Additionally, the WW2 US rifle market is at an all time high, with some auctions records being set for M1 carbines this year. Like anything rare or unusual in collecting, it becomes sought after among a segment of collectors and is an interesting curio (kind of like having a Winchester heel stamp on an H&R garand). The other "line-outs" to NPM were from Underwood in 1943 and those were only 7,500.
All the line outs were issued in the order of a few thousand to ten thousand or so, making them relatively scarce among the 6 million USGI carbines made during the war (and 2.6 million of those were Inlands).
#National postal meter serial numbers full
They bear both the name of the largest maker of carbines (Inland) and the second rarest contractor (Rock-Ola, which used it's full name on the receiver).
The rarest "line-outs" on record are the Inland to Rock-Ola of which there was a recorded 1,900. The original contractor on the heel mark was "lined-out" and re-stamped with the assembling contractor's letter code. give a small batch of receivers to the other maker. This is a National Postal Meter USGI carbine built off a "donated" IBM receiver (mid serial block run placing it at 1944), that was also an Auto-Ordinance subcontract.Īuto-Ordinance which was mainly making Thompson sub-machine guns for the war effort was also brought in to make a small percentage of IBM's government contract.ĭuring the effort as supplies got low at certain locations other prime contractors would under the Ordnance dept. "LINE-OUTS" in M1 Carbine Ordnance Production I came across a rare find in a pawn shop and the subsequent research pulled me into a fascination subset of collecting, as well as some interesting history on wartime production. I couldn't even name the 11 prime contractors. Incidentally, I was not well versed with M1 carbines until a few years ago (and at my relatively young age I've been buying guns for 29 years now). Nonetheless I know there are some old timers and at least one FFL who do collect these, and I will also try to focus on the wartime ordinance process that made these variations, and different contractors that is interesting to many. I understand not everyone is into them (obviously as with anything) and the response in the CMP boards or carbine club is much more academic. This is a continuation of posting some rare and more interesting WW2 M1 carbines (original, type 1, not-rearsenaled) like the early run n.mint Rock-ola.