Ermas M1 Carbine receiver

R

RampantAndroid

New member
Hi all,

I just picked up an M1 Carbine for $500, and I think I not see why it was so cheap. It's an Inland carbine, maybe an M2 originally and was torch cut. The receiver is an Ermas made one.

According to this site:
http://www.m1carbinesinc.com/carbine_ermas2.html

It's made from 4130 steel and is not the right hardness and might fail early. They reference Ermas receivers being tested in the 1500 range roughly; mine is in the 5700 range.

How can I tell if the steel is 4130 or 4140? I see no abnormal wear around the safety lug light the site mentions.

Should I have it checked by my local gunsmith? Is a gunsmith able to harden it, or should I skip all of this and just order a Fulton receiver and have a smith install it right off the bat and avoid any nonsense?

Thanks!
RA
 
A

amd6547

New member
Well...first off, you don't have an Inland carbine. Maybe you have an Inland barrel.
Really, I wouldn't shoot it...
I think you've bought a money pit. If I were going to keep this carbine and not return it to the seller, I would replace the receiver.
 
4

44 AMP

Staff
Guns are classed by their receivers. Where the rest of the parts came from doesn't matter, for that.

According to that website, tested receivers were found not to have been hardened properly (or apparently at all).

If you plan to keep that Erma receiver, find a smith who can test it for proper hardness, and have it tested. SOMETIMES, unhardened actions can be hardened without issues, but it takes someone who really knows what they are doing to do it without warping the action. And don't expect that level of expertise to be cheap.

You haven't seen any signs of wear or deformation on your gun, probably because it hasn't been shot enough to be that battered...yet. Un, or underhardened steel will work for a while, just not nearly as long. And once it does start to go, it fails rapidly.

The best thing you could do is get another receiver, and use the Erma one for a paperweight.

Also, be aware that Erma (of West Germany) made a "carbine" virtually identical to the US M1 carbine in appearance, but in .22LR, so expect some confusion when you say "Erma carbine", as the German made gun is more widely known, even though they have been long gone from production.
 
R

RampantAndroid

New member
Why would you call it a money pit? A new receiver is $250 from Fulton. I knew this wasn't a WWII accurate gun, and I'm OK with that. It was $500 though, and that's half of what a lot of carbines go for on gun broker these days. So replace the receiver and I'd be fine, right?

Should I just return this if I can?
 
B

Buzzard Bait

New member
through parts at it

I'm with you I would buy a good receiver put it all together and have fun they were originally conceived to be parts guns that could be kept going with parts from many different sources most you find now are really builders any way
bb
 
4

44 AMP

Staff
I'll admit, I haven't looked lately, I'm not a big M1 carbine fan, but $1000 seems pretty steep for a carbine that has no historical collector value. I've seen them at shows recently for around 2/3 that or so, and if you replace the Erma you've got that much in the gun, plus the cost of the labor.

If it was me, and I could take it back, I would, and then spend the money needed on one that is ok to shoot without needed work. But, if you're ok with it, keep it, get it in SAFE shootable condition and enjoy it. All you're getting is a shooter anyway, not a collectors piece, right?
 
C

coldbeer

Moderator
The last M1 carbine I saw at a gun store was a Rockola going for $1400 and it looked rough. M1 carbine prices are getting beyond ridiculous. At these prices they're quickly becoming show peices.
 
R

RampantAndroid

New member
Yeah, carbines are costing as much as garands if they're in WWII condition (or close to it.) I think I'm going to shoot the ermas receiver until it shows signs of wear and then replace it. I'll likely buy a fulton receiver in the mean time and put it into storage just so I have it when I need it. $500 for a working carbine, even if it's got a limited round count, is fine with me for now.
 
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