.30 Carbine questions

T

TruthTellers

New member
Beginning to gather data to think about getting into .30 Carbine. Biggest appeal right now is Berry's bullets can be bought for under 10 cents a bullet and soft point bullets are available, one of which has caught my eye is a 100gr Speer "plinker" bullet that I'm also looking to use in 7.62x25 and my .327 Henry rifle.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010629368?pid=618190

So, questions right now are:

1. Because .30 Carbine is tapered, do the carbide sizing dies size the entire case to one diameter? Do steel dies, specifically the Hornady Custom size die, size with a taper? I'm really interested in the Hornady Custom die because it's not a carbide die, but it doesn't require lubing.

2. If the carbide dies don't size cases with a taper, does it make any difference?

3. What's the case life like with .30 Carbine?
 
I can't answer any of those questions, but I do know from reloading .30 Carbine that case lube is always needed, even w/ carbide dies, as the cases are too long.
 
Bad information. I have reloaded the .30 Carbine for almost 35 years, it was my primary LR silhouette cartridge for almost a decade - probably close to 6500 rounds loaded for two Contender barrels. I never had to use lube with the Lee carbide sizer die. Never. Cases lasted over two dozen loadings with a 165-grain cast bullet at 1500 fps.

The Lee FL sizer uses a tapered carbide insert so the factory case taper is retained. It isn’t like carbide dies for straight walled cases which size the entire case length the same diameter.



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TX Nimrod said:
Bad information. I have reloaded the .30 Carbine for almost 35 years, it was my primary LR silhouette cartridge for almost a decade - probably close to 6500 rounds loaded for two Contender barrels. I never had to use lube with the Lee carbide sizer die. Never. Cases lasted over two dozen loadings with a 165-grain cast bullet at 1500 fps.

The Lee FL sizer uses a tapered carbide insert so the factory case taper is retained. It isn’t like carbide dies for straight walled cases which size the entire case length the same diameter.



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You are not loading ".30 Carbine"...you are loading for two Contender barrels chambered for .30 Carbine.
Everyone I know who handloads for a .30 M1 Carbine uses carbide dies and lubrication.
 
I use Lee carbide die. No lube is needed. Lube makes the sizing step easier, but fine without.

The die has a carbide ring, which covers about 1/8 the length of the brass. So it is impossible to have the same taper as a full length steel die. It will size the brass slightly undersized with straight wall from the mouth down then a sharper taper. No problem at all.

I have a real GI M1 carbine.

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
tangolima said:
I use Lee carbide die. No lube is needed. Lube makes the sizing step easier, but fine without.

The die has a carbide ring, which covers about 1/8 the length of the brass. So it is impossible to have the same taper as a full length steel die. It will size the brass slightly undersized with straight wall from the mouth down then a sharper taper. No problem at all.

I have a real GI M1 carbine.

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Have you sized .30 with a steel die? Was there any performance difference while shooting between using steel and carbide dies?
 
Use carbide dies and lube. Perhaps you *can* use carbide dies with no lube, but you'll wear your arm out doing it, and you might get a case stuck in the die.

the Lee resized cases are tapered.
 
zxcvbob said:
Use carbide dies and lube. Perhaps you *can* use carbide dies with no lube, but you'll wear your arm out doing it, and you might get a case stuck in the die.

the Lee resized cases are tapered.
Click to expand...
My brass and arm are fine. Never have anything close to stuck brass.

How can a ring of carbide size brass fully tapered?

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
You are not loading ".30 Carbine"...you are loading for two Contender barrels chambered for .30 Carbine.
Everyone I know who handloads for a .30 M1 Carbine uses carbide dies and lubrication.
Click to expand...

Geeze dude, take a pill. I reload 30 Carbine cases with a Lee carbide die without lube. Thousands of them. Another poster in the thread does too.

Perhaps you and all your friends are doing it wrong, or using the wrong dies. Or I know something you do not. Regardless, another one for the Ignore list.



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Even Lee, on their website, recommends using a lube with their .30 Carbine die.

Lee 30M1 Pistol 3-Die Set includes Carbide Full Length Sizing Die, Bullet Seating Die, Powder Thru Expanding Die, Universal Shell Holder, Powder Dipper and Instructions/Load Data.

Lee case resizing lubricant is recommend for this cartridge.
Click to expand...

Don
 
tangolima said:
My brass and arm are fine. Never have anything close to stuck brass.

How can a ring of carbide size brass fully tapered?

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
My Lee Carbide .30 Carbine die has a full-length carbide insert...not a ring of carbide as typical with straight-wall pistol cases...that is why the carbide .30 Carbine die is so expensive compared to other "carbide" dies. Just to be sure, I bent a paper-clip and check my Lee .30 Carbine die just to be sure.
 
zxcvbob said:
Use carbide dies and lube. Perhaps you *can* use carbide dies with no lube, but you'll wear your arm out doing it, and you might get a case stuck in the die.

the Lee resized cases are tapered.
Click to expand...
There is also the chance of ripping the rim off of an unlubed case as it sticks in the die. I never stuck a case or ripped a rim off, but back in my youth, I remember the excessive force required to size a .30 Carbine case in a Carbide sizer when I was too stingy with the lube.
 
dahermit said:
There is also the chance of ripping the rim off of an unlubed case as it sticks in the die. I never stuck a case or ripped a rim off, but back in my youth, I remember the excessive force required to size a .30 Carbine case in a Carbide sizer when I was too stingy with the lube.
Click to expand...
I have done that. It was a bitch getting it out.
 
I've done it with a full-length carbide .223 die (Dillon), but it was easy to get out. I returned it to the factory and let them solve it.
 
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