A few years before Eugene Stoner pitched the revolutionary ArmaLite AR-15 design in 1956, a different approach was taken in a lightweight carbine. The M1 carbine was produced in World War II as a lightweight alternative to the M1 Garand for support troops who were not likely to be on the front lines.

Rather than the extremely light, extremely fast 5.56X45mm which has been the mainstay of NATO battle rifles for over five decades, the M1 carbine used a straight-walled case with a rounded nosed .30 caliber, 110-grain bullet. It was a lot like a handgun caliber except much faster and with more bite, but not quite nearly as fast or light as the 5.56X45mm.

The M1 carbine remained very popular in military service long after WWII, seeing extensive action during the Korean War and even in Vietnam. It was highly popular for helicopter aircrew who preferred it to the XM177 which was still struggling to find its stride (ammunition at the time was insufficient for design which led to a lot of failures in the M16 platform, leading to widespread blame on a poor design which would later be disproven in spades).

The simple short-stroke operation was very simple and reliable, and also extremely light with the carbine weighing in at just around five pounds. The effective range of 300 yards is short but works just fine for the intended application. The M1 carbine served admirably and remains a very popular rifle, fitting the mold for as a ranch rifle, home defense carbine, or just plain plinker quite well. The ammunition remains easy to find and surprisingly affordable, especially when you pick it up in bulk as you can here.

Go ahead and grab up a case of 1,000 rounds of fine Armscor 110 grain .30 carbine ammo to feed your rifle and cash in on a solid discount in the process.