Auto-Ordnance M1 Carbine
Auto-Ordnance has a new “Tactical Folding Stock Model” M1 Carbine out later this year.
Black polymer folding stock, metal handguard
The Auto-Ordnance M1 .30 Caliber carbine is produced in Kahr’s state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Worcester, MA. The Auto-Ordnance carbines are produced using newly manufactured parts on high precision computerized machinery.
Markings include the following: Auto-Ordnance, Worcester, MA behind the rear sight; U.S. Carbine, Cal. 30 ML on the receiver in front of the bolt and the serial number is engraved on the left side of the receiver.
Specs:
Barrel 18″
Length 36 1/2″ overall, 27 1/2″ (Folded)
Weight 5 lbs 13 ounces
Finish Parkerized
Sight Post front sight, flip style rear sight
Stock Polymer
Magazine One 15 Shot stick
Price $792.00
Hat Tip: Cryptic Subterranean
That is really cool, makes it look a lot more modern.
[...] Auto-ordnance va relancer la carabine M1 – [...]
I have had the opportunity to examine some of these Auto-Ord carbines and the machining and fit and finish look good, but I have to wonder who will buy them. MSRP is far more than the “street” price but the dealers still want $650 to $700 for them at funshows. I must say that I can understand why a collector would pay that kind of money to get into a cherry Rock-Ola or IBM or Winchester, but who would pay this much for a new-production Carbine with zero collector interest, which won’t hold its value?
They cost twice what they should. I built my last AR for less than that. I found an unfired Cav Arms complete lower assembly on the Equipment Exchange at Arfcom for $180, a complete A2 upper cobbled together of assorted no-name parts with a chrome-lined surplus barrel for $250, and a RRA bolt carrier group plus charging handle for $125. That’s $555 for a working AR that is more accurate than I can hold, which has had zero malfunctions in several hundred rounds of ammo so far. Once collector interest and aesthetic considerations of wood vs. plastic go are considered, and we look at actual utility, it seems to me that there isn’t going to be much market for the new Carbine at that price. It is overpriced by at least $200 even to compete with the Mini-14. So I have to wonder just what it is they’re thinking at Auto-Ord these days.
I just purchased the Auto-Ordnance M1 Carbine (AOM130) at a local gunshow for $708.00 including tax. Yep, that’s right the good old wood stock model of traditional WWII, Korea, and early Vietnam vintage. I am pleased with the price as well as the look and feel of the weapon. I think the folding stock on the AOM160 will probably interfere with firing and reloading operations. Furthermore, the FFL dealer’s price was $650.00, which is virtually $160.00 off the posted price for this model on the Kahr Arms/Auto-Ornance website. You WILL NOT find any of the original production M1 Carbines for this price at gunshows. Most FFL types are purchasing their antique/collector M1 Carbines from CMP and hiking the price by at least $250-300.00. If anybody does not believe me, then check out the ODCMP website. CMP is currently offering vintage M1 Carbines received from Italy in at best their “Service Grade” but most weapons are of the lower “Rack Grade” category. Therefore, those folks who want a good shooter for an equitable price should highly consider purchasing the Kahr Arms/Auto-Ordnance reproduction M1 Carbine.
Satisfied customer and retired U.S. Marine Paratrooper.
Thanks for the comment Bill
You guys that lament about the “high prices” of newly manufactured firearms seem to forget that firearms manufactures are in a “business” and not a charity. The price that Kahr is charging for this tactical M1 carbine seems reasonable. Ruger charges similar prices for its line of Mini rifles in .223 and 7.62 x 39. People grumble about how they can buy an OLD M1 carbine at lower prices. But, with the Kahr version of the M1, is that a person is paying for a “newly manufactured” M1 carbine that is made with NEW PARTS and comes with a WARRANTY. Sure, go ahead and save some dollars with buying a 60 year old firearm, with the unknown factor how worn the working parts are, and with no warranty, either.
There is no reason for these rifles to be so expensive.
You should be able to buy any M-1 carbine rifle for 400.00 or less new!!!!!!!!
OK, Lane, I’ll bite – how much does it cost to make an M1 Carbine, and what is the acceptable profit margin on that cost?
I purchased the Model 130 on the Net.
