SAR 20#2

ful to keep the barrel delay spring
and pin from becoming lost.
6. Remove the barrel through the
front of the slide.
7. No further disassembly is needed
or recommended.
Despite being a proprietary cartridge
for a military weapon, those who carried
the M1 carbine became fond of the
handy weapon. Interest was renewed
during the 1960s when surplus carbines
were offered through the NRA for
$17.00. When the original supply of military
issue carbines dried up, there were
several commercial companies that
introduced aftermarket copies. Before
long several hand guns were produced,
further increasing interest in the little .30
caliber round.
During World War II there were four
experimental Smith and Wesson revolvers
made for the round, the cartridges
were loaded on half-moon clips. More
modern handguns include the Ruger
Blackhawk revolver introduced in 1968,
was revised in 1973 as the New Model
Blackhawk, and the Dakota single action
army revolver in .30 carbine made in Italy.
Also available in .30 carbine caliber
was the Thompson/Center single-shot
pistol, which is no longer offered by the
manufacturer. Marlin briefly offered their
.30 carbine caliber Model 62 Levermatic
rifle from 1966 to 1969. All of the aforementioned
firearms helped sustain interest
in the cartridge.
Origins of the .30 Caliber
Carbine Cartridge
The lightweight U.S. caliber .30 carbine
emerged during World War II from
the need to better arm soldiers who
were rear echelon support troops. The
carbine was conceived to provide an offensive
as well as a defensive weapon
that would have far more range than a
pistol. The semi-automatic carbine offered
a 300 yard range and a 15 round
magazine.
Cartridge, Carbine, Caliber .30
Winchester developed a new midrange
cartridge to be used in the new
“light rifle”. The cartridge was designated
as, Cartridge, Carbine, Caliber .30
M1. The early characteristics of the new
cartridge were;
a. Bullet weight: 110 grains.
b. Charge weight: 14.5 grains
of IMR 4227
c. Primer: Winchester No. 116
d. Pressure: 31,000 PSI
e. Muzzle velocity 1,860 feet
per second.
The cartridge was approved as
Standard on 30 September 1941. The
Ordnance Department awarded contracts
to the Western Cartridge Company,
Winchester Repeating Arms,
Remington Arms Company, Lake City
Ordnance Plant and the Kings Mills
SAR Vol. 20, No. 2 66 MARCH 2016