M1 Carbine Magazine FAQ
Jwrawles
of M1 Carbine magazines during and after World War II, here is a brief but
as yet incomplete listing of maker's stamps (Usually found on the rear of
the magazine, roughly one-half inch to one inch up from the floorplate):
15 round magazines. Originally packed 100 to a case, with cardboard
dividers and separate wrapping papers for each magazine--usually a brown
or reddish heavy wax paper. These sold for around $1.00 to $1.75 (new in
wrapper) before the U.S. (September, 1994) magazine ban, and even less by
the case. They now sell for $5.00 to $6.00 each. (Yikes! That's why I
stopped stocking them.):
Inland Division of General Motors AI A1 IA II UI KI
II [circled]
Saginaw Steering Divison of G.M. KSG S'G' OI-S'G' G- S'G'
SP-S'G'
and some more Saginaw codes... U-S'G' O-SG K-S'G'
IBM SV-B OI-B OI
B
International Silver IS
Irwin Pedersen K-IP I-P-K IP-I
C-IP
National Postal Meter UN MN
Quality Hardware UQ QU G-Q
Rock-Ola IR R-C RO RC R-G
UR
Seymour Smith SS SS-4 R-SS
Standard Products SO
Underwood IU LU UU IU
[circled]
Union Hardware U
Winchester BW IW UW IW
[circled]
And some as yet unidentified maker's marks... (Please do a posting and/or
send me an e-mail if you know who made these.):
C
UP
SI [circled] (Could this be another code for International Silver???)
B [circled] (I've seen some cases that were marked Winchester, but
packed with these magazines-- could they be a subcontract from
Bridgeport?)
O-S [in curved type]
WEP [in curved type]
RUOG
30 round magazines. There were two basic types made under military
contracts.
Hard Back: The first (early) type is commonly called a "hard-back". The
body for this type was made out of one piece of sheet steel. It can be
identified by the reinforcing grooves that run nearly the full length of
the sides of the magazine, following the curve of the magazine for the
entire length. These magazines are currently selling for $40 to $90 each,
depending on condition.
Split Back: The second (later) type is commonly called a "split-back" or
"two-piece." The body for this type was made out of two pieces of sheet
steel. It can be identified by two reinforcing grooves that run at odd
angles in the bottom half of the magazine. It is also quickly identified
by the two small slots or "splits" on the rear of the magazine, right
where it bends. Original split-back magazines are currently selling for
$25 to $50 each, depending on condition. BTW, some of these were unmarked,
but are still original. (To the best of my knowledge, no copies were made
of hard-backs, only split-backs.)
Inland Division of General Motors KI
A.I.
AI
M2
(stacked marking)
Seymour Products SEY
Unidentified K
Unidentified M2
(Again, please do a posting and/or send me an e-mail if you know who made
the 30 rounders listed as "Unidentified", or if you have examples with
other markings...)
Special note: Beware of aftermarket copies of the split-back 30 round
magazine. Nearly all of these are junk, and not worth buying. In
general, unless you want to buy grief, only buy original U.S. G.I.
contract 30 round magazines, and if you can't find them, stick to 15
rounders! (Which are nearly all original.) Caveat Emptor!!!! Nearly 90
percent of the "split-back" magazines on the market are after-market
copies. Most are marked "M2" in an odd, wide, and very deeply stamped
type face (type font), rather than a narrow font with a shallow marking
like the original U.S. G.I. item. The copies also usually have a dull
blue finish, whereas the originals have a bright blue finish. Don't be
fooled. These are NOT originals!
A tip of the hat to Bud Evers (M1 Carbine guru extraordinaire) who helped
me assemble this list. BTW, if you need to contact Bud, his voice phone
number is (707) 252-3226. (Sorry,he has no e-mail address.) He sells
U.S. M1 Carbines, parts, and accessories.
Jim Rawles, Proprietor The obligatory quote...
Clearwater Trading Company "There are three types of people:
c/o P.O. Box 2289 The people who make things
happen,
Orofino, Idaho 83544 The people who watch things happen,
voice: (208) 476-4440 and the people who wonder:
e-mail: Jwra...@aol.com 'What the heck happened?' "
P.S.: I recently obtained an original sealed U.S. G.I. "sardine" can of
600 rounds of .30 Carbine TRACER!!! It was made at Lake City. The
ultimate collector's item. Only $450 (shipping and insurance paid.)
Let me know if you'd like my UPDATED and expanded catalog of
shootable antique guns (primarily pre-1899 production "No FFL"
Mausers and Winchesters), gun accessories (mainly clips and
magazines), ammunition, backpacks, sleeping bags, and waterproof
gun/gear cases. (Due to AOL e-mail length restrictions, you'll get the
catalog in two parts.) You can also now read my new shareware novel,
The Gray Nineties. It is piece of speculative survival fiction about a
socio-economic collapse and its aftermath. Hard copies are *NOT*
available, but you can download a soft copy of the entire text free of
charge from the web site at:
http://www.eskimo.com/~hmcom/4/db/gn/cover.html