Collectable M-1 Carbine/Fulton-Armory Restoration?

What kind of restoration?  On Fulton's website I see three levels of gunsmithing offered by Fulton's armorers.

You can send a carbine in for a Comprehensive Technical Inspection for $120.  For me that would entail buying their shipping box for $50, which includes their cost of shipping the empty box to me.  And then, I think, me paying my local FFL (who owns a gun store) his FFL handling fee of $30 to ship to Fulton, and then again $30 to receive it back, so $60.  And Fulton must have a shipping fee to ship the rifle to me once their work is complete - I'll guess $30.  Probably $140 transportation costs, plus initial inspection fee, equals $260 before any possibly needed repair work.  How many 3-44 inland Division carbines are not going to need some repair work?

The below is pasted in verbatim from Fulton's website.

"Comprehensive Technical Inspection ($120)
Begin your journey with our Comprehensive Technical Inspection. This essential service includes a thorough teardown and evaluation of your rifle from top to bottom. Our experienced armorers will perform critical gauging requirements, check for function, troubleshooting, safety, and overall serviceability. After the inspection, we’ll call you to discuss our findings, any immediate concerns and create a custom build/repair plan. The $120 fee encompasses all inspection services and administrative costs. Payment for repairs and gunsmithing work is not required until the service has been agreed upon and successfully completed. Take a look at the timeline at the bottom of the page to see the complete cycle process from start to finish.

From there, we’ll present you with options tailored to your needs, such as: 

• Refinishing Metal Parts (Parkerizing)
• Rebarreling
• New Stock and Handguard Installation
• Trigger Work
• Replace/Upgrade Parts
• National Match Conditioning
• Custom Modifications and Repairs

This approach allows you to pick and choose the services that align with your goals, ensuring you receive exactly what you want without unnecessary extras. Our armorer will provide you with a detailed quote over the phone, so you’ll know exactly what to expect in terms of services and pricing. 

Concierge Shipping Options

You can order a shipping container directly from this website. This provides you a well-protected box designed specifically for these services. Alternatively, if you already have an appropriate shipping container (please avoid hard cases), you can send your rifle along with the attached form for inspection. We will conduct the Technical Inspection automatically when your rifle reaches the front of the queue, ensuring a streamlined process for your convenience. The shipping container includes instructions and everything required to ship your rifle for the exception of the label.

Restoration Packages 

For those looking for a more comprehensive overhaul, our Total Refresh Package (starting at $600) and Comprehensive Inspection and Restoration Package (starting at $1,225.00) are excellent options. These packages cover everything from technical inspections to refinishing, ensuring your rifle looks and functions like new. Each package is customizable, allowing you to add or remove services based on your preferences."

I haven't spoken with anyone at Fulton yet to flesh out either of these Restoration Packages.  For someone wanting a reliable and safe shooting M-1 Carbine then spending money to reduce the likelihood of their rifle blowing up in their face, and, hopefully...not experiencing FTF's, seems wise.

But...what would doing any of the three offered levels, from just inspecting and then calibrating (with maybe some part replacements) to giving Fulton full rein to restore, do to the collectibility value of my hypothetically valuable M-1?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.  Right now after an abbreviated range session my carbine's reliability is dog squeeze.  It jammed with two magazines after 1-3 shots.  So I can either keep it as is, which looks to me like a collectible rifle, and not shoot it, or, I could send it to Fulton (or perhaps a local gunsmith and save all the transportation costs, but what quality compared to the experts at Fulton?) and get back a good shooter.  Repairs/Restoration which might cost as much as the worth of the rifle left as is?

Or, invest with that Nigerian Prince and hope to get back enough money to buy a new Fulton Armory M-1 as a shooter?  I like their M-3 Scout, but whichever version of the 7 available, it would cost pretty much $3,000.

I'm undecided on what to do with the carbine.  Perhaps others will post their thoughts on my OP question about how sending it to Fulton Armory, if it is somewhat valuable to collectors, would impact its value.

I also have a local gunsmith I might pursue.

Right you are! Link removed.

So basically we need to see more pics of Finface's carbine to actually assess the carbine.

In, if you need help uploading or resizing just let us  know

We could get into the age-old argument about what oil to use in your Harley. Enthusiast can get into vile arguments about scooter oil. If a carbine is sensitive to the weight and type of lubrication….it probably has another problem. Zero or sub-zero temperatures not withstanding.

Floyd,

Are you saying Marvel Mystery Oil is okay for our carbines *grin*.

I didn't think it would matter using the light shredder oil since the action was smooth before and after I applied it.  And as I pondered using it it crossed my mind that the oiler in the stock slot wouldn't have had grease, or probably much more of a heavier oil.

Does anyone know what the viscosity of the oil issued to GI's in WWII and Korean was - approximately?

Thank you for the reply.

Finface wrote: Does anyone know what the viscosity of the oil issued to GI's in WWII and Korean was - approximately?

The light preservative gun oil being issued midwar had cold temperture characteristics similar to today's conventional 5W-20, but thinner at higher temps. 

Special preservative gun oil was even thinner.  

You can find cans and bottles surplus fairly easily.  The standards got updated a couple times so newer era bottles should have better (and fresher) oil in them.  The PL-S identifier remained in use for several decades. The NATO Code Number is O-190.  Newer specs were VV-l_800 followed by MIL-PRF-32033 if you want the latest.

 

That said, I think your just as well off using mil-spec CLP, Rem Oil, or similar off the shelf gun oil with preservative.  Rifle grease (Lubriplate 130) was used when expecting to be operating in the rain. Sandy, dusty conditions called for just the bare minimum of oil coat so as not to attrack and retain grit.