Ruger .30 Carbine Blackhawk + Korean Ammo

[Waldo]

I just bought a .30 Carbine Ruger Blackhawk. I already have a Winchester M1 Carbine that I don't shoot much . I read some of the recent posts about the Ruger. I had always been curious about one, so I bought one. I have several hundred rounds of assorted USGI ammo here. I am thinking about buying some of the Korean .30 Carbine ammo. But I don't want to buy a bunch of it and find out it is no good in a pistol. Has anyone shot some of this ammo in a Blackhawk? I would be interested in any thought or experiences with this gun and ammo combination. Thanks for any advice.

 

[robertrwalsh]

If I recall correctly all American made .30 carbine is / was non-corrosive. Not so for the foreign stuff. Make sure you clean it with something to deal with corrosive primers, just in case.

 

[hittman77]

The 30 Carbines are known for very tight tolerances.

My OM 30 Carbine does not like some reloads as the brass seems to stick.

However, the new ammo it digests just fine includes PPU (Serbia) and Armscor (Philippines).

My M1 Carbine eats everything .... just like an AK will.

 

[Aggie1906]

I have a Michigan made M-1 Carbine. I think I remember something about being warned about Chinese made ammo. Post Korea maybe.
A friend has a pistol like yours. His comments suggest less rather than more actual shooting was pleasing to him. Big bang, big blast. How much you gonna shoot it?
Oh, and I have no info on Korean ammo. I bought some Korean mags on advise they were good.
Have fun!

 

[jdlii]

I may be mistaken but, recall reading that Korean military ammo is made on U.S. arsenal equipment. I have shot a lot of PMC ammo that is manufactured in Korea and it runs great.

Three Ruger .30 caliber carbine Blackhawks have passed through my hands. They are extremely flat shooting and accurate but, LOUD, is an understatement. You may want to wear ear plugs and muffs when shooting yours.

They are, like all Ruger products, very well made and built to last several life times. Enjoy!

 

[SoDelft]

Love the 30 carbine Ruger Blackhawk but it is very difficult to remove spent cartridges with most ammo that I tried. The exception was Magtech that worked like a breeze. It is loud but very accurate and it's bark is worse than it's bite. Kind of grows on you. I predict it will be one of your favorites. Now to purchase a 41 magnum Blackhawk!!

 

[ldausmc1369]

The 41 mag Blackhawk is a beast! Most unpleasant handgun that I have shot. Ever!

 

[BARgunner]

I have no experience with the Korean surplus in my Blackhawk but I've shot just about every brand of ammunition available including US surplus and it shoots just fine. I did have some teething problems with mine when I first got it. From the factory, the ejector rod wasn't lined up with the cylinder holes but a return trip to the factory fixed that. It also had the roughest finish on the cylinder bores that I've ever seen on a revolver but Ruger said it met factory specs. They were really rough and you could easily see and feel the ridges and roughness with a plastic pick. Everything I shot through it took some effort to extract. I ordered a set of ball hones which took over a year to get. After honing the cylinders smooth, the extraction problems disappeared. Then the base pin started binding and I replaced it and the cross pin with Belt Mountain replacements and now it's a problem free revolver. By the way, I love this revolver and it's a great shooter. I shoot reloads through it now and they aren't powder puff loads.

Obligatory picture. It's the bottom one in the photo.

 

[Trooperdan]

I will never forget Skeeter Skeleton's review of the .30 Carbine
... he said when he touched it off, he felt like someone slapped him in the face with a wet towel and set off a dynamite cap in each ear! Very descriptive fellow he was!!

 

[DWalt]

No reason I can think of that the Korean ammo wouldn't work OK in a Blackhawk. Even though there is about a 99% probability it is non-corrosive, I would clean it after shooting with hot water just to be sure. Some Chinese, French, and Dominican Republic .30 Carbine military ammo is definitely corrosive primed.

The big problem about reloding for the .30 Blackhawk is to make sure the cases are always trimmed to minimum length. I have never had an extraction problem with any .30 Carbine ammo in my Blackhawk. I generally reload ammo for the Blackhawk lightly (around .32-20 level) for less noise. GI loads are safe, but a bit too loud for me. With GI ammo, double hearing protection is advisable (ear plugs + muffs).