Looked at an M1 Carbine today. Guy wanted 325$. Rifle comes with 2 30 round mags and 1 10 round. Stock looks in way too good of shape to be original and steel is in decent shape but has a bit of rust pitting. Is this something I should buy? Is the .30 Carbine good for woods hunting deer? thanks

The .30 carbine is not considered a great deer round. It has the power of a .357 Magnum as fired from a rifle barrel. 30 round magazines are usually modern reproductions and frequently do not work well, I have two and they will hold only 29 rounds and sometimes cause feeding problems. The most common USGI magazines are 15 rounds and are usually very reliable. Make sure this carbine is a U.S. military model and not a later civilian reproduction. The later reproductions took several cost cutting steps and are not always reliable.

While it will obviously kill deer, I count it as distincly underpowered for deer, particularly in the woods, where trailing a wounded or dying animal is often difficult.

It is a fun gun to shoot and plink with, but I would leave it at home for bigger game.

I have one, USGI, Saginaw, great shape, and I paid $400. I have been told this was a fantastic price for what i got.

I see them off and on at the shows for $450 and up, even the junk.

First decide whether you want a shooter or a collector, then you need to get on The CSP 30 Carbine Forum and look around.

Its about the same round, ballistically, as the 7.62 Tokarev or the 30 Mauser. Taurus makes a double action revolver for it, Ruger makes a single action, and AMT used to make a semi-auto pistol. With milsurp ammo, they should duplicate the effects of a CZ52. From a carbine, milsurp clocked about 1900 with a 110gr bullet from mine. I honestly don't know, but I suspect, that it at least equals the 223 in some applications. The Carbine is definitely better suited to a small child than an AR15, and it has a greater coolness factor, IMO. It saw service in 3 wars, and was used considerably in central and south america in the days of "company oversight"

Jeremy,
If this is a GI carbine then it is a very good price. The rust you describe is not an inhibiting factor given the asking price. Original GI stocks are available as it sounds to currently have an aftermarket stock. Just about any part for the M-1 is available. But as someone else mentioned, if it is a civilian copy (Universal is one manf.) then the price is not that attractive.

Buy this carbine for the fun of shooting it, or self-defense purposes, not as a hunting rifle for anything other than small game.

Here's a good website to research the M-1
Riverbank Arsenal

How do I tell if it is GI or not? I looked at several obvious GI M1s at the same gunshow, in horrible shape, that were marked 100-200$ more than this one. However, this one appeared to be in better shape at 325$.
My grandpa carried a .30 Carbine in WWII. He was a driver and apparently the .30 was handy to get in and out of the Jeep.

Around here they go in the $550-$850 range! Again... around here your price would tell me it was not a USGI model.

Military M1 carbines were made by the following companies, the name will be stamped on the rear of the reciever, just behind and usually hidden under the rear of the rear sight. Underwood, S.G. Saginaw, Quality Hardware, National Postal Meter, IBM, Standard Products, Inland, SG Grand Rapids, Winchester, Irwin Pedersen, and Rockola.