.30 Carbine
| .30 Carbine (7.62×33) | ||||||||||
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| From left: 8 mm Mauser, two 8 mm Lebel cartridges, .30 Carbine | ||||||||||
| Type | Carbine, Pistol | |||||||||
| Country of Origin | United States of America | |||||||||
| Specifications | ||||||||||
| Bullet Ø | 7.62mm/.308 | |||||||||
| Neck Ø | 8.41 mm (0.331 in) | |||||||||
| Base Ø | 8.99 mm (0.354 in) | |||||||||
| Rim Ø | 9.14 mm (0.360 in) | |||||||||
| Case Length | 32.76 mm (1.290 in) | |||||||||
| Full Length | 41.91 mm (1.650 in) | |||||||||
| Rifling twist | 1:20" | |||||||||
| Primer | Small pistol | |||||||||
| Production & Service | ||||||||||
| Production Dates | World War II to 1950s, present (civilian) | |||||||||
| Variants | M1, M6 (Grenade), M13 (Dummy), M18 (Heavy, High Pressure Test) 152gr, M27 (Tracer) | |||||||||
| In Service | World War II to 1960s | |||||||||
| Used By | See Users | |||||||||
| Wars | World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War | |||||||||
| Ballistic Performance Sampling | ||||||||||
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The .30 Carbine (7.62x33mm) is the cartridge used in the M1 Carbine introduced in the 1940s. It is an intermediate round designed to be fired from the M1 carbine's 18-inch (458 mm) barrel.
Contents |
History
The .30 Carbine cartridge and the M1 Carbine were developed by Winchester to provide assault troops and rear area units more firepower and accuracy than the standard issue M1911A1 .45 ACP caliber handgun and .45 Thompson submachine gun. The weapon was originally issued with a straight 15-round detachable magazine. The cartridge itself is basically a rimless .308 caliber version of the much older .32 Winchester Self-Loading cartridge of 1906.[2] However, the propellant was much newer, taking advantage of chemistry advances. However, the cartridge's relatively straight case and the rounded nose of its bullet led some to believe it was designed for use in pistols.
The M1 Carbine was issued to infantry officers, machine gun, artillery and tank crews, paratroopers and other line-of-communications personnel in lieu of the larger, heavier M1 Garand. The Carbine and its reduced-power .30 cartridge was not intended to serve as a primary infantry weapon, nor was it comparable to more powerful intermediate cartridges later developed for assault rifles.
Its reputation in combat was mixed. Some infantrymen and Marines, especially those who did not use a rifle as their primary weapon, preferred the carbine over the M1 Garand because of the weapon's small size and light weight. Other soldiers found the weapon to have insufficient stopping power and penetration. Reports of Axis soldiers being shot multiple times in chest and body without immediate effect began to surface, and like the .45 ACP used in the Thompson submachine gun and M1911 Colt pistol, some troops found the .30 Carbine cartridge incapable of penetrating small trees and other light cover.[3]
The M1 Carbine and the later M2 Carbine continued in service during the Korean War. The M2 Carbine featured a selective-fire switch allowing optional fully-automatic fire at a rather high rate (850–900 rpm) and a 30-round magazine. Both versions acquired a poor reputation for jamming in extreme cold weather conditions, eventually traced to inadequate recoil impulse and weak recoil springs.
A postwar U.S. Army evaluation reported on the weapon's cold-weather shortcomings, and noted complaints of failure to stop heavily-clothed North Korean and Chinese troops at close range after multiple hits. Recent test have shown however that the round in fact has significant penetrative capabilities, and the reports contrary should be considered hyperbole. [4] Despite this record, the carbine was again issued to some U.S. troops in Vietnam, particularly reconnaissance units (LRRP) and advisors as a substitute standard weapon. Reports of the ineffective stopping power of the .30 Carbine in close combat continued through the rest of its U.S. service.
In 1994, Israel introduced the Magal, a compact weapon based on the Galil MAR using the .30 Carbine cartridge. After complaints of overheating and other malfunctions, the Magal was withdrawn from service in 2001. The M1 Carbine is still issued to the Israel Police and Civil Guard.
Civilian use
Today the .30 Carbine cartridge is used by civilians who have an M1 Carbine or other firearm chambered for that cartridge. It is considered a small-game cartridge, of marginal power for deer-size game.[2] A number of handguns are chambered for .30 Carbine ammunition, such as the AMT AutoMag III pistol and the Ruger Blackhawk revolver. Full-jacketed .30 Carbine ammunition is considered an ineffective self-defense cartridge in pistols, as their short barrel length robs the round of much of its power. Even in longer-barreled carbines, the high sectional density of the projectile causes the bullet to overpenetrate, causing little tissue damage. On the other hand, hollowpoint cartridges, offered by only a few manufacturers, are considered reasonably effective as a self-defense cartridge, even in pistols. While its heyday in the Second World War and Korean War has passed (as well as in the Vietnam War), the popularity of the M1 Carbine for collecting, sporting and re-enactment use has resulted in continued popularity of the .30 Carbine cartridge.
