Marushin M2 Carbine Review

The ubiquitous green box of express shipment

The pursuit of happiness….

As it comes packed

Today, 7 January 2007, during the third snowstorm Denver has seen in 3 weeks I received the object of my desire.

The Marushin M2 Carbine

Gas Blowback Semi/Full Auto 8mm

This is the much anticipated release of Marushin’s sophomore effort in the Gas Blow Back rifle arena. The well known Marushin M1 Garand is the ‘big brother’ in more ways than one to the new M2 Carbine. The popularity of the M1 Garand among the public showed that interest in WWII era weapons had not diminished and in fact must be increasing as evidenced by their release of the 8mm Blockback M712 Broomhandle Mauser and soon to be released MP40 8mm Blowback.

I have always had a thing for the whole .30 Cal Carbine family as mentioned in my review of the Marushin M1 Carbine custom installation in M1A1 Paratrooper folding stock, so I wont spend a lot of time on the whole history of the M1 bla bla bla-

Except to say the the M2 introduced Select fire to the spunky little .30 Cal infantry weapon. The M2 was first introduced late in WWII and never really saw widespread issuance in the war. However, the Korean Conflict was another story. And it saw action in Vietnam.

This review will look at the differences in this latest Carbine version from Marushin.

First off, I need to debunk some rumors-

The M1 Carbine mags DO NOT fit.

yeah, I know, bummer….

I suppose I should have guessed it though, the M1 Carbine is a gas rifle yes, but a NBB- not a GBB. So the mags of course are completely different.

2nd myth to debunk-

Is it 21 rounds or 15?

Yeah, hadn’t heard about that eh?

Yes as you can see, the magazine holds 21 rounds

But really works better with 17

The two magazines I put through it while certainly not completely indicative of proper ‘bench testing’ seemed to indicate feed problems with the magazine completely full- perhaps that is why there have not been any reports of the 21 round capacity to date.

Also, my Japanese isn’t very great, but I think they are talking about two different fill holes on the magazine- which is another difference between the GBB and NBB Carbines.

More fun with M2 Mags

When we left our hero, the M2 Carbine ;) we were discussing differences in the magazines in a little more detail.

Here are the two gas-filling ends of the magazines-

Notice that the M2 mag on the right has two fill nipples rather than the standard one as seen in the M1 mag on the left.

Could this mean that one reservoir is for shooting the 8mm cannonball and the other reservoir is for the blowback action? Could it just be a new and different overfill valve? Maybe whoever can read the instructions can tell.

M1 Carbine (top), M2 Carbine (bottom)

View of the magazine wells of both the M1 Carbine and M2 Carbine.

Another view of the two magazines.

New Controls

Those of us that own or have owned M1 Carbines in the past in either the 6mm or 8mm varieties are pretty familiar with the controls of the M1 Carbine. Pretty straightforward and simple.

However with the M2 comes full-auto ability, and the fire selector is located on the left side of the breech.

Forward for Full Auto goodness :P

And to the rear for semi-auto joy :D

One of the things that I was really happy to see was the fact that like the M1 Carbine, the gun is full metal.

Another high point for me was, like it’s ‘big brother’ the M1 Garand, the bolt indeed locks back.

Bolt Closed, weapon in battery

Where were we then?….oh yes- discussing the new M2 Carbine, ahh yes.

The finish on the M2 is excellent, much more of a ‘gunmetal’ than the almost gloss black of previous M1 Carbines.

Some detail of the bayonett lug and the barrel- all metal

Replica Impressions

Based on initial impressions of the new combat rifle from Marushin, I am well pleased.

The wood, while a bit lighter in color than I was expecting and frankly, almost looking like a synthetic stock, after a while begins to grow on you. I believe the images show the subtle good looks of the stock furniture.

Obviously Marushin threw out the M1 molds and started completely from scratch with the M2. While logically related as they are iterations of the same basic design, the Marushin M1 Carbine and new M2 Carbine are really two completely different weapons. The receiver markings front and rear have been completely redone and I believe look very authentic. And as mentioned, the magazine system has been completely re-engineered. Hopefully something can be done about the stock magazine spring that will allow all 20 (or 21) bb’s to be used.

While many in the community will be turned-off by this seemingly minuscule bb capacity as compared to the “Hi-Cap” world, I personally enjoy the increased realism and ‘challenge’ of ‘real-cap’ mags. It forces you to “Make every round count, Soldier!”

Shooting Impressions

Well, as I said at the beginning, it’s the third week in a row where a major snow system has visited us here in Colorado not altogether unlike the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future from the favorite holiday story.

