.30 Cal Universal carbine

[35 Whelen]

Thanks again for all the good advice, and commentary.

hdwhit - your father seems like he is/was a cut-and-dry kinda guy.

While I am moving ahead (slowly) with the acquisition process, I have discovered the jacketed soft point 110 grain projectile is not readily available. While many different brands of loaded rounds with the JSP (not spire) are available, Hornady and Prvi Partisan did make the projectile but Hornady (item 3015) is now listed as discontinued, and Prvi is, well, erratic in their shipping of outlying inventory products. Other than a box of 27 projectiles on Gunbroker.com, no one seems to have them.

Anyone who want to chime in on JSP 110 grain projectile availability?

Again, GunBroker. I've bought several boxes of Sierra (2100) 110 gr. RN soft points there. You just have to be vigilant.

35W

 

[Handshaker]

The Universal Carbine may, or may not be a good shooter.
The early ones used surplus slides and bolts. Also many had GI bolts and barrels. These were good guns.
The latter have stamped slides and flat bolts, aftermarket barrels. These have a reputation for slides jumping off the bolts and dismal accuracy.
You need to figure out which you have before investing too much in reloading gear.

I have two GI carbines, and a Ruger Blackhawk. They have been better than CD’s or stocks investments. I also get to shoot them!

IMO, your best course is to buy some ammunition to shoot and generate reloadable brass.
Find out if your gun is a reliable shooter.

Lee dies are available and inexpensive. I was gifted an older set of Lyman dies. I still bought a set of Lee dies for the Carbide sizer die, and powder-expander die. I also got the Factory Crimp die as I load them on a 5-die progressive loader. I do size and decap them separately and trim as needed.
My favorite load is a Lee 93gr cast RN bullet I powder coat and load over 11.8gr of #2400.
Except for current cost of primers, it’s a profoundly inexpensive plinking load!
Good luck with your carbine.

https://ammoseek.com/ammo/30-carbine

BTW; PPU is good stuff. Loaded close to GI specs, excellent reloadable brass.

I have a gen 2 universal i got in a multiple gun purchase. Its a great gun and more in line with what i think an M1 should cost. I have maybe a 300 into mine with the multiple gun purchase. The overpriced ww2 m1's are cool yes, but not worth the admission price to me. That said the 1st and second gens are the best, the 3rd gen's have been know to fire out of battery.
https://www.google.com/search?q=whi...ome..69i57.15490j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

[GooseGestapo]

I would bet all of that ammo is safe and reliable yet. Likely loaded with a bulk version of H110 (W540 in the shotgun shells) which are both very stable. The Winchester ammo is likely 1980s through 90s. I'd pull down one of the Federals for a closer look just to be sure. I'm still shooting the 3006 pictured below.

Winchester 540 IS NOT THE SAME AS H110/Win296 !!!

HS-6 and Win540 were the same, but 540 has been discontinued.
540/HS6 are somewhat faster burning than H110. Not even close.

Both look similar as they’re both spherical powders...

 

[Random 8]

Winchester 540 IS NOT THE SAME AS H110/Win296 !!!

HS-6 and Win540 were the same, but 540 has been discontinued.
540/HS6 are somewhat faster burning than H110. Not even close.

Both look similar as they’re both spherical powders...

Read the post again. Slower this time. It is the shotgun shells specifically referred to as likely loaded with W540.

 

[GooseGestapo]

Read the post again. Slower this time. It is the shotgun shells specifically referred to as likely loaded with W540.

Sorry, I’ve read it 8 or 10 times. Appears to equate bulk H110 to W540.

I suggest you reword it to add clarity.
It may be clear to you, but it’s clearly something else to me...
sorry, just sayin....

 

[hdwhit]

I've loaded 30 Carbine since the 1970's.

Dies are readily available. Check sellers like Midway or Midsouth Shooters Supply.

I never crimped a 30 Carbine round and still don't own a crimp die for this caliber.

Most of my loads used IMR-4227, Hercules 2400 or Winchester 630. I never used H110 because it was not readily available where I lived.

