Best Mold for .30 Carbine

[sfwh]

Apologies if this is an often discussed topic but I've had a look around and the consensus seems to be that the Lyman 311359 mold is the best one for accuracy out of the M1. As far as I can tell thought the 311359 has been discontinued? I don't know if that's the case or if it's just out of stock everywhere.

Assuming that the Lyman one can't be found are there any other good suggestions people have? I was intending to gas check and powder coat.

[ElPistolero]

I have used the RCBS 30-115-SP to good effect and also used Saeco 254F6L.

[ShooterAZ]

The 311359 is a good one in the 30M1. I'm also very partial to the RCBS 30-115-SP. The Lee C30-120-R should also work well if you can find one.

[dale2242]

I have tried multiple cast bullets in the carbine including 311359 which works quite well.
The best and my go to bullet for my M1 Carbine is the NOE 311-121-RN-H5 GC.

[georgerkahn]

My go-to mould for my US 30 calibre M1 is a Hensley & Gibbs #250. Listed as a 113gn mould, mine drop at 110gns. A round nose, they feed perfectly, and have a gas-check base. I do not powder coat -- I still use a Lyman 450 with H&I dies at 0.312"; COA is jusssst a smidgen less than 1.680". (Or, perhaps better writ, 1.680" is my maximum COA and I seat to a "blonde hair" under ;)).
Using that blue lub from Magma (the Star people) I do watch for lub gumming things up -- I've read of others having this challenge -- but, either I shoot too little or have been lucky using this lub. If I were younger, I'd surely look into Powder Coating as a way to readily alleviate this possible consequence of shooting lub'd bullets.
(I also have a Lyman 311410, and, a couple of the old Ideal 311359GC moulds, but my (made by Quality Hardware) M1 seems to "prefer" the H&G offering!)
Good luck!
geo

[Larry Gibson]

The 311359 has not been discontinued; Lyman lists it, like most molds, as "out of stock, available for backorder".

I have shot several different cast bullets through a lot of of M1/M2 Carbines over the years [had25 of them in my Special Forces arms vault]. I've found the 311359 to be consistently the best cast bullet to use, both for reliable functioning and accuracy. I most often use COWWs + 2% tin and let them AC. I GC, size at .310 and lube with 2500+. Some Carbines with some brass require a .309 sized bullet for 100% reliable cambering. I load them over 13.5 gr of H110 for 1875 - 1890 fps out of the M1 carbine. Properly zeroed with a regulated front sight that load is regulated to the range settings on the M1s rear sight. This is my most often used and my load of choice for general shooting in my own M1 Carbines.

While I also use the 313631 and the 311316 for hunting/varmint use The Lee C309-113-FN and the RCBS 30-115-SP are also excellent choices. There are similar designs available for those three bullets from the custom makers. I tend to prefer cast bullets in the 105 - 118 gr ranges as they can be loaded within pressure to 1850 - 1940 fps which regulates to the rear sight setting out to 300 yards.

The M1 carbine is more than a "plinker" for me. I use mine M1s not only casual shooting but also for serious purposes; hunting and social as in SD.

[FredBuddy]

I gave brother #1 my M1 carbine.
Recently I loaded up some powder
coated NOE 311-127 RF plain
base with IMR 4227. He says they
shoot better than any of the j-word loads
I've made for him.

[stubshaft]

The RCBS 30-115 has been accurate in all three of my carbines.

[bruce drake]

in order of accuracy for lightweight 30 caliber bullets, I say 311359 and the 311410 for my Lyman molds and then I put Lee's 130gr RN and then their 113gr FN mold. I've used all four in my 300BLK rifles and that is what I found for best accuracy. The 311410 is not gas checked so you have to keep the velocity lower than the other three designs. If you don't expect to need a high velocity bullet, look at LEE's 100gr RN and 93gr SWC .312 pistol bullets for easy plinker bullets as well.

[Larry Gibson]

Our South Africans only get the Lee molds so I guess C312-155-2R

That bullet will not stabilize in the M1 carbine's twist.

[rondog]

Our South Africans only get the Lee molds so I guess C312-155-2R

Yeah, no. Too large diameter and much too heavy. That mold is for 7.62x39 ammo.

[5614estell]

I think a Lyman/Ideal 311441 would work well. It's the best shooting light bullet in any 30cal I have. Nominal 117g.

[gwpercle]

I have tried multiple cast bullets in the carbine including 311359 which works quite well.
The best and my go to bullet for my M1 Carbine is the NOE 311-121-RN-H5 GC.

I second the NOE 311-121-RN-H5-GC motion ... it might be easier to get one .
Request a Shop Run at the forum ... I just checked the shop ... there are one :
2 cavity w/ 3 pins for HP , cup point and solid ($103.00) and one 4 cavity solid point moulds ($93.00) in stock ... both are aluminum ... move fast if you want one !
Gary

[GONRA]

sfwh - over the decades GONRA loaded lottsa M1 & M2 Carbine with
Lyman 311359 (gas check) with great results!

