I’m new and I need help

Hi, this is my first post.  I was given this link by a person on another site because he thought there are a lot of knowledgable people here.  I sure hope so.

I use a .30 M1 carbine for a dog-sized predator gun.  This is not a "toy".  I am not a varmint hunter.  This is a "keep-the-fox-outta-the-hen-coop" gun.  It is also for packs of feral dogs, running coyotes, etc.   I need a fast-shooting, easy-handling gun with a short range, as the nearest neighbor is a mile away and the house can be seen.  They have no sense of humor about being shot with a .22-50, or some other long-distance screamer.

My carbine is equipped with a forward-mounted Buris 2X Scout scope.  I use .32 caliber, 90 grain JHC bullets, or something similar.  I am a little concerned about the lead screwing up the gas port.  I would also like to have a gunsmith go over it and make sure everything is good before I refinish it in Roguard, or something.  The bluing is down to the white.  I can't understand why, it was just blued in 1943 before it went to Europe in WWII

I could sure use some advice, warnings, recommendations, links to more help, a good, trustworthy, non-rip-off gunsmith, etc.  I think it's worth the time and trouble.  I looked at every gun anyone could suggest, and no other gun fills the need. This is not a pump/lever, bolt action situation.

Thanks for the help

drztram,

   If shot is under 100yds , or even 250 yds a 223 is quiet and will work on pred's.  Some folks will tell you they don't drop them hard, and in many cases they won't, but even a 22-250 doesn't drop them hard "sometimes" - mostly they thump the heck out of them.

   There are quite a few "not so loud" rounds out there that would work.  I would suggest you stay smaller than 308 sized cases for close work i.e. the 243, 22-250 and that family are pretty load.  30-30 will flatten a yote out to 150yds (here I'm thinking about drop not as much as power).  Tas has a good idea with the sks, even though I don't care for them. 

If you give some more information on the time, place, and critter your having problems with we may be able to suggest other courses of action.  I had weasels that were hittin our chicken coop once (I always thought it was a joke till it happened).  I remember my dad trying to shoot them buggers - man they are just a flash of light when they are moving.

Spot

 

As long as your old carbine is in good shape, there is no reason to not keep it in service. They can be rebuilt easily enough with GI parts; and there are several places that can refinish your carbine to whatever you want. I'd go original myself. It sounds like it is close to perfect for what you are using it for. Any jacketed bullet will keep you from having gas port leading, since the jacket is keeping the lead from contacting the bore. I would however clean the gas port with a pipe cleaner and a good solvent and copper remover, since powder fouling and jacket material can build up in any gas operated rifle. The bullet I would suggest  is the Speer 110 grain varminter. This is a jacketed, exposed lead hollowpoint that can be loaded with either H110 or W296 to equal factory ammo ballistics exactly, while giving you a bullet with a bit faster expansion qualities. While I have not used it in the .30 M1 carbine, I have used it in the .30/30 with absolutely explosive results on varmints such as prarrie dogs and jack rabbits. At .30 M1 carbine speeds it will be much less spectacular, but it will kill coyotes out to 125 yards very well.AW

Got to agree with you on this one Tas. Get an SKS and send the Carbine off to Fulton Armory to get rebuilt to spec. Then shoot it for fun. That 7.62X39 is great on dog sized problems. I use mine to shoot the occasional song-dog.

man max, you seem to be the king of one liners! I dont think i have seen a single non-one liner from you!

NH_Hunter

The .30 M1 carbine cartridge CAN kill people. I think some people seem to forget that because the gun and cartridge are small. Maybe they should have asked the 101st airborne if they killed anybody with the m1 carbine . I bet they would answer with a whole hearted YES. It would be a sweet beside bed gun now wouldnt it

NH_Hunter

They are one of the most fun guns to shoot.  Their size and incredible balance make them much easier to swing into action and follow running shots, especially in high chapparal, etc.  That's why I'm going to so much trouble to get it just right.  Well, a lot of it has to do with the fact that it is just fun to shoot.  I have a Mini 14, Marlin .30-30, Marlin Camp 9 (which is also a very fun gun), a very modified 10-22, and a friend has an SKS.  I would take the .30 carbine every time for close work (100 yds or less) guarding the chicken coop.

