Been looking for a deal on a nice M1 Carbine these last few months in preparing for the eventual Zombie apocalypse. Not willing to pay the current prices - just yet.

But I know where a pretty nice Winchester .351 SL is and can get it for a pretty good price. My friend's dad had one when I was a kid and remember handling it, but that it my only contact with one. I know they were used in prisons back in the day.

Anyone out there ever owned one? How do they shoot as compared to a M1? Thanks.

while finding .30 carbine ammo can be a challenge at times, finding adequate quantities of .351 SL would seem an impossible task.
During the Zombie Apocalypse, you will need more than half a box.

I couldn't even begin to think of a reason to use such a bastard case/bullet size as the 351.

It can be found, and reloading it should not be a problem.

Now you've done it. Sounds like a double dog dare.

If that's what floats your boat. Lots of people seem to enjoy beating their head against a wall.

Don't own one, shot one quite a lot back in the day when a kinsman had one. Heavy, slow, not very accuate, and now days ammo is next to impossible to find.

My advise FWIW is back your ears and get the carbine.

Yeah.......... you can refer to it as "self loading" instead of semi auto and still have that "special feeling".

And I thought .348 Win was tough to find. I'd go with the carbine if you plan to shoot it much.

I've got one for sale on another forum...not the kind you're looking for though...It's a "minty" original Inland.

Get'em both.

Anyone make an AR upper in .30 carbine?

Two absolutely worthless cartridges, 30 cal M-1 carbine and the .351 have provided the insightful highway for some decent rounds. like a .223 and just about anything else.

I think the 30 Blackout is as close to a 30 carbine as a guy wants to get. kwg

I read somewhere that Olympic Arms made a bunch of 30 carbine uppers for Isreal back in the 90s.

I own a 351 and have no problem finding ammo,bullets and cases. I reload my own it is on par with the 44 mag cartridge as far as power is concerned and is very accurate. Don't let people that don't have one tell you what to do .as they have no experiance with them. the only problem I have with it , it throws the cases far and wide, I solved that problem buy buying a nylon case catcher like is used on the AR15 rifles, with a little adjustment it worked fine. I only use it at the range. while hunting I accept the loss of a few cases.It will take a deer up to 100 yds that is as far as I can see them HAHAHA.The carbine is lacking in power to take deer size game. I know people shoot deer with a carbine 30 cal but it does a poor job even at 50 yds. do a search for 351 ammo,bullets and cases and you will find them, also reloading dies..

That's kinda harsh.

Never met a worthless cartridge frankly. Have run across a few folks that didn't know how to use the ones they have though.

While I admit to some bias on the topic I'm pretty certain there's no living thing in N.A. that can't be handled with an M1 Carbine. Whites of the eyes and all that.....

The .351 SL is not a path I'd follow.

The two really don�t compare. The .351 is a great urban defense cartridge, but ammo supplies are extremely limited, and so is magazine capacity. If you get a GI M1 carbine (only one�s worth considering) then you�ll have a REAL military weapon. The M1 Carbine is VERY reliable, sufficiently accurate for most urban needs, and is feather light. Save your pennies and hold out for the M1 Carbine�then save your pennies and start stocking away ammo and magazines.

M1 it will be. Thanks.

I too have an M1, and also two 1907's - both from the first year of production.

The .351 has more power and makes bigger holes. It's an interesting rifle that influenced a lot of later guns. Cons? Ummm...a few:

1. brass and ammo are hard to find. I've had some brass on order for a couple months, now. Limited bullet selection. Reloading dies - Reddings will cost you $100, and that's cheapest you'll find, new. RCBS cost much more.

2. Parts for a 1907 are not easy to obtain

3. magazines are expensive - and the 10 round mags are stupidly expensive. I think they top out at 10 rounds.

4. Pinched fingers when you press the charging rod - unless you're lucky enough to have one of the L shaped buttons.

5. The 1907 is a good bit heavier. It a blow back operated action, and the breech block and action are relatively massive steel forgings.

The .30 Carbine lacks power, but good modern bullets are readily available and help with that dilemma. Otherwise, it is a far more practical platform. There were millions of M1's made, versus a couple hundred thousand 1907's. Between the .300 Blackout, and the 7.62x39, the .351's niche is already filled with modern rounds.

I was pleased to get my latest 1907 for under $500, but that's probably enough.



The M1 with its grandson:

Do not take the 1907 apart. You will never get the recoil spring back in it.

don't go overboard for Zombies


stick to 9mm, 40s&w, 45Auto or 223Rem...