[rintinglen]

I think a Lyman/Ideal 311441 would work well. It's the best shooting light bullet in any 30cal I have. Nominal 117g.

It does, but that mold is fairly hard to come by. I have a similar mold, a Lachmiller, IIRC that I have not seen since the move last year. Mine worked well in my old Inland, but I only fired a couple boxes.

[sfwh]

Hey guys thanks so much for the info I'm glad to hear the Lyman is not discontinued it must just be out of stock everywhere. It certainly seems like that's the best choice from what everyone says. I'll have to just keep my eye out for one.

[SoonerEd]

I picked up a new old stock 311359 for $45 as it said it was for M1 Carbine. Haven't tried it yet as I'm in the middle of deer season. Looks like I might have lucked out and got the right mold even though I didn't know much about it.

[rvpilot76]

Any guesses on whether the NOE 311-122-FN-J4 would feed in an M1 Carbine?https://noebulletmolds.com/site/shop/bullet-moulds/308-311/311-122-fn-j4/311-122-fn-j4-2-cavity-gc-brass/317555

[Larry Gibson]

If you don't want to slightly open up and polish the feed ramp it's probably a crap shoot as to whether that bullet will feed reliably or not. I base that on years of experience with the Lyman 311316 in numerous M1/M2 Carbines. My 311316 bullets cast of COWW + 2% tin run 118 gr fully dressed and have a similar nose profile. The 311316 feeds 100% reliably in my shooter M1 Carbine which I have worked the feed ramp.

It does not take much removal of metal opening up the sides of the feed ramp and polishing it. I did mine and several others through the bottom of the action with a Dremel.

317558

[405grain]

Though I cast it for use in .308 caliber 7.62x39 bolt actions, the 120 grain Saeco #302 looks like it might work good as a 30 carbine bullet. It has a nose shape that's conductive for good semi-auto feeding, is a gas check design, and is a little bit heavy, but might not be too heavy, for the 30 carbine. Worth a look.

[Rapier]

The one thing that many reloaders miss in loading the 30 carbine is that it loads just like a pistol with a straight wall case, without a rim. The case headspace's on the case mouth and with pressure, multiple reloads, the brass grows, plus the case mouth should be expanded for seating a cast bullet, especially and then crimped, only to a straight case, so the cartridge headspace is maintained. Lead shaving on the mouth of multiple loaded cases can build up, causing worn disconnector issues or a round to be fired with the bolt slightly out of battery. I have personally seen a 30 M-1 shear a right side bolt lug off, in a firing slightly out battery, incident. Examination of the remaining ammo indicated lead shavings w lube mixed was the cause, when combined with a slightly worn disconnector. Luckily no one was to the right of the shooter on the line. Took a new disconnector and bolt for repair. The 110-130 RN cast plain base works well for me when sized to groove diameter if PCed nose down in a rack. My 30 M-1s shoot to 1" at 50-100 with H-110/296. Plus the bullet shoots to the factory ammo POA. I prefer the Lyman 130 grain PBRN, but have owned the mould for many decades.
I have carried mine on stake-outs with the sheriff's department, at perp's houses, with J bullets, of course. Handy rifle for inside a vehicle, CQB or home defense.
The intent of the 30 Carbine was to replace the sidearm, not to be a battle rifle. Most noted disabling shot failures were when the little carbine was used as a battle rifle. Use of equipment beyond its intended purpose is almost a classic SOP of the military.

[405grain]

To reduce the incident of shaving lead from the sides of cast bullets I've found that the best practice is to do bullet seating and crimping as two separate operations. I always chamfer the case mouths on new brass to make sure that there are no sharp edges to scrape on the bullets. For both pistol and rifle cartridges I bell the case mouth just enough that half the height of the gas check will enter the case. It's extra work, but I haven't had shaved lead since I started doing case prep this way.

[barnetmill]

That bullet will not stabilize in the M1 carbine's twist.

Google says the twist is 1 in 20. That is one slow twist. I also read that some 32-20's were also 1 in 20.

[Rich/WIS]

I once had the Lyman 311576 mold that Lyman made specifically for the carbine. Gave it to a fellow club member for his carbine, he was vary pleased with the results.

[Forrest r]

Cramer #50's if you can find 1 of there 2 cavity molds. 1 cavity is a sp and the other a hp.
https://i.imgur.com/spHv8yT.jpg

[lightman]

I don't know about "best" but I have been happy with the Lyman mold that casts a 130-131 grain bullet.

[elmacgyver0]

I use the Lee C309-120-R dual cavity mold and use homemade aluminum gas checks.
I cast them and put on the gas checks, then size them, after that I powder coat them and resize them.
Seems to work fine for me.
Yeah, Lee, I know, I'm cheap.