I paid just over $700.
After I got it home from the dealer, I noticed after closer inspection that the lower stock near the barrel clip was gouged, and it appeared that whoever was milling the stock that day just slapped some stain on the gouge (looks like a long scratches) and packed it off to be sold.
I figured I’d clean it up, oil it a little and see what this rifle was famous for at the local range before I went and made any decisions.
The magazine supplied jammed after the 2nd round. Every other round didnt feed. So, I changed magazines (I bought a 5, 10 & 15 made by other manufacturers as well) from the one 15 round that came with it. I changed ammo….three times. Jammed or didnt feed. This gun is JUNK and IS overpriced.
I’ve come across old rusty beat to hell AK’s that were in the desert for 10 years that shot better and didnt jam (before putting a charge of c-4 on the pile of them or a WPete) and I’m a little skeptical as to the “quality” that Kahr claims they put into their products.
JMHO…..
Retired Navy Senior Chief EOD
i only want the folding stock to replace my old one paratrooper stock of my m1a1 carbine pls. help me how can i buy that kind of stock here in manila, philippines, and how much it will cost…
I picked up the AO130 by Auto Ordinance at a local gun show. I paid $670 for it. I’ve wanted an M1 Carbine for a long time, but I’ve been very hesitant to plunk down that much cash on a used one (about the same or more expensive than the AO now) for a weapon that I don’t know how much life it has left in it and has a lot of years and road miles.
Some of the examples I’ve seen around town or at shows were just in horrid condition and I’d be hesitant to put rounds down the barrels of some.
We (my son, 13, and I) shot the Auto Ordinance M1 at the range last weekend for the first time. We had some FTF with about the first 3 magazines. After that we didn’t experience any problems with the Remington 110 gr. rounds. You have to load the magazines properly and it seems a more rigid firing stance helps cycle the bolt better. (Avoid mushy shoulders absorbing and offsetting the recoil.)
The supplied magazine will not leave the bolt open on the last round but the WWII US surplus magazines do.
We bought it to have as a fun shooter. Overall, the nostalgia value of the gun is great and I think once the gun is broken in and loosened up a bit it will do just fine. We only put about 200 rounds down range last weekend and we’ll probably do another 200 this coming week. That Remington ammo is DIRTY! Lots of heavy duty cleaning required after shooting.
We’re still on the hunt for more magazines, especially reliable 15 or 30 rounders.
Kahr also don’t include a reproduction sling or oiler with the rifle. (Silly as that’s just a $10-15 retail item and they sell them on their web site.) Also, they only give you one magazine. I’d pay the extra $30 retail, but give me the sling, oiler and two magazines please. Don’t nickel and dime me…but I went to CTD for the sling and oiler.
One thing I noted is that the stock has a funny, “sweaty body odor” smell to it when I got it home. I want that to wear off. I’ve not had that on any other wooden stock I’ve ever received.
So far, overall, I’m very pleased with the rifle. Of course, this isn’t the first or only rifle we use or own so I wouldn’t suggest that this be the first or only rifle you own either, for any one of a variety of reasons.
It’d make a good coyote gun if you live in that part of the Nation. 30 Carbine ammo isn’t as cheap as it once was, so that’s a consideration for some, especially given the rise in cost of .223 these days so that’s something to keep in mind…especially right now. It’s getting expensive to keep a number of different caliber firearms “well fed” and “well stocked”…not to mention ammunition is in pretty short supply everywhere these days.
Julio, I am pleased you are enjoying your carbine.
(Update) Another few hundred rounds through the AO130 carbine and all seems to be going well. The rifle is a good shooter. No real FTF or jam problems with the Remington 110 FMJ ammunition. It seems to be getting broken in quite nicely. I want to experiment with other ammunition as some becomes available. Ammunition seems to be in short supply everywhere (no surprise).
As alluded to earlier, at closer ranges, this firearm would serve you well for most intended purposes. You can get great groupings from this firearm in a standing position. Sights are quickly and easily acquired (aperture rear and “fin” post at front. I find that if you can easily get a sight picture on an AR-15 / M4 style sight profile you can do so with the Auto Ordinance sight profile / adapt to it quickly as well. I feel the rifle will make a good shooter to about 100 yards. (We don’t have many civilian rifle ranges here in S. Florida beyond 100 yards, unfortunately…so it’s difficult for me to give any info beyond that distance as to accuracy).
