30 Carbine Loading question

[30Carbine]

I did a lot of 50 SPRN reloads a week or so ago. The don't work. The just go click. the primers look like they were barely struck. Factory ammo works every time, so I know it's not the firing pin.

ideas?

[ironhorse1]

What primers are you using?

Are the primers fully seated below the case head?

Do they fire if hit a second time?

Do you clean the primer pockets?

So many questions and here is another.

Do you trim the cases? What is the OAL of a trimmed case?

All critical aspects in reloading any caliber.

Now tell us what we need to know including the gun that they are being fired in.

irh

[Germz]

yeah what gun? free floating FP? weak FP spring?

[30Carbine]

One year old Khar Arms/Auto Ordnance M1 Carbine.

CCI No. 400 Primers. Full length sized, trimmed, Measured, and not crimped. Primer pocket cleaned, Primers seated fully. No they do not fire if hit a second time. Just a click.

I'll have to pull one apart to measure the case OAL. I can measure the OAL of a complete round when I get home.

I don't think the FP spring is weak. It works just fine with factory ammo. never get a Failure to fire with factory loaded rounds.

[twotacocombo]

Compare the case length of the unfired factory ammo to that of your reloaded brass. The .30 carbine headspaces on the case mouth, so if your brass is shorter than factory, but still within spec, you may have a headspace issue. If your cartridge is seated all the way into the chamber, the firing pin may be too far from the primer to strike it properly.

[Carcassonne]

.

Sometimes if the primer isn't seated far enough in the brass case, the first hit seats it and makes a light primer mark, but it would go off after the second or third strike.


.

[ptmn]

If the overall length is too long or if the ogive is different than the bullet listed in the load manual, the bullet may be making contact with the rifling, which on turn prevents the bolt from going fully into battery. This would cause a light strike due to the weapons PPF (prevention of premature fire). All current and former MOS 18B's will remember that term.

You should be able to confirm or rile out this case by using the "plunk" method with one of your loaded rounds.

[ptmn]

I would also check the overall length of you cases to make sure they haven't stretched beyond SAAMI spec, this could also prevent the round from going into full battery

[twotacocombo]

I would also check the overall length of you cases to make sure they haven't stretched beyond SAAMI spec, this could also prevent the round from going into full battery

Would the hammer fall on an M1 Carbine if it wasn't fully into battery? OP says it just clicks, which sounds like the hammer is releasing. The 'light strikes' on the primer could also just be the floating pin dimpling it via inertia. Same happens with the Garand and SKS.

[ptmn]

Yes, the hammer can and will fall if the bolt is not in full battery. The garand, carbine and M14 have a similar PPF, it is the firing pin tang that is built into the receiver.

If the bolt has closed but has not fully rotated into the locked battery position, as in the recoil lugs aren't rotated to proper locking, then the hammer will fall when the trigger is activated and if the PPF (carbines actually gave a second PPF) is in proper order, the primer should not go off. Firing pins do wear out, pin tangs do wear or are "modified" by amateurs and primers are sometimes too sensitive. If any of these actions come into play, the results can be catastrophic if the bolt is not in the fully locked position.

Don't take my word for this, you can go to the source at FBNC or go to an authority such as Fulton Armory or the CMP armorers.

[30Carbine]

its not a bad thought. I'll look up the Case OAL from SAAMI and do a comparison. They looked the same from visual comparison, but ****, I could be wrong. Worth a shot. Thanks guys. I have some stuff to try out.