The
.30 Carbine is the
cartridgeA cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
used in the
M1 CarbineThe M1 carbine is a lightweight, easy to use semi-automatic carbine that became a standard firearm for the U.S. military during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and was produced in several variants. It was widely used by U.S...
introduced in the 1940s. It is an intermediate round designed to be fired from the M1 carbine's 18-inch (458 mm) barrel.
History
The .30 Carbine cartridge and the M1 Carbine were developed by
WinchesterThe Winchester Repeating Arms Company was a prominent American maker of repeating firearms, located in New Haven, Connecticut. The Winchester brand is today used under license by two subsidiaries of the Herstal Group, Fabrique Nationale of Belgium and the Browning Arms Company of Morgan, Utah.-...
and the U.S. Army to provide assault troops and rear area units more firepower and accuracy than the standard issue M1911A1
.45 ACPThe .45 ACP , also known as the .45 Auto by C.I.P., is a cartridge designed by John Browning in 1904, for use in his prototype Colt semi-automatic .45 pistol and eventually the M1911 pistol adopted by the United States Army in 1911.-Design and history:The U.S...
caliber handgun and .45
Thompson submachine gunThe Thompson is an American submachine gun, invented by John T. Thompson in 1919, that became infamous during the Prohibition era. It was a common sight in the media of the time, being used by both law enforcement officers and criminals...
. The weapon was originally issued with a straight 15-round detachable magazine. The cartridge itself is basically a
rimlessA rim is an external flange that is machined, cast, molded, stamped or pressed around the bottom of a firearms cartridge. The rim may serve a number of purposes, the most common being as the place for the extractor to engage...
.30 caliber (
7.62 mm7.62 mm caliber is a nominal caliber used for a number of different cartridges. Historically, this class of cartridge was commonly known as .30 caliber, the Imperial unit equivalent, and was most commonly used for indicating a class of full power military main battle rifle cartridges...
) version of the much older
.32 Winchester Self-LoadingThe .32 Winchester Self-Loading is an American rifle cartridge.Winchester introduced the .32SL and .35SL cartridges in the Winchester '05 self-loading rifle, a centerfire version of the Winchester '03...
cartridge of 1906. The propellant was much newer, though, taking advantage of chemistry advances. The cartridge's relatively straight case and the rounded nose of its bullet led some to believe it was designed for use in pistols. However, the parent .32 WSL round was developed for the
Winchester Model 1905The Winchester Model 1905 , is a blowback-operated, semi-automatic rifle produced by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company beginning in 1905 and discontinued in 1920. This rifle loads cartridges from a 5 or 10-round capacity, detachable box magazine located immediately forward of the trigger guard...
rifle and the cartridge itself was developed as part of the U.S. Army Ordnance "light rifle" project.
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 GarandThe M1 Garand , was the first semi-automatic rifle to be generally issued to the infantry of any nation. Called "the greatest battle implement ever devised" by General George S...
. 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.
The M1 Carbine and the later M2 Carbine continued in service during the
Korean WarThe Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. 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. A postwar U.S. Army evaluation reported on the weapon's cold-weather shortcomings, and noted complaints of failure to stop heavily clothed
North KoreaThe Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
n and
ChineseThe Chinese People's Volunteer Army was the armed forces deployed by the People's Republic of China during the Korean War. Although all units in the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army belonged to the People's Liberation Army , the People's Volunteer Army was separately constituted in order to...
troops at close range after multiple hits. However, 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,
IsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
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 PoliceThe Israel Police is the civilian police force of Israel. As with most other police forces in the world, its duties include crime fighting, traffic control, maintaining public safety, and counter-terrorism...
and Civil Guard.
Development
U.S. Army specifications for the new cartridge mandated the caliber to be greater than .27, with an effective range of 300 yards or more, and a midrange trajectory ordinate of 18 inches (457.2 mm) or less at 300 yards. With these requirements in hand, Winchester's Edwin Pugsley chose to design the cartridge with a .30 caliber, 100–120 grain bullet at a velocity of 2000 feet per second (609.6 m/s). The first cartridges were made by turning down rims on
.32SLThe .32 Winchester Self-Loading is an American rifle cartridge.Winchester introduced the .32SL and .35SL cartridges in the Winchester '05 self-loading rifle, a centerfire version of the Winchester '03...
cases and loading with .308 caliber bullets sharing a similar profile as the U.S. military .45 ACP bullet. The first 100,000 cartridges manufactured were headstamped ".30 SL".
[ Schreier, Konrad F., Jr. (1990). Winchester Centerfire Automatic Rifles. ARMAX: Journal of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Vol. III(1): p. 36.]
