It’s the gun I have most frequently traded off or sold – only to buy or assemble another one later on. Now, my carbine is a post-war manufacture, an Iver Johnson built in Arkansas, back in 1984. As you will note from the photo below, others have shared my appreciation for the carbine.
If you look at things from Robert Ruark’s perspective – Use Enough Gun – the carbine is kind of inadequate – which is probably why, over a lifetime, it has been my most traded off gun. There was always another one coming down the line – after all, over 6 million were manufactured during World War II. On the other hand, estimates of 20 million AR-15s privately owned in the US gives another way to look at the carbine – they aren’t making anymore, and I suspect the ones re-imported from Ethiopia will be the last returning.
Mine is a bit easier to sight since I replaced the traditional wood handguard with a metal stamping – probably because the stock is a bit short for me. Likewise, I’ve learned that a little acraglas bedding helps it group a little better. I had thoughts of entering one in a CMP 100 yard match – but I suppose that it just never made much sense. I’m not sure, but I suspect a lot of the carbine’s reputation for inaccuracy could be better attributed to poor marksmanship.
It’s light, easy to handle, and the cartridge is marginal for everything – which probably explains why it has been my most frequently traded gun. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned that shot for shot the little carbine about matches the energy of the rifles that the Lewis and Clark expedition carried across the continent – and that isn’t a bad thing.
Trego's Mountain Ear 