Source: ATF P 5300.11 · Curios or Relics List · Jan 1972 – Apr 20253,573 entries · 4 sections
The C&R RegisterA finding aid to the ATF Curios or Relics List, for Type 03 collectors
C&R · IV · 240

M2 Carbine (M2 & M2A1)

Section IV: still an NFA firearm, also a curio or relic

Official wording

ATF P 5300.11 · APRIL 2025 EDITION · SECTION IV · VERBATIM · PDF P. 89 ↗

U.S. Carbine, cal. .30, M-2 and M-2A1, original U.S. Military issue, mfd. prior to 1946, and marked "M-2" on the receiver.

ATF lists cal. .30; this is the .30 Carbine cartridge.

What this entry requires

  • ATF REQUIRESYour firearm carries the marking “marked "M-2" on the receiver”
  • ATF REQUIRESOriginal as the ATF wording requires: “original U.S. Military issue”
  • ATF REQUIRESMade 1945 or earlier (ATF’s dates)ATF: “mfd. prior to 1946”
  • INFOStill an NFA firearm; only registered examples transfer, with ATF approval (26 U.S.C. 5812, 5861).

Editorial facts · Our research

Country
United States
Manufacturer
Various U.S. Government contractors
Type
Rifle
Action
Select-fire / auto¹
Caliber
.30 Carbine
Made
Before 1946²
Service
Military
Search listings ↗Check a specific gunReport an error ↗

Source

Official wording
ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section IV · PDF p. 89 ↗ · ATF original ↗
Entries
1 line
Verbatim check
Checked against the PDF text before every release
Editorial facts
Confidence: High · Last revised 18 October 2026 (Evidence pass) · How we rate confidence
References
  1. Wikipedia, “M1 carbine” ↗, action: 'The M2 Carbine is the selective-fire version of the M1 Carbine, capable of firing in both semi-automatic and full-automatic'
  2. Wikipedia, “M1 carbine” ↗, years
Fact tags
  • ATF the ATF wording states it.
  • REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
  • ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
  • NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
Source checked
20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
Corrections
1 change · see below

Correction history

  1. Evidence passYears: 1944–1945 → 1945. The M1 carbine article says actual M2 production began in April 1945; ATF limit prior to 1946

All corrections · How corrections work

Historical context

M1 carbine (base model shown for M2 Carbine (M2 & M2A1))
Shown: a U.S. M1 carbine, not this select-fire M2.

Image: Wikimedia Commons, “M1 Carbine Mk I USA Armémuseum noBG new.png” by Armémuseum (The Swedish Army Museum) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Rama, CC BY-SA 3.0. Retrieved October 2026.

Summary: Wikipedia, “M1 carbine”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.

FROM WIKIPEDIA

The M1 Carbine is a lightweight semi-automatic rifle chambered in the .30 carbine (7.62×33mm) cartridge that was issued to the U.S. military during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The M1 Carbine was produced in several variants and was widely used by military, paramilitary, and police forces around the world after World War II, most notably by the armed forces of South Korea and South Vietnam.