Description

The M1 was designed due to a request issued by US Army in 1938 (which was postponed for 2 years), for a compact and lightweight shoulder firearm to replace service handguns for non-fighting troops. The M1 Carbine answered this call and can be considered a forerunner for the class of firearms known today as Personal Defense Weapons. Since the M1 was designed for troops off the front lines, the idea was to produce an efficient and transportable weapon with moderate power and minor recoil that will be simple to train non-infantry with. While Winchester was the foremost supplier of the M1, several other manufacturing companies helped supply the US Government with M1 Carbines beginning in July of 1942. From 1942-1945, more than 6 million M1 carbines were manufactured. After the end of the WW2, production continued and the M1 carbine (and its variations) saw military action during the Korean War and the early stages of the Vietnam War.