Originally manufactured in the first half of 1945 by the Inland Division of General Motors, it was rebuilt at a later date by Rock Island Armory of Geneseo, Illinois. An evolution of the M1 Carbine, the M2 was intended to give America's "second line" soldiers a boost in firepower without excessively disrupting the logistics train or manual of arms. Essentially a "drop in" assembly, the auto-fire components of the M2 could be swapped in or out as needed; most M1s so equipped were converted back to semi-auto after the M2 was retired, and few factory-original M2s can be found intact and with proper registration. Blade front and "PI" marked adjustable rear sight, with a "KI" bayonet lug, round bolt, "U" operating rod, milled Inland trigger guard, "I-I" hammer, "E.I." switch safety and "E.I." magazine catch. The stock is the "perch belly" style cut to accept the selector switch, with an "IO" marked 4-rivet handguard, an "IO" and "crossed cannons" marked buttstock, green canvas sling and a checkered steel buttplate. With a U.S. marked soft case.
Very fine, with 95% of the arsenal parkerized finish, showing some mild handling marks overall, some light spotting, and some wear on the bolt. The stock is very good, with light dents and scratches, and a few small areas of filler. The case shows some light wear. Mechanically excellent. NOTE: This item is restricted as a National Firearms Act (NFA), fully transferable Class 3, which is registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, (BATFE) that is classified as a "Curios or Relic" as defined in 27 CFR, 478.11. These weapons are still subject to the provisions of 18 U.S.C. Chapter 44 and 27 CFR part 478.
There are currently no customer product questions on this lot