack of, on all components indicates to me this Type 1 Hemphill hammer, although typically found earlier, is original to this carbine. The unexpected H in a shield hammer is due to the part being 'first in last out'.






The carbine has a C-tip khaki sling with a rounded buckle. The opening around the oiler is too tight to remove the sling without possibly damaging the C-tips; so, I was unable to determine the oiler marking.





The stock is an I-cut high wood with Inland cartouche on the right and “OI” and single- flame flaming bomb in the sling cut. The handguard is a Type 1 with “OI”.



Only Type 1 band marks are on the stock nose.



The barrel band is an unmarked Type 1 with 3 weld scars and a “UI” swivel with wide opening.



And on the butt of the stock, behind the I-cut, are the initials “LT. A. M. ZAK”.



A quick Google of this uncommon name told me that A. M. Zak was mentioned in a book entitled Can Do!: The Story of the Seabees, by William Bradford Huie. I didn’t hesitate to invest $15.95 + shipping for the paperback version. Lieutenant A. M. Zak is mentioned in several places in the chapter about the landing at Salerno, where he was in charge of a causeway platoon. The text says, in Lieutenant Zak’s words:

“We started our run for the beach at 0655 and were proceeding in good speed when German 88’s began to fly all around us. Ten men were on the causeway to handle the deck lines. An 88 shell burst on the causeway and caught three of the men. A second shell got three more. The 88’s followed us all the way in but didn’t hit us again. …Machine gun bullets were bouncing all around us. There was absolutely no protection for the men on the causeway except to lie flat on the deck. We finally beached in six feet of water about 30 feet from shore. With the aid of an abandoned bulldozer on the beach we were able to maneuver the causeway almost parallel to the beach, yet near enough to the LST so that its ramp rested on the causeway. A couple of hours later we had completed the unloading of our equipment.”




A little research turned up that Alexander Mikolaj Zak was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1902. According to his citizenship papers, Poland was under Russian control at that time. He emigrated to the United States at the age of 4 and became a United States citizen in 1925.


That same year, he earned a degree in Civil Engineering from Northeastern University in Boston. Graduating senior, Alexander Mikolaj Zak, was acknowledged in the School of Engineering 1925 yearbook, The Cauldron.





Zak was a member of Naval Construction Battalion Detachment 1006. A history of the CBD 1006 is found on the Naval History and Heritage Command website. Here are some pages from that history.







I tracked down and contacted the granddaughter of Lt. Zak, and told her I felt sure I have her grandfather’s M1 carbine. When she saw the writing on the gun stock she remarked her grandfather always wrote in caps. At the time I thought she meant in his caps and hats. Later, it dawned on me she meant in all capital letters, which is a habit typical of engineers. She offered the following information about her grandfather.


“If you enjoy attaching history to your weapon collection, a few details about Alexander Mikolaj Zak (commonly called Walter, but "Mike" by his military peers): He immigrated to the US through Ellis Island from an area of Poland occupied by Russia. He came with his mother and little sister and joined their father in the north shore of Boston. His mother died when he was young and he had a tough childhood. He went to Boston Latin and later to graduate from Northeastern University with a Civil Engineering degree, where he excelled in wrestling and track. He was married and had one daughter (my mother). He volunteered to serve his country and was too old for most divisions, but the Seabees needed engineers and he went. He left my mom and grandmother in Franklin, NH to await his return. He was critically injured (head) in some type of jeep accident or explosion and my Gram received a telegram letting her know, but had to wait weeks for an update. We have stories of the day he returned on the train, and pictures. He received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star and other commendations. He loved his wife, daughter and five grandchildren and had a twinkle in his eye and generous heart. He loved his country too. He died instantly of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1968. We don't know if it was a side effect of his war injury or not, he never complained, and always considered it an honor to serve.“


The granddaughter also shared that Lieutenant A. M. Zak was buried in his military uniform.

At the time of his enlistment, "Walt" Zak was working on the Franklin Falls Flood Control Dam on a river that is a major branch of the Merrimack in New Hampshire. The dam was completed and officially dedicated in October 1943. At the time, Lt. Zak was involved in the Italian Campaign. This marker, located at Franklin Falls Dam, acknowledges his contribution in building the dam. I think the way others viewed him tells us something about this Citizen Soldier.




