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geologist

Accidental member of the Johnson Club

6 posts in this topic

Howdy folks! I'm new to the M-1 Carbine world in general, having picked up a sporterized Inland a while back, and just got it working recently. A local gunsmith offered me a Saginaw he took in lieu of payment last week, at a price I couldn't resist. It had obviously been worked over, chromed bolt and other hardware, after market stock and rear sight. The barrel looked pretty good to me (no expert, but didn't see pitting or corrosion) and while there was some pitting on the outside of the barrel, and the receiver, it looked like it had been cleaned up well and reparkerized.

Long story short, when I went to shoot it, .30 Carbine ammo wouldn't chamber. Figured out that the bullet didn't match the muzzle either, started putting two and two together, did some research, and end up here.

There are no markings on the barrel or receiver that I could find which indicated what it has been re chambered as. The receiver is marked SG, the top of the receiver has had the caliber info removed, and the barrel is marked MACO. Based on the fact that the bolt face still holds the .30 Carbine ammo correctly and ejects it well, I'm guessing it is chambered in 5.7 Johnson, but I haven't got that confirmed yet.

Bit of advice on how to confirm the chambering, and where to go from here on acquiring a handful of ammo to try this sucker out?

Pictures, for those who are interested.

IMG_1851.JPG

IMG_1855.JPG

The caliber markings have actually been removed here, it looks like.

IMG_1856.JPG

IMG_1857.JPG

IMG_1859.JPG

Bolt face and extractor still fit the 30 carbine case just fine.

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Brownell's has a product called Cerrocast, which is designed for casting a chamber positive. It is excellent for making a copy of the chamber/case dhape and dimensionsand then you can measure it and determne what it is.

It is easy to use. You might check with local gunsmiths and see if they use it and get them to make a casting for you.

The picture of the fired case at the end of the pic thread looks like a .30 Carbine case does not come close to fitting.

Bob Naess

Black River Militaria CII

Long story short, when I went to shoot it, .30 Carbine ammo wouldn't chamber. Figured out that the bullet didn't match the muzzle either, started putting two and two together, did some research, and end up here.

There are no markings on the barrel or receiver that I could find which indicated what it has been re chambered as. The receiver is marked SG, the top of the receiver has had the caliber info removed, and the barrel is marked MACO. Based on the fact that the bolt face still holds the .30 Carbine ammo correctly and ejects it well, I'm guessing it is chambered in 5.7 Johnson, but I haven't got that confirmed yet.

Bit of advice on how to confirm the chambering, and where to go from here on acquiring a handful of ammo to try this sucker out?

Pictures, for those who are interested.

IMG_1851.JPG

IMG_1855.JPG

The caliber markings have actually been removed here, it looks like.

IMG_1856.JPG

IMG_1857.JPG

IMG_1859.JPG

Bolt face and extractor still fit the 30 carbine case just fine.

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The last pic is of the action just short of ejection. The second to last, with the round in the chamber, is representative of how far out of battery the bolt would be if allowed to close.

The bore seems to be close to .223, a 5.56x45 won't quite go all the way to the casing when put in the muzzle.

I'll have to order the Cerrocast, I've got another rifle I need to figure out what it is (old Carcano, likely rechambered, was a great uncle's deer rifle). I tend to pick up oddball firearms on a whim, so it could be good stuff to have around.

Thanks!

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The photos and markings do not match anything I have seen. The cerrocast would give you a better idea. If you determine that it appears to be 5.7 Johnson, then send me your E-mail address and I'll forward you some club info to help you. My E-mail is ERJRice@aol.com Ed J :)

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Great, thanks Ed, I appreciate it. One thing that has come out of this project is now I'm interested in the caliber, if this thing ends up being chambered in something else, I'm going to be mighty disappointed.

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