I’ll let others debate the ballistics of the rifle. The more I shoot this rifle, the more I like it. That’s enough for me to be satisfied with the addition of this rifle to my safe.
Right now, my steadfast rule for firearm acquisition is to duplicate calibers, NATO preferably, and useable supplies wherever possible and this is the only firearm I have that breaks that rule to some degree.
Magazines that are decent condition-wise, new and /or reliable seem to be in short supply. I’ve ordered a few different types and capacities of magazines from a few difference sources and I’ll post my results and comments on those as soon as we can get some more range time in.
AO recently “upped” the price of their magazines (15 rnd) on their site to about $40 per copy. Personally, that’s insane, when Bushmaster 30 round or 20 round magazines are $20 per copy for AR-15 / M4 rifles. Pick your poison as far as where to place your money if you have both types of rifles.
Another issue of concern is replacement parts. I’ve read in places that the AO M1 Carbines are mil-spec and I’ve read in other places that they aren’t. From my experience, it seems some things might function and some might not. This means that until something breaks on this firearm, it would serve you just fine as a SHTF type of rifle…at which time it’s likely to be a nice club because parts will be tough to come by unless you’re a competent gunsmith and machinist or know one. On the flip side, it seems that the rifle is well built and fairly solid. Time will tell.
There are still plenty of service rifles floating around that are rebuilt, parts bastardized, etc, but they are still punching lead down-range and they are reliable shooters. It would certainly have helped Kahr to make these to mil-spec so that any and all parts aftermarket wise would work with their rifles. –warranty voided of course–but still would have provided a much wider appeal and longer life to this product IMHO.
More later.
Good shooting!
Julio
Julio, thanks for the update!
I recently bought an auto-ordnance m1 .30 paying $743 for it. I realize now that was way, way to much money! New ten and fifteen shot mags came with the gun. The ten shot mag jammed every shot and the fifteen jammed every two shots. When pulling the slide back if you didn’t hold your month just right it would completly detach form the bolt. That was bad enough, but the real headaches began when I tried to contact Auto-Ordnance. They have no toll free phone number to use. That in it self is not a big problem but when you call over and over and all you get are recordings and continual waiting for a live person and never get one. it gets damned aggravating. I left my number several times and NO ONE called me back!
I tried their E-mail and that didn’t work. I finally sent a FAX and that did
result in call back but it was a day or two latter. The end result of that talk was FED-EX would pick-up the gun the following morning 1/29/09. FED did come to pick-up the gun but had no address to where the gun was supposed to go. That was finally solved. Auto-Ordnance still has the gun 2/9/09. Sig arms replaced a gun for me with and upgrade in two days.
Tom, keep us updated as to when you get the rifle back and what happened.
I’m really surprised at the report. Did you try to take the rifle apart and see what or where the problem might be?
I don’t understand about the statement about the slide back…and holding just right what would detach from the bolt?
The bolt “sits” into the groove on the charging handle.
I’d be curious as to what they say.
Good luck and definitely post the results.
Thanks!
John Farnham seemed to indicate that they were performing pretty well and that people were bringing them in for their urban pistol and rifle tacical training courses.
He’s mentioned them a few times in his quips and lessons learned section of his web site.
“02 Feb 09
In 2009, we’re conducting a record number of Urban Rifle Courses, spread out across the Country. Students typically bring AR-15s, RA/XCRs, DSA/FALs, Kahr M1 Carbines, SA/M1As, Ruger/Mini-14s, and various other military rifles…”
I purchased an AOM130 last August. I too had some FTF problems at the beginning. I never had any problem getting support from them via email. I inquired as to the FTF failure rate that is acceptable for this gun, (knowing that the M1 Carbine has always been finicky even in WWII), and they said 0 failure rate is the goal. It may be the goal, but it’s a mechanical device with lots of things that have to be right. I think the 2 biggest problems are bad magazines and low velocity ammo. Is it a true statement that these guns work better after many rounds have been run through them? If so, how the heck did the soldiers survive in WWII, Korea, etc. with new guns that hadn’t been shot enough? My Bushmaster XM15E2s has never, ever had a problem. NEVER. So why would one gun require an extensive break-in and another doesn’t? Any ideas?
