30 Carbine cartridge for the ordnance department. In 1938, the chief of infantry requested that the ordnance department develop a 'light rifle' or carbine, though the formal requirement for the weapon type was not approved until 1940. Paratroopers were also added to the list of intended users and a folding-stock version would also be developed. Army decided that a carbine-type weapon would adequately fulfill all of these requirements, and specified that the new arm should weigh no more than 5 pounds (2.3 kg) and have an effective range of 300 yards (270 m). This request called for a compact, lightweight defensive weapon with greater range, accuracy and firepower than a handgun, while weighing half as much as the Thompson submachine gun or the M1 rifle. Īdditionally, Germany's use of glider-borne and paratrooper forces to launch surprise blitzkrieg attacks behind the front lines generated a request for a new compact infantry weapon to equip support troops. Many soldiers found the rifle slid off the shoulder unless slung diagonally across the back, where it prevented the wearing of standard field packs and haversacks. During pre-war and early war field exercises, it was found that the M1 Garand impeded these soldiers' mobility, as a slung rifle would frequently catch on brush or hit the back of the helmet and tilt it over the eyes. Army Ordnance Department received reports that the full-size M1 rifle was too heavy and cumbersome for most support troops (staff, artillerymen, radiomen, etc.) to carry. The soldier on the far right is holding an M1 carbine anti-tank crew in combat in the Netherlands, November 4, 1944. The 'M2 carbine' was the second carbine developed under the system, etc.ĭevelopment history Limitations of weapons in the U.S. Therefore, the 'M1 carbine' was the first carbine developed under this system. Army began using the current naming convention where the 'M' is the designation for 'Model' and the number represents the sequential development of equipment and weapons. ĭespite having a similar name and physical outward appearance, the M1 carbine is not a carbine version of the M1 Garand rifle. The M3 carbine was an M2 carbine with an active infrared scope system. The M2 carbine is the selective-fire version of the M1 carbine, capable of firing in both semi-automatic and full-automatic. The M1 carbine was produced in several variants and was widely used by paramilitary and police forces around the world, and also became a popular civilian firearm after World War II. military during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. 30, M1) is a lightweight semi-automatic carbine that was a standard firearm for the U.S. The M1 carbine (formally the United States Carbine, Caliber. Rear sight: aperture L-type flip or adjustable, front sight: wing-protected post

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