The website for LEOBrass shows 30 Carbine brass in stock. It is expensive, but available.

I had two Universal Carbines. Both worked flawlessly with full metal case bullets, but soft points would occasionally hang up between the magazine and feed ramp. This was the fault of the magazine, so you may need to try more than one.

 

[Handshaker]

I bought the crimp die for my setup, but i am not only shooting an M1, I am shooting my Amt Automag in 30 carbine. I always use a crimp dies with semi auto pistols and some rifles too, especially levers.

 

[Bcwitt]

Ive heard of guys making carbine brass fr o m 556, but i have not tried it myself.

 

[Mr_Flintstone]

Ive heard of guys making carbine brass fr o m 556, but i have not tried it myself.

From what I’ve read, it is rather labor intensive, but can be done. You have to find some way to turn down the case head from .376 to .355”, cut all the cases to approximate length, full length size them (including the web area which might require a second sizing die that has the base ground away to allow sizing all the way down), trim them to exact size, and then anneal the cases.

I would think it would be better to buy loaded ammo and save the cases.

 

[Slamfire]

he rounds I pulled down had clumped powder in them but the brass was not discolored so hopefully I caught them in time (shotshells were even worse), so I will most likely be pulling them all down.

I don't know why powder clumps, but it does when it deteriorates.







Gunpowder does not have to be very old to go bad.

 

[Savage30L]

Good thread here, needs to be revived.

My question to the posters: How long is milsurp ammo good? It looks like I might be given a quantity of this in the near future. I'd guess the cartridges are at least 50 years old. They were stored inside a home.

 

[35 Whelen]

Good thread here, needs to be revived.

My question to the posters: How long is milsurp ammo good? It looks like I might be given a quantity of this in the near future. I'd guess the cartridges are at least 50 years old. They were stored inside a home.

The CMP is currently seeling surplus ammo and if I'm not mistaken it's from the late '60's.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Good thread here, needs to be revived.

My question to the posters: How long is milsurp ammo good? It looks like I might be given a quantity of this in the near future. I'd guess the cartridges are at least 50 years old. They were stored inside a home.

Lots of variables.

US military ammo is usually high quality and has adequate amounts of stabilizer. US commercial ammo can be pretty good too, but is generally not intended for long-term storage. Remington used to actually print on their boxes to dispose of it after 10 years.

Foreign stuff..... Is it wartime or peacetime production? Intended for export? Found in an abandoned warhouse? Theres no telling what storage conditions it endured before arriving in the US.

Bottom line, you take your chances with old ammo. If at all in doubt, pull a couple bullets from each lot, check for outgassing, clumping, or corrosion. Thats about the most sure you can be, but even then......wear eye protection.

 

[Akula69]

I had been watching the CMP posts on the (literally) pallets of surplus Korean .30 caliber they received. Based on the pictures it appears to be early 1980's manufacture, but as @Nightloard40K says - who knows how it was stored over the years.
Of course, CMP still has the totally ridiculous constraints on purchasing the stuff, so that will prohibit me from participating in any case.

 

[Savage30L]

The CMP is currently seeling surplus ammo and if I'm not mistaken it's from the late '60's.

Not that I can find on the CMP ammo page...no 30 carbine.

 

[Akula69]

Not that I can find on the CMP ammo page...no 30 carbine.

Here ya go: https://thecmp.org/cmp-acquires-surplus-ammunition-with-plans-of-sales-in-coming-months/

You have to work through the pages from the article.

 

[KY DAN]

You’re correct. It is not required, but unless all his brass is trimmed to a uniform length, he’d run into issues with applying the taper crimp that the Lee dies do. 30 carbine brass grows with every firing, and unless you trim each time, the FCD just makes it easier to manage variances in case length.

I may be talking out my hind end......

If so please correct my ignorance

I thought one of the advantages of the taper crimp operation was the leanancey it granted in regards to case length not having to be the same.

I have some advertising literature from CH reloading circa 1980s which list this as a desirable sell point.

