{"id":7859,"date":"2019-11-08T10:02:40","date_gmt":"2019-11-08T15:02:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/?p=7859"},"modified":"2020-03-13T14:04:03","modified_gmt":"2020-03-13T18:04:03","slug":"30-carbine-ammo-testing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/30-carbine-ammo-testing\/","title":{"rendered":".30 Carbine Ammo Testing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s Part 2 of our M1 Carbine Mini-Series! Today, we&#8217;re going to take a look at some 30 carbine ammo test results &#8211; including a plywood penetration experiment and some standard ballistic gelatin testing.<\/p> <p>Be sure to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/why-i-really-like-the-m1-carbine\/\">check out Part 1<\/a> if you haven&#8217;t already. This time, we&#8217;re looking at the ballistics of the .30 Carbine cartridge, including gel testing and a hard barrier penetration test.<\/p> <p>Details in the video below, or keep scrolling to read the full transcript.<\/p> <div class=\"entry-content-asset\"><script src=\"https:\/\/fast.wistia.com\/assets\/external\/E-v1.js\" async><\/script><\/p> <noscript class=\"idle-load\"><div class=\"wistia_responsive_padding\" style=\"padding:56.25% 0 0 0;position:relative;\"> <div class=\"wistia_responsive_wrapper\" style=\"height:100%;left:0;position:absolute;top:0;width:100%;\"> <div class=\"wistia_embed wistia_async_wdm4sl5ifg dnt=1 videoFoam=true\" style=\"height:100%;position:relative;width:100%\"> <div class=\"wistia_swatch\" style=\"height:100%;left:0;opacity:0;overflow:hidden;position:absolute;top:0;transition:opacity 200ms;width:100%;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/fast.wistia.com\/embed\/medias\/wdm4sl5ifg\/swatch\" style=\"filter:blur(5px);height:100%;object-fit:contain;width:100%;\" alt=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\" onload=\"this.parentNode.style.opacity=1;\" \/><\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div><\/noscript> <\/div> <hr \/> <p>Well, it is time once again to delve into the wonderful world of the M1 Carbine. This is the second part in a little mini-series that we\u2019re doing all about one of my favorite rifles of all time.<\/p> <p>Our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/why-i-really-like-the-m1-carbine\/\">first part<\/a> was all about the history and background of the M1 Carbine and today, I\u2019m taking a closer look at the ballistics of the .30 Carbine cartridge.<\/p> <h2><strong>.30 Carbine Ammo Penetration Test<\/strong><\/h2> <p>I did some \u201cjello shots\u201d with our trusty ballistic gelatin and we\u2019ll take a look at those results in a few minutes. But first, something a little bit different. I decided to test the hard barrier penetration of the .30 Carbine.<\/p> <p>A lot of the war stories that you\u2019ll hear about the M1 Carbine from WWII on through Vietnam have to do with how well it can penetration through various barriers, whether that\u2019s thick brush in the jungle or enemy soldiers&#8217; helmets. Of course, there\u2019s that crazy myth from the Korean war about .30 Carbine not being able to penetrate through the enemy&#8217;s winter coats. I think we can all agree that\u2019s probably nonsense. But suffice it to say, there is some question as to how well the .30 Carbine can penetrate through different stuff.<\/p> <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/m1-carbine-shooting-plywood.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-0\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-7872 size-full\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/m1-carbine-shooting-plywood.jpg\" alt=\"the author testing 30 carbine ammo at the range\" width=\"1036\" height=\"585\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/m1-carbine-shooting-plywood.jpg 1036w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/m1-carbine-shooting-plywood-600x339.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/m1-carbine-shooting-plywood-1024x578.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/m1-carbine-shooting-plywood-768x434.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/m1-carbine-shooting-plywood-350x198.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1036px) 100vw, 1036px\" \/><\/a><\/p> <p>So, I set up a little test with some supplies we had laying around. I cut up a sheet of \u215d\u201d plywood into 12\u201dx12\u201d squares and set them up in a row of 16 layers with a gap of about one inch in between each layer. I just wanted to see how many layers the .30 Carbine (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/prvi-partizan-30-carbine-ammo-for-sale-30car110fmjprvi-50\">Prvi Partizan 110 gr FMJ<\/a> at 1951 fps) could penetrate through. Then for comparison, I also fired a couple of rounds of .30-06 from an M1 Garand (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/30-06-150-grain-fmj-prvi-partizan-m1-garand-200-rounds\">Prvi Partizan 150 gr FMJ<\/a> at 2694 fps), .45 ACP from a 1911 (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/federal-45-acp-ammo-for-sale-45acp230fmjae-50\">Federal American Eagle 230 gr FMJ<\/a> at 816 fps), and 5.56 (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/5-56x45mm-55-gr-fmj-m193-cbc-1000\">Magtech M193 55 gr FMJ<\/a> at 3005 fps) from a 16-inch AR-15. I fired two rounds of each caliber through the plywood and simply counted how many layers each round penetrated through.<\/p> <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/plywood-setup.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-1\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-7873 size-full\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/plywood-setup.jpg\" alt=\"Shooting boards at the range with 30 carbine and other ammo calibers\" width=\"1002\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/plywood-setup.jpg 1002w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/plywood-setup-600x320.