Going to add .30 Carbine ammo to what I reload. What primers do you use? Small Rifle or Small Pistol?

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

Depends. I use the SP primers for light revolver loads (in a Ruger Blackhawk) but SR primers would work just as well for revolver use. Only SR primers should be used in a Carbine, that is a high-pressure load.

I've used plain old small rifle primers since I started reloading 30 carbine. Bought my first carbine at a shop called Shooters Paradise in 1964, $35.00 for an IBM carbine. Shot cast bullets for years with out a problem. Use them in both guns, 30 carbine and Ruger 30 carbine pistol.
SWCA 892

Small rifle……any brand that’s available…..

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"Your other right........."

Small rifle.

A quick check of the reloading manuals I have out says they tested with small rifle.

Small Rifle and H-110. H-110 was developed just for 30 Carbine! WW296 is the same powder these days.

Started with a RCBS steel die set, on my second batch I ordered in a Carbide sizer; been using that ever since.

Ivan

Yeah, carbide sizer for sure, with lube.

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That's just somebody talkin.

A fun rifle to shoot and loading will keep the price down, for sure.

However a stock rifle's groups starts to get pretty wide after 200 yards
with the open sights.

I will take the contrary position on this. After several thousand reloads of .30 Carbine ammo, mostly with hard-cast gas check bullets, I have found small pistol primers to be entirely satisfactory. All of my shooting has been with US military M1 carbines. No problems at all.

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Life of the party until 8:00PM

Small rifle here, too. I realize that it's not a high pressure round, but I'll save my SP for pistol loading.

We all seem to agree, SRP and H110/W296 will supply you with good ammo.

Since the firing pin is free floating many recommend harder primers like the CCI#41, Rem 7 1/2 or any of the foreign NATO rated primers out there if you can find them.

If it were me I would use CCI-450 SRM primers because H110 is a hard to ignite slow ball powder which ignites better with a magnum primer.

Have fun, be safe...

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

I stocked up on CCI #41 and W296. I have over 6k of the primers and 5lb of 296 and a few pounds of H110. I have started picking up more 110 gr FMJ as they become available.

The last run that I did of .30’Carbine was a full charge of H110 , Berry’s plated 110 gr bullets with CCI # 41. Accuracy dropped of a little, but still pretty good in my best carbine.

I have had great results with the number 41 primer.

But also, I never had a problem with standard SR and 4227 and 2400 either.

I started using #41 when a few of the local stores had them. I had started using Speer’s data at that time and the last manual showed them as an approved substitute for their SR Magnum when using W296 or H110.

While I prefer W296 with #41 primer and 110 FMJ my nearly 50 years of experience reloading for .30 Carbine has shown my that plated or cast bullets with standard small rifle primers and 4227/ 2400 will still produce good .30 Carbine reloads.

It is absolutely a high pressure round, the .30 Carbine round runs 40,000 PSI Max. It's not 65k like many other rifle rounds but it's higher pressure than any typical popular handgun round other than .327 Federal Magnum.

It's not unsafe to use small pistol primers for sedate loads in a stout Ruger Blackhawk but if you are making full-spec .30 Carbine ammo with H-110, 2400 or IMR-4227, it's foolish and not a safe practice to use the the thinner cup pistol primer.

I swapped a friend 1K of SPP's for 1K of SR's. I had picked up 500 Armscor 110 grain FMJ .30 Carbine bullets for $30.00 about a year ago. I am using 11.5 grains and 13.5 grains of 2400. I made 25 of each as test loads for accuracy and function purposes. Testing will be at 50 & 100 yards. Probably will do this Friday.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

For use in my Ruger BH in .30 Carbine, I load only lead bullets at around .32-20 muzzle velocity. Full GI loads are too ear-splitting for me to handle comfortably. I once considered getting a .32-20 cylinder made up, but decided that was a stupid idea, as it is easy to just load .30 Carbine cases to .32-20 levels.

Small rifle primers, Winchester for the past 30+ years or so...BTW, keep your brass trimmed to the correct length for proper head spacing. I keep mine 1/2 way between "trim to length" and maximum allowable. IMR 4227 and Win 296 work equally well, with Win 296 producing full military LC velocities. Also, I use LC brass 99% of the time.
Rod

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Vote the bums out!

IMR 4227 works for Carbine use, but you can’t get enough powder in the case to reach GI muzzle velocity. H110 or 2400 are better for top loads. At one time long ago, Hodgdon once sold actual government surplus Carbine propellant as H240. Somewhere I have a partial can of it. I used it for loading .44 Magnum, never tried it for Carbine.

I always trim Carbine cases to minimum, if not slightly less. That way you may get away without trimming for two or three loadings.

Huumm........I have 3 ea 30 carbines and load both my cast and jacketed bullets...Never trimmed a case.....Never had a problem. Probably never will. I use H110 110 gr FMJ=1880 FPS avg. and my cast 120 gr bullet withh #2400=1891 FPS avg.

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S&W Accumulator

For M1 Carbines, maybe not.

If you own a .30 Carbine Blackhawk, you will learn for darn sure how much case length matters! If you try to trim it short, your firing pin will not reach the primer and you'll build a round that you cannot discharge.

Case length too long and you will NOT be able to advance your cylinder.

And the nasty: if your case is only slightly too long, it will rotate past the easier part of the recoil shield and then it will dead-lock when it gets to the right side of the frame. Now you are stopped dead and will need to pull the cylinder pin, yank the cylinder and extricate this loaded round that you cannot fire.

Yes, .30 Carbine in the Ruger Blackhawk has a learning curve.

Sorry, that I did not state before that this is for a M1 Carbine. Not a pistol or revolver.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

Indeed it does. I used a .30 Blackhawk for CAS (way back when) and it is very sensitive to case length as there is very little daylight between the rear face of the cylinder and the recoil shield. A slight overlength case will tie up the cylinder. I always trimmed cases so that the case head was flush or slightly below the rear cylinder face. Before reloading fired cases, I first FL resized them, then measured the length of each and every case with a dial caliper before proceeding further. Any that were slightly too long were set aside to be trimmed. And there always some of those. I do not know how .30 Carbine cases stretch on firing in the Blackhawk, even with light lead bullet loads, but they do.

Case trimming is advised. The cartridge head spaces on the mouth of the case like a pistol cartridge except most pistols won't fire out of battery. The M1 carbine will because there is no disconnect for the firing pin, it floats.

If the case is too long it will prevent the cartridge from going into battery and the bolt from locking closed. All this depends on the individual carbine but it has been known to happen.

That's one of the reasons people use the harder #41 primers. Also the reason people trim their brass as manuals advise.

A 1.30 case could ruin your entire day.

I just trim my brass and use regular SR primers and 2400. It's not that hard.

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That's just somebody talkin.