Hi:
Looking to purchase some GI .30 Carbine ammo.
Suggestions ?
Thanks,
Jimmy
Looking to purchase some GI .30 Carbine ammo.
Suggestions ?
Thanks,
Jimmy
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.30 Carbine Ammo
- Thread starter jimmyj
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The 30 Carbine is not a 200 yard Olympic Gold Metal winner..
It is just a fun light weight rifle to plink at cans and targets with minimal recoil and noise.
I don't waste money on high cost ammo for this little rifle since
there is no such thing as "Match ammo" for this weapon and if you
are using iron sights, 150 yards is a task.
I might add that the ammo is also not the best with winds over 15 mph..........
Love the rifle, hate the ammo's ability.
Have fun.
It is just a fun light weight rifle to plink at cans and targets with minimal recoil and noise.
I don't waste money on high cost ammo for this little rifle since
there is no such thing as "Match ammo" for this weapon and if you
are using iron sights, 150 yards is a task.
I might add that the ammo is also not the best with winds over 15 mph..........
Love the rifle, hate the ammo's ability.
Have fun.
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cgt4570
SWCA Member
Spam cans LC Viet era production turn up fairly regularly on proxibid auctions.
DWalt
Member
Most of the ammo out there is either military or civilian equivalent, 110 grain FMJ with a MV around 2000 ft/sec from a carbine. Buy whatever is the cheapest. If you run across any Dominican Republic or French military ammo, avoid it like the plague - it has corrosive primers, and that is something you never want to shoot in a carbine. Any U. S. military ammo for the carbine will have noncorrosive primers, even that from WWII and Korea.
The Carbine will not group very well, and there is not much you can do to improve it. Typically, 10 shot groups at 100 yards with military-grade ammo will run about 4" to 5" from a bench rest. But that is pretty good shooting for a pistol, which is what the carbine was designed to replace. The carbine was never intended to be a match rifle.
Reloading .30 Carbine is fairly easy, and it gives you a lot of latitude as there are numerous types of .308 bullets in the 100-110 grain weight range available from all bullet makers. The best powders for the Carbine are H110 and 2400. IMR 4227 is also OK, but you can't get enough powder in the case to get MVs more than around 1800 ft/sec. There was an old Hodgdon powder, H240, which was actually military surplus carbine powder, but it has been quite a long time since it was available. I still have about a pound of it. Be prepared if you wish to reload as you will probably have to trim cases at every reloading. The cases tend to stretch on firing.
The Carbine will not group very well, and there is not much you can do to improve it. Typically, 10 shot groups at 100 yards with military-grade ammo will run about 4" to 5" from a bench rest. But that is pretty good shooting for a pistol, which is what the carbine was designed to replace. The carbine was never intended to be a match rifle.
Reloading .30 Carbine is fairly easy, and it gives you a lot of latitude as there are numerous types of .308 bullets in the 100-110 grain weight range available from all bullet makers. The best powders for the Carbine are H110 and 2400. IMR 4227 is also OK, but you can't get enough powder in the case to get MVs more than around 1800 ft/sec. There was an old Hodgdon powder, H240, which was actually military surplus carbine powder, but it has been quite a long time since it was available. I still have about a pound of it. Be prepared if you wish to reload as you will probably have to trim cases at every reloading. The cases tend to stretch on firing.
A while back I picked some up that was headstamped as being U S surplus but was actually corrosive ChiCom ammo. Shot just fine, but I had to get out the can of GI bore cleaner afterwards. As others have said, accuracy does not seem to be a big point with people using this as a plinker, so go with what is cheap.
bulletslap
Member
I have had good luck with PPU and bad luck with Augilla. The Augilla seemed too weakly loaded and malfunctioned in my Inland and Postal Meter.
Both Carbines will hold palm sized groups at 100 yards.
Both Carbines will hold palm sized groups at 100 yards.
Patrick L
Member
I reload it with cast bullets, which makes for cheap, accurate shooting. And no, even after thousands of rounds I've never leaded up the gas system, even with my plain base bullets.
J. R. WEEMS
Member
30 CARBINE
Have had a lot of fun and two deer with this one over the years.
Stocks are HIPPO Ivory.
Have had a lot of fun and two deer with this one over the years.
Stocks are HIPPO Ivory.
DWalt
Member
That Chinese .30 Carbine ammunition has Berdan primers and a LC 52 headstamp which looks a little different from the real LC headstamp. I have never heard what the deal was with it. I have some. The real problem with firing ammo with corrosive primers is that the corrosive stuff gets inside the tappet chamber and there is no easy way to clean it without removing the tappet. And that is something that should never be done if avoidable.