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/plywood-setup-768x409.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/plywood-setup-350x187.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1002px) 100vw, 1002px\" \/><\/a><\/p> <h3><strong>.30-06<\/strong><\/h3> <p>Starting with the .30-06, both rounds made it all the way through all 16 layers. No big surprise there. It\u2019s a big cartridge with a lot of energy. One of those rounds even started tumbling \u2014 you can clearly see that it hit this piece of plywood almost completely sideways but it still had enough energy to get all the way through 16 layers.<\/p> <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-06-plywood.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-2\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-7862 size-full\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-06-plywood.jpg\" alt=\"wood hit by ammo at the range\" width=\"1000\" height=\"655\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-06-plywood.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-06-plywood-600x393.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-06-plywood-768x503.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-06-plywood-350x229.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><\/p> <h3><strong>.30 Carbine<br \/> <\/strong><\/h3> <p>Next, the .30 Carbine. The first round made it through 12 layers. The second round made it through 11. So, nothing quite like the .30-06. We would really expect it to be like the .30-06, but it still made it through a good number of layers. Again, one of the rounds looked like it started tumbling. That\u2019s about the time it started running out of gas and it gave out after 11 layers.<\/p> <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-carbine-plywood-tumble.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-3\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\" title=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7864\" src=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-carbine-plywood-tumble.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"772\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-carbine-plywood-tumble.jpg 772w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-carbine-plywood-tumble-600x438.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-carbine-plywood-tumble-768x560.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-carbine-plywood-tumble-350x255.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 772px) 100vw, 772px\" \/><\/a><\/p> <h3><strong>.45 ACP<\/strong><\/h3> <p>The .45 ACP (you .45 guys are going to love this), made it through five layers of the plywood. Both shots, five layers. Now, .45 is not known for being a great penetrator and clearly that\u2019s the case. That slow heavy bullet might be fine for shooting bad guys, but not so great when you\u2019re shooting through hard barriers.<\/p> <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/45-plywood.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-4\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-7867 size-full\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/45-plywood.jpg\" alt=\"Shooting 45 ACP through wooden barriers to compare to 30 carbine ammo\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/45-plywood.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/45-plywood-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/45-plywood-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/45-plywood-350x197.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><\/p> <p>If we had shot it through a longer barrel like they would have had in the M1 Thompson or the M3 Grease Gun (the submachine guns of WWII) it might have had a little more velocity. It might have made it through one, maybe two more layers. But\u2026 probably not. I would expect the performance to be comparable to the 5-inch 1911.<\/p> <h3><strong>5.56&#215;45<\/strong><\/h3> <p>Last, the 5.56: both rounds made it through eight layers. So, right between the .45 and the .30 Carbine. The 5.56 started tumbling almost immediately, just after the first couple of layers of plywood. So that\u2019s why it was losing energy really quickly and didn\u2019t penetrate very far. Again, the barrel I used was a little bit shorter. It was a 16-inch barrel versus the longer barrel of the M16A1. I still wouldn\u2019t expect the performance to be a whole lot different.<\/p> <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/556-plywood-tumble.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-5\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-7871 size-full\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/556-plywood-tumble.jpg\" alt=\"Comparing 30 carbine ammo to 5.56x45 ammo\" width=\"841\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/556-plywood-tumble.jpg 841w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/556-plywood-tumble-600x402.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/556-plywood-tumble-768x514.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/556-plywood-tumble-350x234.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 841px) 100vw, 841px\" \/><\/a><\/p> <p>This was an interesting little exercise, but take it for what it is. It\u2019s just a penetration test through one type of barrier with one type of ammo for each caliber. If we had used hotter ammo or hollow points or something like that, it could have looked completely different. And penetration through plywood has nothing to do with the effectiveness of a load through a flesh and blood target. So I wouldn\u2019t say, for example, 5.56 is less effective than .30 Carbine if you actually have to shoot a mammal.