Yep, also the Mosin-Nagant, SVD... I alluded to that in my first post in this thread. Battle rifles that used normal box magazines and rimmed cartridges were loaded with stripper clips that automatically aligned the rims. People today don't use stripper clips and don't even read the manual, they'd just assume the gun was broken and return it.ARperson said:Regarding the rim lock of a semi-auto action and a rimmed case.... It is more difficult to deal with than non rimmed cartridges; however, the BREN gun and the SVT rifle series have shown that rimmed cartridges can be used in auto loading firearms if care is used during loading of magazines.
Father Knows Best said:Um, why? The M1 Carbine already fills that niche nicely. It is a proven design, is cheap and easy to find, and both 15 and 30 round mags are plentiful. The .30 Carbine round it is chambered for has a 110 grain bullet leaving the muzzle at just shy of 2,000 fps, for a muzzle energy of 967 ft-lbs. The .357 magnum round uses a heavier bullet (125-180 grains, typically) but at lower velocity (around 1,500 fps). Using a rifle barrel to maximize velocity, a typical .357 round would generate about 960 ft-lbs of muzzle energy, or just about the same as the .30 carbine. As range increases the .357 will retain energy a little better due to the heavier bullet, but it will also drop more. At 200 yards (the max practical range of both cartridges), the .30 carbine is packing 373 ft-lbs and the 180 grain .357 magnum is at 385. Again -- too close to call.
So why reinvent the wheel by trying to rejigger it for a rimmed revolver cartridge that offers no practical benefit?
Gohon said:Well............... I'm loading 158 grain JHC 357 for my carbine and they are clocking 1828 FPS with 1172 FPE at the muzzle using 18 grains of Lil'Gun. At 200 yards there is still 542 FPE. The 30 carbine doesn't come close.
Of course, the next question would again be ... why? If you want a semi-auto just a little hotter than a .30 carbine, just move up to something in 7.62x39, like a Mini-30, SKS or AK.
A semi-auto 9x23mm Winchester would make lots more sense...
Just keep pulling the trigger six times, reload, repeat. This one's in .44 Magnum, but a .357 Magnum version isn't out of the question:
The handgun calibers were used in lever guns to maximize long range potential and the gist of the article said that for under 100yds, deer should drop just as dead with the handgun rounds as they do with the rifle rounds.
I'm surprised to be the first in this thread to bring up a dedicated .357 SIG semiautomatic carbine. Much more sensible than trying to self-load a long, rimmed sixgun cartridge like the .357 Magnum. Closely similar ballistics to the Magnum with 115-125 grain bullets.