-Glen Collier



 

 


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OAMAAM68 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote OAMAAM68 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 25 2017 at 7:39am
Glen, Outstanding article and a great tribute to Lt. Zak and his service. Collectors often remark, "if only this carbine could talk." Your research has done that for 210424 and the man who carried it in the war and brought it back home. I'm sure his descendants are most grateful for your research, too.
Bravo Zulu!

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote arthur Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 25 2017 at 9:34am
Hunterman, your carbine description and research skills are super.
                    Ron
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote m1a1fan Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 25 2017 at 9:40am
Glen, great article and fantastic research! This FC shows that when acquiring a carbine, it never hurts to ask where it came from. If an answer is received or not, there are many ways to research like a simple web search, reaching out to family members, ancestry.com and even requesting military records.

What a treat it would be for family members to receive an article like this one about their family member.

History captured, congrats Glen!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BEBIII Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 25 2017 at 11:02am
WOW!!!  I really enjoyed that. Great description of Inland 210424 and a wonderful story...excellent research. I know where the Franklin Falls Dam is...next time I'm in the area, I'll stop and find the plaque.
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Doug Bathurst Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 25 2017 at 11:06am
I love this post! Very informative. Thanks for posting
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote W5USMC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 25 2017 at 1:23pm
Have to agree with everyone else, great article and awesome research. Thanks for posting, really enjoyed it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jonjeep Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 25 2017 at 1:48pm
Great research! Wonderful post! This is what it's all about! Thank you!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote sfal7418 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 25 2017 at 3:20pm
Great read.....Thanks for the info
al
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote NewScotlander Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 26 2017 at 6:57pm
Interesting article.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote gunboat Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 27 2017 at 8:02pm
Thanks for the work and for sharing it with the club members.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote usmcdoc67 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Nov 28 2017 at 9:22am
Glen,
Wonderful article & OUTSTANDIND Inland. Wish more collectors would take the time, including myself, to research guns in their collections.
Glenn
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GotSnlB28 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Dec 02 2017 at 10:58am
Great article and research! Hope to run across a gem like this some day so that I can do the same.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote A Seabee Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan 17 2018 at 8:12am
Fantastic write up on an amazing rifle, man, and organization. Thank you, Glen!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote James K Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb 25 2018 at 3:00pm
In responce to Hunterman mail, yes I have read #210424 and gone over it a few more times. Excellent documentation and information. My Inland is #968613 and very similar to your manufacters parts data. I see where my Inland has a "Circle P" on bottom of pistol grip so has went through rebuild at some point. Bolt is marked .u.  Has type 111 hammer marked "TH".  The slide in the gas piston well is marked P1 and on bottom of slide is a large "U" mark. The trigger housing sides has the distinct curved cut and has the Inland stamp. Magazine rear wall grooved and wide wall. On rear of lug at back of trigger housing is square and not angled cut. Why data says angled and why square, I wonder why. It is not a M2 and is not a casting, Milled!  Hammer spring is Type 11 with 26 1/2 coil. 
     Being new, I had trouble figuring out how to read privite mail. Still don't get it really. Above info should be of interest to others.  James K.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hunterman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb 26 2018 at 9:58am
The circle P on the heel of the pistol grip is a standard Inland stamp and not indicative of a re-build.  Original S'G' stocks are similarly marked.
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote New2brass Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb 26 2018 at 4:19pm
I think the Circle P can also be a rebuild, there is a differance in font used. The P proof was only used up to a certain point when it was dropped.

You really cannot compare the 2 because there were some odd 750k between them and alot changed in that time.

A good example is the trigger housing.
They went from rear bevel to dropping the bevel to save an operation.

Over time the inland logo went from horizontal to vertical orientation.

Does your carbine have a adjustable sight, flip safety and bayo lug?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Car Wash Chris Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb 26 2018 at 9:33pm
Excellent post !! Thanks What a great example . Chris
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote James K Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb 26 2018 at 11:23pm
responce to New2brass: Flip peep sight, plain smooth push safety, no bayonet lug and triggerhousing "Inland" logo is vertical. Barrel is 9-43  a double "P" mark just forward of stock, close together but staggared in a line. A third "P" mark about a 1 1/4 forward of the gas piston housing. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote New2brass Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Feb 27 2018 at 8:03pm
Finally got time to check notes. The circle P on bottom of grip has been observed till the end of second serial block.
 
Early Winchester, Early Underwoods and IPs also had used the circle P
 
@james, sounds like an interesting carbine. Maybe start a thread in "Carbines of collectors" section with pics. Wee love pictures!
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