M1 Carbine

[StarMetal]

Well fellows, I just picked up a nice little M1 Carbine for a song and a dance. It's a Postal Meter version. Funny, I was looking for Allis Chalmers parts for my tractor, which I found, when I come upon the carbine from the fellow that had the tractor parts.

Bob S...sending you a pm on some questions.

Joe

[eldeguello]

Great- I used to use the Lyman 130-grain cast plain-base round-nose in mine. It's a great bullet.

[StarMetal]

Ok, cleaned up the little carbine and also made my own gas piston nut wrench, not about to pay $20 for one when I have a lathe and other tools. Works great. Bought some dies and got some brass and loaded up. I'm trying my own bullet, the TC nose 100 gr plain base that I made the mould for use in my various 30 Lugers. This bullet over a little Unique is, ah, well one hell of a popcan killer at 100 yards easy!!! I'm not about to waste gas checks on this round and it looks like I don't have too. I can't believe how good this carbine shoot.

Joe

[cropcirclewalker]

I have been pushing a Lyman 319247 (pb 165 +/-) sized down to .315 in my Enfields at 1600 fps. I couldn't get my carbine to cycle at that velocity.

What are you loading and do you just figger on cleaning the gas port?

I love to shoot my carbine, but gas checks add to the cost.

What is your recipe?

edited to add a P.S.

I got this Lee 90 grain SWC mould for a .32. Seems like it's a .314 but I can size it down to .309.

Plain base. It should plink in the carbine. Any suggestions for a recipe?

[StarMetal]

I have the Lee 100 gr round nose that I've been using in my 30 Lugers and my 7.62x25 pistols and I also make a mould for a truncated cone nose bullet that is also 100 grs. Currently I'm loading these both over 6 grs of Unique. They eject and function the action enough to eject, but not enough to go back far enough to pick up another round. This is ok with me because it drops the brass right at my feet and I just cycle the slide for another shot. If I need full functioning I'll just add a little bit more Unique, as the 6 grs is just a beginning load. It just shoots those two bullets so accurate I hate to mess with it.

There's not much to a M1 gas system. The gas cylinder can't be more then 3/4 in long. I made my own gas nut wrench and it's simple job to take the gas piston apart. So far I haven't found anything in it !!! We'll see after I do a bunch more shooting. The carbine is dirt simple to break down, just remove the front barrel band and the action hinges out of the stock, almost like a BP muzzle loader, with the little tang on the breech end.

Hope that answers your questions.

Joe

[Shepherd2]

I fired about 1500 cast boolits thru my M1 carbine before I looked at the gas piston. All I found was a minuscule trace of lead and a little bit of carbon. I had expected it to be full of crud. I didn't see much of anything in the port itself either.

Most of my cast loads have been the Lyman 311359, gas checked, in the 1700 fps range.

[Patrick L]

This is good info. I got in on the 120gr plainbase group buy last fall in hopes of picking up an M1 carbine.

Unfortunately, even though I have the mold, I have yet to find a carbine. The ones I have seen were either too beat up or too $$ thanks to the current frenzy over WWII arms.

I remember when I was a kid they couldn't give them away.

[Larry Gibson]

Ok, cleaned up the little carbine and also made my own gas piston nut wrench, not about to pay $20 for one when I have a lathe and other tools. Works great. Bought some dies and got some brass and loaded up. I'm trying my own bullet, the TC nose 100 gr plain base that I made the mould for use in my various 30 Lugers. This bullet over a little Unique is, ah, well one hell of a popcan killer at 100 yards easy!!! I'm not about to waste gas checks on this round and it looks like I don't have too. I can't believe how good this carbine shoot.

Joe

Just a little advice from one who's been there; it's real easy with light loads of Unique to have the cast bullet stick just ahead of the gas port. The gas pressure will bleed off into the gas cylinder/piston functioning the action and then venting the gas WITHOUT the bullet exiting the barrel. It doesn't take much to make the action function and it WILL pick up another round to fire. That can pose some serious problems. Fun little guns though, I really love my three.

Larry Gibson

[StarMetal]

Well I appreciate the info. I stay very aware of my shooting. If I pull the trigger and there's a boom, but I don't see any targer reaction, I investigate the gun.

Today I made up a load using, believe it or not, the 155 gr Lee bullet intended for the 7.62x39. I used 4227 powder and HEY Bass!! I didn't need any Quickload or whatever program you use to come up with the charge. Through years and years of experience I interplated a load and was 1/2 gr off from a really good functioning load. Don't worry Larry it's not beating the rifle. I have some factory jacketed that I compare to and it's noways there. How did I get the round to function with such a long bullet for the 30 carbine? Well I seated it deep. Now to see what it does at distance. Also over the chrono. By the way Larry that Unique load is in the book. I also zipped that load up today to function the action harder. That took one grain more powder. That's going to be my go too load for this carbine.

