What is the best 30 Carbine cast boolit?

[Schofield_Duckman]

I am going to start reloading 30 carbine for my girlfriend's M1 Inland after reading people having good results with cast bullets on here. I am trying to figure out which mold to get, right now I am looking at the 115gr pointed gas-check by Lyman, but I also see that they make a 130gr plain base. What are some personal preferences on molds for 30 carbine?

[pojv]

I have had very good success with the Lyman 115gc, through both of my carbines.
There has been no feeding issue and the bullet works well on small game.

Phil

[oldhickory]

I use the Lyman 311410, 130gr. plain base with 12.5 gr. of 4227 mostly because I'm too cheap and lazy to bother with gas checks unless it's absoutly nessary. Actually there are other reasons too, in Lyman's Cast Boolit Handbook, (1973 edition) it states that the best uniformity and reliability was with the 311410. That may have influanced my deciscion for that mold also...And it has the same profile as the G.I. FMJ.

[Larry Gibson]

The Lyman 311359 or the Lee 115/120 gr bullets or the RCBS 115 gr bullet are all good ones for the .30 Carbine. All are GC'd and allow velocities of 1850 - 1900 fps equalling j bullet performance. The PB'd 31410 is also ok ifvelocities are kept under 1600 fps. Though some consider them "spendy", a thousand GCs go a long ways.

Larry Gibson

[Schofield_Duckman]

Thanks for all the info guys! It sounds like I will probably end up going with the lyman 311359, I am looking into getting a gas check maker for 30cal since that is almost all I cast for rifles and the 115gr looks like it would double really well for 7.62x39.

[NickSS]

I have both Lyman bullets that you mention and they both work very well. I mostly shoot the 115 gr one as I can load it to full velocity and then my sights are on.

[kawalekm]

I too have Lyman's 311410 and I think it's perfect for my 30 carbine. I too originally selected it because I didn't like to fumble with gas checks and have been very very pleased with this bullet. I load mine with 11.5 grains of H110 and get 1" groups at 25 yards.

[1Shirt]

No such thing as "best", particularly in a carbine, as all carbines are female, as are most rifles. Accordingly, all must be treated differently! The 130 lyman is one of the easiest to cast and load, and sort of fairly closely replecates the shape of mil ball ammo. But it may not shoot well in yours. Suggest you get a few of each from folks on this forum and try them for your purposes.
1Shirt!:coffee:

[beagle]

You don't need to go to the expense of a GC as the M1 Carbine shoots plain base bullets just fine with no fouling of the gas port. You also might look at the Saeco #254 and I think RCBS has an offering as well. The 311359 will shoot well for you as well as the 311410./beagle

E=Schofield_Duckman;1183860]Thanks for all the info guys! It sounds like I will probably end up going with the lyman 311359, I am looking into getting a gas check maker for 30cal since that is almost all I cast for rifles and the 115gr looks like it would double really well for 7.62x39.[/QUOTE]

[greyling22]

I've been shooting the group buy lee 120 grn LRN with straight linotype bullets with great success. I get about 2.5" groups off a sandbag at 50 yds with irons (I can't do any better with an AR and match grade ammo. I'm not one of those people who can shoot a 1" group at 100 offhand in high wind with irons)

All of that brings me to my main question: after about a 700 rounds trouble free, my last trip to the range ejection was anemic, the bolt wouldn't pick of the next round in the mag reliably and the gun just didn't run well at all. Does that sound like the gas system is clogged to you experts? I think the system is supposed to be self cleaning, but that's with a jacketed bullet right? The bore is not leaded at all. If the system is clogged, what's the best way to clean it? Do I just pop the action out, pull the castle nut and start scraping and scrubbing what I can see?

[Buckshot]

I've been shooting the group buy lee 120 grn LRN with straight linotype bullets with great success. I get about 2.5" groups off a sandbag at 50 yds with irons (I can't do any better with an AR and match grade ammo. I'm not one of those people who can shoot a 1" group at 100 offhand in high wind with irons)

All of that brings me to my main question: after about a 700 rounds trouble free, my last trip to the range ejection was anemic, the bolt wouldn't pick of the next round in the mag reliably and the gun just didn't run well at all. Does that sound like the gas system is clogged to you experts? I think the system is supposed to be self cleaning, but that's with a jacketed bullet right? The bore is not leaded at all. If the system is clogged, what's the best way to clean it? Do I just pop the action out, pull the castle nut and start scraping and scrubbing what I can see?

