M1 carbine OFF THE PAPER

[Patrick L]

This was also posted under Military Rifles

Here's a quick one I think I already know the answer to.

I recently got a GI M1 carbine. It shoots fairly well with jacketed ammo, 2" or so at 50 yds, 4-5" at 100 when I do my part.

I loaded some cast FP bullets (Lee 120 FP from last summer's group buy) that wouldn't feed due to the flat point, but loaded singly seemed to show potential. They shot about as well as the jacketed ammo.

Well, I bought 500 Meister Bullets 110 gr roundnose, which I will admit functioned just fine. However, at 50 yds they were off the paper, barely staying on the 2x2 foot cardboard backer.

The obvious thing to me would be that my bullets are sized .311 (no real reason, that was just a starting point because I size some of my '06 bullets to that and that was the die that in the lubsizer) but the Meisters are marked .308

Bullet likely too small ?

[9.3X62AL]

I suspect so, sir. Have you slugged the bore, or done a Cerrosafe casting on the throat area of the barrel? At this point, that might be superfluous--you have seen what works and what doesn't, after all.

[mooman76]

I loaded some of those FP bullets for the M1c also and had the same problem. If you still want to shoot those what you have to do is seat them real deep. What is hapening is the bullet si keeping the chamber from closing all the way and as a saftey device will not function!
I got some plated bullets. They make them in 30 cal now for guns like the M1c. They look great but I have yet to fire some!
Don't know about your other problem.

[StarMetal]

I just recently picked up a M1 carbine also. I've been shooting the little Lee 100 gr round nose meant for the 30 cal pistol rounds like 7.62x25 Tokarev and the 30 Luger out of along with a 100 Truncated Cone Nose bullet that I made the mould for. So far the TC bullet shoots the best. I size my bullets to .310 because my carbine has a tight bore and groove. My carbine will not chamber the rounds when the bullets are sized at .313, I know I tried them. Mine shoots very well.

The carbine has a funny feed system I think. The front lips of the magazine knock the round over more towards center to aligne better with the breech opening. With round noses this works very well and smoothly. I notice if my TC nose bullet aren't seated to a certain critical OAL the noses want to hang up on those lips I speak of.

Hope this helps.

Joe

[Newtire]

Hi Patrick,
I have been playing around with the M-1 carbine for awhile now and have found that little 120 gr. Round-nose that Lee makes is awfully good shooting. I haven't had that great of luck with the much touted Lyman 130 gr PlainBase. I have however had good luck with the Lee 130 gr. Trouble is it is a single cavity only. The 120 gr. Lee shoots great for me in my Plainfield carbine with 12.5 gr. H-4227 and the 130 gr. shoots great with 11.5 gr. I use Lee Liquid alox. you shuld size those down to .309". The Oregon Trail ones shot real good in my carbine. They are 115 gr. and come .309" already. Anyway, I would try to get them down closer to .309" for that gun.

[Will]

I've played with the 30Carb a lot recently and found the lyman 311410 130gr will work but at the lightest loadings, it gets wild over 1600fps. You may be having the same problem with the meister. The gas check designs in lee work well as long as I size them to .308. the .311 sizing gives a lot of feeding problems. I use 4227 and 2400 with good results. (A few one hole groups at 25yds.) The GI carb may need to have the rear hold down flange tightened and bedded in some epoxy. I also bedded the front of the stock, where the barrel clamp is,with some epoxy puddy.

[HORNET]

Staying sorta halfway on topic ( unusual for this board), anybody ever play with the Lyman 311441 in the.30 Carbine?? Kind of a truncated-cone gas check that runs about 117 grains out of my mold and alloy. I don't have a Carbine but it looks like it may have been designed for that caliber and works well out of most of the .30 cals that I've run it through.