The M1 Carbine is one of the most under rated rifles you can think of. WAY beyond the .22lr and WAY short of the "deer gun" (.270, .308, etc.). It delivers the same power level at 200 yards that a 9mm hand gun delivers at the muzzle, and a bit over the power level at the muzzle of a .44Mag handgun (also at the muzzle).
Is it a good "House Gun"? Not to my thinking. More power than you need in the house and being a rifle, is not the easiest to move around with in the house. Is it a good "Ranch Rifle"? ABSOLUTELY.
Do I have one? Yes, I do, and I really like shooting it. I load it to about military specs (about 1900 fps with a 110Gr soft point (yes- I know the military used fmj)). I tried some into a clay bank to see how they performed. Two rounds of FMJ and two of my hand loads. Spaced them about ten inches apart, alternating FMJ and soft point, going side to side. The two FMJs could not be found with a full length pencil, into the bank. The two soft points were about an inch into the clay. You touch them and a three inch wide blob fell out of the bank, with the bullet on the back end of it. Can you say "full energy transfer"?
I have an IMI version (military surplus - new - parts, assembled into sixty year old "new" guns). Shoots very nicely. Only one problem, the springs in the 15 round magazines were weak. DANG! The springs wore out after only sixty fiver years of sitting on the shelf!