Civilian use
The popularity of the M1 Carbine for collecting, sporting, and re-enactment use has resulted in continued civilian popularity of the .30 Carbine cartridge. For hunting, it is considered a small/medium-game cartridge, of marginal power for deer-size game. Even in long-barreled carbines, military-style full metal jacket projectiles do not expand as easily as soft or hollow point. In addition, the high sectional density of the projectile causes the bullet to overpenetrate. Soft-point and hollowpoint cartridges are considered to be more effective for hunting and self-defense, and are offered by Winchester, Remington UMC and
Federal CartridgeFederal Cartridge is a wholly owned subsidiary of Alliant Techsystems, located in Edina, Minnesota. With a work force of nearly 1,000 in Anoka, Minnesota, Federal manufactures a complete line of shotshell, centerfire, and rimfire ammunition and components....
ammunition manufacturers. The .30 carbine cartridge is suitable for the same game targeted with the
.32-20 WinchesterThe .32-20 Winchester, also known as the .32 WCF , was the first small-game lever-action cartridge thatWinchester produced. It was initially introduced as a blackpowder cartridge in 1882 for small-game, varmint hunting, and deer. Colt produced a single-action pistol chambered for this cartridge a...
,
.327 Federal MagnumThe .327 Federal Magnum is a cartridge introduced by Sturm, Ruger and Federal Cartridge, intended to provide the power of a .357 Magnum in six shot, compact revolvers, whose cylinders only hold 5 rounds of the larger .357 Magnum cartridge...
, and
.32 Winchester Self-LoadingThe .32 Winchester Self-Loading is an American rifle cartridge.Winchester introduced the .32SL and .35SL cartridges in the Winchester '05 self-loading rifle, a centerfire version of the Winchester '03...
cartridges as used in rifles and handguns.
Handguns
A number of handguns have been chambered for .30 Carbine ammunition. 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 1277 ft/s (389.2 m/s), producing a large average group of 4.18 inches (106.2 mm) at 25 yards (22.9 m); the military decided not to adopt the revolver. The loud blast is the most oft-mentioned characteristic of the .30 M1 Carbine cartridge fired in a handgun.
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 KingHigh Standard Manufacturing Company Inc. is an American manufacturer of firearms, based in Houston, Texas. The company was originally founded in Hamden, Connecticut in 1926 as a supplier to the numerous firearms companies in the Connecticut Valley.-History:...
.22 target pistol. The
Ruger BlackhawkThe Ruger Blackhawk is a 6-shot or 8-shot, single-action revolver manufactured by Sturm, Ruger. It is produced in a variety of finishes, calibers, and barrel lengths.-History:In the early 1950s, Westerns were popular in movies and television...
revolver chambered for the .30 Carbine round has been in the catalogs since the late 1960s. Standard government-issue rounds clock over 1500 feet per second (457.2 m/s), with factory loads and handloads producing similar velocities. Other handguns chambered for this cartridge include the Thompson Center Contender,
Taurus Raging ThirtyThe Raging Bull is a revolver manufactured by the Brazilian Taurus International firearm company.In its larger calibers it is marketed as a hunter's sidearm because it is a potent weapon with plenty of stopping power...
, and
AMT AutoMag IIIThe Automag III is a single action semi-automatic handgun, designed by Harry Sanford, creator of the first Automag. The Automag III does not actually fire a magnum cartridge, but is chambered for the .30 Carbine cartridge originally designed for the World War II era M1 carbine...
.
Comparison
A standard .30 carbine ball round weighs 110 gr and has a muzzle velocity of 1900 ft/s (579.1 m/s) giving it 880 ftlb-f of energy. By comparison, a
.357 MagnumThe .357 S&W Magnum , or simply .357 Magnum, is a revolver cartridge created by Elmer Keith, Phillip B. Sharpe, Colonel D. B. Wesson of firearms manufacturer Smith & Wesson, and Winchester. It is based upon Smith & Wesson's earlier .38 Special cartridge. The .357 Magnum cartridge was introduced in...
revolver fires the same weight bullet from a 4 inches (101.6 mm) barrel at about 1500 ft/s (457.2 m/s) for about 550 ftlb-f 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. The above comparison is between a full length .30 carbine barrel and a 4-inch barreled .357 handgun.
