Does anyone have knowledge/information, and/or experience in loading .30 carbine using Hodgdon CFE 223 or CFE Pistol? I have an abundance of both, and in this time of powder scarcity I would like to try them if I can find safe and reliable data.
Thank you

Nope, CFE223 is too slow, and CFE pistol probably too fast. You would have to experiment. Closest I could find on the Hodgdon website was 327 federal magnum and CFE pistol. I am sure you could work up a load that is safe to fire, but cycling the action on an M1 carbine is another story.

Even if you find a "safe" load with CFE Pistol, the pressure curve is probably way off to cycle the action of a 30 carbine. Invest in some H110 or Li'l Gun to load for the Carbine.

I have loaded several thousand rounds for M-1 Carbines and Blackhawk revolvers.

For carbines, H110/WW296 for full power and H4227 for Lower speeds that still cycle (but why bother?).

For Blackhawks, fast enough to not get stuck is the only rule. Nothing short of a thermal nuclear explosion will damage the revolver. But wear ear plugs AND muffs if you want to hear ever again!

I have used cast bullets in both with good results, but they ALWAYS have gas checks. A 100 yards, bullet shape and material didn't make enough difference to worry about. Bullet speed was everything!

Ivan

If you are going to fire handloads in that Blackhawk, be sure to measure case length and trim back if necessary. I have to trim after each firing or I lock the cylinder up. Those cases really grow.

I used H-108 when I could get it, use H-110 when I can't. And I have found I usually have to trim for length every firing, at most every other firing. AS 27man noted, those cases grow surprisingly fast.

Thank all of you for your replys. H-110 has been my choice in the past; however, I can now only find it on the web, and hazardous freight doubles the cost. That's a no-go for me. Guess I'll have to wait for Trump's reelection.

I went through my newest manuals and found nothing .
There are 7 or 8 powders listed , write the names down and visit the local dealers ... when you spot powder see if any is on your list and buy it .
Back in 2013 I did this and discovered several powders I had never tried and they turned out to be great....use this as an opportunity to try other powders !
I don't buy powder or primers off the net either, hazmat eats you up and I want my local gun shops to stay in business .
Gary

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GI cases......................... GI powders...............

it is that simple.

Don't big deal it.

I understand your situation completely.

Like @Kurac said, the .327 Federal Magnum data would be very close to the .30 Carbine, so you could search Hodgdon's reloading site for such data, just stay away from upper end loads.

I have used 6.0 grs. of Unique and one of my 115 gr. cast FP bullets in my .30 Carbine's. Velocity is 1425 fps, 100 yd. accuracy is decent, and even with these relatively soft bullets, leading is very, very minimal and even then it's limited to just ahead of the chamber. And since the carbine's gas port is so near the chamber, they tend to function the actions with these fast burning powders. Even this middle-of-the-road load of Unique functions my carbine's.

With such loads, one can used cast bullets and save their jacketed bullets. Missouri Bullet Company has .30 Carbine bullets for about 1/2 the price of jacketed.

Another suggestion would be to visit the Military Rifles section of the Cast Boolit website. There are a couple of guys over there (Larry Gibson, Outpost 75) who really know M1 Carbines and how to load for them, especially with pistol powders. Even if they haven't used CFE Pistol, I have no doubt they can point you in the right direction with regards to a load.

Good luck and please keep us posted. I'm relatively new to M1 Carbines so would be interested in what you find out.

308S