The Quality Hardware M1 Carbine is the collector’s carbine that was truly built by committee. Quality Hardware & Machine Corporation of Chicago, Illinois, a peacetime maker of tools, dies, machinery and stampings, was one of the ten prime contractors chosen to build the U.S. M1 Carbine and delivered roughly 359,666 carbines between early 1943 and the spring of 1944, about 5.9 percent of all wartime carbine production. Quality Hardware built only the standard M1 (no M1A1 paratrooper or M2 versions) and made just one part in-house: the receiver, marked QUALITY H.M.C. Everything else came from subcontractors, so a Quality Hardware carbine typically left the factory with a Rock-Ola barrel (Underwood, Inland, IBM, Buffalo Arms and Winchester barrels also turn up), a Rock-Ola-made stock with the Q-RMC cartouche in the sling well beside Quality’s own version of the Ordnance crossed cannons, and small parts from a who’s-who of wartime suppliers. Collectors also know Quality Hardware receivers for their detachable recoil spring tube, and for the scarce UN-QUALITY receivers that Union Switch & Signal made for the company, fewer than 29,000 in all.
Our First M1 Carbines Since the 1990s
This is the second maker we are releasing from our first batch of M1 Carbines since the mid-1990s, when Centerfire Systems sold the now well-known carbines stamped Bavarian Rural Police. No reason to mention what they sold for back then! The batch was acquired from a private European collection where the carbines had been held for more than 20 years. The Rock-Ola carbines went first, and we will soon be releasing additional M1 Carbines from the same collection made by Underwood, Winchester, National Postal Meter, Standard Products, Saginaw, IBM and Inland. For the collectors wondering, we found no Irwin-Pedersen carbines in this collection.
Every carbine in this listing is an original U.S. military surplus M1 Carbine built on a Quality Hardware manufactured receiver, marked QUALITY H.M.C. with the serial number at the rear of the receiver and U.S. CARBINE CAL. .30 M1 ahead of it. Serial numbers in this lot fall within Quality Hardware’s own 1943 to 1944 production blocks, so these are the standard QUALITY H.M.C. receivers rather than the UN-QUALITY variant. The required import marking is on the underside of the barrel, forward of the bayonet lug and barrel band. Most of these carbines have what we would describe as a “Picatinny finish” appearance, consistent with their age, service history and long-term storage.
Chambered in .30 Carbine, the M1 Carbine uses a short-stroke gas piston and rotating bolt in a package weighing about 5.2 lb with an 18-inch barrel and a 35.6-inch overall length. It feeds from a detachable box magazine (15-round standard, magazine NOT included) and was the lightest shoulder arm issued to U.S. forces in WWII, carried by paratroopers, officers, NCOs, crews and support troops across Europe and the Pacific and again in Korea. Soft recoil and a handy length make it one of the most enjoyable military rifles to shoot today.
What You Are Getting
- One complete, functional Quality Hardware M1 Carbine in Good Surplus Condition, assembled with original USGI parts.
- Expect honest service wear. As with any military surplus firearm of this age, each carbine shows varying degrees of service, handling and long-term storage wear.
- Most have likely passed through an arsenal or military repair program at some point in their service life, where original USGI replacement parts may have been installed, so barrels, bolts, slides, trigger housings, sights, bands and stocks may come from any of the wartime contractors and stocks may not carry the Q-RMC cartouche.
- Each stock shows its years of service, so expect dings, dents and handling marks. Some stocks will also have small repairs or light sanding on one side. No two are alike: one stock may show only one of these, while another may show all of them.
- Stocks will also have chips, gouges or minor cracks, and some show an old repair to a crack or other damage. This kind of wear is normal for WWII-era military stocks and is part of each carbine's service history.
- No hand selects.
- Magazine NOT included.
- Sold as a used surplus firearm. We recommend an inspection by a qualified gunsmith before firing, as with any surplus military rifle.
Important Information
- C&R eligible: manufactured in 1943 and 1944, this carbine is a Curio & Relic and can be transferred to a valid 03 FFL holder as well as through your local FFL dealer
- C&R license or appropriate FFL required for shipment
- Original USGI parts
- Good Surplus Condition
- Condition and individual characteristics will vary
- Import marked on the barrel, forward of the bayonet lug
- Magazine NOT included
These are genuine military surplus M1 Carbines with decades of history behind them. Quantities by manufacturer are limited and will vary as we work through the collection.
DISCLAIMER: Firearms and receivers are subject to state-specific shipping restrictions and must be transferred through a valid FFL dealer. Please visit our shipping restrictions page to review all applicable restrictions for your state. Subject to change.
