reloading for the M1 Carbine

MD1991A1 · 04-23-2002, 06:11 PM

The M1 carbine would make a much better home defense weapon if it were loaded with hollow points. I have been unable to find any commercially loaded hollow point ammo. I found an article from the American Rifleman which lists a load for the M1 carbine(110 gr. Speer .308 JHP with 15 gr of Win 296). I got the dies and shell holder, but before I start, I would appreciate any advice. Thanks.

wes · 04-25-2002, 05:59 PM

I would like to know too,anybody tried it?

LOBO · 04-29-2002, 07:32 PM

When I had my IBM I tried reloading for it.
Just couldn't get it to function right. Also the cases stretched alot so they always needed trimming since I had to load on the hot side to get it to cycle properly.

Randall Hitchin · 05-01-2002, 01:32 PM

I have been reloading the .30 carbine for....well....a long time. The load that best duplicates the military fodder was with H110 powder, I believe 13.9 gr. PLEASE don't start with that load if you decide to use it, start a little lower. I use Remington 110 soft points. I have tested them on ground hogs and a faily lucky shot on a crow, they are excellent. They DO expand very well.

wes · 05-01-2002, 08:12 PM

I remember reading an article about 20 years ago,and it stated that "soft points for the .30 carbine increased the "knockdown" power six times",or something like that,does that sound right?

Randall Hitchin · 05-02-2002, 06:18 AM

That sounds like an accurate number. I hit the groundhog ( about a 14lb.'er) at 90 yards and it about took his/her head off.
The crow exploded. My guess is that out to 150-200 yards this round, with soft point or hollow points would be really devestating
spelling on devestating.

Hal Beatty · 05-02-2002, 10:40 PM

I've loaded lots of .30 Cal. Carbine with 296 and 110 gr. FMJ, soft point and spire point bullets over the years. All worked well and functioned fine, though it took a little work on the feed ramp to get the spire points to feed well (this was on a Universal POC).
Pretty accurate too, and the spire points maintain their energy better than the round noses do downrange.
Fortunately never had to shoot anything living with any of it.
Regards,
Hal Beatty

Randall Hitchin · 05-03-2002, 06:29 AM

Have not tried the 296 powder for the .30 carbine. I have some of it on the shelf, will give it a try. What is the dose you are using? If I may ask.
Not in my pedigree to shoot something living (usually) but the groundhog was undermining my cabin and causing some terrific damage. I over looked the damaged and repaired what I could BUT I had a life size cardboard of "the Duke" in my front door and the ground hog got in and ate him. He was after the cardboard I guess, he sure did chew him up. Anyway that's what caused the truce to end. Then the whole family moved in. Shot another one with a .45 colt, did'nt get a good hit and he crawled under the cabin and died. The smell for the next two month was his last laugh I guess. Brain storming I put a clock on the porch that has the barking dogs every hour on the hour. They did'nt like the sound of the barking dogs, they have not returned. A peaceful solution

wes · 05-03-2002, 08:36 PM

Maybe he wasn't a John Wayne fan.

Hal Beatty · 05-03-2002, 09:37 PM

My older Speer manual lists 13.0-15.0g. of 296 behind a 110g. bullet, while my new Sierra book shows 11.9-14.5g. As I recall my Universal POC liked about 14g.. With my carbine, I had to trim the cases about every other reloading.
As always, start low and work up, checking for signs of excess pressure.
Regards,
Hal Beatty

SteveG · 05-05-2002, 11:52 PM

While I was stationed in North Dakota, I used the Speer .308 110gr JHP with 13.0 grs of AA#9 and it did awesome on the small critters. It tended to stick on the feed ramp of the rifle from time to time. In my case, the dirtier the gun, the more frequently the gun jammed. IF you want to use this bullet, you could get your gunsmith to polish your feed ramp.

Another bullet I like is the Speer 100gr Plinker. I have used it with 13.3 gr of AA#9 and 13.4gr of 2400.

All of these loadings are about a grain or toward the top, so becareful and as always, check your books.

Hope this helps.

Steve G in NE:nod:

Randall Hitchin · 05-06-2002, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by wes
Maybe he wasn't a John Wayne fan.

