cast lead bullets for M1 carbines?

[rondog]

Can a person reload .30 carbine ammo with cast lead bullets? Do those work OK in the rifles? I've found a source for 115gr. LRN's, so I've gotta ask. I just use the carbine for target shooting and plinking.

Many thanks!

Information

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[USSR]

Yep!

Don

[browningautorifle]

I used nothing but cast bullets for carbine for years. I had no source of jackets so that was that. They work just fine.

[Al Diehl]

YES!

Cast are fine, cast with gas checks are gooder!

[Jerome Cooper]

The answer to your question is a definite yes! A 115 grain LRN is in the weight ballpark. The use of gas checks is recommended. Round noses feed more reliably/best. Keep your cases trimmed uniformly to the proper or recommended length. Use a slight taper crimp, but not too much as the round must seat on the case mouth. There are several powders that work well. You can check in a loading manual, or do a search on previous threads/posts on this forum for additional info. I use 13.5 grains of IMR 4227 and get reliable cycling of the action, good feeding and really decent accuracy....and at considerable savings over store or anywhere-else bought ammo. If you full length resize your cases even with a carbide die make sure to lube at least every 3 rd case as it makes the job easier, is better for the cases and the die. I cast my own and that dramatically reduces even more the cost of making the ammo. For some folks, that may be an out of budget investment and or a PITA chore workwise, but if one does a lot of shooting it may well be worthwhile to look into. Good luck and good shooting. JC

[TDH]

14.5 grains of WW296 works well in my rifle.