Joe

[PatMarlin]

Wal... where's the pictures Joe?... [smilie=1:

[Larry Gibson]

Well I appreciate the info. I stay very aware of my shooting. If I pull the trigger and there's a boom, but I don't see any targer reaction, I investigate the gun.

Today I made up a load using, believe it or not, the 155 gr Lee bullet intended for the 7.62x39. I used 4227 powder and HEY Bass!! I didn't need any Quickload or whatever program you use to come up with the charge. Through years and years of experience I interplated a load and was 1/2 gr off from a really good functioning load. Don't worry Larry it's not beating the rifle. I have some factory jacketed that I compare to and it's noways there. How did I get the round to function with such a long bullet for the 30 carbine? Well I seated it deep. Now to see what it does at distance. Also over the chrono. By the way Larry that Unique load is in the book. I also zipped that load up today to function the action harder. That took one grain more powder. That's going to be my go too load for this carbine.

Joe

Yes the 6 gr load of Unique is in the books and it most often works fine. I was just pointing out the obvious I guess. I''l be interested in how those 155s shoot. I never could get any bullet above 130 gr to stabilize well in the 1-16" twists of the carbine. I tried several of them from the 150 RCBS up to 311299 for a heavy sub sonic single load to no avail. If I get a chnace I might throw a couple pictures in.

Larry Gibson

[StarMetal]

Larry,

Again thanks for your concern. I've stepped my 6 gr load up to 7 and it works the action more vigorously and is still a low velocity load.

I'll load somemore 155 gr bullets and test them and report back to you.

The only negative side effect I've found so far to shooting cast out of the M1 is you know that little square "well" they routered out of the stock to allow room for the gas system? Well it gets alittle greasy from the lube...that's it. No lead, no lead in the gas cylinder or piston, just that greasy rectangular well.

Joe

[StarMetal]

Larry Gibson,

Well just for a quick test I loaded five of the Lee 312-155's and fired them off hand at 50 yards. They don't tip, at least not out of my carbine. These are what I'd call between light and medium loads. They can still go more yet. I shot a 3 inch group, but I'm not good off hand with rifle, especially something so small as light as the carbine. The load was 9 grs of original DuPont 4227, the Lee bullet mentioned above, Rem brass, and Winchester small pistol primers...the primers alone are saying the load's not much.

Joe

[Larry Gibson]

Larry Gibson,

Well just for a quick test I loaded five of the Lee 312-155's and fired them off hand at 50 yards. They don't tip, at least not out of my carbine. These are what I'd call between light and medium loads. They can still go more yet. I shot a 3 inch group, but I'm not good off hand with rifle, especially something so small as light as the carbine. The load was 9 grs of original DuPont 4227, the Lee bullet mentioned above, Rem brass, and Winchester small pistol primers...the primers alone are saying the load's not much.

Joe

That's great! have you per chance measured the twist on your M1? I've read of some faster ones but haven't seen them myself. If you keep having good results I may just have to try that 155 again. I was using 4895 and trying to keep it sub sonic, that may have been my problem. Will have to try the 9 gr of 4227 as I don't like putting the Sionics on a semi auto any more. Thus sub sonic is not an issue. I may even try it with the RCBS 150 FP also. That should be a good "thumper" on small game at 114-15oo fps if that's attainable. I get some lube bown through the gas cylinder inside the stock also but it's really no bother. Fun little rifles.

Larry Gibson

[fourarmed]

I'm wondering idly if anyone has tried loading .22 caliber bullets in plastic sabots in the carbine.

[Poygan]

fourarmed,

I tried these with 12 grains of WC820, boolit and sabot weight was 60.5 grains, 1.67 OAL, in a GI carbine. The sabot does not release the boolit based on recovered boolits. Higher velocity might result in a release and I may try that route in a SKS someday....

[StarMetal]

Larry,

No I haven't measured the twist, but I will now that you mentioned that. I hadn't heard that and assumed they were all of a slow twist. I'll let you know.

Joe

[StarMetal]

Larry Gibson,

Okay I measured the twist on the carbine and it looks to be about 1 in 20. Next I loaded up somemore of the Lee 155's and shot them at 100 yards. No keyhole, group not bad, but not as good as the lighter bullets. Now for the velocity....1150 fps, damn near subsonic.

With my 100 gr TC bullet from the mould I made with 7 grs of Unique gives me about 1600 fps. Those shoot pretty good at 100 yards.

Joe