 

NH_Hunter wrote: I want an m1 carbine soo bad!!!!! I bet they are awesome for plinking!!!!!! NH_Hunter

Hmmm . . . having fired thousands of rounds through the M1 carbine . . . and even more through the M2 . . . and knowing that more than one acquaintance grabbed them and bent them around a tree trunk and used an M1 Garand . . . and later . . . an M14 . . . I was always fascinated by the fascination that civilians had with the carbine . . . CUTE?  Yeah!  But not much good for anything . . . except WHAT YOU USE IT FOR.

There are so many better ways to go.  I had a Ruger Mini-14.  My father had one too.  I left mine in the box and shot his!  Whatever.  I liked that little weapon . . . not the most accurate thing in the world . . . but handy and you can get ammo just about anywhere for next to nothing.  If you live in Texas, it makes a fine whitetail and javelina rifle.

But . . . getting away from the military stuff . . . Ruger makes some other weapons which I think might meet your needs.  They make an excellent lever AND semi-auto .44 Mag.  The little bolt action in .44 Mag looks like a super weapon.  The .44 Mag would expand your uses too.

I had a Marlin 1894C in .357 Mag which has to be the neatest, cutest, handiest, little rifle ever invented.  I kept it behind the seat of my truck or in the car and it was handy for plinking, fooling around, or just about anything.  Although I never hunted with it, and probably wouldn't, it is certainly a capable short-range whitetail weapon.  Winchester has a Model 94 called the "Packer" which is neat too.

Gee . . . there are so many to pick from.  Myself, I would keep the M1 carbine in original form . . . have it refinished . . . pick up parts where needed . . . and take it out on occasion.  However, I think there are better choices for your interests . . . at least as I see them.

Just a few opinions.  Welcome to BSB.  Lots of good sources of info on here.  Take advantage of their wisdom . . . well . . . almost . . .

Kinda funny, isn't it, when people say it's no good for varmints, but great for killing soldiers in cold weather clothing in Europe.  The old survivalist writer, Mel Tappan, and others, used to write abou the horrendous waste of money the government has done since WWII.  One thing they talked about was how the .30 carbine could be modified to be an excellent police patrol carbine.  People squawked about the overpenetration at close shots, then they gave the cops .223s, which are just about as wrong as anything gets for their purpose.  Then Mr. Ruger, who copied everything he could get his hands on, copied the Marlin Camp 9 and 45 and came up with the .40 that had, BTW, to use only Ruger magazines.  I don't remember how many carbines have been available, but the governments-- Federal, State, County, City, etc. --could have saved a lot of money with refurbished, and/or modified and upgraded .30 carbines.  The carbine has been so popular among soldiers that it was still being carried in Vietnam.  Just forgetting the M16 for a minute, if you were a LRRP in Nam, and you were 75 yards away from a VC who was shooting at you, what would you rather he be using, a .45 Colt, 9mm Berreta, or a .30 Carbine.  It's a no brainer for many reasons, which I won't go into because it should be obvious.  Each one of those calibers is capable of killing a man, a deer, antelope, or any dog that walks.  The inherent superiority of the firepower of the carbine is obviously why it is the choice, no matter what Jeff Cooper says (Rangers eat Marines for brkfst, so I will go with the choice of the "Bad Boys".  Well, I guess that isn't fair.  I don't remember what Cooper and his Marine buddies say about the .30

Internet just crashed.  I'll check to see if you get this

 

 

NH_Hunter wrote: The .30 M1 carbine cartridge CAN kill people. I think some people seem to forget that because the gun and cartridge are small. Maybe they should have asked the 101st airborne if they killed anybody with the m1 carbine . I bet they would answer with a whole hearted YES. It would be a sweet beside bed gun now wouldnt it NH_Hunter

