Any thoughts of the .30 carbine cartridge in a Handgun? Say a 7 1/2 Ruger Blackhawk... what would it be suitable for?

I've killed white tail deer with .30 carbine rifles...which means I had an easier time of delivering the bullet where it belonged for a good kill, plus I got a bit more Umph from the rifle barrel. All this added up to a combination that worked. (Plus I used a good blunt nosed cast bullet.)

But all that said, I don't get warm fuzzy feelings about the .30 carbine as a deer cartridge and certainly nothing more sizeable.

Sure, it will kill almost anything if you hit it right but the reality is that pistols very often DON'T hit things exactly where we would like.

Personally I would use such a pistol for hunting rabbits, fox, or a coyote if you can sucker one in close enough.

I've had a lot of fun with this cartridge in that capacity but there are a zillion BETTER cartridges available.

I'll put this another way, if given the choice between a .30 carbine pistol and a .357 pistol, I would take the .357 in a heart beat. It's a much better killer and much easier to get along with from a reloading standpoint.

Thanks Pecos! Now, throw a .41 Mag in the mix. What's your opinion?

Boy, Smkn, I've seen several threads on this forum about .41 Mags and I think down to the last man this is one universally LOVED pistol. In a full sized pistol it's a dream to shoot. As it is a true .410, whereas the 44 is not a .44 at all but a .429, the .41 and 44 are very similar guns. Shooting them side by side, you get the impression the .41 has the best of both worlds, all the power and performance with a little less recoil.

Anyway, this may be just a perception thing. But it's a pistol that inspires almost instant confidence...or it did with me.

I've shot a lot of varmits with my .41 and the results were like I held a death ray in my hands. I haven't tried to shoot a deer with it, but since I've killed a good many deer with .357 I have no doubt about the results.

If you are asking me to compare it to a pistol in .30 carbine, since it's been a long time that I shot the carbine in a pistol, about all I can tell you is the .30 carbine in a pistol has a LOT of muzzle blast, less recoil. It's a little faster and flatter...but less Umph when it gets there.

Given a choice between the .30, a .357 and a .41, it wouldn't even take me a heartbeat to decide which one I wanted. The .41 is a JEWEL.

Smknbarrel-Growing up in Idaho,One of my dads cronies had a 30 Carbine he used and swore would take Elk well.I have seen him kill several Deer with it with less than desirable results as far as what just a 30-30 flatnose would do.He had his chance on a really nice Bull and it's a good thing someone else was there with an adequate caliber and round.

I would say there are many other calibers for the Ruger Blackhawk that would serve you much better than the .30 Carbine for hunting.

Just my opinion...........Jayco.

Jayco - I agree totally. The .30 carbine just really doesn't have the power or anything else it needs to be a real performer. I've seen and heard MANY first hand accounts of its inadequacies. I think anyone who would tackle an elk with it's pretty irresponsible.



All we are really dealing with in the carbine is a 32/20 which no one has taken seriously for a 100 years. Fun little guns, but not much there when push comes to shove.

The 30 carbine would be and is a great cartridge for coyotes, bobcats, etc...
I have heard reports of the 30 carbine blackhawk being very accurate, but rather ear piercingly loud.

I do not have one nor do I have a use for one. If I want something larger than a 22 magnum I'll grab a 357.

I would like to have a 22 hornet, though.

David

ANYONE using a .30 Carbine on elk is in my opinion very irresponsible. I get SO tired of hearing about these LEGENDARY shooters pulling off amazing shots with inappropriate weapons and that makes it all OK.

You ALWAYS hear about the kills but NEVER hear about the wounded and lost animals from these guys. Sorry I don't buy it.

A few years ago after listening to one of our local "legends" regarding his hunting prowess I asked him if he could duplicate one of his 500 yd shots at HALF the distance and from a REST. Long story short he couldn't hit a pie plate off a rest at 250 yds much less that deer in the ear, offhand at 500 yds.



FN in MT

Frank-For the most part your correct.But some of these guys were the best the Military had to offer then and now and cocky as hell.Know game ever went to waste in any case,simply the best the military had to offer in Marksmanship.Two of my very best friends in North Idaho were Navy snipers.Not on a Battle ship for sure.

There are some that can just do it and theres those that just can't.Lets not mix them.Skills differ and as good as we might think we are -We may not be as good as others.

Life goes on but there are those that can.

Jayco.

FN - I'm with you about these 500 yd shots everyone but me seems to make with great regularity.


I'm surprised this guy was dumb enough to let you take him to the range to prove how good he was. Most know better than to step into that trap. Obviously this guy was like Ass Clown down in the Big Bore forum and starting to believe his own BS.

It all reminds me of my old meteorology prof back in New Mexico years ago. He told me, "Anytime someone tells you it's going to rain today, bet them that it won't. You'll win a lot more than you lose."

So anytime I meet someone who tells me they can drop a deer at 500 yds any time they shoot, I'll put up $50 that says they can't hit a pie plate at that range. It'll be the biggest money making scam I've ever dreamed up. But it sure won't make me any friends.

P.O. Ackley once wrote: "Most hunters can't hit a FLOCK OF CIRCUS TENTS at 500 yds without first sighting in for it."

I've witnessed the same thing on the silhouette range. My own shooting in these matches always left me considerably humbled. I always felt "safe" if I could knock down one ram at the 500 meter line and BLESSED if I took out two. And remember in metal silhouette shooting all you gotta do is knock them over, not kill them. So a hit could have been from a ram's ass to his nose.


T'ain't easy boys and girls.

I have one of the Ruger .30 Carbines and it is an excellent shooter. Were I ever to hunt deer with it however it would be from a treestand and the shot would be under 35 yards. Most of the bullets in .30 are made for rifle velocities. The only two that I can think of that are not are the Hornady 90 gr. XTP and the 85 grain Sierra RNSP made for the 7.62x25. Brian Pence had an excellent article on the .30 in HANDLOADER Magazine earlier this year. The Hornady gave excellent expansion and accuracy. I don't think he tested the Sierra. The other bullet that did well in expansion and accuracy was the Speer 110 FNJHP Varminter.

As to the .41 Magnum, it is my favorite revolver round. Have guns from Marlin, TC, Ruger, S&W and just took delivery on a Freedom Arms M83 with a Magna-Ported 6" barrel and black Micarta grips. There is so much steel around each chamber I don't think a case full of Bullseye would crack it. Bullets weights run from 170 to 300 grains and unlike anything larger I can shoot full loads all day long and not develop a flinch. Full loads also don't seem to beat guns to death, especially S&Ws, like the .44 does.

The .30 carbine is a fun and accurate low recoining round but shooting game much over 50 pounds has to be very carefully done....Bob

I have a Ruger Blackhawk 7 1/2 inch barrel 30 carbine. I like to shoot it but, I would take my 44 MAG Redhawk before I would consider the 30 carbine for deer. The 30 carbine compares close to the 357MAG in energy and I would not use a 357MAG either. Just my personal preference.

Agreed. I have an AMT semi auto in 30 Carbine which is a lot of fun to shoot. However, no one has mentioned the dearth of suitable bullets for hunting, for a 30 carbine. I think that is probably the main problem.
Peter.