30 carbine and hunting deer?

[Drm50]

I killed a deer with a M1 carbine. Not my choice but I was in social corner. I was guest at a deer camp in WVa mountains. I was hunting with a Remington 141, 35cal. Host had nice 30carbine and wanted to switch rifles for the day. So I did and shot a fork buck at about 40yds with Win JSP. It ran about 15yds into a tree and end of the story. There is better deer cartridges but I would say 50yds would be my limit on deer. Guys make my butt tired. One bunch needs a 45/70 or 300mag, the others praising a 223. To tell you the truth if you are hunting from a stand you can use a 22rf. But if you are jump shooting deer they are no good. 30carbine will do just fine for dad as long as he can put them in kill zone.

[richhodg66]

My wife's grandfather used an M1 Carbine as his primary deer rifle for years and killed a lot of them with it. He carried one in WWII and liked it. About the time she and I started dating, he killed a huge buck with it, I have the rack hanging up. That would have been a big deer even in the midwest, absolute monster for sand country S.C.
I wouldn't even consider "premium" copper bullets, standard cup and core would be a lot better. Make sure to get close, put the bullet in the lungs and collect your venison.

[45-70 Chevroner]

My only experience with the 30 carbine and deer was back in about 1970 something. I shot a mule deer doe she probably weighed 120 # one shot behind the front leg the soft nose ended up in the heart she fell down right their. A 40 yard shot but she was still alive and kicking when I walked up on her one more shot in the head. Yes it can be done with proper placement. That was the only rifle I had to hunt with that year, so thought I would give it a try, would I do it again probably not unless it was the only gun I had. I think I payed $65.00 for back then. Wish I still had it.

[TCLouis]

A friend took her deer every year with her scoped 30 carbine.
That had to be bucks in those days , but not as big as the PA deer.
Of course that is the only gun she had, but it worked every time.
I shot it a couple of times and it was a very accurate carbine.

funny what will and will not suffice in our minds/opinions for deer hunting.

[Texas by God]

I've killed close range deer with a .54 black powder pistol ( maybe 500 fps), a 4-5/8" .357( 1100fps)and a mercy kill( deer hung in fence with broken back leg) with a .17HMR. All DRT because of bullet placement. I would absolutely hunt deer from a stand with our .30 Carbine with my 110 JSP reloads. 100 yards or less for my eyes with iron sights.

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[Wheelgun]

I know of lots and lots of deer killed in the “early days” around here with 32/20, so 30carbine will work fine.
Dad has the rack of a muley killed by Great Grandpa, with a 32/20 in Wyoming.

I use an Arsenal mold 311008 clone that drops 125gr to take some big wild sows last fall, couple at 50 and one 80 paces.

[uscra112]

Rightly or wrongly, there's some states that don't consider it energetic enough for deer. Michigan was one as I recall.

[missionary5155]

We still have our first Carbine. If it was all I had I would hunt with it.... But be on the prowl for a M1 Garand to "swap it for".
Now put a 130 grain cast in it and it would be alot better for under 50 yard shots.

[rondog]

Cor-Bon DPX, made for deer hunting and defense. Barnes #30800 bullets.

[dale2242]

If your Dad is going to use the 30 carbine, you said he was, use 110 gr jacketed SPs or HPs at 50 yds or less.
I would stay away from cast bullets for deer.

[Lloyd Smale]

it will kill fine at those ranges. Keep in mind its more powerful then a 3220 and in the 50s that was considered a fine short range deer gun. The first 6 deer i shot were with a m1 carbine. I used soft nose factory rem ammo. I bought it for 30 bucks at my dads buddys bar. That buddy was a ww2 vet who hunted his whole life with his m1 carbine and between legal and illegal deer shot no doubt more then a 100 deer with his. He was cheaper then me. He would take military ball and cut the tip of the nose off and drill them with a jig he made into hps. Did it help. I dont have a clue but i ate many lbs of venison at camp he shot. Were not talking grizzly bear here. A average whitetail weights about the same as a lab retriever and has bones not heavier. Keep the range to 50 yards or less and youll do fine. Fact is its more powerful then a 357 revolver and many deer have been killed by them. by the way old Bob didnt hunt with his M1 because its all he had. Every year he had is semi auto rem 06 and his ruger 44 mag carbine on the gun rack at camp but i never saw him use them even once.

[GhostHawk]

A IMO you should listen to rcmaverick.

B Bullet placement is king.

C I would use the heaviest bullet you can get good accuracy with.

D 1600 fps for an under 100 yard shot would not deter me at all.