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 recommended for hunting and control of large varmints like
foxFox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
, javelina or
coyoteThe coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
. The .30 Carbine generates half the muzzle energy of the typical
.30-30 WinchesterThe .30-30 Winchester/.30 Winchester Center Fire/7.62×51mmR cartridge was first marketed in early 1895 for the Winchester Model 1894 lever-action rifle. The .30-30 , as it is most commonly known, was the USA's first small-bore, sporting rifle cartridge designed for smokeless powder. The .30-30 is...
deer rifle round and one-third the energy of the typical
.30-06 SpringfieldThe .30-06 Springfield cartridge or 7.62×63mm in metric notation, was introduced to the United States Army in 1906 and standardized, and was in use until the 1960s and early 1970s. It replaced the .30-03, 6 mm Lee Navy, and .30 US Army...
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.
Rifles
- Armalon AL30C
- CEAM Modèle 1950
- Chapina carbine
The Chapina carbine is a bolt action rifle of Brazilian origin. The weapon is chambered in the .30 Carbine calibre and is fed from a 15 round detatchable box magazine....
- Cristobal carbine
The .30 Kiraly-Cristobal carbine, also known as the San Cristobal or Cristobal automatic rifle was manufactured by the Dominican Republic’s Armeria San Cristobal Weapon Factory....
- FAMAE CT-30
The CT-30 is a carbine of Chilean origin manufactured by FAMAE. The weapon is based on the SIG-540 platform and is chambered in the .30 Carbine round. The CT-30 is also manufactured in Brazil by Taurus....
- Franchi LF-58
The Franchi LF-58 is a carbine of Italian origin chambered in .30 Carbine. The weapon is gas operated and comes with a side folding wire stock similar to that of the LF-57 submachine gun....
- Garand carbine
The Garand carbine was John Garand's entry during the Light Rifle program. The weapon was chambered in the .30 Carbine round and was fed from a magazine inserted from the right side....
- Hillberg Carbine
The Hillberg Carbine was a light rifle concept for the US armed forces during WW2. It featured a blow-forward operation. The layout of the rifle was later used in the Whitney Wolverine pistol....
- M1 carbine
The M1 carbine is a lightweight, easy to use semi-automatic carbine that became a standard firearm for the U.S. military during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and was produced in several variants. It was widely used by U.S...
- Taurus Carabina CT-30
- Thompson Light Rifle
The Thompson Light Rifle was an attempt by Auto-Ordnance to manufacture a light rifle for the US Armed Forces. The overall weapon was based on their well proven .45 ACP submachine gun...
- IMI Magal
Pistols
- AMT AutoMag III
The Automag III is a single action semi-automatic handgun, designed by Harry Sanford, creator of the first Automag. The Automag III does not actually fire a magnum cartridge, but is chambered for the .30 Carbine cartridge originally designed for the World War II era M1 carbine...
- Ruger Blackhawk
The Ruger Blackhawk is a 6-shot or 8-shot, single-action revolver manufactured by Sturm, Ruger. It is produced in a variety of finishes, calibers, and barrel lengths.-History:In the early 1950s, Westerns were popular in movies and television...
- Taurus Raging Thirty
The Raging Bull is a revolver manufactured by the Brazilian Taurus International firearm company.In its larger calibers it is marketed as a hunter's sidearm because it is a potent weapon with plenty of stopping power...
- Kimball (Standard, Target, Aircrew)
Users
(1950s–70s, Austrian Army and Police) (1945–early 1950s, Border Guard) (present,
BOPEBatalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais , mostly known by its acronym BOPE, is a special forces unit of the Military Police of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil....
, PMESP) (1967–1975) (1954–1962, Algerian War) (German Border Guard, some Police forces and German Army paratroopers (1950s-1960s) (Hellenic (Greek) Air Force until mid 80s) (1945–1957, Israeli Defence Forces; 1970s–present, Israeli Police; 1974–present, Civil Guard) (
CarabinieriThe Carabinieri is the national gendarmerie of Italy, policing both military and civilian populations, and is a branch of the armed forces.-Early history:...
, as of 1992) (
National Police ReserveThe , or JGSDF, is the army of Japan. The largest of the three services of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, the Ground Self-Defense Force operates under the command of the chief of the ground staff, based in the city of Ichigaya, Tokyo. The present chief of ground staff is General Yoshifumi Hibako...
) (1950–1989) (police departments and security forces) (1940s–70s, Army and Police) (Norwegian Army 1951–70, with some Norwegian police units until the 1990s) (Post-WWII) (1950s–present, Reserve Force) (?–present, Army) (1960s–70s) (
Republic of ChinaThe Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
) (1950s–present) Locally known as the ปสบ.87. (1940s–60s/70s,
Armed ForcesThe United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
) and some law enforcement agencies (1940s–present) (Captured batches)
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