Saginaw M1 Carbine
- Category
- Carbine
- Barrel
- 458 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.48 kg
- Introduced
- 1943
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Saginaw M1 Carbine was produced by the Saginaw Steering Gear Division of General Motors, a prime contractor for the U.S. M1 Carbine in World War II. Saginaw built carbines at its plant in Saginaw, Michigan and, after taking over the failed Irwin-Pedersen contract in early 1943, at a second plant in Grand Rapids, Michigan whose output was marked 'S'G''. Across both plants Saginaw produced roughly 517,000 carbines. The Grand Rapids 'S'G'' guns are distinct collector items, while the Saginaw, Michigan plant guns are marked 'SAGINAW S'G''.
Saginaw Steering Gear stepped in to rescue carbine production at Grand Rapids after Irwin-Pedersen could not qualify a single acceptable gun, marking those receivers with the distinctive 'S'G'' code.
Two production sites: Saginaw, MI ('SAGINAW S'G'') and Grand Rapids, MI ('S'G''). The Grand Rapids plant was the former Irwin-Pedersen facility, taken over after that contractor failed to deliver acceptable guns.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Saginaw Steering Gear Division, General Motors
- Category
- Carbine
- Country
- United States
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1943 to 1944
- Variant of
- Manufacturer variant
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 458 mm
- Overall length
- 905 mm
- Height
- 120 mm
- Width
- 32 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.48 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 2.77 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated short stroke
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 15
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Parkerized
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 607 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 1311 J
- Effective range
- 275 m
- Maximum range
- 1829 m
- Rate of fire
- 40 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Short stroke gas piston
Rotating bolt
Detachable box magazine- Lightweight design
Adjustable rear sight
Blade front sight
Bayonet lug
Sling swivels
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 409 carbines | 2.48 kg | 3.00 kg | Lighter than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 407 carbines | 905 mm | 895 mm | Longer than about 60% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 423 carbines | 458 mm | 406 mm | Longer than about 70% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 423 carbines | 15 | 21 | Holds fewer rounds than about 60% |
Answers
Questions about the Saginaw M1 Carbine
How much does the Saginaw M1 Carbine weigh?
The Saginaw M1 Carbine weighs 2.48 kg (5.47 lb) empty and 2.77 kg (6.11 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the Saginaw M1 Carbine?
The Saginaw M1 Carbine is chambered in .30 Carbine.
How many rounds does the Saginaw M1 Carbine hold?
The Saginaw M1 Carbine holds 15 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Saginaw M1 Carbine?
The Saginaw M1 Carbine is 905 mm (35.6 in) long overall, with a 458 mm (18.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Saginaw M1 Carbine?
The Saginaw M1 Carbine is made by Saginaw Steering Gear Division, General Motors (United States). It was designed by Frederick Humeston / William Roemer (Winchester).
When was the Saginaw M1 Carbine introduced?
The Saginaw M1 Carbine was introduced in 1943 and discontinued in 1944.
How does the Saginaw M1 Carbine operate?
The Saginaw M1 Carbine uses a gas operated short stroke action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- United States Army
- 1943
Provenance
Confidence in this record
83%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/saginaw-m1' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "saginaw-m1", "name": "Saginaw M1 Carbine", "manufacturer": { "id": "saginaw", "name": "Saginaw Steering Gear Division, General Motors", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1917, "website": null, "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "updatedAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "version": "2142cef5d9b18462f16f7926a03b9db9f9cd4e903cb753f82fefbddb96832292" }, "category": { "id": "carbine", "name": "Carbine", "description": "Shortened rifles for close-quarters use" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1943, "barrel_length_mm": 458, "weight_empty_g": 2480, "action_type": "gas_operated_short_stroke"}