Standard Products M1 Carbine w/Underwood Barrel

Here is the Standard Products M1 Carbine that my father recently gifted me. Rather than post a bunch of pics, I thought I would just shoot a quick video. Hopefully, I captured enough of it to satisfy everyone’s curiosity.

I find a few things odd, such as the minimal amount of markings on the stock, and the fact that it has the adj rear sight, but does not have the bayonet lug/barrel band. Hopefully, some of you can elaborate. It is a shooter, and is reliable.

Let me know what you all think!

Sarge

https://youtu.be/4Mg5Z3ZVDpQ

One thing I noticed about the rear sight, is it is the Type 3 stamped base sight, and it has been staked on the forward right side of the dovetail.



Sarge

Thanks for the info!

So, NPM stock group does not correspond to a STD.PRO. receiver?

The serial number starts with 214.

I looked at the bolt lug under a magnifier again, and indeed it looks like two center punches, right next to each other.

The hammer does in fact have a “SW” stamp.


And, the slide has an “85” stamped on the underside. I had written that down, but missed it in the video.


Sarge

Charlie,

So, the Trimble Nursery & Furniture Co. stocks correspond to NPM carbines, and my Standard Products should have either a Hillerich & Bradsby Co. or Jamestown Lounge Co. stock group (marked S-HB or SJ) to be more correct?

A few questions:

If the original stock to this carbine developed cracks in an area that would have deemed it unserviceable per the TM, what stocks were available to armorers for replacement? I just wonder how they were cataloged in the Army (or any service) supply system? Another words, did each maker/type of stock have its own peculiar part number/NSN, or was there a common NSN that cross-referenced to numerous part numbers, meaning you order a replacement stock from supply using a common NSN, and you may receive a stock from any number of makers? I was an Air Force supply/logistics guru...is it showing? Lol!

I believe the magazines I thought were 15 rounds are actually 10 round mags; they are marked M.N. and U. The 30 round M2 magazine is marked A.I. I inserted the 30 round mag into the receiver, and when I tried to charge the weapon, the bolt hangs up on the back edge of the dummy round portion of the follower (it’s actually raised) after its retracted and going back forward; is this by design (something peculiar to the M2)?

Sarge

I did peruse the stock group pages, but the only thing I found of interest was this excerpt; “As the war progressed, shortages in Walnut led to the approval of Black Cherry as an alternative to Walnut or Birch. Jamestown Lounge Company of Jamestown, NY, is known to have manufactured stocks using Black Cherry. Standard Products used a limited number of these stocks but discontinued their use as they considered them a poor substitute.”

Maybe the carbine I have had one of these inferior Black Cherry stocks from Jamestown Lounge, as they were a sub contractor/stock provider for Standard Prod, and it was changed out at some point for a walnut stock (such as the Trimble on it now). It’s plausible, I suppose.

Sarge

Sarge, when a carbine passed inspection at factory and accepted by the govenment is when the crossed cannons and in this case the inspector i initials.

This means your stock was on a NPM carbine that left the NPM factory.

Every factory had a chief inspector and the stamp was different at every factory.
If the stock was replaced in the field   it would not have the crossed cannons of a factory.

Every carbine part was completely interchangeable between manufacturers.
Any stock could have came out of the SP factory due to transfers of parts.
It would however have the SP chief inspectors crossed cannons.

Somewhere along the line the stock group got switched out.