US WWII “UN-QUALITY” Union Switch & Signal Quality Hardware M-1 Carbine ’43
SOLD FOR: $5,550.01
WOA#: WY240302RL005
Make: UN-QUALITY, Union Switch & Signal produced for Quality Hardware & Machine Co.
Model: M-1 Carbine
Serial Number: 4453675
Year of Manufacture: Late 1943
Caliber: .30 Carbine
Action Type: Semi-Automatic
Markings:
The top-rear of the receiver is marked “UN-QUALITY” and “4453675”.
The top-front of the receiver is marked “U.S. CARBINE” and “CAL .30 M1”.
The barrel is marked “UNDERWOOD 12-43” with the Ordnance “flaming bomb” and the “P” Proof mark.
The front barrel band is marked “Q”.
The safety is marked “N”.
The front sight is unmarked.
The rear sight is unmarked.
The trigger group is marked “Q-NL”.
The hammer is marked “LT-Q”.
The magazine release button is checkered.
The inside of the sling cut is marked “Q-RMC”.
The stock has an Ordnance Department “crossed cannons” cartouche.
Barrel Length: 18″
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a fixed blade with protective ears. The rear sight is the early L type dual aperture “flip sight” dovetailed to the receiver.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stock is a Type III low-wood with a Type I 2-rivet upper handguard, Type II barrel band, and a checkered metal butt plate. It’s marked “Q-RMC” meaning the stock was made for Quality Hardware by ROCK-OLA. The wood has been refinished. This rifle also has the rotating bolt safety. The wood on this rifle shows very little wear, there are only a few small depressions in the wood. There are no chips or cracks. Overall the stock and handguard are in Excellent condition.
Magazine Quantity & Condition: This rifle includes two after-market 30 round magazines in Excellent condition.
Type of Finish: Parkerized
Finish Originality: Refinished
Bore Condition: The bore is bright and the rifling is defined. There is little visible erosion in the bore. In this writer’s opinion the bore rates 7.5/10.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 99% of its refinished metal finish. There is basically no wear on this rifle with the exception of a small scratch on the upper receiver. Overall this rifle is in Excellent Condition for refinished and C&R.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This rifle includes the two mags mentioned above.
Our Assessment: The M-1 Carbine gained fame during World War II as a lightweight, versatile semi-automatic rifle used by various US military servicemen, including infantry, paratroopers, Marines, and support personnel. The handy Carbine featured a gas-operated action, a magazine-fed design, and was chambered in .30 Carbine. Union Switch and Signal (US&S), primarily known for producing railroad equipment, not only made M-1911A1 .45 pistols during WW2 (one of which we offer for sale under a separate listing), but made further contributions to the war effort by manufacturing M-1 Carbine receivers as a subcontractor for Quality Hardware in 1943. Union Switch & Signal used the code “UN”, and was the only subcontractor to incorporate their code into the maker’s mark on the receiver, resulting in the unique stamp “UN-QUALITY”. Less than 29,000 “UN-QUALITY” M-1 Carbines were made out of nearly 360,000 produced by Quality Hardware in total, making any “UN-QUALITY” M-1 Carbine quite scarce and desirable today. Please see our photos and best of luck with your bidding!!! -R.L.
