.30 carbine..

[Moparformances]

first time post..

im kinda new to the whole reloading / cast bullet thing.. i have a nice pile of 45 acp that shoot straight and did not cost me bunch $cratch :D

now im looking into cast for my .30 carbine. finding my first mold for my 45 acp was kinda easy.. finding a mold for my 380 was simple 6 choices. both are layed out perty good on lee's site..

but looking for a carbine round im a littel lost..

looking for a nice plinking round...

thanks in advannce for any input

[Echd]

the Lee 309 113 is excellent. It also by chance is the easiest casting mold I have ever used.

[bruce drake]

Lyman's 311359 115gr Spirepoint was originally designed for a 30 carbine although I find the Lyman's 311410 130gr Spirepoint is better since I don't have to deal with a gas-check with that mold. Lee's 309113 is a much more affordable mold for a new caster starting out and is an excellent mold as well.

Bruce

[Gar]

I'm using a Lyman #311410, casts a .311" 130 Grain 1R
85544
It's a great plinker out to 100 yards.

[Moparformances]

the Lee 309 113 is excellent. It also by chance is the easiest casting mold I have ever used.

is this the one your refering to??

http://leeprecision.com/mold-dc-309-113-f.html

will a gas check always be required???

[Gar]

Bruce beat me by this " " much. LOL

[Moparformances]

quick replys

thanks all..... time to searching for a new mold

[Three44s]

I commend you on your bravery!

Taking on reloading AND casting at the same time is not for the "faint of heart" ............

As to handloading ........... you need to READ and READ .......... the "net" is here but only READING a LOT will give you enough base knowledge ......

And casting ........ reading is important but I'd say this web site beats reading when you get past the very basic of basics!

I will say that your .45 acp is a better starting point for a novice loader/caster than your M1 carbine.

But most of all ............ WELCOME ABOARD!!

Three 44s

[rintinglen]

I like the 311-465 for the 30 carbine, I believe NOE still has some for sale. It is a great light weight boolit for most 30 cals. But it is a gas check design.

[jcwit]

The cast lead bullet that most closely resembles what is/was loaded to the .30 cal. carbine is the Lee 90301 32-20 pistol mold. It comes out at .311 od. 100 grains and 2r. it also is a flat base, no gas check needed. Size it to .310 and lube and you're good to go. Accuracy is excellent also.

I load mine in front of 12 grains of 4227 with excellent results.

[500MAG]

Lee 309-120-R but it's a GC boolit.

[cbrick]

I agree with the recommendation of Lyman 311410. My Ruger 30 Carbine, T/C 32-20 and 308 rifle loves that boolit so much I got a group buy going from Miha and I got two four cavs, one plain base and one gas checked. Both molds have three sets of pins, a shallow HP cavity, deep HP cavity and flat point. The only thing we changed with boolit design was to add a front driving band ahead of the crimp groove where Lyman has none. Miha could possibly have some 311-410's left, the group buy closed not all that long ago.

Rick

[Moparformances]

The cast lead bullet that most closely resembles what is/was loaded to the .30 cal. carbine is the Lee 90301 32-20 pistol mold. It comes out at .311 od. 100 grains and 2r. it also is a flat base, no gas check needed. Size it to .310 and lube and you're good to go. Accuracy is excellent also.

I load mine in front of 12 grains of 4227 with excellent results.

how does one size to .310??

i see a sizer for 309 but not .310???

[cbrick]

I've got .308", .309", .310", .311" sizing dies in 30 caliber. Sizing to the needed diameter is no problem, getting a mold to throw large enough can be. My 30-30 has a .310" bore.

Rick

[bruce drake]

Go look up Buckshot on the forum. He makes sizing dies for both the LEE style as well as the RCBS Style. Prices are better and his service is faster than most people who operate custom machine shops.

Bruce

[Larry Gibson]

856458564685647If you want "plinking" loads and accuracy from your M1 Carbine then a PB'd cast is fine if you keep the velocities under 1600 fps. However, if you want the best accuracy your carbine is capable of and you want to shoot full powered loads then use a GC'd cast of 105 - 120 gr. The Lee and RCBS moulds are good but I prefer Lyman's 311359, 311316 and the 313631.

Larry Gibson

[jcwit]

how does one size to .310??

i see a sizer for 309 but not .310???

Here you go.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/390066/lyman-lube-and-sizer-die-310-diameter

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Loading for the 30 Carbine is not especially difficult, but there are a few steps to consider that make it easier. Cases should be kept trimmed to recommended and uniform length. A number of powders work very well in various loads. I have been using 12-13 grains of 4227. A good loading manual will help. All of the bullets mentioned in previous posts above are good choices with preferences among designs that have pointy, semi pointy or round noses. These shapes facilitate good, reliable and smooth feeding. My choice has been the RCBS 120 RN GC design and I also use H&G #254 which is a 4 cavity (no GC). I size at .309 and apply a slight taper crimp as seating on the case mouth is necessary. Clean burning and no leading and accuracy is equivalent to GI ball. The gun is an issue GI...nothing fancy and it does well with the above ammo. LLS

[whelenshooter]

+1 on that

the Lee 309 113 is excellent. It also by chance is the easiest casting mold I have ever used.

