M1 carbine

[BB57]

Don't use cast in the carbine?....Really?.........I've been shooting cast in my carbines/garands & a Ruger mini-30......Forever.......Never clogged a gas port.....Probably never will.....If it should happen would be easy enough to clean it out..........

I cast 100 gr .30 Luger bullets in a Lee .311-100-2 mold for a couple decades and I've lost count of how many I've put through this carbine and a previous carbine that went and loved with the ex wife.

I used wheel weights with 1.5 percent tin added via 10/90 bar solder to get good fill in the mold, dropped them into a 5 gallon bucket of water out of the mold to quench them and let them cure a few weeks. They made great rounds for plinking for not much more than a .22 LR.

I did have to remove the gas tappet every thousand rounds or so and clean the gas port but it was a 5 minute task.

---

I loved Hornady's 100 grain half jacket bullets (they disappeared for awhile, but they are back). They were very accurate and I could get 2200 fps out of them with a max load of H110. At that velocity they'd generate 1090 ft pounds of energy - over the 1000 ft pound threshold, but SD GF&P still considered the .30 carbine to be too underpowered for deer, regardless of what you loaded it with. However, they worked great on coyotes, jack rabbits, badgers, etc.

Now I just use 110 gr plated bullets from Berry's or Xtreme.

 

[WVSig]

Only one in the safe. IBM M1 Carbine Winchester USGI Stock.

 

[Faulkner]

I like to get a few of mine out from time to time just so I can rub a little oil on 'em.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

I like to get a few of mine out from time to time just so I can rub a little oil on 'em.

More fun to take "em" out and shoot "em".............

 

[Cyrano]

Photos 1 and 2: National Postal Meter.
Photos 3 and 4: Underwood. I believe the W on the receiver indicates the receiver came from Winchester. Carbine has flip rear sight, high wood and no bayonet lug.
Photo 5: Underwood metal in a reproduction M1A1 stock.

I've fired a lot of cast bullets out of my carbines. Used the Lyman 3118, 115 gr pointed, gas checked bullet. Only had problem with one carbine I no longer have, It had a slightly pitted barrel, and it would fill the tappet housing with lead in about 100 rounds. I sold that carbine.

 

[PALADIN85020]

Don't use cast in the carbine?....Really?.........I've been shooting cast in my carbines/garands & a Ruger mini-30......Forever.......Never clogged a gas port.....Probably never will.....If it should happen would be easy enough to clean it out..........

Back when I had the time, equipment and facilities for casting bullets, I did cast some for use in the carbine. I shot very few of them, for fear of fouling the gas port. Most carbines have the gas piston assembly staked in - I'd rather not fool with it in an attempt to unstake it and then re-stake it in order to clean out the gas passage. I found that for reloading, commercial jacketed round-nose soft point 90 grain bullets designed for the .30 Luger cartridge work quite well.

I saved a number of the cast bullet reloads for use in my Ruger .30 carbine old model Blackhawk, and they proved to be quite accurate with that launching pad.

John

 

[bmcgilvray]

^This^

John;

My sentiments exactly, right down to using cast bullets for handloading for my dad's Ruger Blackhawk .30 Carbine.

I watched some other family members come to grief handloading cast bullets in the Carbine. Don't know their casting abilities or handloading habits, but results were uninspiring, both accuracy and function.

 

[Faulkner]

More fun to take "em" out and shoot "em".............

Yep, I agree. I took to reloading .30 carbine years ago so plenty of ammo is not a problem.

 

[sureshotbob]

Here are mine with a few cousins a Rock-Ola, National Postal Meter,Inland, Standard Products and a Winchester.

 

[Stirling]

The is a great thread! I really like the M1 Carbine, it is a handy little rifle and really fun to shoot. I wish I owned one.

 

[Frank46]

Can't post pics but I have one of the blue sky Korean imported M1 carbine. Shoots great for my old eyes. Stock was cracked but next table over at the gun show was a brand new stock and handguard for $65. Swapped out the old with the new and bob's your uncle. Built on a SG saginaw gear receiver with a winchester barrel. Had to restake the gas piston nut according to the manual I have and no problems. Have a bunch of Korean PS carbine ammo and shoots and functions great. I have a few U.S. 15 round magazines as well as some 30 round korean made mags which so far have worked great. Showed it to my brother who lives in new york. He wants it so bad!!!!!!!!!!. Unfortunately a no-no where he lives. One of these days will have to check the serial number to see when she was made. Have a sporterized 1903A3 made in 1943 and a 1943 Ithaca 1911A1. Nice carbine all of them. Thanks for sharing. Frank

 

[erics]

Watched a recent Hickok45 video on the M-1. Have always loved this rifle. The Ruger 10-22 tribute is a great alternative to expensive 30 cal ammo for me.