Something you can pickup anywhere

stopping powere is no big deal cause of the shot location

Stay away from 22LR... trust me

Snake

well, one of them is apart, and I need to make a new spring for it.

the m1 carbine owes a lot of its parentage to the 351. There were over 7million m1carbines made, probably a million left according to estimates world wide. Most used hard and put away wet. It would cost into the 800dollar range just to rebuild one.
however,
a carbine if you look under rocks you can still find the brass/bullets. There are a lot of parts including new barrels out there, and they definitely have mag capacity if you want that. A paratrooper stocked m1carbine with two 30round mags strapped on is kind of impressive.
I would look at the 351 as a collector's item only. A m1carbine particularly with new tech. bullets is in a different category.

If you call ahead and make sure I'm at the shop I will help you get it back in. Best way I've found is It will take both of us.

Thanks, I will take you up on that! - this one lived a long hard life on a South Texas ranch, and is in rougher shape than the one I posted earlier. It was a gift from a friend of my Grandad, to my Dad. S/N 2XXX

I do seem to recall launching the spring out of it, at one point The recoil spring is mechanically worn and needs replacing. Since these are blowback operated, a spring failure could be a big problem.

The piece I am holding is the very large forged & machined breechblock. It would cost a fortune to make one of these today.

Yes. Know those parts well. Hopefully the forearm wood isn't splintered up. That seems to happen a bunch to the rifles that had an active life! Worked on one the other day for a young kid. His was in pretty good shape. About 1916 vintage.

Interesting thing about the 1907. The French and Russians bought a few to test and use in the Great War. I believe a few did make it to the trenches in France. US Signal Corps bought a bunch too! Idea was to use them in Curtiss JN-3's and 4's as armament for the observer! Not many were used.

Been in and out of work lately with mom and wifey's health. So check before you drive up!

I would hold out for the 30 M1 CB unless i was just buying the Winchester for hunting or collecting . You want to look for a Marlin Camp Carbine in 9mm

Cracked me up, Sam!

bumping this, I obtained a magazine for the first one shown up top - for a mere $64 When I dry fired it, it went "plop"

"hmmmm..." I thought.

They are takedown rifles; one screw at the back separates the rifle and opens up the trigger group. I don't think it had ever been apart, judging by the dried oil in the action. The firing pin was frozen, too. Some soaking in Kroil & CLP, and now I think it should work okay. Haven't yet worked up the nerve to take down the front end, though

Kahr makes the M1 Carbine but they are priced as high a original which i would hold out for if i was in the market for one .

Wish I could find the article. A well known gun writer implied that had the M1 carbine been chambered for the 351 cartridge origianlly it would have been a far better battle rifle.

I'm kind of surprised the .351 wasn't made originally to use .357 bullets, since that bore size had already been established by that point. Would certainly make things easier, from a tooling standpoint

The M1 Carbine was never intended to be a battle rifle. Pretty much all the criticism of the little Carbine has been from people trying to compare it to battle rifles. The M1 was a PDW; a replacement for a handgun. And a fine replacement it was. The decision to use .30 caliber was for a couple of reasons. 1 � Existing barrel making equipment could be made use of. 2 � The lighter bullet of the .30 Carbine made for much lighter ammunition. Sure a .351 would have been better, but weight savings was a HUGE priority for the design of the M1 Carbine. When used for what it was designed for, the M1 Carbine really didn�t much disappoint. Especially when you consider your other choice was an M1911A1. Problems came in Korea where ranges were long, and clothing was heavy, and soldiers pressed the M1 Carbine into service as a front line infantry rifle�not a smart move.

the heavy clothing thing is a myth.....it penetrated the clothing fine.....problem was it was skinny lil starving bastards in the bulky clothing so not every solid looking hit actually hit flesh or atleast didnt hit anything vital.....

Another vote for te M1 carbine.

The 351SL is a fine nostalgia gun to hunt with (might be sweet on a pig hunt).

BMT

Perhaps Military Rifle would have been a better term.

M870 Remington 12 ga. pump with 'bucking shot' or #2s would suffice best! Folks tend to duck when they hear the slide action put into play!!

An M1 carbine design adapted to a rimless .357 Magnum round would be pretty neat but I can't see there being a big market for it today. Particularly not with all of the various chamberings and uppers you can get on the AR platform these days.

Still would'a been cool back before the AR-15 was born.

Own and shoot both. My pick by far is the 30 carbine for all the previous listed reasons. Another $300. spent to get the military issue version of the carbine will be money well spent. GW

Try finding components for the 1905 model! (35 SLR)
It's a shorter version - and more rare.
Having the 35 - and a 30 carbine - the carbine is more useable.

Mark

that's funny. My gunsmith uncle called me to come help him put pne back together some time back.
I had a .351 years ago. Loved it, hate I sold it.