I just purchased a new AOM130 and shot it today for the first time. I was very disappointed in it’s performance as it jammed at least 30% of the time. I was using the supplied 15rd mag and two other 20rd mags. All jammed equally. I disassembled the mags and “stretched” the springs but that didn’t make any difference in improving it from jamming. Note that I had an older Iver-Johnson M-1 that shot flawless. (It was stolen unfortunately). The AOM is a fine looking gun and is accurate but hopefully Kahr will offer the fix the jamming when I contact them.
Bill,
Auto-Ordnance has a 1 year warranty. Contact them. I found that the new magazines don’t work very well, especially Pro-Mag. Get surplus mags if you can. But, still, they need to make that gun work flawlessly if they provided the magazines.
I ordered a couple of Carbine mags from CTD (Made in Korea) I’ll have to let you know how those work out. I’ve been reluctant to shoot any more with it as ammunition is in short supply just about everywhere. I’ve not been able to get any 30 carbine ammo for about over a month now at least.
I, too, have rarely ever had a FTF or jam with my Bushmaster .223 Carbines, so I was concerned at first, but the gun loosens up.
After you have about 400-500 rounds through it, let us know how it’s working out. If you are super concerned, send it in to Kahr and have them look at it.
Thanks Pete and Julio . . . Bill back again about the jamming on my new AO carbine. . . I spent some time examining the gun after a good cleaning and found a couple things that might be a fix . . ..
1- Something I should had caught earlier . . it was very “dry”, not lubricated . dumb me.
2 – The mags appeared to be very “loose” in the receiver and tipped forward each time that a bullet was racked in causing the jams. I decided to add a thin shim by epoxing a piece of sheet aluminum to the top front part of the mag. I beveled the edges of the aluminum shim and then polished it with my Dremel tool. I hand racked several rounds and there were no jams.
I’ll find out for sure if that fixed it this weekend . . hopefully between some lubrication and the mag modifications, that’ll take care of the jamming. I’ll post another follow-up.
If anyone wants to see a photo of the mag modification, let me know and I’ll see if I post it via the blog author.
Bill, feel free to email me any photos and I will post them on the blog.
Julio,
You hit the nail on the head with the ammo problem. I hit every WalMart in my city and surrounding towns and came up with 3 boxes of .30 carbine, the Remington UMC. I think I got the last of it in the entire world. None of the local gun shops, websites, etc. has any. I actually called Remington Ammunition in Lonoke, Arkansas yesterday and talked to one of their customer relations people. I asked what is going on with .30 carbine ammo. He said they are staffed 24/7 and cranking at full capacity and can’t keep up becuase, after the election, people don’t buy boxes anymore, they save up and buy cases. This confirmed what I already perceived, but wanted to make sure. They’re behind the 8-ball on most all ammo. I even asked if they had a factory outlet that I could drive to. Of course, the answer was no. I, too, have had to cut way back on shooting, so I may not get 400-500 rounds out of that gun before it goes out of warranty. Hopefully the ammo market will loosen up soon.
Bill,
I too modified my mags with epoxy and shims. Problem was the recoil broke the epoxy adhesion and before I new it, the shims came off. It definitely helped before they rattled off. So, I then got tiny machine screws, drilled a tiny hole through the magazine guide lip, (the strip of metal on the front of the magazine that fits in the groove in the magazine well.), cut the machine screw down so it barely went through the other side of the magazine, installed the screw with epoxy, then ground the head of the screw down with a dremel to where I got a snug fit. Talk about something that won’t rattle loose and places the mag into the well so that each round feeds exactly where it should go. In theory you would think that the design of the gun would have taken into account the fact that not all magazines fit the same. It would be interesting to know if the military and soliders had to “rig” some things like this also.
I’ve also read that getting the feedramp polished can help.
Neat idea Pete about the mag mod with tiny screws. I’ll diffinatly give it a try if my shims pop off.