That's Un-American! He paid for it. The clock that barks every hour was a better solution, though

Randall Hitchin · 05-06-2002, 10:28 AM

Hal,

Thanks for the info

Randall Hitchin · 05-06-2002, 12:23 PM

Steve G,

Thanks. I have used the hollow points too and never had a feed problem. I think I could drop a cigar in this Inland and it would feed it

SteveG · 05-06-2002, 10:25 PM

Randall,

What kind of Carbine do you have and when was it made. Mine in 1944 Inland 5280XXX. Pretty accurate too. My wife loves this little gun.

Did you do anything different to make your Speer 110grs function?

Steve G In NE

Randall Hitchin · 05-07-2002, 06:26 AM

Steve,
I have a '42 or '43 Inland. I'd have to check to make sure. I forgot (mind goes first) (I hope) had it for about 13 years, now.
Bought it for $150 and made it my truck gun. Now their worth so much $$ I'm considering not keeping it in the truck anylonger. Maybe start carrying the AK.
Not that accurate, 3"-4" group at 100 yards. But it has almost never jammed or mis-fired on me.
I have not done any 'smithin to it. It will feed hollow point, soft point and ball, equally. IMHO it has to do with the OAL of the cartridge, that and the feed ramps are real smooth. About the only thing I have done to it was put a urethane finish on it to protect the wood. It has a little more shine to it than I wanted but I'm not in combat with it so it does not really matter that much
to me.
It's a fun gun. Wife, daughter and son like it. It's small and little recoil. My son like the SAR 1. I think it's the "cool" factor for him, though.
On the accuracy I have noticed if I tighten the front barrel band to much that the groups go to the devil. Seems like if tighten it all the way down and then back it off 3 turns that it shoots a better group.
Just checked it. It's a 1943. sn 337xxxx

SteveG · 05-07-2002, 07:19 PM

I got mine in '86 and got "screwed" for $200. It has been my swamp gun (when I lived in SC) and goper gun (in ND) it has been dunked so many times but it has always cleaned up real nice. The only malfunctions I have had, were a few Plinkers and th Speer .308 110grs.

My wife likes to shoot it too as well as my 13yr old son. Of course he will shoot anything you put in front of him! Come to think of it, my wife is like that too ;-)

Steve G In NE

Fainya · 11-06-2006, 05:26 PM

Hi guys,
This is my 1st post.
I load about 30,000 rounds of carbine a month and this is what I use.
I am using Dillion reloading dies as they are carbide and work the best for the amount of ammo I load each month. The dies have over 500,000 rounds on them now and no signs of wear or case scaring at all. I also like the Dillion taper crimp die alot. I started on lee dies, went to rcbs then finally got a set of Dillion dies. Since I have gone to the dillion dies I was able to cut back on the amount of case lube needed to get a good finished round. And there is less effort on reforming the fired cases too.
I load the Soft Points because some of our local ranges will not allow FMJ and only SP to be shot.
My load data:

110 gr FMJ (military pulls or commercial) bullet Diameter is .307
14 gr's 820(this is also military pulled powder)
Remington 6 1/2 Rifle primers (softer)
AOL 1.680 -.002
Lake City 1952-1972 pulled brass(this is unfired military brass)
Taper crimp the cases so the diameter of the mouth of the case is .004-.006"
smaller

Soft Point Loads:
110 gr Soft Point (remington #23628) Bullet Diameter is .307
14 gr's 820
Remington 7 1/2 Rifle primers (harder)
AOL 1.680 -.002
Lake City 1952-1972 pulled brass
Taper crimped .004-.006" smaller

Rookie_Rover · 11-06-2006, 05:31 PM

Welcome to G&G Fainya!!!!!

jimb2 · 11-06-2006, 07:44 PM

I use 14 gr of WC820 or 14.0 of 2400 behind 110 grain bullets. Never had a function problem or a case stretch problem with either of those loads. And I shoot 19 different carbines (all usgi). I've also used the same charge of 4227. These are not hot loads, but are near full case.

04-23-2002, 06:11 PM	#1
MD1991A1 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 2	reloading for the M1 Carbine The M1 carbine would make a much better home defense weapon if it were loaded with hollow points. I have been unable to find any commercially loaded hollow point ammo. I found an article from the American Rifleman which lists a load for the M1 carbine(110 gr. Speer .308 JHP with 15 gr of Win 296). I got the dies and shell holder, but before I start, I would appreciate any advice. Thanks.

