M1 Carbine

Range report on the WW2-era Inland M1 carbine. Ball ammo shows VERY typical performance for late a WW2-era Saginaw rework of an Inland to Type III configuration. While muzzle is not worn and crown is good, the bore is NOT perfect, having light frosting, "salt & pepper" throughout. 

After thorough cleaning with Sweets 7.62 to remove accumulated copper deposits, followed by an aggressive cleaning with Brobst JB paste and Kroil the cleaned bore now appears shiny to casual visual inspection. Upon close examination with a magnifying glass and good light, obvious galvanic corrosion (frosty pitting) is apparent in the areas where heavy copper fouling was removed. There is also some frosting in the grooves at the corners of the rifling lands where impacted fouling had built up and lain for many years. This is not at all unusual for a rifle which probably saw WW2 and possibly also Korean or Vietnam service, and while given ordinary field care, it suffered from exposure and neglect. But because it was not heavily worn, so that the barrel was not considered "unserviceable" it was obviously rebuilt and put into storage without being rebarrelled. Save the taxpayers money!

This was a DCM sale from the early 1960s, which came from the estate of a WW2 vet and NRA member. 

It shows has no importer markings, so is a righteous real USGI carbine, completely "unBubba'ed." Just what I wanted.

The ten-shot group shown above was fired at 100 yards with Yugoslav PPU FMJ. It measures 5.8" extreme spread. The rifle shot to point of aim with its rear sight mechanically centered and the elevation slider notch placed at the "100" notch setting. The SR1 target scores a 90-0X which is about what I would expect with Ball ammo from an unaltered GI M1 carbine of this condition.

My cast bullet handloads shown below did MUCH better. The 5-shot cast bullet group was shot at 50 yards using the same 100-yard sight setting. Bullets were cast of 50-50 wheelweights and linotype and are of a plainbased, hollowpoint design from Accurate Molds actually intended for the .32-20 Winchester, as-cast diameter being .313 and bullets were sized to .311"

The powder charge I used is exactly the same as we use in a neighbor's original pre-1900, 1873 Winchester .32-20 family heirloom rifle which has a very similarly frosted bore with "strong" rifling. This particular '73 for which the mold was cut saw a great deal of black powder use in its day and fed the family which has passed it down through four generations during the Great Depression. It is still used as a family "deer rifle," the .32-20 being legal for such use here in West Virginia.

I've always figured that the .30 M1 carbine was best thought of as a semi-auto .32-20 and should be loaded to the same power level. The charge of 14 grains of IMR4198 I used is compressed about 1/8" by the seated bullet. This provides base support to the bullet to prevent telescoping into the powder space when the nose strikes the feed ramp. This is exactly the same method recommended for assembling safe smokeless hunting loads in the old weak lever-action rifles. A caseful of 4198 or RL7 in the .32-20, .38-40, .44-40 assembled with a standard weight bullet for the caliber duplicates the velocity of the traditional blackpowder load, about 1400 fps, at safe pressures below 14,000 psi, is clean burning and doesn't lead the barrel. 

Applied to the .30 M1 carbine this makes a PERFECT small game, wild turkey, varmint, coyote, "kitchen door garden deer" and home defense load, which cycles reliably!. Cheap to shoot, no gas-checks needed. Any old soft scrap lead that will cast. 500 rounds to a pound of powder! Doesn't get any better than that...

Hillbilly heaven achieved!