I’m in the same situation with ammo . . wating on 700 rds from two different vendors . . not cheap either. Won’t be here until mid June at best. I’ve got about 200 rounds for reload if I need to but would rather save it for “emergency situations”.
I’ve got a question. What should the length be of the sling for the M1 carbine, (from tip to tip uninstalled). I got mine from Cheaper Than Dirt and it’s installed correctly, but it sure is a tight fit when I try and shoulder it. I can only use it when I’m in light clothing. I can’t even use it when I’m wearing a coat. Were there different lengths for summer/winter clothing?
I have a Kahr M1 carbine and I like it a lot, with that said I ordered a red dot sight for it. I have to remove the rear sight that is dove tailed and I don’t have a clue at this point. I am not a Gun Smith and I have the most common tools. I need some instruction on how to proceed.
Thanks for your help.
Bill
I received a new, plain ordinary M1 Carbine yesterday I ordered over the internet from The Exchange. I am totally disappointed. It does not look like a quality made firearm. It does not appear to have been made with quality metals. It looks like a Chinese copycat. It does not have the quality apperance of the WWII era made rifles. After thorough inspection I can honestly say I paid about $295.00 too much. This is a new rifle but the used M1 Carbines I have are much better in quality and apperance, other than looking used. I ordered a new rifle and received a new rifle and am stuck with what I got. I will not buy another that I cannot see, hold and inspect before purchase. Just call me “Sucker”.
Dorris – Was this an Auto Ordinance one? Seems odd if so.
Ammunition is scarce. Grab it when you find it.
The only 30 Carbine I’ve been finding lately is the UMC stuff. Found another 400 rounds recently and picked it up. .223 is gone as fast as it comes in.
There is no recession in the firearms business right now. Folks are nervous and they have good reason to be so.
I bought AOM130 in late Feb. Always loved and wanted an M1 Carbine and figured since I wasn’t interested in collectabillity and just wanted a shooter, I’d buy new. So far this has been a big mistake.
The rifle looks nice, but the front sights are a tilted a little left. But that’s not the big problem. Headspace. The spent rounds are coming out with the primers competely destroyed so I got a hold of a couple of ‘go’ and ‘no-go’ gauges and discovered the headspace problem. This wouldn’t bother as much as it does but this company has done NOTHING about it. I can’t get thru to anyone on the phone. I’ve sent 3 emails and filled out 2 of their online forms to get the forms to return it to them and nothing…not one single response almost a month later.
Honestly what is this company’s problem? I’ve purchased a rifle that’s seriously flawed and possibly dangerous to the shooter and they ignore any attempt to get in touch with them. At this point I don’t think I can trust them enough to fix it and will probably try to find a gunsmith who answers the phone. Auto-Ordnance isn’t going to stay in business long if this is a typical example of ‘quality’ control and costumer service.
I really wished I’d bought from CMP.
“is overpriced by at least $200 even to compete with the Mini-14″. Such a comparison would be like a Timex compared to a Rolex. Yes the AO Carbine is that bad in all aspects of comparison. And the Mini-14 is that damed good. So is the Mini-30 even with the 6.72X39.
Will Bill: “Wild” says it all. I’ve owned 2 AOM 130s. One bought used and the other factory new. Both were mistakes. They were never able to be made into decent time after time shooters. Quality was way below par of 60+ year old CMP rifles. I’ve got one CMP now and have owned 3 others. I was greatly disappointed with AO Firearms. New price I paid for my AOM 130 was $575.00 plus S&H, no tax, much less than yours. You were really ripped. CMP rifles are first and formost collectors. They are not NIB rifles. But if you buy the best CMP grade offered they will be as good as or better than many comparable civilian rifles. That has been proven many thousands of times in as many sanctioned matches around the world. You can’t refute that.
Yes FFL types are buying CMP weapons and raising the price. That is illegal and unethical. They know they agree not to do that when they apply for their right to purchase authentic military weapons. I wish all of them could be prosecuted for their activities. I have sold CMP rifles but not a one to a stranger for profit. Only to friends and relatives that deserve to own one by virtue of military service and then only if the weapon is to be kept for heirs. I gave a garand and a carbine to my son who has had 6 combat tours in the airborne and green berets. I have a 45 ordered that is for him. He deserves to own an authentic collectable military weapon that is a part of history.
