Key facts
- Type
- Semi-automatic rifle (M1), Selective-fire assault rifle (M2/M3)
- Place of origin
- United States
- In service
- 1942–1973 (United States) 1942–present (other countries)
- Used by
- See Users
- Designer
- Fred Humeston William C. Roemer David Marshall Williams
- Manufacturer
- Military contractors Commercial copies
- Unit cost
- About $45 (WWII) (equivalent to $840 in 2025)
- Produced
- July 1942 – August 1945 (U.S. military) 1945–present (commercial)
- Number span no built
- 6,121,309 (WWII)
- Variants
- See Variants
- Mass
- 5.2 lb (2.4 kg) empty 5.8 lb (2.6 kg) loaded w/sling
- Length
- 35.6 in (900 mm)
- Barrel length
- 17.75 in (451 mm)
- Cartridge
- .30 Carbine
- Action
- Gas-operated (short-stroke piston) , rotating bolt
- Rate of fire
- 60–70 aimed rounds/min (M1/A1) 750 rounds/min (M2)
- Muzzle velocity
- 1,990 ft/s (607 m/s)
- Effective firing range
- 330 yd (300 m)
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Subclass of
- semi-automatic rifle
- Country of origin
- United States
- Mass
- 2.36
- Manufacturer
- IBM
- Conflict
- Soviet-Afghan War
- Image
- M1 Carbine Mk I - USA - Armémuseum noBG.jpg
Show 7 more facts
- Commons category
- M1 Carbine
- Commons gallery
- M1 Carbine
- ammunition
- .30 Carbine
- total produced
- 6500000
- inception
- 1938-00-00
- service retirement
- 1973-01-01
- native label
- M1 carbine
Sources (3)
via Wikidata · CC0
~40 min read
Encyclopedic overview
The M1 Carbine (formally the United States Carbine, Caliber .30, M1) is a lightweight semi-automatic carbine chambered in the .30 carbine (7.62×33mm) cartridge that was issued to the U.S. military during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The M1 Carbine was produced in several variants and was widely used by military, paramilitary, and police forces around the world after World War II, most notably by the armed forces of South Korea and South Vietnam.
The M2 Carbine is the selective-fire version of the M1 Carbine, capable of firing in both semi-automatic and full-automatic. The M3 Carbine was an M2 Carbine with an active infrared scope system.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “M1 carbine” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.