[jcwit]

the Lee 309 113 is excellent. It also by chance is the easiest casting mold I have ever used.


+1 on that

With that said have you ever tried the Lee 311-100-2R?

Being a round nose as the original round was made it makes for much easier feeding.

[whelenshooter]

Actually I have both those molds. My Underwood carbine digests both of them equally well. I use those bullets and #9 powder and everything is rosy. Only problem with the carbine is that it eats too much. Take it to the range and in a few minutes, if you're not careful, you find all your ammo is gone...


With that said have you ever tried the Lee 311-100-2R?

Being a round nose as the original round was made it makes for much easier feeding.

[fcvan]

I bought the Lee C309-120 R for use in the 30 Carbine and it shoots well over 12.8 grains of 4227. I make my own gas checks so that's not an issue. Years ago, Dad bought the SAECO 321 for use in the carbine and in his Ruger BlackHawk. He never actually cast with it as we had a huge stock of the half jacketed plinker bullet. I finally cast up a bunch (they weighed 100 gr from WW) and powder coated them. Wow! They shoot great and no gas check needed with PC.

Make sure you trim your brass as the 30 carbine brass seems to grow faster than most every caliber I've loaded. The carbine is less critical but the BlackHawk is very picky about cartridge length. The Lee trimmer works well and is reasonable. Good luck!

[Prospector Howard]

I've been shooting the Lyman 311359 in my Carbine for over 40 years. One of the best molds I've ever owned and shoots excellent in my M1. I prefer gas check bullets with semi-auto gas operated rifles, less chance of getting lead in the gas port.

[DonMountain]

If you want "plinking" loads and accuracy from your M1 Carbine then a PB'd cast is fine if you keep the velocities under 1600 fps. However, if you want the best accuracy your carbine is capable of and you want to shoot full powered loads then use a GC'd cast of 105 - 120 gr. The Lee and RCBS moulds are good but I prefer Lyman's 311359, 311316 and the 313631.

Larry Gibson

I have never tried it, but my M1 carbine (IBM) would be fun to "plink" some deer with. Which one of these Lyman gas check boolit molds would be good for that?

[jcwit]

I prefer gas check bullets with semi-auto gas operated rifles, less chance of getting lead in the gas port.

I understand your preference, but with that said using a flat base bullet what does not require a gas check has not been an issue for me shooting the carbine with countless thousands of rounds over the past decades. I've yet to need to clean the gas system in any way.

[Larry Gibson]

I have never tried it, but my M1 carbine (IBM) would be fun to "plink" some deer with. Which one of these Lyman gas check boolit molds would be good for that?

I used the 311316 on several black tails back when the 30 carbine was legal for deer in Oregon. It is a 118 GC'd FP. I was pushing it right at 1850 fps and shots were under 100 yards. I also shot quite a few ferel goats with equal success. That mould is hard to come by but the similar RCBS & Lee moulds will do nicely. Previous post shows polished and throated feed ranp for reliable feeding. Other wise the Lee 120 RN cast soft and mildly HP'd with the 1/8" Forster HP tool shoul feed and give decent terminal performance within the M1 carbine's limitations.

Larry Gibson

[Moparformances]

well thanks for all the great feedback... based on what i have read what was posted hear and the o mighty$$$$ I setteled on

C309-120-R

allong with a 309 size die and aluminum gas checks...

:drinks: hears to hoping i have no regrets

thanks once again to all who posted

[jcwit]

Did you slug your barrel? Have you not heard of lead boolits needing to be slightly larger in diameter, usually 1 to 2 thousands? This not improves accuracy but also helps to prevent leading of the barrel.

[Moparformances]

Did you slug your barrel? Have you not heard of lead boolits needing to be slightly larger in diameter, usually 1 to 2 thousands? This not improves accuracy but also helps to prevent leading of the barrel.

i still need to be oversized with a gas check?

[Larry Gibson]

i still need to be oversized with a gas check?

The case headspaces on the case mouth so many M1 Carbines have rather tight chamber "necks". I've found some that will not chamber .311 sized in milsurp cases, most will chamber .310 sized but a couple required .309 sized cast bullets to chamber reliably. I've made up several dummy cartridges using .310 and .311 jacketed AH/SKS bullets in milsurp and commercial cases. I use them to test chambering min carbines and then size accordingly. If neither size chamber readily I size the cast at .309 for that carbine.....always works for me.