05-03-2002, 06:29 AM	#8
Randall Hitchin Registered User Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Champaign, IL Posts: 8	Have not tried the 296 powder for the .30 carbine. I have some of it on the shelf, will give it a try. What is the dose you are using? If I may ask. Not in my pedigree to shoot something living (usually) but the groundhog was undermining my cabin and causing some terrific damage. I over looked the damaged and repaired what I could BUT I had a life size cardboard of "the Duke" in my front door and the ground hog got in and ate him. He was after the cardboard I guess, he sure did chew him up. Anyway that's what caused the truce to end. Then the whole family moved in. Shot another one with a .45 colt, did'nt get a good hit and he crawled under the cabin and died. The smell for the next two month was his last laugh I guess. Brain storming I put a clock on the porch that has the barking dogs every hour on the hour. They did'nt like the sound of the barking dogs, they have not returned. A peaceful solution Last edited by Randall Hitchin; 05-03-2002 at 12:36 PM.

05-07-2002, 06:26 AM	#16
Randall Hitchin Registered User Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Champaign, IL Posts: 8	Steve, I have a '42 or '43 Inland. I'd have to check to make sure. I forgot (mind goes first) (I hope) had it for about 13 years, now. Bought it for $150 and made it my truck gun. Now their worth so much $$ I'm considering not keeping it in the truck anylonger. Maybe start carrying the AK. Not that accurate, 3"-4" group at 100 yards. But it has almost never jammed or mis-fired on me. I have not done any 'smithin to it. It will feed hollow point, soft point and ball, equally. IMHO it has to do with the OAL of the cartridge, that and the feed ramps are real smooth. About the only thing I have done to it was put a urethane finish on it to protect the wood. It has a little more shine to it than I wanted but I'm not in combat with it so it does not really matter that much to me. It's a fun gun. Wife, daughter and son like it. It's small and little recoil. My son like the SAR 1. I think it's the "cool" factor for him, though. On the accuracy I have noticed if I tighten the front barrel band to much that the groups go to the devil. Seems like if tighten it all the way down and then back it off 3 turns that it shoots a better group. Just checked it. It's a 1943. sn 337xxxx Last edited by Randall Hitchin; 05-07-2002 at 01:20 PM.

11-06-2006, 05:26 PM	#18
Fainya Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 2	Hi guys, This is my 1st post. I load about 30,000 rounds of carbine a month and this is what I use. I am using Dillion reloading dies as they are carbide and work the best for the amount of ammo I load each month. The dies have over 500,000 rounds on them now and no signs of wear or case scaring at all. I also like the Dillion taper crimp die alot. I started on lee dies, went to rcbs then finally got a set of Dillion dies. Since I have gone to the dillion dies I was able to cut back on the amount of case lube needed to get a good finished round. And there is less effort on reforming the fired cases too. I load the Soft Points because some of our local ranges will not allow FMJ and only SP to be shot. My load data: 110 gr FMJ (military pulls or commercial) bullet Diameter is .307 14 gr's 820(this is also military pulled powder) Remington 6 1/2 Rifle primers (softer) AOL 1.680 -.002 Lake City 1952-1972 pulled brass(this is unfired military brass) Taper crimp the cases so the diameter of the mouth of the case is .004-.006" smaller Soft Point Loads: 110 gr Soft Point (remington #23628) Bullet Diameter is .307 14 gr's 820 Remington 7 1/2 Rifle primers (harder) AOL 1.680 -.002 Lake City 1952-1972 pulled brass Taper crimped .004-.006" smaller Last edited by Fainya; 11-06-2006 at 05:31 PM.

11-06-2006, 05:31 PM	#19
Rookie_Rover Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: South Western Tennessee. Posts: 300	Welcome to G&G Fainya!!!!! __________________ Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself – Twain.

04-25-2002, 05:59 PM	#2
wes Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Loveland Co Posts: 1,906	I would like to know too,anybody tried it?

04-29-2002, 07:32 PM	#3
LOBO Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: SO. CAL. Posts: 28	When I had my IBM I tried reloading for it. Just couldn't get it to function right. Also the cases stretched alot so they always needed trimming since I had to load on the hot side to get it to cycle properly.

