.30 Carbine Case & Ammunition Gauge - For Checking Your Reloads & Ammo

Thanks jski, just ordered it. Guys have been asking L.E. Wilson for decades to make their case gauge in .30 Carbine, but they refused. Oh well, their loss.

Don
 
If you load for a .30 Carbine Blackhawk, you need a case gauge. What's really cool is that every .30 Carbine Blackhawk comes with a SIX-case checkin' case gauge!

I use my cylinder. ;)
 
Sevens,

Sounds pithy but the case head and the rear face of the cylinder are never flush. So you're left speculating about the gap between the two. Is it too large, too small, or just right?
 
No, I understand what you're saying but when I use my cylinder as a gauge, I know it isn't perfect -- I'm looking for "good enough for my Blackhawk" and with a lot of experience in loading for this particularly testy revolver, this works for me.

A case gauge would be better, I'll agree. But I've gotten this far using my cylinder.
 
"...I use my cylinder..." Best gauge there is.
Been loading .30 Carbine for 40 years or so with no gauges other than a vernier calipre. No fuss. No bother. Most of these gauges do nothing but separate you from your money.
And .30 Carbine handgun data is the same as long gun data.
 
If you actually own and shoot and handload to successfully feed a .30 Carbine chambered Ruger Blackhawk revolver, you already know and understand that .30 Carbine ammo for US GI M1 Carbine rifles and clones and the Blackhawk revolver are simply -NOT- "the same." If you go in to the operation with that (nonsensical) idea and lack of a plan you will learn or you will fail. And in some cases, you'll spread (more) unhelpful opinions in a forum where most folks helps and assist while others simply make noise.
 
Sevens,

I agree completely. Often, for a particular powder, there's no data available for a pistol .30 Carbine cartridge, e.g., True Blue (one of my favorites). So my habit is to look at the recommendations for that powder for a .357 Mag. Then I back off by a small percentage, usually ~10%.

But with the tank that Blackhawks are, especially the .30 Carbine Blackhawk, there's lots of wiggle room. I'll also play a lot with bullet weights, going as high as 150 gr. (didn't work out too well).

For my M1 Carbines, I usually go with ~15 gr. of H110 and a 115 gr. Linotype bullet. I've actually found the 115 gr. Linotype bullets to be the most accurate in all 3 of my M1 Carbines.
 
I've got a custom Lee mould that was a group buy years ago on castboolits.com. Cast of linotype, they weigh about 105 grains. I use 2400 and 4227 for loads in my M1 Carbine.

Don
 
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