RicinYakima
High Steppes of Eastern Washington
Weight of ammo, and material to make them is so much less than 45 ACP. While Carbines received a lot of combat time, they were not designed for that, but to replace the Model 1911 pistol. A hit with the .30 M1 is better than a miss with .45.I agree and have often wondered why the M-1 carbine was designed around a .30 caliber cartridge. While the 30 Carbine cartridge was developed from the 32 SLR, a better choice would have had a larger diameter bullet. A .35 would have been a more lethal choice without making the carbine larger, heavier or giving much more recoil. There was history with the 1905 Winchester self loading rifle in 35 SLR and 351 SLR, including it's use by the French during WW1, so a new cartridge design similar to the later 9mm Winchester Magnum would have made sense.
It wasn't until after WW2 that LTC George did the analysis of the Infantry weapons in the Pacific, that it was realized that it was better than expected. It was the next to last WW2 weapon sold as surplus and that was almost 20 years after the war.