Question for the experts

Well, I've forgotten more than I knew :-)   

but my guess is that the 2-43 Rock-Ola barrel is a replacement. IBM manufactured their own barrels and didn't actually deliver any carbines until the summer/fall of 1943.

If your carbine has a bayonet lug, that will tell us that it was rebuilt at some point, and presumably got the Rock-Ola barrel at that time.

But enjoy your carbine, regardless! I.B.M. Corp carbines are cool, but I never understood why they had so much trouble marking their serial numbers. Early IBMs tend to have nice and clear number stamping, but the majority that I've seen have sloppy numbers, with the leading numeral 3 frequently appearing to be an 8.

Regards, mb

You're welcome....Be sure to check the carbine website; it has more information (accurate and detailed information!) then you will find anywhere else.

After WWII, carbines were repaired as needed and rebuilt with all the latest design parts. Most arsenals refinished the carbines ("re-parkerized"), which resulted in fairly consistent gray color. It seems a bit odd to me that such an early Rock-Ola barrel was used in the rebuilding process, but the arsenals used what they had..what spare parts were in the supply system, and/or what parts were salvaged from damaged carbines. No one noticed and no one cared if the "correct" parts were used in the rebuilding process. :-)

I'd recommend you keep your carbine "as is," and not spend a lot of money and effort trying to "restore" your carbine to what it looked like when it left the IBM factory in 1944. Rather than being "as manufactured," it's now "as issued" for the Korean War or the Cold War, or possibly even for the Vietnam War. "Restoring" a carbine destroys its individual history. But I also acknowledge that my attitude about not-restoring is not in sync with 99% of carbine collectors. :-)

So enjoy your carbine, regardless of what parts are on it, or what parts you decide to change!

Regards, mb