<\/p> <p>I do think it\u2019s safe to say the .30 Carbine should not be underestimated when it comes to penetration. It is a serious cartridge, even if it doesn\u2019t live up to the velocity and energy of a so-called full power rifle cartridge.<\/p> <h2><strong>Ballistic Gel Testing<\/strong><\/h2> <p>Alright, switching gears a little bit now, we are going to consider how well the .30 Carbine does as a self-defense cartridge. For that, we have used soft point ammo in ballistics gelatin. For comparison here, I decided to use a .357 magnum out of a rifle-length barrel (a Marlin 1894 with a custom 17-inch barrel) because that is the closest thing we can find energy-wise to the .30 Carbine.<\/p> <p>Last week, I made a comparison to the .44 Magnum. On paper, if you run the muzzle energy calculations, .30 Carbine is pretty close to .44 Magnum out of a revolver barrel. But if you\u2019re looking at rifle-length barrels, .30 Carbine is closer to a .357 Magnum. Pretty much all .30 Carbine loads are 110-grain bullets, so I tried to find a .357 Magnum load that was 110-grain that would have velocity similar to .30 Carbine (which is usually right around 1900-2000 fps). After some velocity testing, the load I found was a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/357-mag-110-grain-jhp-corbon-20-rounds\">Corbon 110 gr JHP load<\/a>, so I decided to test that.<\/p> <p>I also tested a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/hornady-357-mag-ammo-for-sale-357mag140jhpftxhornady-25\">Hornady LeverEvolution 140 gr FTX .357 Magnum<\/a>. This is a load specifically made for lever action rifles. And just for fun, I decided to throw in the hottest .357 Magnum load we had laying around which is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/357-magnum-125-grain-barnes-xpb-hp-low-flash-short-barrel-buffalo-bore-20-rounds\">Buffalo Bore with a Barnes 125-grain XPB bullet<\/a>. That\u2019s moving at about 2100 feet per second out of the Marlin 1894, so that is a really hot load for .357 Magnum.<\/p> <p>For .30 Carbine, I\u2019ve got a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/30-carbine-110-gr-ftx-hornady-25-rounds\">Hornady Critical Defense 110-grain FTX<\/a>, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/30-carbine-110-gr-sp-sellier-bellot-50-rounds\">Sellier &amp; Bellot 110-grain soft point<\/a>, and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/30-carbine-110-gr-sp-federal-power-shok-20-rounds\">Federal Power Shok 110-grain soft point<\/a>.<\/p> <h3><strong>357 Mag vs. 30 Carbine<\/strong><\/h3> <p>First, the .357 Magnum results. Both of the Hornady LeverEvolution rounds made it to about 22 inches. Expansion was right around .6 inches. Not bad.<\/p><p><\/p> <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/357-hornady-gel-test.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-6\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-7870 size-full\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/357-hornady-gel-test.jpg\" alt=\"357 mag Hornady ammo gel testing\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/357-hornady-gel-test.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/357-hornady-gel-test-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/357-hornady-gel-test-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/357-hornady-gel-test-350x197.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><\/p> <p>Then, the Corbon bullet. It kind of did what that 124-grain 9mm Gold Dot <a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/self-defense-ammo-for-pistol-caliber-carbines\/\">did a couple of weeks ago<\/a> when I shot that out of a carbine. It was just too fast for what that bullet was designed for. So the Corbon load opened up too much and too quickly. It only made it to about 10 inches of penetration with .62 inches of expansion.<\/p> <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/357-corbon-gel-test.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-7\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-7869 size-full\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/357-corbon-gel-test.jpg\" alt=\"Corbon 357 mag ammo gel testing\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/357-corbon-gel-test.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/357-corbon-gel-test-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/357-corbon-gel-test-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/357-corbon-gel-test-350x197.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><\/p> <p>Finally, the Buffalo Bore load made it to right around 25-26 inches of penetration and .49 inches of expansion.<\/p> <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/357-buffalo-gel-test.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-8\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-7868 size-full\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/357-buffalo-gel-test.jpg\" alt=\"Buffalo Bore 357 ag ammo gel testing\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/357-buffalo-gel-test.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/357-buffalo-gel-test-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/357-buffalo-gel-test-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/357-buffalo-gel-test-350x197.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><\/p> <p>So overall, not bad if you dismiss the Corbon. Again, it just goes to show if you\u2019re shooting pistol loads out of a rifle-length barrel, you\u2019ve got to be careful about your ammo selection. You can\u2019t just assume it\u2019s going to be a little more effective because it\u2019s got a little more velocity. If that bullet is designed for lower velocities, when you put it in a rifle, it might do something you don\u2019t want it to do.