Surplus .30 M1 Carbine Ammo Corrosive?

[Patocazador]

I've got about 300 rounds of .30 carbine surplus ammo that's berdan primed. The case head is marked "M1 .30" on one end and "61" on the other. It is packed in 10 round stripper clips.

Is this stuff corrosive? I don't want to shoot it in my Inland and IBM carbines if it is. I've got a junky Plainfield for crappy stuff.

 

[briansmithwins]

I’m pretty sure that there was never any US loaded corrosive M1 carbine ammo.

What the Russians and Chinese have gotten up to I have no clue.

BSW

 

[jonnyc]

The ammo in question is Taiwanese. Not 100% sure, but as US allies, I think it would be non-corrosive.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

Is it marked "M1 30" or is it maybe; "30 M1"?

When you read the above, is it in the top or the bottom of the circle?

Todd.

 

[250-3000]

I believe the French ammo was corrosive, check the CMP forums, there is a sticky.

 

[Patocazador]

Is it marked "M1 30" or is it maybe; "30 M1"?

When you read the above, is it in the top or the bottom of the circle?

Todd.

My bad. It is marked "30 M1" at the top of the circle.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

My bad. It is marked "30 M1" at the top of the circle.

In that case, my old book says Dominican Republic.

Todd.

 

[Patocazador]

In that case, my old book says Dominican Republic.

Does it mention if it's corrosive?

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

Does it mention if it's corrosive?

It does not say.

If it were, your big scare would be the gas-tap below the barrel on a GI pattern carbine. Most pistons are chrome and even some GI barrels were chrome-lined but that out of sight gas-tap would be the lingering point I'd be concerned with.

Luckily, scalding water squares the problem right away.

I wonder if their Cristobal carbine had a chrome bore?

Todd.

 

[Patocazador]

Thanks for the information.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

Seems like no one can say definitively, one way or t' other.

Look up the various *nail tests* to determine the corrosive potential of the ammo.

You'll need to be able to safely pull projectiles from a couple of test rounds, a couple of known rounds (control), dump the powder and then fire them with a tool as a firing pin over a polished clean array of individual test nails.

You'll know in short order.

I like to fire them with the smallest nail-set that I have or an M-16 firing pin set into a heavy pair of vice grips. I don't like to use anything that will tear (pin/center-punch) or puncture (another nail) the primer.

Use safety glasses!

Todd.

 

[caribou]

IIRC......The US was prompted to develop and issue non-corrosive priming with the adoption of the M1 Carbine.
it was the first adopted ammo in the military that was all made with NC priming to keep the short gas tappet piston from corroding.
The decision was made when US Ord. couldn't find an easy fix when the problem showed up.
After WW2, all US mil ammo was eventually made NC.

The Russians and Chinese keep corrosively primed ammo due to extreme cold in their country's (Russia more than China) and for long term storage programs, as corrosively primed ammo can be stored for exceedingly long times with out deterioration.

The only corrosive ammo I know of commercially is WOLF's German made Bi-athalon .22lr, and simply for reliable deep cold shooting.

 

[caribou]

IIRC......The US was prompted to develop and issue non-corrosive priming with the adoption of the M1 Carbine.
it was the first adopted ammo in the military that was all made with NC priming to keep the short gas tappet piston from corroding.
The decision was made when US Ord. couldn't find an easy fix when the problem showed up.
After WW2, all US mil ammo was eventually made NC.

The Russians and Chinese keep corrosively primed ammo due to extreme cold in their country's (Russia more than China) and for long term storage programs, as corrosively primed ammo can be stored for exceedingly long times with out deterioration.

The only corrosive ammo I know of commercially is WOLF's German made Bi-athalon .22lr, and simply for reliable deep cold shooting.

 

[Speedo66]

For what it's worth, AIM Surplus is selling Korean surplus Carbine ammo. It's in lots of 120, they come on stripper clips and in a bandolier.

Price works out to about $18.75 for 50, so not bad. Buy 10 and they throw in the steel ammo box.

Non corrosive, boxer primed.

Edit: I forgot to mention, if you buy 10, there’s a price drop, works out to about $16.90 for 50.

 

[caribou]

Dang....

 

[Patocazador]

For what it's worth, AIM Surplus is selling Korean surplus Carbine ammo. It's in lots of 120, they come on stripper clips and in a bandolier.

I just got some yesterday along with some 9x18 Makarov hollow points.

 

[Patocazador]

The only corrosive ammo I know of commercially is WOLF's German made Bi-athalon .22lr, and simply for reliable deep cold shooting.

This stuff is old surplus and presumably from the Dominican Republic. I looked at the faded box and it says 50 cartuchos so that makes sense.

 

[Patocazador]

Seems like no one can say definitively, one way or t' other.
You'll need to be able to safely pull projectiles from a couple of test rounds, a couple of known rounds (control), dump the powder and then fire them with a tool as a firing pin over a polished clean array of individual test nails.
I like to fire them with the smallest nail-set that I have or an M-16 firing pin set into a heavy pair of vice grips. I don't like to use anything that will tear (pin/center-punch) or puncture (another nail) the primer.
Use safety glasses!
Todd.

I'll do it tomorrow. Thanks a lot.