E I had a stretch in my youth where money was tight, food was short.
I have killed more than one deer with .22lr. Again, bullet placement is key. Also target choice. Don't take the biggest farthest 8 point buck. Pop that little forkhorn who is close, young, and dumb. Standing stock still with a "hey what's that bright light look in his eye"

F I have very little regret for those deer I jacked. Meat got shared to 2 or 3 other family's with kids. Everyone ate good. We wasted nothing. We lost no deer that we shot at. Deer were plentiful.

G My little excursion into the wild side ended when this "friend" begged, pleaded, demanded for his chance.
He shot the jaw off a nice doe. That deer was never recovered or found. And that was the end of it for me.

I am responsible for what I do. But I won't be associated with that.

.30 carbine with the right load, enough practice would work fine within limits. Tis the shooters job to understand those limits.

[dverna]

I would not hunt deer with an M1 carbine as my ranges are longer, but I see the attraction. What a handy, light, easy to carry rifle!!! Accuracy is not great, but at 50 yards it is more than adequate and no need for a scope. Sure beats using a .357Mag pistol.

Hope your dad has fun...but talk him into getting some good bullets.

[444ttd]

thanks guys!!!!! hopefully this shortage will straighten out and i'll buy the dies(which nobody has). keep'em coming, i like the stories!!!!!!

[Cargo]

It'll do the job if you do yours. I've known several folks that successfully used the old warbaby for hogs and deer alike.

[Larry Gibson]

Larry, I'd pay a pretty penny to buy you breakfast and coffee and just hear your stories....

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Never know when our paths may cross. I'm always open to relating my "stories" though, around a campfire after a couple three "sundowners' they do get better, as best I recall........

[Larry Gibson]

Just checked my old data/note sheets and the best 'deer" load was the Speer 110 HP or the Remington 110 RNSP over 15 gr H110 for 1925 fps. The 110 HP will not always feed in some M1 Carbines as the soft lead hangs up on the sides of the feed ramp as the bullet nose comes out of the magazine. I widened the offending area and polished it so that bullet feeds 100% in my "shooter" M1 carbine. I think shot 3 or 4 of the deer with that bullet, all one shot kills with very satisfactory performance. The 100 RNSPs of Speer, Sierra Hornady and Winchester all fed reliably. Winchester and Remington RNSP factory loads both ran 19 40 - 1960 fps out of my M1 Carbines.

The Hornady 100 gr HJ is also an excellent deer killer and I load it over 15.5 gr H110 for 1980 fps.

While I have not hunted deer with cast in the 30 Carbine I have put several injured deer down plus an injured elk when I was a LEO in NE Oregon. The 105 gr Lyman 313631 (SWC GC mould made for the 32 H&R cast of COWW, sized .309, with Hornady GC) over 14.5 gr H110 runs the same 1980 fps and performed very well. It also does very well on called in coyote. Were I to hunt deer again up in the Willamette vally of oregon again where I shot the 7 deer i would not hesitate to use that bullet. Perhaps of a more refined ternary alloy but still, with full confidence.

[panhed65]

[QUOTE=rondog;5130017]Cor
rondog, have you shot any critters with that ammo, reason I ask, last year at a gun show, guy was selling it for like $4.00 a box, so I ended up with a bunch of it, could not believe it was that cheap. have not gotten around to shooting any yet. wondering how it will work out.
Barry

[Bigslug]

Hmmm. . . it's good enough to face off against fanatical SS stormtroopers with MG-42's and settle the hash of Banzai-chargers wielding 3-foot, razor-sharp swords, yet somehow, a corn-munching whitetail is beyond its capabilities. . .

One of my favorite screwin' around guns is a kinda-sorta .32-20 (ish) converted Martini Cadet shooting 130 grain flat noses at about 1600 fps. Having done jug penetration and destruction testing with the round, I'd have been OK with short range shots on deer even when the loads were down around 1200 fps. With an M1 carbine, I would not choose the traditional RNFMJ simply due to (likely) slower bleed out, and I'd want to make sure any expanding round still had sufficient penetration. A medium-sized flat nose gas-checked bullet of a tough alloy, I'd be comfy with sub-100 yards. The main limitation to the M1 is accuracy, but if yours can reliably hit grapefruits across a football field, I'd consider the combination workable.

[GhostHawk]

Back in my younger years I worked for a dairy farmer who had a nice one. Was no problem hitting Jackrabbits in the head with it out to 125 or 150 yards. Especially if you were patient and waited for them to stop, stand up tall, and look around. It would head shoot them every single time.

And I agree with Bigslug. You have to be able to put the bullet where it needs to be at the distance its at.

In theory you should be able to do smaller groups than that grapefruit at 100. Smallish orange to tangerine size would be what I would be looking for.
If you can't, save it for plinking, close varmints that are smaller.