RE: IH guns ramble

[Jim Grammer <jimg@domain.elided>]

RE: IH guns and such....

Definitely on-topic if the item is(or closely related to) an IHC product, 
especially since Richard went to 'Forum for discussion of International 
Harvester'. I like that we've branched out a bit, and I think it may give 
list members a feel for just how pervasive IH products were in times past. 
Now that The Company only exists as a mere shadow of its former 
self(Navistar), it's easy to forget that they were one of the earliest 
major multi-national conglomerates, and also one of the biggest(for better 
or worse). They had huge anti-trust problems with gummint regulators for 
many years as they tried to consolidate various businesses. That's one of 
the reasons products were marketed with the original makers name after an 
IH purchase/takeover. They pulled off a lot of things with the 'divide and 
confuse' method, but I think it probably had that effect on their 
management, too. I seriously doubt a company like IH could have been put 
together if the trust-busters had gained a little more sway a little 
earlier.

So, on to the M1 carbine....I picked up a thread a long time back about how 
the IH rifles were the least favorite version of the M1, something to do 
with reliability problems IIRC. Any gun knowledgable lister want to 
comment? Seems hard to believe IH would have skimped on a War Department 
contract, so maybe(if true) it was an unfamiliarity with firearms 
manufacture?

BTW, for those who enjoy the little bit of tractor content and want to fill 
up their mailboxes a bit more, the ATIS tractor list/digest is very 
informative.

Jim