By the way, with 31+ years in military service to my country and service alongside all branches of US military and with many other countries’ military services I never came across a “Marine Paratrooper”. You meant to say, A Marine that was jump qualified, right? (Semper FI, Devil Dogs)
Julio on 24 Mar 2009 at 4:24 am link comment
Dorris – Was this an Auto Ordinance one? Seems odd if so.
Ammunition is scarce. Grab it when you find it.
Sorry Julio about taking so long to answer. I don’t usually receive comments and haven’t been on for a long time.
Yes it was an AO rifle. I was totally disappointed with Kahr Arms and dissatisfied with the rifle. If you remember the Mattel toy of the sixties you will know how I fell about the rifle.
Never again will I purchase a Kahr Arms item unless I can hold it, inspect it and be satisfied with at least the cosmetic appearance, the quality of its materiels and the feel of the item. And I will not again look at an AOM 130 for purchase. I can buy metals and machine a very ugly, crude rifle of which I would be more pleased with.The AOM 130 just does not feel like a a copy of a real military 30 Cal. Carbine should feel.
The brand new AOM 130 metals looked like reworked or sub-standard metals. The forearm was very soft on the left side and it flexed and squeaked when rifle was held to shoot. The wood had a feel of thin white pine panelling. Thin, so as to be inexpensive to make. (like Chinese)
Ammo. I have inside track to all types of ammo. I will be one of the last to have an ammo procrument problem.
TO: Ericon 21 Apr 2008 at 7:54 pm link comment
Yes firearms producers are in business to get the most for their products. And they have to have their price up their with all the others to appear to be as good as the others.
However, from first hand experience, I know Kahr Arms is overpricing the AOM-130 Carbine. It certainly does not come close in quality to any Ruger product I’ve ever owned . But people fall for the sales pitches. I did and was completely surprised and dissapointed. Kahr Arms may very well make a lot of other quality products but the AOM-130 I got is not one.
Ruger charges “more” for the Mini-14, and Mini-30, and they should. They are worth more, they will last longer,. they will retain their value better, their quality performance will last longer.
An old M1 Carbine is not to be confused with new production. Old M1 Carbines are collectors pieces not new offerings. However, many are over 60+ years old and can out perform many new weapons. Old M1 Carbines from CMP are authentic military weapons many of which have seen combat. That is their appeal and rightfully so. They were never meant to compete with newly manufactured items but many can. Warranties are not expected of collectibles. And worn out parts of collectibles can be replaced if it is necessary to make the item a for fun shooter. It’s not about the price but I don’t expect you to understand that.
Per Julio, “Overall, the nostalgia value of the gun is great” There is no nostalgia with a brand new terrible knock off. Nostalgia would come from owning a real M1 Carbine. One that was experienced in combat.
I am glad you and your son enjoy your firearm. That’s what it is all about, having fun.
I had two very bad experiences with the AOM-130 by Kahr. Their weapon does not come close to the real thing. Having owned a truck load of all sorts of firearms, civilian and military, in my life of 62+ years I must say the AOM-130 was one of my worst experiences. If I really wanted a “firearm” that fails to feed and jams a lot, I don’t need to pay as much as the AOM-130 cost.
I will leave it at this: there can be lots of lemons in all products.
PETE The rifles the soldiers received were “real” M1 Carbines not knock offs. They were much better made, stronger, more durable and less likely to malfunction because of their quality and craftsmanship.
Wow. I’m somewhat surprised to hear that. I’ll continue to push rounds down range with the AO130 and see, but I haven’t had anywhere near the issues you folks seem to be having. After what I’d call a “sufficient” break in number of rounds, it seems to feed and function pretty well.
I’m not going to say that I believe it to be as reliable as any of my Bushmaster or Ruger rifles, but I don’t see it as junk either.
The mini 14 and mini 30 are better rifles but accuracy has been a gripe point with the Mini 14 and they are both different calibers so apples and oranges there…, but I bought the AO130 because it’s a reproduction of the m1 carbine, not because I needed another mil spec or a sub 1/2″ MOA rifle at 100 yds.
