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Description

The M2 carbine is the selective-fire version of the M1 carbine, capable of firing in both semi-automatic and full-automatic.

Initially, the M1 carbine was intended to have a select-fire capability, but the requirement for rapid production of the new carbine resulted in the omission of this feature from the Light Rifle Program. On 26 October 1944, in response to the Germans' widespread use of automatic weapons, especially the Sturmgewehr 44 assault rifle, the select-fire M2 carbine was introduced, along with a new 30-round magazine. The M2 had a fully automatic rate-of-fire of 750-775 rounds-per-minute. Although actual M2 production began late in the war (April 1945), U.S. Ordnance issued conversion-part kits to allow field conversion of semi-auto M1 carbines to the selective-fire M2 configuration. These converted M1/M2 select-fire carbines saw limited combat service in Europe, primarily during the final Allied advance into Germany. In the Pacific, both converted and original M2 carbines saw limited use in the last days of the fighting in the Philippines.

By the Korean War (1950), the select fire M2 carbine had largely replaced the submachine-gun in U.S. service and was the most widely used carbine variant.

During the Vietnam War, M2 carbines issued to U.S. forces were first given to American military advisors beginning in 1956, and later, the United States Air Force Security Police and United States Army Special Forces. These weapons began to be replaced by the M16 rifle in 1964, and they were generally out of service by the 1970s. By the war's end, it was estimated that a total of 1.5 million M1 and M2 carbines were left in Vietnam.

At least 793,994 M1 and M2 carbines were given to the South Vietnamese and were widely used throughout the Vietnam War.

Source: Wikipedia

--> Original (September 2020)

Description

The M2 carbine is the selective-fire version of the M1 carbine, capable of firing in both semi-automatic and full-automatic.

Initially, the M1 carbine was intended to have a select-fire capability, but the requirement for rapid production of the new carbine resulted in the omission of this feature from the Light Rifle Program. On 26 October 1944, in response to the Germans' widespread use of automatic weapons, especially the Sturmgewehr 44 assault rifle, the select-fire M2 carbine was introduced, along with a new 30-round magazine. The M2 had a fully automatic rate-of-fire of 750-775 rounds-per-minute. Although actual M2 production began late in the war (April 1945), U.S. Ordnance issued conversion-part kits to allow field conversion of semi-auto M1 carbines to the selective-fire M2 configuration. These converted M1/M2 select-fire carbines saw limited combat service in Europe, primarily during the final Allied advance into Germany. In the Pacific, both converted and original M2 carbines saw limited use in the last days of the fighting in the Philippines.

By the Korean War (1950), the select fire M2 carbine had largely replaced the submachine-gun in U.S. service and was the most widely used carbine variant.

During the Vietnam War, M2 carbines issued to U.S. forces were first given to American military advisors beginning in 1956, and later, the United States Air Force Security Police and United States Army Special Forces. These weapons began to be replaced by the M16 rifle in 1964, and they were generally out of service by the 1970s. By the war's end, it was estimated that a total of 1.5 million M1 and M2 carbines were left in Vietnam.

At least 793,994 M1 and M2 carbines were given to the South Vietnamese and were widely used throughout the Vietnam War.

Source: Wikipedia

--> Original (September 2020)