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Back in the mid '60's, the NRA made available surplus M1 carbines for around $20 as part of their "Director of Civilian Marksmanship" program, now the CMP.

We got one delivered for about $25.

You'd put in your order, and when they became available you took the chance of getting one that had been dragged across Iwo Jima or one still in cosmoline. We got a new one by Winchester, Manf. date Feb-Nov 1944.

And at age 16 I thought it was the coolest gun in the world because it went bang louder than my .22, and did it real fast with the 30 round banana clip.

No politics intended, but I bought a 1,000 rounds of bulk ammo yesterday, took it to the range and fired about 20 rounds through it. Shoots like a little close-range dream.

Kind'a purty, too, ain't it?

Very nice.

It would be neat to have one that had been dragged accross Iwo Jima too.

Real purty!

Why were all the good gun deals before my time?

That is a beautiful carbine! They are a ball to shoot. I have two, Winchester and Inland. Both from '44. Genuine pieces of history.

Of the ten, (I think), companies that made carbines, only one, (Winchester), was a gun maker! The others made everything from juke boxes to typewriters. Inland Div. of General Motors made more than any other company.

DCM was never an NRA program, it was a US Government program, administered by the US Army.

She sure is pretty!

jimlongley wrote:DCM was never an NRA program, it was a US Government program, administered by the US Army.

Glad you cleared that up for me. It's only been about 50 years.

So, was the NRA involved somehow? Seems like we got it thru the NRA.

When I bought my Springfield, through the DCM around 1960, there was NRA encouragement to participate, and the requirements to purchase were that the purchaser had to be involved in target shooting and be a member of a participating club. Membership in the NRA and particpation in NRA sanctioned matches were qualifiers.

I also remember 1911 45ACPs for either $12.50 or $17.50.

Chas.

I bought a '03-A4 through that same program - circa 1963. The rifle was less than $20 and was shipped via Railway Express. As I recall, it was a Remington with a Star barrel, turned down bolt handle, no open sights but had a Redfield Jr. scope mount on it. It was still in cosmoline and the stock had "feathers" as if it had never been issued.

Do I wish I still had it? "Too soon we grow old, too late we grow smart."

My dad did drag one of those across the sands of Iwo. He was taking cover in a shell crater with his platoon sargent when an enemy soldier tossed a grenade into the crater. My dad tossed his carbine out as he and his sargent jumped out of the crater. The grenade went off, and they both jumped back into the hole. This happened twice more. On the third time, my dad landed on top of his carbine when he jumped out, breaking the stock in half right at the wrist. He raised up and little and swore, and the Japanese guy shot him in the chest.

He later told me that, if he had known you could get shot for cussing, he'd have kept his head down and not worried about the rifle stock.

One of the shames of the DCM selling those guns so cheap was the rampant conversion done to them back then. Ackley had a .357 Magnum conversion, and there was a 5.7mm one around. For a while just about every article in Guns and Ammo was about the latest wildcat and how easy and cheap it was.

I have an original one and wouldn't make changes to it if you paid me, it was my grandpappy's and it has much sentimentality attached. I also took a doe with it a bunch of years ago.

A friend of mine also had one that came home from the war with his father, and he modified it to .357 Magnum and did some other stuff to it and I was very upset with him for doing that to an "original."

I'm with you Jim. Mine will remain "as issued"...just like me!

You guys are talking about the Civilian Marksmanship Program almost like it no longer exists: But it does.

http://www.thecmp.org/index.htm

But, of course, the M1 Carbines are no longer $20 each (try $420 up through $675 depending on quality). However, one remaining cool aspect of it is that you can get them to FedEx your purchased rifle(s) straight to your door without going through an FFL.

Which made me think of this question:

Does anyone know if we Texans can order from there and have the rifles delivered to us here in Texas, or would that be against Texas State Law?

Personally, I'd like to get a M1 Garand from there.

snscott wrote:You guys are talking about the Civilian Marksmanship Program almost like it no longer exists: But it does.

http://www.thecmp.org/index.htm

But, of course, the M1 Carbines are no longer $20 each (try $420 up through $675 depending on quality). However, one remaining cool aspect of it is that you can get them to FedEx your purchased rifle(s) straight to your door without going through an FFL.

Which made me think of this question:

Does anyone know if we Texans can order from there and have the rifles delivered to us here in Texas, or would that be against Texas State Law?

Personally, I'd like to get a M1 Garand from there.

Texas has no problem with it! I've had one Garand and two Carbines delivered. I have another Garand on order. They are swamped with orders right now, so your rifle will take some time. The wait will be well worth it!