This has been discussed thousands of times on hundreds of sites. Generally speaking, excepting the very unusual, there is one reason and only one reason why a grunt would throw away a carbine and pick up a Garand: They had been trying to use the carbine as a rifle. I'm very sure they would have traded their carbine for a .45 Colt if they had needed a handgun. The carbine is not a rifle, was not intended to be used as a rifle, was not issued as a rifle, and was not usually issued to grunts. THE .30 CARBINE IS NOT AN INFANTRY WEAPON.
The .30 carbine was still useful in Vietnam by people who knew what it was for. LRRPs and other special ops grunts used it. It's high capacity and penetration at close ranges made it ideal for some. A tool has to be used for what it is designed for. The very fact that the people you know needed a Garand is proof that they knew nothing about the carbine, or they would not have taken it, if they had a choice, in the first place. Why would anyone take a carbine to a situation that required a Garand? If you were a tunnel rat in Nam, would you take a Garand into the tunnel, or would you take a pistol or revolver? You probably wouldn't even take a .30 carbine. Your friends were very inexperienced if they ever thought the carbine was a battle rifle. In Viet Nam, various people were issued a .38 revolver. Most of those jobs would have been better outfitted with a .30 carbine. Which would you choose?
At close ranges, the .30 carbine is close to equal to a lower-end .357. People shoot deer all the time with a .357, even though it was not meant to be a deer gun. Although, I agree that neither is the correct caliber for deer, the .30 carbine, with proper bullets, could do the same job.
I do very much like the guns you mentioned. However, this is not a situation for pumps, levers, or bolt actions. Trying to clean out a pack of feral dogs, coyotes, etc. in brush and rock country, takes a fast-shooting, light, well-balanced semi-auto. A tiny fraction of a second lost usually means they are GONE. That's why I have the forward-mounted "scout" scope. I never have to take my eyes off the pack or the running animal. Both eyes are open and can see the entire field in front of me. The auto rifle then can be shot as need be. The right tool for the right job.[:P]

pocketnavy wrote: [P][B]<FONT face="Courier New, Courier, mono" color=green size=4>Hmmm . . . having fired thousands of rounds through the M1 carbine . . . and even more through the M2 . . . and knowing that more than one acquaintance grabbed them and bent them around a tree trunk and used an M1 Garand . . . and later . . . an M14 . . . I was always fascinated by the fascination that civilians had with the carbine . . . CUTE?  Yeah!  But not much good for anything . . . except WHAT YOU USE IT FOR.[/FONT][/B][/P] [P][B]<FONT face="Courier New" color=#008000 size=4>There are so many better ways to go.  I had a Ruger Mini-14.  My father had one too.  I left mine in the box and shot his!  Whatever.  I liked that little weapon . . . not the most accurate thing in the world . . . but handy and you can get ammo just about anywhere for next to nothing.  If you live in Texas, it makes a fine whitetail and javelina rifle.[/FONT][/B][/P] [P][B]<FONT face="Courier New" color=#008000 size=4>But . . . getting away from the military stuff . . . Ruger makes some other weapons which I think might meet your needs.  They make an excellent lever AND semi-auto .44 Mag.  The little bolt action in .44 Mag looks like a super weapon.  The .44 Mag would expand your uses too.[/FONT][/B][/P] [P][B]<FONT face="Courier New" color=#008000 size=4>I had a Marlin 1894C in .357 Mag which has to be the neatest, cutest, handiest, little rifle ever invented.  I kept it behind the seat of my truck or in the car and it was handy for plinking, fooling around, or just about anything.  Although I never hunted with it, and probably wouldn't, it is certainly a capable short-range whitetail weapon.  Winchester has a Model 94 called the "Packer" which is neat too.[/FONT][/B][/P] [P][B]<FONT face="Courier New" color=#008000 size=4>Gee . . . there are so many to pick from.  Myself, I would keep the M1 carbine in original form . . . have it refinished . . . pick up parts where needed . . . and take it out on occasion.  However, I think there are better choices for your interests . . . at least as I see them.[/FONT][/B][/P] [P][B]<FONT face="Courier New" color=#008000 size=4>Just a few opinions.  Welcome to BSB.  Lots of good sources of info on here.  Take advantage of their wisdom . . . well . . . almost . . . [!][/FONT][/B][/P]

[:P]