Newbie needs advice re: .30 carbine reloads

[Bmi48219]

Just got back from a dismal you at the range. I loaded a bunch of rounds .30 carbine to run through my AMT AutoMag III. Used a Lee Hand loader, full sized the brass.
110 grain fmj over Unique. Started with 5.5 grains, 9 out of 10 stove piped on ejection. Same for 5.7 grains but one fte. 6.0 & 6.2 gr loads pretty much 80% fte.
brass wasn't stuck in chamber, slide cycled and re cocked hammer although sometimes didn't lock up on empty brass. All the brass were 1st time reloads. I didn't trim brass. Gun functions fine on factory loads. All bullets hit in the black, just a lot of popping the clip and clearing the spent brass.
Any suggestions?

[Bmi48219]

I meant dismal hour.

[dagunnut]

That powder is just to fast for the 30 carbine. Try 2400 or H110 if you have them available to you. If you use the search function on the board for 30carbine loads you will find a lot of information. Larry Gibson one of the boards most informative people has a wealth of knowledge in loads for military rifles. He has posted loads for 30carbine that are in the archives. Good luck and be safe.

Mario
dagunnut

[rsrocket1]

To get anywhere near the rated MV of the 30 carbine, you need to load Unique to near max which is published at 6.5g. Even at that, you'll only get about 1600 fps. You really need a lot more of a slower powder like Blue Dot, 2400, W296 or H110.

I think you'll be fine working up to 6.5g Unique. Try it and see if you get better cycling.

[mozeppa]

bolt isn't moving rearward hard/fast enough to cycle good...had the same problem with a 9mm ...put more oomph in the powder should cure it.

maybe...that my thoughts anyway YMMV

[Scharfschuetze]

I agree with the slower powder suggestions. H110 or 296 are my go to powders for the M1 Carbine, although I've never loaded it for a pistol, only the GI carbine.

Which Lee hand loader are you using? If it's the mallet entry level type, they only neck size as I recall.

[gunshot98]

The H110 works perfect in my mil. carbine. got it out of the archives.

[bstone5]

Shoot cast lead bullets that are powder coated with a home made gas check. H110 powder works and cycles the action every time. Look at the date from Larry.

[MarkP]

My Auto MAG III needs pretty much a full load to cycle, when shooting lighter cast loads I operate the slide by hand. (lighter than yours listed above 3.5 gr Red Dot with 113 gr FN or 93 gr cast RN.
Mine will cycle 93 gr FMJ's with H-110 / 296. Was shooting 115 gr cast plain base with 2400 that would cycle reliably they noticeably less than H-110 / 296 loads. I bought mine new when they first came out in I think in 1989 I had issues when I first bought it and had to send it back to IAI, came back with a different slide assy. The firing pin was mushrooming from hammer strikes and would take a couple of hits to get cartridges to fire.

[jimb16]

4227 and WC820 also both work well. While I know that Unique works well for many pistol cartridges, the Carbine round is a rifle cartridge and should be treated as such even if fired in a pistol.

[Bmi48219]

I think it is cycling. It fires when I pull the trigger, the slide comes back and cocks the hammer then goes forward and closes behind the empty brass, what I can't tell is if the extractor is pulling the brass out after the shot and then the slide is pushing the spent brass back into the chamber at the end of cycle. I have found some of the brass has been nicked by the extractor but think that is from the slide returning and hitting the empty brass in the chamber. I am going to load a few dummy rounds and try to hand cycle them through. Also will look at ejector and make sure it isn't broken.
all the above occurs with the warmer 6 & 6.2 gr loads. Firing The milder 5.5 & 5.7 gr loads usually results in an empty brass standing up (primer down) on the magazine, blocking the slide from stripping another round off magazine. I referred to that as stove piping in my earlier post.

i think the Lee Loader does full length size the brass. The instructions allude to the necessity of doing this. I noticed when I pound them into the resize die (using block of wood & hammer) some go in easy, others hard. The rim & groove don't go into die. I don't think the rim area gets resized in a regular loading press, since it is in shell holder during sizing process.
I don't think the Unique is causing this, no unburned powder or excess residue in gun. When they fire everything is in the 3 inch ring at 50 ft regardless of the charge weight.

[Scharfschuetze]

I think it is cycling. It fires when I pull the trigger, the slide comes back and cocks the hammer then goes forward and closes behind the empty brass

Sounds like your slide isn't going fully to the rear if your slide is rechambering your empty case. If that is the situation, you just don't have enough velocity to provide a high enough recoil impulse to fully function the pistol. Bullet weight and velocity all combine to provide that impulse, so higher velocity and a slower powder to do it are probably in order.

[Thumbcocker]

2400, H110, or 4227 are your friends.

[spfd1903]

2400, H110, or 4227 are your friends.

Also Acc#9 and VV N110.

[Bmi48219]

I checked the ejector, it's there and looks good as far as I can tell. I cycled some dummy loads through it by hand. I can see the extractor slipping into the groove at the base of brass as the round is being stripped off the magazine. That appears to be in order.
I think I found part of the problem, the gun came with 2 magazines, one looks original, it has a red follower. The other one has a black follower that doesn't always come up even. I also bought a spare magazine, the follower on it starts sticking 3 rounds from empty & stops completely 1/4 to 3/8 inch below the retaining lips on top of magazine. I loaded all three magazines with 4 rounds & pushed them out with a wood dowel to simulate the slide stripping them off. The original mag fed flawlessly. The other one that came with the gun angles the nose of bullet up too far where it may be jambing against the back edge of barrel above the chamber. On the mag I bought the leading edge of the brass hits the front lip of the magazine & won't slide out. With that mag that may explain why the spent brass protrudes from the chamber instead of ejecting. It may be hitting the front upper edge of the round that won't feed from the mag, then the slide returns and pushes it back into the chamber.
i am going back to the range tomorrow to give my theories the acid test.

[Bmi48219]

I may be being optimistic but was hoping to use Unique since I use it for my 9mm also. I think my problem is with a couple defective magazines. Once I sort that out I can get back to working up reloads.
thanks to everyone for the helpful suggestion.

[Le Loup Solitaire]

I agree with the change of powder plan. 296 or 110 would do just fine. I myself use 4227...around 13.5 grains and get perfect functioning and good accuracy. Burns reasonably clean and no leading. Also use a slight taper crimp, but not too much. LLS

[Artful]

Does it work with factory?

[John Boy]

Recipes ... take your pick: http://reloadammo.com/30mload.htm

[Bmi48219]

I think I got her licked.
one junk magazine can really mess up your day.
ran 25 factory loads w/o an issue.
could really hear the difference between them & my loads.
this gun is really accurate! At 50 feet 24 of the 25 were in a 2 1/2 inch circle. That may not seem so good to some but I'm tickled pink!
the 6.2 gr Unique / 115 fmj loads I had cycled 80% of the time, just loaded 25 @ 6.4 gr to try tomorrow.
Thanks to all for the advice