Hi guys, thanks for tuning in to another video on ForgottenWeapons.com.
I am Ian McCollum, and we're out here today at the range to set up an interesting little experiment.
Now, the whole purpose of the M1 carbine was to provide auxiliary sort of troops with something
that they could shoot more effectively than a 1911 pistol.
Because it was found in, basically among other places, World War One German casualty reports
that the 1911 didn't actually cause very many casualties.
And it's hard to shoot a pistol, especially at long-ish ranges.
So the US government put together a request for a very light, very compact,
little semi-auto rifle to fill that same role. And this would be for drivers,
engineers, mortar crews, bazooka crews later in the war.
Well, we're out here with the setup from one of the local Pima Pistol Club backup gun matches.
Which is intended for a backup pistol, so it's relatively close range, relatively low round count.
And my thought was the four stages of this match would be a really interesting place
to actually put a 1911 and an M1 carbine against each other head to head.
So, these are going to be pretty simple stages and the scoring on them is a
very basic number of points you get minus the number of seconds it takes you to get them.
The targets are worth seven points if they fall down, and three points per hit up to seven if they don't fall down.
So let's just dive right into the very first one.
So for this very first stage we have basically a Mozambique drill.
You'll start facing up range, hands above your head, turn around, engage each target with two shots.
If you want to do more than two shots, you need to reload.
I think I'm going to run the 1911 ... Condition Three, because that's
not a particularly uncommon military way to carry this thing, chamber empty, magazine loaded.
And then I'm going to do the same thing on the M1 carbine.
So we'll do the carbine with magazine loaded, bolt forward.
So for the pistol I will have to draw the pistol, rack it, and engage.
For the carbine I will have it laying on the table, as it would be if you were a driver or a mortar crew perhaps.
I have to pick it up, rack the slide, and then engage the targets. So.
I think I'm ready. This is the 1911 first.
- Shooter ready? - Yep. - Stand by.
- Just enough ammo. What was my time, sir?
- Time was 7. - 7 seconds, alright.
- Shooter ready? - Ready. - Stand by.
- Time is 5 seconds. - 5 seconds.
Substantially faster. I was actually worried about that one.
Well, worried in that my hypothesis is the M1 carbine ...
I was a little concerned that it took enough time to turn around, pick up the gun.
I had to fumble with the sling a little bit.
And yet you saw that because this thing is so much easier and faster to aim,
I was able to cut about 25% off my time all the same.
Let's move on to a second stage that's got a little more complexity to it.
Alright for the second stage I have to start in this box, and I have three falling plate targets.
These are a little bit smaller than the previous targets, so they sort of represent something a little further away,
they're a little harder shot, especially with a pistol.
Now, the first shot I can make from right here in the middle of the box between the barrels.
But I have to also shoot the other two poppers from between the barrels,
and I can, once I shoot the first one, I can advance up to the barrels to engage it with the handgun if I want,
or I could stay back here.
So that is I think a place where the carbine and its much more precise aiming is going to be a real benefit.
So once again we'll start with the 1911.
So, I pretend I'm driving along here and ...
- Shooter ready? - Ready. - Stand by.
Oh, Germans!
That's not bad.
- My time, sir? - Time is 9 seconds.
- Alright, 9 seconds. I did get all three of them.
- Stand by.
Germans!
- 8 seconds. - Alright, a little faster.
That was actually a little tricky to get sight pictures on.
These guys are wily.
There is an issue with the M1 carbine that kind of hung me up a little bit here at first.
The front sight post is easily mistaken for the front sight protector.
And I did take a shot in there using a front sight protector I think as my front sight post.
Still, just slightly faster.
Alright, so our third stage here I've got two static targets, one big huge one and one kind of small one,
and then a falling plate. Now, after I engage the two static targets I can move up to that line
to engage the falling plate to make it a little bit easier, which I think I'll ...
You know what? I'll give the pistol a try from back here, because I'm not a bad pistol shot.
But that might take me longer. With the M1 carbine it should be easier. Anyway, let's start with the 1911.
- Shooter ready? - Ready. - Stand by.
- Ah, Germans!
- Nicely done. - Whoo!
- 8 seconds. - Alright, that's going to be tough for the carbine to ... beat.
- Shooter ready? - Ready. - Stand by.
- Ah, Germans!
- Got it. - That sucked. - 8 seconds.
- Alright, so that was the exact same time, 8 seconds again.
However, I goofed up the actual presentation, because what you are supposed to do is
... right target from the right side, left target from the left side.
I went and got a good sight picture on the left target and then went,
"Oh wait, it's a match, I have to do it according to procedure."
And then came back around, and even having made that mistake I was on the same time.
I made that mistake, and I missed a shot with the carbine because I was rushing,
and I still came in at the same time.
So I think that again says something for the carbine, you don't have to be as careful.
Alright, we have the last and most challenging one here, which is a plate rack.
I have to start at the apex of these two fault lines, from whence I can only see the outside two plates.
So I'm gonna have to back up along the fault line to see all the plates to engage them.
Now this is definitely the hardest shooting challenge of this whole video,
and I think this does something to replicate the idea that
the 1911 was seen as a 25 to maybe 50 yard weapon.
Where the M1 carbine was supposed to be capable out to 200 or 300 yards.
Here, we have a series of relatively small targets, and I suspect we're going to see
a widening of the gap between the pistol and the carbine.
Unless I'm just a really good pistol shot, and can pull this off with the 1911.
So I do plan to get all of the targets. There's five of them
I've got 7 rounds in the magazine, but I do have a spare magazine in a spare mag pouch, as one would.
So I've got 15 rounds in the carbine. I shouldn't have to reload that, but I might have to reload the pistol.
- Shooter ready? - Ready. - Stand by.
- Ah, Germans!
- Pulled it off on the very last round in ... - 15 seconds. - 15 seconds.
And now the carbine.
- Shooter ready? - Ready. - Stand by.
Germans!
- Like shootin' fish in a barrel. What was my time? - 8 seconds. - Half the time!
So, that is I think a pretty good demonstration of the purpose of the M1 carbine.
This was not meant to be a battle rifle, this wasn't intended to replace the M1 Garand.
This was intended to be something that you could use more effectively with less training
than the 1911 pistol. And I think it does that really well.
People will degrade the M1 carbine for having periodic reliability issues,
which by the way we did run into here today.
We scrapped, re-did, one stage because I had a magazine that just didn't feed, so toss that mag.
But you know what? People say the same thing about the 1911,
and those are the two different options you had at the time.
So, a very cool experiment I think, and I'm very happy to have had the chance to do it.
Hopefully you guys enjoyed watching. Thanks.
[ sub by sk cn2 ]