M1 carbine

The M1 carbine (formally the United States Carbine, Caliber .30, M1) is a lightweight .30 caliber semi-automatic carbine that became a standard firearm for the U.S. military during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and was produced in several variants. Easy to use, it was widely used by U.S. and foreign military, paramilitary and police forces, and has also been a popular civilian firearm.

In selective-fire versions capable of fully automatic firing, the carbine is designated the M2 carbine. The M3 carbine was an M1 or M2 with an active infrared scope system. Unlike conventional carbines, which are generally shorter-barreled versions of a longer parent rifle (like the earlier .30-40 U.S. Krag rifle and carbine and the later M16 rifle and M4 carbine), the M1 carbine fires a different cartridge and has only one part, a short buttplate screw, in common with the M1 rifle.

Development history

Limitations of weapons in the U.S. arsenal