<\/p> <p>I like that LeverEvolution load because it\u2019s made for a rifle barrel. It\u2019s a little bit deeper penetration than we\u2019d like to see for personal protection, but it\u2019s still not too bad. It\u2019s probably not going to go through the exterior walls of a house.<\/p> <h3><strong>.30 Carbine Gel Tests<\/strong><\/h3> <p>Alright, now, the .30 Carbine ammo test. Again, we\u2019re starting with the Hornady load: the 110-grain FTX Critical Defense. Both rounds made it to right around 21 inches with .45 inches of expansion. That\u2019s not as much expansion as the .357 Magnum Hornady load, but the bullet is also starting out smaller. So if you look at it as percentage of expansion from the original diameter rather than just the raw expansion numbers, the FTX did pretty good.<\/p> <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-carbine-hornady-gel-test.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-9\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-7863 size-full\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-carbine-hornady-gel-test.jpg\" alt=\"Hornady 30 carbine ammo gel testing\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-carbine-hornady-gel-test.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-carbine-hornady-gel-test-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-carbine-hornady-gel-test-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-carbine-hornady-gel-test-350x197.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><\/p> <p>The S&amp;B bullet, which is just a simple soft point, made it to right at 16 inches for both rounds with a .60-.65 inch expanded diameter. So, depending on how you look at it \u2014 if you\u2019re looking for that 18-inch maximum penetration depth from the FBI standards, the S&amp;B load is actually better than the Hornady load.<\/p> <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-SnB-gel-test.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-10\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-7866 size-full\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-SnB-gel-test.jpg\" alt=\"Sellier &amp; Bellot 30 carbine ammo gel testing\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-SnB-gel-test.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-SnB-gel-test-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-SnB-gel-test-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-SnB-gel-test-350x197.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><\/p> <p>Finally, Federal Power Shok was the real penetrator: 26 inches with around .5 inches of expansion.<\/p> <p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-Federal-gel-test.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-11\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-7865 size-full\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-Federal-gel-test.jpg\" alt=\"Federal Power Shok 30 carbine ammo gel testing\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-Federal-gel-test.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-Federal-gel-test-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-Federal-gel-test-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/media\/30-Federal-gel-test-350x197.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><\/p> <p>We did see some jacket-core separation with that S&amp;B load which is not ideal, but not necessarily a deal breaker. If you\u2019re worried about over-penetration, that S&amp;B load is probably the way to go. Maybe for more of a hunting context, the Federal Power Shok would be better, and then the Hornady load is kind of in between the two.<\/p> <h3><strong>.30 Carbine Ammo Test Conclusions<\/strong><\/h3> <p>Keep in mind, the ballistic gel testing doesn\u2019t tell the whole story. .30 Carbine, even though it\u2019s not a full power rifle cartridge, it has enough velocity and energy that it probably is causing some of that tearing in tissue that goes beyond the wound channel itself. At right around 2000 feet per second, it doesn\u2019t quite meet that 2200 feet per second threshold that separates \u201creal\u201d rifle cartridges from pistol cartridges. But it\u2019s close enough that\u2019s probably causing some damage that we don\u2019t really see accounted for in the ballistic gel testing.<\/p> <p>Hopefully these 30 carbine ammo test results give you a general idea of what the cartridge is capable of. It really is right in between a rifle and a pistol round. In the next installment of our M1 Carbine series, we\u2019re going to look at a few things we can do to help keep these old guns running and maybe bring them into the 21st century a little bit. You\u2019re not going to want to miss it. In the meantime, be sure to buy some ammo from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\">LuckyGunner.com<\/a>.<\/p> <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s Part 2 of our M1 Carbine Mini-Series! Today, we&#8217;re going to take a look at some 30 carbine ammo &#8230; <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/30-carbine-ammo-testing\/\">Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":7861,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[358,401],"tags":[400,76,167,263,63,184],"class_list":["post-7859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ammo","category-m1-carbine","tag-30-carbine","tag-45-acp","tag-ar-15","tag-gel-testing","tag-m1-carbine","tag-m1-garand"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>.30 Carbine Ammo Testing - Gel Tests &amp; More<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Let&#039;s take closer look at the ballistics of the .30 Carbine cartridge with a plywood penetration ammo test and some ballistic gel testing\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.luckygunner.com\/lounge\/30-carbine-ammo-testing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\".30 Carbine Ammo Testing - Gel Tests &amp; 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