It’s not a perfect reproduction, but it is a reproduction nonetheless and I wouldn’t call it a “terrible knock off”. At what I spent, I certainly could have obtained a CMP M1 Carbine.
All of the top covers of any and all of the M1 Carbine’s I’ve looked at and held seem to be flimsy, very light wood paneling. I’ve not held one, ever, that I could say was a heavy, solid piece of wood.
There can be lemons, indeed, with all sorts of products. Customer service dictates the quality of the product and I hope these guys aren’t letting you down. The measure of any company is when you have a problem with their product that they need to help you resolve.
Indications from around the web don’t seem to indicate a really huge, widespread problem of this firearm being a pure dud. Certainly mine isn’t that way.
Again, this isn’t the first or only rifle one should buy or own. There are far better and newer, more vastly improved mechanisms and rifles out there. A defensive, battle rifle, the AO130 is not intended to be.
I just bought an AOM140 carbine from my local gun club. I thought I will have a piece of history in my possesion. What a sucker I am. The rifle came with one 10 rd magazine that did not work and I still have not the chance to fire a single ammo from it. I have emailed Kahr and so far no reply to my problem. After examining the rifle closely I realized it was a cheap piece of junk. I feel so pathetic for having bought it. I guess I should not have the feeling of nostalgia overcome me. I hope somebody would come along to help me solve the problem.
I bought an AOM 160 last NOV. Due to some travel for work I was only able to shoot it today (yep most of my warrnty is gone,)and was VERY disappointed in my purchase. I really hope the break-in period thing is true other wise I have one hell of a lemon. The factory mag was worthless. I had 2 other “proven” korean mags and the difference in feel when loading was amazing. The factory mag was very soft, and failed to feed from the start. Sadly that was only the start of my issues. I never got more than 3 round to load in a row all day. I had double feeds, stove piping, dry fires because it failed to feed anything into the chamber, and a few dry fires on a open bolt that failed to close all the way with a round in the chamber (it did not go off thank God!) It took me over an hour to work 50 rounds throuh this thing due to the constant failures and this of course was while using different mags in case that was the issue.
I was using S&B ammo (never used it before, any thoughts?) I will try again tomorrow with american egale and some magtech.
Any ideas??????
PS
I have email Kahr I will let you know how that goes, but sounds like I better not hold my breath….I may pass out.
Also is the metal heat sheild supposed to rattle a bit? mine fits a little loose but I have never been that worried as I planned to put a utlimak mount there.
better but not perfect. I took it out again and it fired much better after 100 rounds. Also I found holding the magazine with slight back pressure gets rid of the mag shake, and seemed to improve function. I still had a few failures to lock the bolt with dry fires.
Damon
Hope you don’t mind telling me where you bought your Korean made mags. I really need one badly and hopefully they have 10 rds mag for I live in CA.The “tree hugging” socialists in CA don’t allow any magazine beyond 10 rds. Thanks in advance
I bought these at CDNN sports and cheaper than dirt . Not sure about the 10 round thing but best of luck.
To Cris of Philippines,
I have read your comments to your M1A1…if you wanna replace your paratrooper folding butt… i intent to buy it.. i want that folding stock to my M2
I bought an AO M1 new in 2006, never had a problem with it and paid under $600 for it. I bought some surplus 15 round mags, some work fine and some did not. The mag that came with the gun has never mis fed a round. I have a new production 30 round mag that works great. Sounds like AO has gone down hill since I got mine. I feel lucky now.
I really like the looks of them, Just wish the werent so darn expensive, this is not a serious hunting firearm so its impractical for me to invest the sugested price. Sorry
I’m putting together two parts guns I got in trade.
It’s a cute little carbine, and fun, but I fail to see the appeal. I still plan to get a CMP gun at some point, but either way:
Scarce ammo–pretty much the only gun that fires it, apart from a couple of even scarcer pistols and revolvers.
Anemic. It’s a glorified pistol as far as power, only bulkier.
Expensive. The price seems fair for the workmanship on the new ones, but not for what you’re actually getting as far as utility.
Parts. Very limited market.
I got mine horse trading, so I’m happy. $500+ for a rack grade from CMP seems a bit much, though they might appreciate. And the US surp ones are $$$$$$ and increasing.