The .30 Carbine still remains popular, even though its usage has decreased since it was first introduced. Despite this, production of this ammo continues and it can be seen in an array of firearms.
The first .30 carbine cartridges were made by reducing the rim size of the .32SL (.32 Self Loading) cases and then using bullets from the .308 round. This clever technique allowed for a smooth, cost-effective way to produce bullets efficiently.
The .30 carbine round had a similar profile to the .45 ACP bullet used by the US Military. However, it delivered twice as much muzzle energy than its counterpart.
1.30 Carbine Overview
2.30 Carbine History
3.30 Carbine Purpose
4.30 Carbine Performance
5Guns that Shoot .30 Carbine Ammo
6.30 Carbine Ammo Price and Availability
7.30 Carbine FAQ
.30 Carbine Overview
.30 Carbine is a rimless centerfire rifle cartridge that is used primarily in the M1 Carbine and was introduced in 1942. The original intent of the round was specifically for the M1 carbine.
Despite being over 70 years old, the 30 Carbine cartridge is still available today and manufactured by a number of different companies including Hornady, Remington, Federal, Tula and others.
The famous Winchester round was initially designed and manufactured by Winchester, but its adoption as the official cartridge of the US Military meant that other companies soon started producing it too.
.30 Carbine History
The .30 carbine round was originally released in 1942 and is a direct result of the US Army’s “light rifle” program which eventually produced the M1 carbine.
The Army required a cartridge greater than .27 with a range of 300 yards or better out of an 18-inch barrel.
With these requirements, Winchester made a .30 caliber cartridge with 100-120 grain bullet with a velocity of 2,000 feet per second.
The first 100,000 of these Winchester cartridges had the headstamp “.30 SL” with the SL standing for self-loading.
The .30 Carbine round was in active military service in the United States from the 1940s to the 1970s.
According to some sources, the .30 Carbine is still in active military service in some countries, including South Korea and Taiwan.
.30 Carbine Purpose
The 30 carbine rounds purpose was to create a round that had a range of 300 years or more from an 18″ barrel and be shot from a light rifle that was being developed, the M1 carbine.
.30 Carbine Performance
The military used the M1 carbine during WWII where many soldiers complained about the carbine’s lack of stopping power.
The round demonstrated this behavior because of two primary factors. Firstly, instead of tumbling or expanding on contact, even with hollow points or soft tip bullets – the round was designed to penetrate its target.
During World War II, the opposing forces were known to consume an abundance of amphetamines, giving them considerable strength and abilities that surpassed that of normal humans.
Long-barreled rifles are not ideal when using full metal jacket bullets as they do not expand to the same degree as soft tip or hollow-point bullets.
The bullets themselves are often known to over-penetrate.
The .30 carbine round, though suitable for hunting small to medium-sized game, is not as popular among hunters compared to the 350 Legend. This newer straight-walled hunting cartridge is gaining more traction in 2022 and is being preferred by collectors and hobbyists alike.
Guns that Shoot .30 Carbine Ammo
The most notable gun that shoots .30 carbine ammo is the M1 Carbine.
The .30 carbine cartridge is still pretty common in the US since over 6 million M1 carbines were made during WWII.
The M1 Carbines were solid in mass after the war often for as little as $20 each. This made the M1 incredibly popular with gun owners in the US.
Currently, the only company producing modern remakes of the M1 carbine is Auto-Ordnance and it, like the original, is chambered in .30 Carbine.
Some other firearms have been made to shoot .30 carbine such as the Taurus Raging Bull and the Ruger Blackhawk, both of which are revolvers.
.30 Carbine Ammo For Sale, Price and Availability
.30 Carbine is one ammo that is still relatively easy to find.
Due to the M1 Carbine’s popularity in the sporting and collecting circles civilian demand for the .30 carbine cartridge is still relatively high.
While this ammo isn’t widely used it’s still readily available and still in production from some of the major manufacturers around the world.
Sportsmans Guide will often have .30 Carbine ammo for sale. Also, Lucky Gunner is known to have a decent selection of .30 Carbine ammo in stock.
.30 Carbine FAQ
Are 30-30 and .30 carbine the same?
No, the 30-30 is a much different cartridge than .30 carbine.
30-30 is a popular hunting cartridge that is rimmed and bottlenecked.
Is .30 carbine and 300 Blackout the same?
No, .30 carbine is much different around than .300 AAC Blackout.
While both of these rounds are 30 caliber they are wildly different in that 300 blackout is a necked down 5.56 round and the .30 carbine is a neckless round.
Is .30 Carbine effective?
The M1 Carbine, being 8 inches shorter and 5 pounds lighter than the M1 Garand, was made for the .30 Carbine round. This cartridge was less powerful than the 30-06 caliber used by the Garand.
Compared to the .45 ACP pistols used by many in the support, this pistol had an extended effective range when firing.
The .30 Carbine round has generated a negative reputation due to its extensive use in the Korean War. Soldiers reported that it had minimal effect when they shot at Korean or Chinese troops, resulting in the M1 Carbine becoming more popular.
As previously indicated, it was likely due to the low fire accuracy or other factors like amphetamines that made Koreans & Chinese appear unaffected by the shots.