05-01-2002, 01:32 PM	#4
Randall Hitchin Registered User Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Champaign, IL Posts: 8	I have been reloading the .30 carbine for....well....a long time. The load that best duplicates the military fodder was with H110 powder, I believe 13.9 gr. PLEASE don't start with that load if you decide to use it, start a little lower. I use Remington 110 soft points. I have tested them on ground hogs and a faily lucky shot on a crow, they are excellent. They DO expand very well.

05-01-2002, 08:12 PM	#5
wes Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Loveland Co Posts: 1,906	I remember reading an article about 20 years ago,and it stated that "soft points for the .30 carbine increased the "knockdown" power six times",or something like that,does that sound right?

05-02-2002, 06:18 AM	#6
Randall Hitchin Registered User Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Champaign, IL Posts: 8	That sounds like an accurate number. I hit the groundhog ( about a 14lb.'er) at 90 yards and it about took his/her head off. The crow exploded. My guess is that out to 150-200 yards this round, with soft point or hollow points would be really devestating spelling on devestating.

05-02-2002, 10:40 PM	#7
Hal Beatty Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: NW Wash. state Posts: 50	I've loaded lots of .30 Cal. Carbine with 296 and 110 gr. FMJ, soft point and spire point bullets over the years. All worked well and functioned fine, though it took a little work on the feed ramp to get the spire points to feed well (this was on a Universal POC). Pretty accurate too, and the spire points maintain their energy better than the round noses do downrange. Fortunately never had to shoot anything living with any of it. Regards, Hal Beatty

05-03-2002, 08:36 PM	#9
wes Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Loveland Co Posts: 1,906	Maybe he wasn't a John Wayne fan.

05-03-2002, 09:37 PM	#10
Hal Beatty Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: NW Wash. state Posts: 50	My older Speer manual lists 13.0-15.0g. of 296 behind a 110g. bullet, while my new Sierra book shows 11.9-14.5g. As I recall my Universal POC liked about 14g.. With my carbine, I had to trim the cases about every other reloading. As always, start low and work up, checking for signs of excess pressure. Regards, Hal Beatty

05-05-2002, 11:52 PM	#11
SteveG Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Omaha Posts: 36	While I was stationed in North Dakota, I used the Speer .308 110gr JHP with 13.0 grs of AA#9 and it did awesome on the small critters. It tended to stick on the feed ramp of the rifle from time to time. In my case, the dirtier the gun, the more frequently the gun jammed. IF you want to use this bullet, you could get your gunsmith to polish your feed ramp. Another bullet I like is the Speer 100gr Plinker. I have used it with 13.3 gr of AA#9 and 13.4gr of 2400. All of these loadings are about a grain or toward the top, so becareful and as always, check your books. Hope this helps. Steve G in NE:nod:

05-06-2002, 10:28 AM	#13
Randall Hitchin Registered User Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Champaign, IL Posts: 8	Hal, Thanks for the info

05-06-2002, 12:23 PM	#14
Randall Hitchin Registered User Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Champaign, IL Posts: 8	Steve G, Thanks. I have used the hollow points too and never had a feed problem. I think I could drop a cigar in this Inland and it would feed it

05-06-2002, 10:25 PM	#15
SteveG Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Omaha Posts: 36	Randall, What kind of Carbine do you have and when was it made. Mine in 1944 Inland 5280XXX. Pretty accurate too. My wife loves this little gun. Did you do anything different to make your Speer 110grs function? Steve G In NE

05-07-2002, 07:19 PM	#17
SteveG Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Omaha Posts: 36	I got mine in '86 and got "screwed" for $200. It has been my swamp gun (when I lived in SC) and goper gun (in ND) it has been dunked so many times but it has always cleaned up real nice. The only malfunctions I have had, were a few Plinkers and th Speer .308 110grs. My wife likes to shoot it too as well as my 13yr old son. Of course he will shoot anything you put in front of him! Come to think of it, my wife is like that too ;-) Steve G In NE

11-06-2006, 07:44 PM	#20
jimb2 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 510	I use 14 gr of WC820 or 14.0 of 2400 behind 110 grain bullets. Never had a function problem or a case stretch problem with either of those loads. And I shoot 19 different carbines (all usgi). I've also used the same charge of 4227. These are not hot loads, but are near full case. __________________ I am a nobody. Nobody is perfect. Therefore, I am perfect...