..............You can try running 10 jacketed rounds through it to see if that perks it back up, but yes it sounds like powder or lead (or both) fouling. If that doesn't make an improvement then doing what you mentioned is the way to go.

..............Buckshot

[greyling22]

I pulled the castle nut, and the piston will not move. Not in or out, not side to side, nothing. So I put it in the garage muzzle down and fulled the area around the piston with outers nitro bore solvent (claims to remove lead deposits) and left it overnight. no change. I tried wd-40, still nothing. I tried tapping it with a wood block and got nothing.

Does anybody have any great ideas. brake or carb cleaner? I'm starting to think about putting the castle nut only half way on or leaving it off altogether and touching off a round to break it free, which I know is a terrible terrible idea, which means I'm starting to get desperate. Do you think a box or so of jacketed ammo might loosen it up?

When I bought it from the CMP a while back I pulled the castle nut as part of my overall inspection and the piston wouldn't move then either, but the gun shot anyway, and that was 1000 rounds ago.

[stubshaft]

Soak it with Kroil and hit it with a little heat.

[greyling22]

like a hair dryer? heat gun? or a flame?

[Bob Busetti]

Any one tried the Lee 120 gr in the carbine. Thinking about giving it a try.
Bob

[baker1425]

I've had a lot of good luck with the Saeco 302. its a 120 grain PB boolit with H4227. I've not had the maintenance problems with either of my carbines with WQWW, but I'm going to detail strip now to take a look.

[zomby woof]

Any one tried the Lee 120 gr in the carbine. Thinking about giving it a try.
Bob

Yes,
with 12.5 grn 296

[C1PNR]

like a hair dryer? heat gun? or a flame?
Yeah, one or the other of the first two. I always hesitate to put an open flame to any of my surplus firearms.

[jcwit]

I've had excellant results with the Lee 311-100-2R plain base. 12 grains of 4227, bullet sized to .310

[Artful]

I'm hoping this one
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/picture.php?albumid=170&pictureid=1935
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=76209

I've used the lyman 311316 FN for 32-20 which worked ok in Ruger Revolver.

sort of like this group buy
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=104133
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Cast%20boolits/311316/1111-106-311316115Gr.jpg

[Larry Gibson]

311316 does indeed work very well in M1 Carbines. Sometimes a little adjustment of the magazine feed lips and/or polishing of the feed ramp is required for positive feeding.

Another favorite of mine for varmint hunting is the 313631 GC'd 105 gr SWC made for the .32 H&R. When cast soft and HP'd with a Forster tool it is very deadly on coyotes when "on call". In my younger years when my eyes were still good I could put a 15 round mag of them into 3 moa at 100 yards from tightly beded M1 Carbines. I size them at .309 and load over 14 gr H110 for 1950 fps.

Larry Gibson

[C1PNR]

I really, really like the 311359 pointed gas check design in my GI Carbine. 13 gr of H 4227 cycles very reliably, I've never had a failure to feed with that boolit. And it is certainly "Minute of Carbine" accurate.

I do have one of the NOE RN moulds on order that I'll be trying one of these first nice days.;-)

[Le Loup Solitaire]

I use the RCBS 115-120 grain RN GC. It feeds reliably with 13.5 grains of IMR 4227. There are several other powders that also work well, but I happen to have a lot of 4227 around that I use in other calibers. It runs the action, burns clean, no leading and the accuracy is the same as GI ball. The combo also works in my Ruger BH revolver although it is blasty+. The RCBS mold is a good one; I size at .310 and use NRA 50/50. Keep the cases checked for proper length and use a bit of taper crimp. LLS

[mto7464]

I used PB boolits until I striped my carbine down and found lead on the slide. So it was going thru the piston but who know how much is under the piston. Now I use GC boolits and also have found them to be much more accurate.

[leadman]

I have used both Lee gaschecked boolits, the 113gr RFN and the 120gr RN. The 120gr feeds in all the carbines I have tried it in. Had trouble in one carbine with the 113gr. feeding.

The 120gr equals jacketed reloads with a 110gr roundnose as far as accuracy and velocity.

[GaryM]

I am currently testing the lee 120gr flatnose and it seems to be doing ok. Nothing spectacular, occasionally it hangs up on the meplat but overall it is working pretty good. Watch your seating depth as it does make a difference.
If you test cycle these they will hang up unless you cycle the bolt fast and hard. If they test cycle ok then they should shoot fine. If the bolt doesn't completely close then your OAL is too long.