30 Super Carry with Hand Loaded Cast Boolits

[shooting on a shoestring]

Standard caveats. Don’t try this at home. It worked in my gun this time. Don’t know if it’ll work in yours.

At this time there is no loading data available for 30 Super Carry. But that doesn’t matter because I used a surplus powder that is not listed loading manuals. It is very close AA#5. It is not BR5. I worked up to a charge of 5.5 grains. The primers looked very much like full throttle 357 loads but not as flat as 220 Swift loads.

I fired factory Federal American Eagle 100 grain FMJ flat points and the Remington 100 grain HST JHP. Measured the outside diameter at the widest point and found them both to be 0.343”. My hand loads all had the same measurement. I interpret that as my loads were not exceeding the ability of the chamber to stand the pressures I generated.

The 2 factory loads both had cartridge over-all lengths of 1.150” and I used the same COL for my loads.

The boolit I used was Accurate 31-117E cast 96% Pb, 2% Sb and 2% Sn, air cooled, aged 1 week, lubed with Felix lube, sized 0.316”.


The gun was S&W Shield EZ. The magazine has a very flat front and sharp corners. It has a fully supported and ramped barrel.


I chronographed all the loads today at 97 degrees F. Yep a hot day in May in Central Texas. 5 shot strings.

The American Eagle 100 grain load gave 1177 fps, sdev 5, hi 1185, lo 1170, es 15 fps.
The Remington 100 grain JHP load gave 1168 fps, sdev 9, hi 1181, lo 1155, es 26 fps.
My final load of 5.5 of a surplus #5 type powder, 117 grain boolit gave 1153 fps, sdev 6, hi 1161, lo 1146, es 15 fps.

Groups…no real data bc I was firing free standing at 20 yards with my shaky hands. Best couple of groups were 3”. A couple went 5”. This does not indicate potential precision of the loads/gun.

I was really surprised the gun would feed the 31-117E boolit. But looking at how the magazine presents the cartridge, it rides pretty high and the square cut feed lips release the back of the cartridge kind of early.


I fired the hand load into a row of 10, 1-gallon water jugs. The first jug was shredded, the second ripped, the third just holed both sides, the fourth caught the boolit. The fifth jug was hit hard enough to pop the sealed top from the jug. The boolit expanded from the 0.304” nose OD to 0.430-0.440”.


The 50k psi pressure 30 Super Carry can run does allow it to punch above its weight.

[cwtebay]

Appreciate the data!!!
I have one sitting in the safe- yet to be fired.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

[shooting on a shoestring]

I’ll add that the pistol was better than I expected.

That ugly grip safety hinged at the bottom…actually works great. Doesn’t matter how you grip the pistol either low or high the safety disengages. Much better than the small grip safety on the Springfield XDM/XD series or 1911s.

Also the magazine follower has a tab sticking out on each side about the size of the Glock take down tabs, only much easier to grip. It allows the follower to be easily retracted so you can quite literally drop the rounds into the magazine as easy as dropping them into a revolver cylinder. I used that technique for the first 7-8 rounds then used both the tabs and some thumb pressure from the other hand to slip in the last couple of rounds. It’s very fast to load the magazine. Faster than using an Uplula.

And being hammer fired, the trigger is much better than a striker fired gun. Not K-Frame SA good, but better than New Model Blackhawks come from Ruger.

I was unfair to the gun and disliked it when I first saw it. I assumed incorrectly it was striker fired. And passed on buying or even handling it for a couple of months. But when I did finally handle one and saw it had an internal hammer, and the trigger was good, I bought it. As I was shooting it the first time it became apparent the little gun has good points that are not being advertised or “sold”.

[shooting on a shoestring]

As to the 30 Super Carry cartridge, I’m a fan! It’s as good as I had hoped it would be. The case capacity is getting up close to Smith and Wesson Long. Coupled with that available 50k psi, the cartridge rocks. Especially for a 32 caliber reciprocator.

I notice though the ammo is drying up fast in my neck of the woods. Several gun shops got the ammo before the guns showed up. Now the guns are available but the ammo is not. And no one in my circle is predicting bulk brass being available, including me. I’ll try to be optimistic and hope that’ll change in the future. But I’ll buy every piece of brass I can find, loaded or not trying to hedge against this cartridge being a commercial flop.

[dtknowles]

How is this different and better than this century old cartridge?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7.65%C3%9720mm_Longue

[Kosh75287]

How is this different and better than this century old cartridge?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7.65%C3%9720mm_Longue

Well. let's see... Half-again the bullet weight at slightly more velocity? New pistols in production, vs. relics and souvenirs on which dubious if any maintenance has been performed or is now POSSIBLE? A non-French engineered pistol with some thought behind its construction and layout (anyone here ever owned or worked on a Renault?)? Everyone who owned their MAS 36s, y'all really love those, right?
Just thinking aloud, here...

[shooting on a shoestring]

“How is this different and better than this century old cartridge?”

I agree with Kosh. Availability. My LGS had the above 30 Super Carry pistol in stock and the ability to order more. Brass is available by easily converting factory loaded ammunition into empty brass. An enjoyable process.

30 Super Carry has one huge selling point. It’s a 50,000 psi pistol cartridge! And due to modern materials and pistol design that 50,000 psi pistol cartridge can be had off the shelf in a polymer framed pistol suitable for carry.

But really, 30 Super Carry is not required to be better than whatever cartridge. I like 32 caliber pistols. I think they’re cool. I’m a fan of all the 32 cartridges. If I had a pistol (or Pedersen device) in 7.65x20 Long you bet I’d be figuring out how to load and shoot it.

