Inland Carbine Serial Numbers Dates
Your Inland was made toward end of M1 production as most Carbines in 1945 were made in the M2 configuration. The serial on the stock (correctly identified as a replacement M2) and overall condition as well as the import mark suggests this is one of the Israeli imports about 10-15 years ago. Just obtained an Inland M1 Carbine from the CMP, six-digit serial number is 476xxx. I can't find a source online that matches serial numbers to dates. Inland manufactured over 2,630,000 carbines, more than three times any of the other manufacturers. They were the only company to manufacture the folding stock Model M1A1 Carbine and one of only two companies to manufacture the select-fire Model M2 Carbine. After WWII Inland returned to manufacturing automotive parts for GM.
-Main Manufacture & Identification Codes: 'I' 'IN'
-Main Plant Location: Dayton, Ohio.
-Average Cost to Government per completed rifle, $37.75.
-Approximately 2,632,097 total Carbines were made by Inland: About 43% of all M1 Carbines made.
---M1 Carbines: 2,428,486 | 86.91%
---M2 Carbines: 202,800 | 7.73% (Only Inland and Winchester Manufactured these)
---T2 Carbines, Unknown. (Only Inland and Winchester Manufactured these)
---T3 Carbines, 811 | .03% (Only Inland and Winchester Manufactured these)
---M1A1 Carbines, 140,000 | 5.33% More info on M1A1 here (Only Inland made these)
-Serial number blocks assigned by the government:
---- Serial number 1 - 5, October, 1941 - April, 1942 (Tool room prototypes)
---- Serial number 5 - 100, April, 1942 - May, 1942
--1st block, Serial number, 11 - 999,999 | May, 1942 - December, 1943
--2nd block, Serial number, 2,912,520 - 3,212,519 | September, 1943 - Late January, 1944 (Includes Saginaw (S.G.) receivers)
--3rd block, Serial number, 4,879,526 - 5,549,821 | January, 1944 - August, 1944 (Includes Saginaw (S.G.) Receivers)
----Serial number, 5,549,822 - 5,550,376 | August, 1944 (Inland ran into Winchester serial number block)
----Serial number, 5,557,000 - 5,557,990 | August, 1944 (Inland ran into Winchester serial number block)
--4th block, Serial number, 6,219,689 - 6,449,883 | August, 1944 - November, 1944
--5th block, Serial number, 6,629,884 - 7,234,883 | November, 1944 - January, 1945 (Some M2 Production, Fully automatic Carbines) M2 / T3 Specific forum can be found here
--6th block, Serial number, 7,369,661 - 8,069,660 | January, 1945 - August, 1945 (M2 Production, Fully automatic Carbines)
----Serial number, 0001 - 0800 | Late 1944 - 1945 (T3 Production, sniper model Carbines) M2 / T3 Specific forum can be found here
----Serial number, 00001 - 00900 | Late 1944 - 1945 (T3 Production, sniper model Carbines)
-Primary stock & hand guard supplier: S.E. Overton and Hillerich & Bradsby
-Barrel suppliers: Inland, Brown-Lipe-Chapin for Inland.
-Parts made directly by Inland:
Bolts, Receivers, Barrels, Magazine Releases, Hammers, Gas Nuts, Gas Cylinders, Firing Pins and Trigger Housings.
Side Notes:
- Inland was the forerunner for all to follow. Other contractors were gearing up to manufacture the Carbine and Inland provided most of the tooling and production procedures that would enable the others to begin full production.
- Any Inland Receiver with a 'X' after the serial number means that serial number was used by Winchester, its a duplicate so to make it different Inland put an 'X' after the serial number.
-All matching vs how it left the factory:
****** There is a difference between an all matching carbine and how it left the factory, a lot of M1 Carbine contractors shipped parts to other Contractors. Just because its all matching doesn't necessary mean that is how it left the factory. So don't get super disappointing if your Carbine is not all matching, its possible its exactly how it was when it left the factory!!! An example say Underwood was low on sears, Inland would ship some Sears to them. Sometimes marked or unmarked. Here is some known shipments to Inland, how ever there could be more shipments that occurred that are unknown but this is a good reference. (most parts were shipped together in groups, magazine catches with sears, etc)
(Organized by year. 1942 - 1944)
-Underwood shipped approximately 16,000 Firing pins to Inland in 1942.
-Winchester shipped approximately 1,200 firing pins to Inland in 1942.
-Rock-Ola Shipped approximately 10,000 sears to Inland in 1943.
-Underwood shipped approximately 4,000 Rear (Flip sights) to Inland in 1943.
-Winchester shipped approximately 4,000 hammers to Inland in 1943.
-National Postal Meter shipped approximately 25,000 Rear (Flip sights) to Inland in 1944.
-National Postal Meter shipped approximately 1,000 Rear Sight Leafs to Inland in 1944.
Example
Inland M1 Carbine Serial Numbers
: You have an all matching Inland except hammer that's marked 'W' for Winchester, there is a good chance it left the factory just like that!!!Please feel free to PM me or post for any errors or any further information.
-Thanks.
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--Some history of Inland:
'The Inland Manufacturing Division of General Motors was organized in 1922 for the manufacturing of wood wrapped steering wheels. The division used the buildings and technology of the defunct Dayton Wright Airplane Company. The division was unique as the only division created within the corporation, not acquired by purchase.