Larry Gibson

[dale2242]

I have tried a multitude of molds in the 30 Carbine.
311359 works very well. NOE 311 115 is my favorite.
I have not tried many PB boolits in the carbine, but I`ve found the GCed ones to work the best for me.
GCs add some cost. I`ve literally shot 1000s of them through carbines and have never had any problems.
If you can make PBed boolits work for you, so much the cheaper.....dale

[jcwit]

i still need to be oversized with a gas check?

All depends on your barrel.

Further, a gas checked bullet is not going to save your gas system if you think that may be a problem. Personally I think its a none issue.

[zomby woof]

NOE 311115
H110/296
and stop there

[cbrick]

and stop there

Odd. Why?

Rick

[zomby woof]

Odd. Why?

Rick

Because that's all you need. I'll save you the experimenting.

[cbrick]

NOE 311115 H110/296 and stop there


Odd. Why? Rick


Because that's all you need. I'll save you the experimenting.

That's all you need? :roll: I'm delighted that you know what it is that I need. There are many, many other options that work extremely well not to mention different goals, purposes and types of firearms for the load.

Rick

[jcwit]

Because that's all you need. I'll save you the experimenting.

I'd say thats a condescending opinion.

[zomby woof]

I'd say thats a condescending opinion.

Yes, that's my condescending opinion to the OP.

[jcwit]

Yes, that's my condescending opinion to the OP.

Then this


The cast lead bullet that most closely resembles what is/was loaded to the .30 cal. carbine is the Lee 90301 32-20 pistol mold. It comes out at .311 od. 100 grains and 2r. it also is a flat base, no gas check needed. Size it to .310 and lube and you're good to go. Accuracy is excellent also.

I load mine in front of 12 grains of 4227 with excellent results.

is my condescending opinion, and nothing else is needed.

Bottom line there are many options for the OP. None of them are the end all for everyone.

From what you suggest there is no room for improvement, which may all be, after all the earth is flat.

[Moparformances]

the op has a question???

what about

yes 93865
bd4925


NOE 311115
H110/296
and stop there

[jcwit]

Not to be condescending, but in this case google is your friend.

[cbrick]

Reason: casue i dont know what the h*ll "noe 311115" is??

NOE (Night Owl Enterprises) is a custom mold maker in Utah. Exceptionally fine quality aluminum molds. You can find NOE on this forum in the vendor section.

311115 is a Lyman mold number and NOE 311115 is NOE's copy of that Lyman mold.

Rick

[rondog]

311115 = .311 diameter and 115 gr., yes?

[45-70 Chevroner]

I'm using a Lyman #311410, casts a .311" 130 Grain 1R
85544
It's a great plinker out to 100 yards.

It's also a great boolit for the 30-30 with light loads. I also used it in my Contender 10" 30 carbine barrel. It was way to loud though, I ended up trading it off.

[Moparformances]

NOE (Night Owl Enterprises) is a custom mold maker in Utah. Exceptionally fine quality aluminum molds. You can find NOE on this forum in the vendor section.

311115 is a Lyman mold number and NOE 311115 is NOE's copy of that Lyman mold.

Rick

thank you :fing02::2_high5:

[Moparformances]

this board can be a tough place to learn..

allot of posts are written like im an expert at this or understand all the terminology..

thanks for the posters / members that dumb it down a bit for us newbies

[rondog]

this board can be a tough place to learn..

allot of posts are written like im an expert at this or understand all the terminology..

thanks for the posters / members that dumb it down a bit for us newbies

Oh, I hear ya! There's a LOT of things discussed here that make my head hurt trying to understand.

[jcwit]

this board can be a tough place to learn..

allot of posts are written like im an expert at this or understand all the terminology..

thanks for the posters / members that dumb it down a bit for us newbies

Right you are but then a lot, most in fact can be found with nothing more than a google search instead of always relying of others. It obviously doesn't take an expert to google "NOE 311115", and it gives you all the specs you wish for. Knowledge best learned is learned by oneself.

In fact googling nothing more that "311115 mold" gives you all the info.

Simple!

[muskeg13]

86372

Shot rapid fire in a cold rain without lots of careful breathing and concentration. Didn't chronograph. Looks like it has promise. I'm a bit concerned about pressure, since a few (2 of 12) primers were slightly cratered. Cycling and case expansion seem ok. To get the Lee 309-113 to feed, I have to seat the boolits pretty deep into the case, with only about 1/2 of the first driving band exposed. Thinking of backing off of the load of 14.0 grains of 5744 by a few tenths.

[BD2]

Lee 309-120-R but it's a GC boolit.

I like the lee 309-120. It is a GC boolit ,but my little rifle and my Blackhawk seem to like it. In the rifle I seat it on top of 10.3g of IMR 4227. It seems to cycle fine and cuts WC type holes.