I've ordered an M-1 Carbine from CMP, and now I need to think about ammo. Eventually, I'll reload for it, but I'd like a couple of hundred factory rounds to start off. It's apparently pretty rare right now - does anyone have a line on some good ammo at good prices? (And what ammo to avoid...)

Also, what magazines should I get for it, and who has them?

i don't believe the term good prices and carbine ammo belong in the same sentence. 15 & 30 shot mags are fairly common. best bet i think is going to be a gunshow

Okay. What brands - ammo, mags - to avoid?

AMMO

http://www.natchezss.com/produ...rchItem=30%20carbine

http://www.google.com/products...ammunition&scoring=r

Thanks.

Here's a link to a lot of online ammo sellers:
http://billstclair.com/ammo.html

15 round magazines are generally a lot more reliable than 30 rounders.

Also if I was going to use the 30 Carbine for a hunting or self defense I would get some Cor Bon DPX 30 cal ammo and give it a try.

Thought about it, but I'm not sure I want to put that much pressure in a 60-year-old receiver.

Fifteen round mags are fine for me - any preferred makes?

just go get some surplus GI mags, i fully agree with the 15 rds, the 30s get to heavy and ungainly, they were actually made for the m2

Congratulations on your fine purchase. I'd stick with 450NE's advise and stay with the GI 15 round mags, if you can find 30's that work, hang on to them tooth and nail. Sometimes CMP has surplus ammo, there's an option on their home page marked ammunition.

You can get new recoil springs, and magazine springs from Wolff.

ODCMP now has some 15-round magazines, and I ordered three.

I had good luck in the past with American Eagle 30 Carbine. It shot with the best accuracy for me.
Aguila is a new option I wasn't aware of before that I may now try.

The 15 rounders worked the best for me, and all the USGI ones in good shape were flawless.
I think with todays ammo prices I'll start reloading for it. It's a pain to chase brass in the snow, but it hasn't stopped me in the past.

Being the "tightwad" that I am, I bought 500 cases from Midway and cranked them out on the progressive press. Years ago I bought "Frontier", Winchester, Remington and some others, but I never noticed a nickles worth of difference as to function or accuracy. But then I've never really "benched" any of my carbines. What's the point? It's accurate to minute of body, which is what it's made for.

And, a 110 grain H.P. is "bad medicine" in a .30 carbine. All those horror stories were related to .30 FMJ, and in my opinion, more to poor shooting than poor performance. There are countless graves in Europe as a result of 9mm bullets fired from MP 38's and MP 40's, and the .30 is more powerful than the 9mm.

The 30 round magazines, if G.I. made, should work fine in any carbine, IF it has the M2 magazine catch. Without the M2 catch the magazine hangs just a little too low in some guns and they'll have function problems. There is a reason they made that catch, and it was to correct the aforementioned problem.

regards,

Eric

quote:

Originally posted by Eric:
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And, a 110 grain H.P. is "bad medicine" in a .30 carbine. All those horror stories were related to .30 FMJ, and in my opinion, more to poor shooting than poor performance. There are countless graves in Europe as a result of 9mm bullets fired from MP 38's and MP 40's, and the .30 is more powerful than the 9mm.

The 30 round magazines, if G.I. made, should work fine in any carbine, IF it has the M2 magazine catch. Without the M2 catch the magazine hangs just a little too low in some guns and they'll have function problems. There is a reason they made that catch, and it was to correct the aforementioned problem.

regards,

Eric

Funny the level of disrespect it receives.

My dad hit Omaha on the first wave with a Tommy.

Said he got rid of it for a carbine as fast as he could.
Later replaced it with an M-2.

I grew up shooting whitetail and pigs with one,

place it well, they don't go far.

quote:

Funny the level of disrespect it receives.

Yea, but remember that Elmer Keith thought that the 7mm Magnum was a "fine varmit cartridge."

Some people just don't like to carry anything less than 20mm I guess.

Personally, out to 300 yards, its fine with me. After that why not just leave 'em alone?

As for your dad, well, that there M1A1 Thompson was a heavy sucker for the round it fired.

Eric

and just for interest sake - whats so hot about the new 327 federal - looks like carbine ballistics to me