However this is getting ridiculous….. :cold2:

It’s somewhere between 15 and 20 degrees in my garage today, but what the heck, let’s open the hatch and kill some snowmen!

Of course I didn’t take any photo’s of the snow bank target practice, I will update the review with properly perforated targets as soon as it stops snowing…… :roll:

The gun operated flawlessly on green gas just as it’s older brother the M1 Carbine has before it, and the only non-feeds came when I started with 21 bb’s in the magazine. When only loading 17, every bb fed and fired. There was magazine cooling and power fade, but again, it’s colder than a well digger’s a**…….

Gas guns + cold temps = no es bueno :(

So I was pleasantly surprised to see bb’s reaching out across the snowy cul-du-sac, I can’t wait for warmer temps with this baby!

Hearing and watching the bolt cycle and the M2 spit the 8mm cannonballs out on full auto is a true joy and well worth the ticket price.

I don’t own a chrono, so I will also update this review with fps measurements ASAP.

My M1 Carbine averages around 410 fps on Green Gas in the summer here. However being a NBB design or, in the case of skirmishes considered a “Bolt-Action” rifle that is not ‘too hot’ for field use, I just have to make sure not to engage targets less than 75′ away. Which with a bolt action operation, isn’t too bad you want to stay out of their handgun range.

This has really relegated the M1 Carbine family generally to sniper and counter-sniper duty.

With the introduction of Marushin’s full-auto/semi-auto 8mm blowback M2 Carbine, perhaps the days of hiding your Carbine in the back while the ‘other’ assault rifles lead the charge are finally over.

It will be very interesting to bench test this new rifle and see what energy penalty to blowback mechanism causes and see what the effective shooting fps is. It will be very good indeed if Marushin has brought us a viable semi-auto/full-auto rifle for the WWII and early ‘Nam Airsoftenactors among us.

It appears to this reporter that Marushin is taking the feedback from M1 Garand owners seriously and seeking to improve their product and really take a healthy bite out of the growing ‘period’ impression trend.

Conclusion

I am really really really happy with the M2 so far I just want to throw that caveat out there because if she goes tit’s up…… ;)

Remember, as with all Japanese gas guns, USE HFC134a- Propane and or Greengas is going to be to rough on these replicas long term. I know you will be tempted- but believe me it’ll be worth it in longevity.

Actually, knock on the wood of the new M2′s stock, this baby looks to be a right well built bit of kit. Feels more solid in my hands than any of the two previous iterations of M1 Carbine, and that is saying something because the most recent M1 version in 8mm is fairly well tank-like itself. This is heavier and more substantial.

Again, initial ‘ballistics’ indicate a well engineered blowback system. And as it did with the M1 Garand, time will tell what weaknesses may arise in the weapon- I am confident that Marushin is serious about this niche market enough to fully stand behind it and support it. This new kid on the block had better be a chip off the ‘ol block because it has a tough act to follow in the accuracy and fps area filling the shoes of the M1 Carbine.

While I still haven’t figured out what the whole “LD2 Barrel System” thing is all about, I can say this weapon shoots hard and straight in the tests I have been able to perform so far.

I will continue to update this thread with any further impressions I have of this weapon, for the time being I really have to say that Marushin got it right, this makes me really look forward to their upcoming 8mm MP40 blowback!

Here is another tip to go along with the HFC134a gas warning-

Here are some pictures of the working parts of the M2 Carbine. While this is still obviously an Airsoft replica that cannot be made to chamber live ammo (duh) the operation is very similar to real steel and should be treated with the same respect and handling practices.

One in particular is the insertion and removal of the magazine. As shown in the photos, when the charging handle is pulled the gun is charged or ‘cocked’ in this configuration the firing pin is retracted and in the ready position. While you can insert the magazine now, you will still have to cycle the action to charge the weapon.

It is safe to insert or remove the M2 magazine at this time. :)

Bolt is closed, weapon is ‘cocked’ or armed- You should always consider this a danger position as it is not immediately apparent if there is a round in the chamber. ;)

The following photo shows the weapon in the safe position, with the bolt open, locked and no magazine inserted. It is easy to confirm if there may be an unfired round in the chamber in this configuration.

It is best to insert or remove a magazine in this position :D

Bolt open and locked, weapon can be considered ‘safe’

This photo shows the weapons firing pin configuration after ‘dry firing’. The firing pin is exposed. Do Not insert or remove a magazine with the firing pin in this position as you can damage it.

It is BAD to insert the magazine now… :(

Slainte!

-G