By 1924, the wooden steering wheel had been replaced with the hard rubber steering wheel and the division gradually transformed from a wood working operation to a rubber processing operation.
Inland M1 Carbine Serial Numbers Dates
A wartime shortage of men and women to fill jobs led to the enactment of a “buddy” shift. The first business in Dayton to adopt the new buddy shift was Inland Manufacturing. In February 1943, Inland hired a number of high school boys to work at Inland after school until 7 p.m., at which time men and women who had full time jobs during the day would take over and work until 10 p.m.
Inland Division of General Motors was one of nine contractor-established manufacturing facilities that tooled up and turned out M-1 carbines during WWII, a five-pound rifle considered the nation’s best ordnance effort of the war. By the end of the war, Inland had produced over two and a half million carbines. Inland also produced a one-pound pistol called the “Little Monster”, which had been designed to be airdropped to resistance fighters in Europe.
During the war Inland also made tank tracks for America’s leading tank manufacturers, as well as Great Britain’s. At war’s end almost 20 million tank shoes of various sizes were fabricated by Inland. The diesel tank clutch was another product developed by Inland. Inland also made gun sights and shoulder rests for the rapid firing 20mm anti-aircraft gun. Helmet liners were produced in great quantities by Inland. Fire extinguisher horns used on United States Naval ships were in short supply and insufficient strength. Within 60 days Inland was mass-producing a new and improved horn. Inland aircraft hose, steering wheels, gaskets, sleeves, bushings and countless other small parts were produced for the war effort.
After the war, Inland applied its experience to mass produce plastic and rubber steering wheels, clutches, motor mounts, running boards, gravel shields, brake linings, weather strips, refrigerator door seals, defroster hose, small plastic parts, radio cabinets and many other products. Inland practically took over the metal ice tray business producing trays for almost all the large electric refrigerator companies.
By the 1950’s, Inland was making brake linings, bumpers, turn signals and a host of other automotive products. By 1982, it also was turning out fiberglass suspension springs for the Chevrolet Corvette.
In 1989, the Inland division was merged with Fisher Guide to form Inland Fisher Guide. That was later grouped with GM’s other components divisions to form the Automotive Components Group (ACG).
In 1995, ACG was renamed Delphi Automotive Systems and spun off from GM in 1999.'
(All of this informative was quoted from this website, http://history.gmheritagecenter.com/wik ... g_Division )
-1940's Inland Manufacturing Division insignia
---More information may be added
***General Carbine history can be found here:****
Owing to the scarcity of original M1A1 carbines, here are a few essential things for collectors to look out for. It should be noted that original un-rebuilt M1A1s are very rare and the vast majority of M1A1s on the market, have either reproduction or fake stocks. Also, since the war, many will have been rebuilt with later parts.
M1A1 Serial Numbers
Inland Manufacturing Division of General Motors was the only manufacturer of the M1A1 and manufactured approximately 140,000 by the close of the war. The M1A1 was manufactured in two main production runs, both of approximately 70,000. The first was produced and delivered from late 1942 through until October 1943. M1A1s produced during this run will have early production features, such as flip sights, type 1 barrel bands, high wood etc.
The second production run, started in April 1944 and finished at the end of 1944. M1A1s produced during the beginning of the second run, will have the same characteristics as the first run, but towards the end of the run, will have features typical of a late M1, such as low wood, adjustable sights and even type 3 barrel bands at the very end of the run.
There are no actual records kept for M1A1 serial numbers and so unfortunately there is no specific way to identify if an M1A1 is original from the serial number alone. Also, during an Arsenal re-fit, M1s produced by other manufacturers could be fitted to M1A1s.
In personally examining real examples both in hand and from pictures, I have noted some of the serial numbers and barrel dates used.
| First Run | |
| Dec 1942 | 123xxx |
| Dec 1942 | 142xxx |
| March 1943 | 220xxx |
| March 1943 | 260xxx |
| March /43 | 317xxx |
| June/43 | 454xxx |
| July 43 | 529xxx |
| Sept 43 | 852xxx |
| Oct 43 | 866xxx |
| Second Run | |
| 3/44 | 5,102xxx |
| 3/44 | 5,163xxx |
| 3/44 | 5,279xxx |
| 5/44 | 5,231xxx |
There are many details, but here are the main things to look at:-
Manufacturer
All originals are manufactured only by the Inland Division of General Motors.
M1A1 Stock
All original M1A1s are made of walnut. Any other wood is wrong. Also, check out the shape and angles around the cut away for the folding stock. Fake or reproduction stocks often get this wrong.
The Pistol Grip
The side or back of pistol grip, should have a “P” proof mark, either circled or un-circled, indicating that the gun has been test proof fired.
The underside of the pistol grip should have a marking of OI and a crossed cannons emblem.
The Stock – barrel channel
There should be an OI stamped on the inside of the barrel channel. The OI stands for Overton Inland, who were the manufacturer of the stocks.
The Butt Stock
In the butt-plate number B257614* should be cast with a logo of a sunburst in a circle completed by a drawing number between 3 and 12.
All metal on the stock should be parkarized and not blued.
The leather part of the folding stock should be of a very good quality and a dark brown, almost black colour. It is very common, to find the leather on the cheek pad missing.
Rivets used to attach the leather should be dull and not shiny. Brake lining rivets were used on re-builds, sometimes with a “7/4” marking. All original factory production were unmarked.
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