Handguns
In 1944, Smith & Wesson developed a hand-ejector revolver to fire .30 Carbine. It went through 1,232 rounds without incident. From a four-inch (102 mm) barrel, it launched the standard GI ball projectile at 1,277 ft/s (389 m/s), producing a large average group of 4.18 inches (106 mm) at 25 yards (23 m). The loud blast is the most oft-mentioned characteristic of the .30 M1 Carbine cartridge fired in a handgun (Cumpston 2001).
In 1958, the short-lived J. Kimball Arms Co. produced a .30 Carbine caliber pistol that closely resembled a slightly scaled-up High Standard Field King .22 target pistol. The Ruger Blackhawk revolver chambered for the .30 Carbine round has been in the catalogs since the late 1960s. Standard government-issue rounds clock over 1,500 feet per second (460 m/s), with factory loads and handloads producing similar velocities. Other handguns chambered for this cartridge include the Thompson Center Contender and the AMT AutoMag III.
Specifications
- Length:
- Case: 1.29 in
- Overall: 1.65 in
- Diameter:
- Rim: .360 in
- Base: .354 in
- Neck: .331 in
- Bullet (nominal): .3085 in (.308 cal)
- Bullet weight: 110 gr (7.1 g)
- Muzzle velocity: 1,975 ft/s (602 m/s)
- This cartridge has a tapered case for reliable feeding and should be full length resized when reloading.
A standard .30 caliber ball round weighs 110 grains (7.1 g) m and has a muzzle velocity of 1,900 ft/s (580 m/s) giving it 880 foot-pounds (1,190 joules) of energy. By comparison, a .357 Magnum revolver fires the same weight bullet from a 4 inch barrel at about 1,700 ft/s for about 705 foot-pounds of energy, though it is important to note that the .357 bullet is larger in diameter (caliber) and is normally an expanding or hollow-point design.[1]
Users
- Allies of World War II (1940s)
- Austria (1950s–70s, Austrian Army and Police)
- Bavaria (1945–early 1950s, Border Guard)
- Brazil (present, BOPE, PMESP)
- Cambodia (1967–1975)
- Ethiopia
- France (1954-1962, Algerian War)
- Germany (German Border Guard, some Police forces and German Army paratroopers (1950s-1960s)
- Greece (Hellenic (Greek) Air Force until mid 80s)
- Israel (1945–1957, Israeli Defence Forces; 1970s–present, Israeli Police; 1974–present, Civil Guard)
- Italy (Carabinieri, as of 1992)
- Japan (National Police Reserve)(1950-1989)
- Liberia
- Mexico (police departments and security forces)
- Netherlands (1940s-70s, Army and Police)
- Norway (Norwegian Army 1951-70, with some Norwegian police units until the 1990s)
- Philippines (Post-WWII)
- South Korea (1950s-Present, Reserve Force)
- Suriname (?-Present, Army)
- South Vietnam (1960s–70s)
- Taiwan (Republic of China) (1950s-present)
- Thailand Locally known as the ปสบ.87.
- Vietnam (Captured Batches)
- United Kingdom
- United States (1940s–60s/70s, Armed Forces) and some law enforcement agencies (1940s-present)
Cartridge types
Common types used by the military with the carbine include:
- Cartridge, Caliber .30, Carbine, Ball, M1
- Cartridge, Caliber .30, Carbine, Grenade, M6
- Cartridge, Dummy, Caliber .30, Carbine, M13
- Cartridge, Caliber .30, Carbine, Ball, High Pressure Test, M18
- Cartridge, Caliber .30, Carbine, Tracer; M27
Comparison
A standard .30 carbine ball round weighs 110 grains (7.1 g) m and has a muzzle velocity of 1,900 ft/s (580 m/s) giving it 880 foot-pounds (1,190 joules) of energy. By comparison, a .357 Magnum revolver fires the same weight bullet from a 4-inch (100 mm) barrel at about 1,500 ft/s (460 m/s) for about 550 foot-pounds force (750 N·m) of energy, though it is important to note that the .357 bullet is larger in diameter (caliber) and is normally an expanding or hollow-point design.[1] As a defensive round, statistics on actual shootings kept by ballistics expert Martin Fackler compare the full metal jacket military round with the .38 Special and the softnose hunting round to the .357 Magnum in results.
The .30 carbine was developed from the .32 Winchester Self-Loading used in an early semi-auto sporting rifle; both rounds are comparable to the .32-20 Winchester round used in carbines and revolvers. .30 Carbine sporting ammunition is factory recommemded for hunting and control of large varmints like fox, javelina or coyote. The .30 Carbine generates half the muzzle energy of the typical .30-30 Winchester deer rifle round and one-third the energy of the typical .30-06 Springfield big game round. The game laws of several states do not allow hunting big game with the .30 Carbine either by name or minimum muzzle energy allowed.
Synonyms
- .30 M1 Carbine
- 7.62x33mm
See also
Books/References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Winchester Ammunition
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Barnes, Frank C., Cartridges of the World, DBI Books, 1975, 1989
- ↑ Dunlap, Roy F., Ordnance Went Up Front, Samworth Press, 1948.
- ↑ The Box O Truth #36: Frozen Clothing and the Box O Truth
- U.S. Army, Commentary on Infantry and Weapons in Korea 1950–51, 1951
- Cumpston, Mike, "The .30 Carbine Blackhawk: Ruger's Enduring Dark Horse" Guns Magazine, December 2001, San Diego, Von Rosen Publications 2001
