30 carbine Blackhawk

[jimbo1096]

Finally got the chance to take the 30 carbine Blackhawk to the range this weekend to try it out with some Wolf ammo I bought. I also had some Aguila. The gun shot well with both, posting a 4" group at 30 yards which is good for me with iron sights and old eyes. Group with both were pretty close to the same POI and group size.
Problem with the ammo though. The Aguila had several punctured primers, 4 in the 30 rounds fired.
The Wolf was the steel case variety and would not hand eject from the cylinder. I had to remove the cylinder from the frame to remove the cases, even after cleaning and thoroughly drying the cylinder and the problem persisted. Out of the 50 rounds fired, not easily ejected. I could reinsert the fired case back into the cylinder, with the last 1/8th inch being a press fit, and then eject it with a hard push. I've never fired Wolf in a handgun so have no experience if this is common or if I have a tight cylinder. The WW white box and Fed rounds fire and eject just fine.
What's your experience?
If this continues, I will have some Wolf ammo looking for a new home. I have a sore thumb this morning!

 

[Chief 101]

The .30C is perfect for the handloader. I have shot some American made factory ammo, having some extraction dificulty but good accuracy. I reload so I am in the habit of using ammo with good reloadable brass. When I load for the 30C it is always much slower and less flamethrowing than the factory stuff and way accurate as I like to hunt small game with it. I did polish the chanbers, that made extraction easier with the factory ammo. I like the chambering as I can get the small efficient cartridge factory chambered in an Old Model, and, I like Old Models. Chief aka Maxx Load

 

[jimbo1096]

Chief, tell me how you suggest doing the chamber polishing. Last time I did it on a stainless SBH it was with fine copper wool and it worked well.
I guess more of a burnishing than a polish. I was thinking of using some cotton swabs with Flitz or MAAS on my small battery powered hand drill. But I definitely don't want to take the chance of messing up the bluing on the cylinder.
Those Wolf steel cases were VERY hard to get out.

 

[Chief 101]

Jimbo, I used a drill and a small brass rod split at the business end with a hacksaw. I inserted a piece of 600 w/d sand paper in and polished each chamber a couple of turns, then switched to 1200 or 1500 sandpaper and polished a little bit more. All this could be done by hand just as easy but I have the drill so that is what I used. Lube the paper with some light oil or kerosend. This method doesn't take off much but it really helps on the extraction. You could probably do the throats also but I never have.
Chief aka Maxx Load

 

[boomslang]

I had a .30 Blackhawk. I really liked it. But...

Like the other poster said if you reload the .30 carbine you can develop some good reliable loads for it. If you use surplus or factory it might be hit or miss. I have a ton of .30 carbine. That is why I got mine. Much of it was loaded by my cousin for his carbine. Because the case length is not ultra critical in a carbine it shot fine (in his carbine). In a blackhawk that headspaces on the case mouth, it can be picky. This is not a problem if you reload and pay attention to case length. The occasional high primer gave me problems too. I got tired of fighting it on the firing line. I had many sticky cases too.

While it shot nice (when it went bang) I just didn't have the resources to get into reloading that caliber. Reload and you will probably be very happy with it. With factory loads it may take some patience (and money) to find happiness.

I sold mine at a small profit.

 

[Flash]

A wooden dowel works as well as the brass rod and much easier to find.

 

[Chief 101]

I just use what I have handy, about a 12 minute job for me. If I was to go to the store to buy a dowel it would take longer. You need to use 1/4" dowell or rod. There are many ways to do this but my approach is safe for an impatient one like me. Chief aka Maxx Load

 

[deserttrans]

I gave up using the Aguila ammo in the Blackhawk. Out of several boxes. poor primer seating etc.

 

[pawncop]

Recently posted regarding my experience with the .30 carbine. Loved it!!! Remington factory, without any difficulty. I can really see the potential regarding reloading.

Now I just hav to get back into it. Where is the time?

 

[jimbo1096]

I did a polish on the cylinder last night. Didn't have a dowel small enough so had to use a brass rod I had, and it worked fine. I followed up with a patch soaked on polishing compound (MAAS) and now will have to try it out after the holidays. Sure looks shiny in there now!
Thanks for all the comments- jh

 

[Chief 101]

I remember earlier this year I went out the the desert to shoot some revolvers by myself and ran into some Pilgrims wanting to shoot in my spot. They brought out some fancy rifles and a newfangled 4 5/8" Ruger 44mag. We shotemup a bunch and made some noise with our Supers. I letemshoot an OM SS and they all grinned. I letemshoot an OM SBH and they all grinned some more. Then came the OM 30C I letemshoot, I bet they are still in awe over that one.
Jimbo, I would think that came out awesome. I have also noticed that dry(of oil) chambers helps with extraction. I shoot an 85gr. XTP at about 1200 fps(way below what it could be) to dust gophers, shoots like a 22WMR on steroids.
Chief aka Maxx Load