If you or anyone wants to post about their reloading results with cast boolits in 7.65x20 Long, please post here. That sounds interesting to me.

[dtknowles]

Well. let's see... Half-again the bullet weight at slightly more velocity? New pistols in production, vs. relics and souvenirs on which dubious if any maintenance has been performed or is now POSSIBLE? A non-French engineered pistol with some thought behind its construction and layout (anyone here ever owned or worked on a Renault?)? Everyone who owned their MAS 36s, y'all really love those, right?
Just thinking aloud, here...

You might rethink your comments about the design.

"Petter's design impressed the Swiss company Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft (now known as SIG Sauer); in 1937, they purchased a license from SACM in order to produce their model 47/8 handgun, which became the SIG Sauer P210."

I seems the 30 Super Carry is just a +P (or magnum) version of the 7.65x20 with 30 Luger Ballistics.

Enjoy your new toy. If I was buying an S&W Shield I would choose 9mm.

[ebb]

I think I am going to wait a while to make a decision about the 30 carry. Right now it seems like the answer to a question that was never asked but all that may change with time. Most of the new cartridges are developed to stimulate sales. I thought that the short mags were a waste of time because I already had several magnum rifles, and they were to me cause they offered no more performance than what I had. But if i had no magnum rifles they would be my choice. And the 6.5 Creedmoor, it brought nothing to the table that my Remington 260s didn't already do. I have come to realize that they are making rifles for younger people that don't have a safe full. I am not all that impressed with a 9mm, maybe others aren't either. maybe the others will be impressed with the 30 carry, I am willing to keep an opened mind. BUT would one of you please explain what they had in mind when the made the 5.7-28 I am still trying to figure that one out.

[MarkP]

4.6 x 30 mm & 5.7 x 28 mm to pierce body armor.

[GooseGestapo]

Thanks SOASS. I recently posted a similar thread on my .30 SC.

I found mine to be of superior fit and accuracy.
Cast bullet performance is very good. I have simply been too busy to follow up with additional powders, and primers.

[Bazoo]

Thanks for sharing. I’ve yet to experience the 30SC however, I likely will. Then I can give a report on how hard it’s brass is to find in the grass compared to others.

[shooting on a shoestring]

I managed to empty another handful of factory brass…and catch them.
Found the best brass catcher I have is a Ford pickup with a camper shell. I flipped up the canopy door, stood by the tailgate and the pistol pitched them all in the bed. Didn’t lose any brass. Wished I’d thought of that years ago!

[shooting on a shoestring]

The AA5 type powder left a little space under the boolit. It worked successfully in my view. But I’m considering working up a load with canister AA#7. I’m thinking I might get enough more of the slower powder to boost velocity a bit. Might be a wash. One way to find out…

[mnewcomb59]

That wadcutter mushroom is very impressive and penetrates to upper FBI specs. I wouldn't hesitate to carry that if they still mushroom similar in a few weeks. My 2-2-96 age hardens for at least a month so I bet you get 40 cal and 5 jugs after a few more weeks.

That is more deadly than most 38 special with that huge flat front and that amount of penetration. Maybe a soft, solid, full charge wadcutter at 900 fps that mushrooms to 45 cal would give it a run for its money in penetration and expanded diameter. That probably penetrates almost 50% more than a 158 SWC HP, which is borderline barely passing FBI minimum penetration.

[Bazoo]

I’m impressed that it fed that nose profile. I pretty cool.

[pettypace]

I fired the hand load into a row of 10, 1-gallon water jugs. The first jug was shredded, the second ripped, the third just holed both sides, the fourth caught the boolit. The fifth jug was hit hard enough to pop the sealed top from the jug. The boolit expanded from the 0.304” nose OD to 0.430-0.440”.


The 50k psi pressure 30 Super Carry can run does allow it to punch above its weight.

Treating that expanded bullet as a wadcutter, the VIRGEL app predicts this:

[pettypace]

That wadcutter mushroom is very impressive and penetrates to upper FBI specs. I wouldn't hesitate to carry that if they still mushroom similar in a few weeks. My 2-2-96 age hardens for at least a month so I bet you get 40 cal and 5 jugs after a few more weeks.

That is more deadly than most 38 special with that huge flat front and that amount of penetration. Maybe a soft, solid, full charge wadcutter at 900 fps that mushrooms to 45 cal would give it a run for its money in penetration and expanded diameter. That probably penetrates almost 50% more than a 158 SWC HP, which is borderline barely passing FBI minimum penetration.

Yes! That's certainly an impressive "wadcutter mushroom." But it's still a flat-nosed wadcutter and that limits its penetration which, in turn, limits its wound mass. (See VIRGEL screen shot in previous post.)

But if that 117 grain bullet at 1150 f/s could be persuaded to assume the classic mushroom shape (with a gently rounded convex nose) and an expanded diameter of about 0.47", the mathematical models (of MacPherson and/or Schwartz) suggest a significant gain in both penetration and wound mass:



I'd like to see what penetration and expansion shooting on a shoestring's hand loads would produce with a shallow, saucer-shaped depression in the nose of that 117 grain wadcutter.

[shooting on a shoestring]

Hmmmm?
I’ve got a drill press….
Planning on heading to the range tomorrow to chronograph some loads with AA#7.

Problem is I don’t have any empty brass…tonight. Sounds like an interesting use of my upcoming empties.

[Earlwb]

Nice going with your reloading of the 30SC. I like it. Thanks for sharing.
I have one but I haven't gotten around to try reloading for it yet. I am hoping others come up with some load data for it first. You seem to be the first one too. So my hat is off to you for doing it.
I still need to figure out something for the bullets yet, as they aren't making any for reloading the .30SC yet.