DWalt
Member
For my Ruger BH in .30 Carbine, I have always loaded to .32-20 levels using lead bullets. Much more pleasant to shoot.
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Carbine Ammo...
Jimmy,
Check out the specialty ammo here
Lehigh Defense - Manuf. of Bullet and Defense Ammunition Technology – Lehigh Defense, LLC
They have some KA carbine ammo. Lots of other neat stuff too, including a round that makes 32ACP rock the world.
Ned
Jimmy,
Check out the specialty ammo here
Lehigh Defense - Manuf. of Bullet and Defense Ammunition Technology – Lehigh Defense, LLC
They have some KA carbine ammo. Lots of other neat stuff too, including a round that makes 32ACP rock the world.
Ned
bulletslap
Member
Back in the 70s I shot a ton of the old 30 Speer plinker bullet in front of IMR 4227, it didn't match the velocity of the issue ammo, but functioned just fine.
one eye joe
US Veteran
IT IS VERY LOUD OUT OF A REVOLVER......
I WAS SITTING ON A PILE OF MILSURP .30 CARBINE, AFTER SELLING A BEAUTIFUL ORIGINAL INLAND CARBINE FOR CRAZY MONEY. THE AMMO WAS OF MIXED VINTAGE....
I PURCHASED A CLEAN USED RUGER BLACKHAWK, ON GUNBROKER. I HAD A GREAT DEAL OF DIFFICULTY, TRYING TO EJECT EMPTIES. THE POLISHING OF THE CHAMBERS BY A GUNSMITH, DID NOT REMEDY THE SITUATION.........
I PURCHASED 2 ADDITIONAL USED BLACKHAWKS ON GB. I PUT THE BEST GRIPS ON THE BEST FRAME, BUT I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE OTHER 2 CYLINDERS......
I GUESS I COULD HAVE RESORTED TO PURCHASING A BRAND NEW CYLINDER FROM RUGER, OR TRYING SOME CIVILIAN FACTORY AMMO, BUT BY THAT TIME I WAS DISENCHANTED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF SHOOTING THIS CARBINE CARTRIDGE OUT OF A HANDGUN---LOUD AND NOT VERY ACCURATE.......
I ENDED UP SELLING THE LOT OF AMMO, AND THE 3 REVOLVERS TO A BIG OUTFITTER IN THE STATE OF MAINE.....
TO ANSWER YOUR ORIGINAL QUESTION, LOTS OF MILSURP M1 CARBINE AMMO, ARE ROUTINELY OFFERED AT AUCTION, ON GUNBROKER......
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DWalt
Member
As I previously mentioned, you can't get enough 4227 in the .30 Carbine case to achieve MVs much over about 1800 ft/sec. But my Carbine still functions OK with it. The .30 Speer Plinkers are great bullets for the Carbine.
bulletslap
Member
And sadly discontinued I believe.
LoboGunLeather
US Veteran
Sources of GI surplus .30 Carbine ammo have disappeared over the years. I expect an occasional box or case will show up here and there as old guys (like me) pass on and our hoards are disposed of.
I still have a few boxes of 1970's era Norma 110-JHP that I rely on for those times I carry a carbine with me on a road trip.
Last batch of shoot-em-up ammo I picked up was a case of CDM (Cartuchos Deportivos Mexicano, Mexican military surplus). Very good quality stuff, mil-spec in every way.
You may also find some South Korean mil-surp ammo, as those folks used M1 Carbines until fairly recent years. I have used it and found it equal to anything Lake City ever produced.
About 15 years ago I was given several boxes of Russian "Wolf" brand .30 Carbine ammo, lacquered-steel cased, Berdan primed. It functioned well enough but I never tried it for anything but casual practice ammo.
I still have a few boxes of 1970's era Norma 110-JHP that I rely on for those times I carry a carbine with me on a road trip.
Last batch of shoot-em-up ammo I picked up was a case of CDM (Cartuchos Deportivos Mexicano, Mexican military surplus). Very good quality stuff, mil-spec in every way.
You may also find some South Korean mil-surp ammo, as those folks used M1 Carbines until fairly recent years. I have used it and found it equal to anything Lake City ever produced.
About 15 years ago I was given several boxes of Russian "Wolf" brand .30 Carbine ammo, lacquered-steel cased, Berdan primed. It functioned well enough but I never tried it for anything but casual practice ammo.
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