M1 Carbine

[Brad in Idaho]

With help from here, and some online video stuff from Lee, I'm ready to charge cases and seat bullets. Used the expander die to "bell" the cases enough for the bullet to just enter the case mouth (minimal flaring). I will use my RCBS powder measure to add powder as I normally do. I'm loading a hundred with the following to test fire in several different carbines.

Brass - unfired LC72 (primer pockets uniformed, cleaned, and flash holes deburred)
Primer - CCI #41 Mil Spec small rifle
Powder - 13.5gr Hodgdon H110 (I have several different loading manuals, and have found variances in the starting/max loads for this powder so I settled on this amount for a starting load as average)
Bullet - Midway 110gr FMJ

Look reasonable? Thanks to all for the helpful tips, and advice.

[JimF]

Yup . . . Looks reasonable to me.

Gotta' ask though . . .

How do you know the brass, being from 1972, is "unfired"? --Jim

[Brad in Idaho]

Yup . . . Looks reasonable to me.

Gotta' ask though . . .

How do you know the brass, being from 1972, is "unfired"? --Jim

It was sold as such, and it appears brand new inside and out. There is no sign this brass has ever been used. The trim length is correct. Unless I can find the receipt, I couldn't tell you for sure where I got it. I've had it for a while.

[kcw]

Yup . . . Looks reasonable to me.

Gotta' ask though . . .

How do you know the brass, being from 1972, is "unfired"? --Jim

I was wondering if that era brass wasn't from the government 30 carb demill program of about 15 years ago?

[Brad in Idaho]

There is no sign it was ever loaded. Maybe it was just some they never used and sold off as surplus.

[PhillipM]

The M1 carbine round was the first caliber I ever loaded at the tender age of 15 and I learned two important lessons.

First, use lube! I forget the particulars, I know I had a lube pad and I guess I didn't use enough lube and stuck the case, but good. I went to the gun store and bought a stuck case remover. It pulled the threads out. I used the next size up tap and pulled the threads out of that too. At this point I swallowed my pride and took the die to the gunshop where I bought my dies and let the gunsmith handle it. He had to put the die in acid and dissolve the brass to get it out and I the acid turned my shiny carbide RCBS sizer almost black.

Second, they need trimming. I had no concept of cases stretching back then and somehow got away with it with no problems till the bolt wouldn't go into battery fully. At first I'd just hit the op handle with my palm but after the next loading, I'd slap it closed and then the next round I couldn't get it closed on my reload nor a new military round. By using a .410 brush in the chamber I was able to pull out a brass ring where the rifle trimmed the case! Not knowing any better I did this dozens of times till I learned cases need to be trimmed. I rushed out and bought a trim die and then realized the ram on the rockchucker was too short. Good ole RCBS also sells (or did) an extended shell holder for the carbine. I got one and a new file and was good to go.

I left my dies in an apartment when I moved years ago and have recently replaced them and bought a caliber conversion kit for my Dillon so I need to get the old Plainfield out and exercise it and the Winchester more often.

[Brad in Idaho]

I finished loading my 100 rounds of Carbine ammo. It looks great, I KNOW what's in it and how it is made, so I have confidence it will work as expected. I had a couple of issues during the process which I managed to correct without a lot of difficulty. I have chambered, and ejected some of the rounds in my carbines successfully, now all I have to do is get to the range (probably next Friday) and do some shooting with it.

Thanks again to all of you who offered advice, and help. It is greatly appreciated. I will post a range report on my ammo when I have put some of it downrange.

[Brad in Idaho]

Range report

I beat our forecast snow to the range this morning to test out my .30 M1 Carbine hand loads. All went well. The two rifles I took shot as well or better with my ammo as they did with any other ammo I have fired with them. All my rounds fed, fired, and ejected without a hitch. The casings don't look any worse for the wear, and no sign of bulged primers. I guess I got it right.

BTW, the snow started just as I was leaving....

Thanks again to all for the help, encouragement, and advice. I know where to come for answers.

Brad

[Tuna]

Phil brought it up and I will second it and that is keep a close check on case length. Every time you size a case it will stretch and quite a bit. Be sure to check it and trim the case if it gets to 1.290 or more. Most of the books call for trimming down to 1.280 but if you go lower then you may get miss fires as only the extractor is holding the case. Most factory ammo is about the 1.285 length. The most accurate bullet by far in most carbines is one of the soft point bullets. Much more accurate then FMJ.

[Brad in Idaho]

Phil brought it up and I will second it and that is keep a close check on case length. Every time you size a case it will stretch and quite a bit. Be sure to check it and trim the case if it gets to 1.290 or more. Most of the books call for trimming down to 1.280 but if you go lower then you may get miss fires as only the extractor is holding the case. Most factory ammo is about the 1.285 length. The most accurate bullet by far in most carbines is one of the soft point bullets. Much more accurate then FMJ.

Thanks for that Tuna. I am getting the message loud and clear that case trim length and overall cartridge length are critical with Carbine loads. I have some Hornady 100gr SJ soft points I will be trying in a future load. This load was an attempt to simulate military ball ammo. It worked well IMO.

[hkp7fan]

Hello, Brad in Idaho. I am moving to Idaho within the next couple of years, so there will be two of us! (I am a Brad as well). Looking forward to getting there. A friend who lives there sent me a t-shirt for Christmas that shows the state turned on its side, with a trigger and trigger guard added. There is a pine tree projectile shooting out of the "barrel".

I may ask you for some advice on where to shoot. As much as I'd love to move up north, my wife is insisting on the Boise area and I'll probably have to go along with it. But at least I'll be in the state.

[Brad in Idaho]

Congrats, good choice. I can't help about shooting in the Boise area. I am in north central Idaho near the tri-state border. Different world from southern Idaho. There are other Idahoans onboard here too.