 

[Savage30L]

Here ya go: https://thecmp.org/cmp-acquires-surplus-ammunition-with-plans-of-sales-in-coming-months/

You have to work through the pages from the article.

Thanks, but I'm still confused. I can find some "ammo surplus", with a picture of a "spam can" with the text 400 cal 30 cartridges ball M2 on it. Are these the M1 Carbine rounds?

If so, $392 + $21 for shipping, for 400 rounds, is highway robbery.....no thanks.

 

[Akula69]

Thanks, but I'm still confused. I can find some "ammo surplus", with a picture of a "spam can" with the text 400 cal 30 cartridges ball M2 on it. Are these the M1 Carbine rounds?

If so, $392 + $21 for shipping, for 400 rounds, is highway robbery.....no thanks.

Well yeah, they've changed the price/availability since last time I was there. Initially (in February '23) it was $370.00 +- for two ammo cans with 800 rounds of ball in bandoleers. Either they have sold out of that already, or that are holding those back now in the hopes of getting more money from the masses.

 

[Mr_Flintstone]

I may be talking out my hind end......

If so please correct my ignorance

I thought one of the advantages of the taper crimp operation was the leanancey it granted in regards to case length not having to be the same.

I have some advertising literature from CH reloading circa 1980s which list this as a desirable sell point.

You are correct when using a taper crimp (only) die. I was talking about the taper crimp that can be applied with the Lee carbide die sets. Lee 30 carbine die sets are technically handgun dies, and the seat/crimp die will apply a slight taper crimp before engaging a shoulder that does a roll crimp. If all your brass is uniform, you can use the seat/crimp die that comes with the set to taper crimp, but if some of the brass is too long it will roll the case mouth; which is a bad thing in M1 carbines since they headspace on the case mouth.

 

[WestKentucky]

I use Lee dies. They make ammo quite well. I use them on a LCT and make about 200 each time I load. As far as brass goes, I bought monarch (academy house brand) loaded ammo and kept the brass. It’s ok. I’m using 115gr bayou LRN coated bullets. Don’t remember which powder I settled on, there wasn’t much available when I bought powder last.

 

[35 Whelen]

I use Lee dies. They make ammo quite well. I use them on a LCT and make about 200 each time I load. As far as brass goes, I bought monarch (academy house brand) loaded ammo and kept the brass. It’s ok. I’m using 115gr bayou LRN coated bullets. Don’t remember which powder I settled on, there wasn’t much available when I bought powder last.

When bullets were difficult to find, I discovered the 115 gr. Bayou Bullets for around 8¢ each. I load mine with 12.0 gr. of AL2400 which nets a bit over 1800 fps. No leading and accuracy is pretty reasonable at 100 yds (~4") but not so much at 200.

35W

 

[Savage30L]

When bullets were difficult to find, I discovered the 115 gr. Bayou Bullets for around 8¢ each. I load mine with 12.0 gr. of AL2400 which nets a bit over 1800 fps. No leading and accuracy is pretty reasonable at 100 yds (~4") but not so much at 200.

35W

I'll have to check that out.

 

[GooseGestapo]

https://www.rmrbullets.com/shop/bul...bine-110-gr-full-metal-jacket-round-nose-new/

I’ve used these from RMR. 1st quality and price includes shipping…
My load is 15.0gr H110 for 2,000fps.
The Inland shoots them about 5-6moa @100yds.
The Saginaw S.G. About 10moa or as good as it shoots anything…

 

[35 Whelen]

https://www.rmrbullets.com/shop/bul...bine-110-gr-full-metal-jacket-round-nose-new/

I’ve used these from RMR. 1st quality and price includes shipping…
My load is 15.0gr H110 for 2,000fps.
The Inland shoots them about 5-6moa @100yds.
The Saginaw S.G. About 10moa or as good as it shoots anything…

I use them as well and bought them from RMR, then figured out that they're Armscor bullets that WERE available directly from Armscor for $9.99 per 100, shipping included. Last I checked a few weeks ago they had sold out, but could be back in stock by now.

35W