With CMP's release of all of those M1 Carbines, I figure that it's a good time for me to post some of my recent experiences loading this caliber.
I used a mixed set of dies to load these (RCBS belling and seating dies with Lee Carbide sizing and a Lee crimp die). The .30 Carbine loads like a pistol cartridge but with a bit of a twist. Even with a carbide sizing die, it takes a lot of force to resize the unlubed cases, and they tend to really stick in the sizing die too. This makes sense; the .30 carbine case is tapered, so when you go to size it, the die doesn't contact the case until the ram is almost all the way up - then it has to size the whole length all at once. The .30 Carbine brass is also considerably thicker than typical pistol brass.
As a result, I decided to lube the cases. I sprayed them down with Hoppes Dri-Lube which quickly dries to a whitish powder. This made all the difference in the world. After applying the lube, sizing and extraction was much easier. When I was done loading, I gave the finished cartridges a quick trip through the tumbler to remove the powdered lube.
After some experimentation, here's the load data that I used:
Cases: Mixed headstamps (mostly Federal and CBC)
Bullets: Hornady 110gr FMJ
Primers: CCI 400 (small rifle)
Powder: 14.5 grains of Hodgdon H110
C.O.A.L.: 1.680"
The charge weight of 14.5 grains is right in the middle of the recommended load range for H110 (14.0 to 15.0 grains). I got the C.O.A.L. from the powder manufacturer's website. At this length, the cartridges just fit into the M1's magazine. I might go 0.010" shorter next time.
This evening, I fired a 15-shot string through my chronograph and the results were very consistent:
High: 1904 fps
Low: 1872 fps
Avg: 1888 fps
Std Dev: 12
The accuracy was very good as well. The group below is from the 15-shot string that I ran through the chrono. The target was at 50 yards, and I was shooting sitting down with my elbow on a table. I used my WWII surplus (but non-CMP) carbine. I was also concentrating more on not hitting the chrono than I was on hitting the target:
Still, it's a pretty good group - about 3-1/2" except for one called flyer that coincidently hit the bullseye (I looked to see where my brass was going on that shot). I only had time for one magazine tonight. I'm looking forward to trying again after I sort the cartridges by headstamp and take my time shooting from a better rest.
I highly recommend this load.
I used a mixed set of dies to load these (RCBS belling and seating dies with Lee Carbide sizing and a Lee crimp die). The .30 Carbine loads like a pistol cartridge but with a bit of a twist. Even with a carbide sizing die, it takes a lot of force to resize the unlubed cases, and they tend to really stick in the sizing die too. This makes sense; the .30 carbine case is tapered, so when you go to size it, the die doesn't contact the case until the ram is almost all the way up - then it has to size the whole length all at once. The .30 Carbine brass is also considerably thicker than typical pistol brass.
As a result, I decided to lube the cases. I sprayed them down with Hoppes Dri-Lube which quickly dries to a whitish powder. This made all the difference in the world. After applying the lube, sizing and extraction was much easier. When I was done loading, I gave the finished cartridges a quick trip through the tumbler to remove the powdered lube.
After some experimentation, here's the load data that I used:
Cases: Mixed headstamps (mostly Federal and CBC)
Bullets: Hornady 110gr FMJ
Primers: CCI 400 (small rifle)
Powder: 14.5 grains of Hodgdon H110
C.O.A.L.: 1.680"
The charge weight of 14.5 grains is right in the middle of the recommended load range for H110 (14.0 to 15.0 grains). I got the C.O.A.L. from the powder manufacturer's website. At this length, the cartridges just fit into the M1's magazine. I might go 0.010" shorter next time.
This evening, I fired a 15-shot string through my chronograph and the results were very consistent:
High: 1904 fps
Low: 1872 fps
Avg: 1888 fps
Std Dev: 12
The accuracy was very good as well. The group below is from the 15-shot string that I ran through the chrono. The target was at 50 yards, and I was shooting sitting down with my elbow on a table. I used my WWII surplus (but non-CMP) carbine. I was also concentrating more on not hitting the chrono than I was on hitting the target:
Still, it's a pretty good group - about 3-1/2" except for one called flyer that coincidently hit the bullseye (I looked to see where my brass was going on that shot). I only had time for one magazine tonight. I'm looking forward to trying again after I sort the cartridges by headstamp and take my time shooting from a better rest.
I highly recommend this load.
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