Home › Browse Calibers › .30 Carbine (pistol)
Common uses: Self-Defense, Target
| Type | pistol (centerfire) |
| Typical load | 110gr Federal American Eagle FMJ |
| Muzzle velocity | 1990 fps |
| Muzzle energy | 967 ft-lb |
| Stored G1 ballistic coefficient (source unresolved) | 0.165 |
| Case length | 32.8 mm |
| Overall length | 1.68 in |
| Listed maximum pressure | 40000 PSI |
| Common twist rate | 1:16" |
| Range (yd) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft-lb) | Drop (in) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1990 | 967 | -1.5 |
| 50 | 1763 | 759 | 0.9 |
| 100 | 1557 | 592 | 0.4 |
| 150 | 1375 | 462 | -3.6 |
The listed uses do not identify an explicit big-game hunting role, so deer- and elk-sized energy references aren't shown. Evaluate the named load using its available source data and any displayed trajectory, then verify the result for the listed target, competition, defensive, tactical, or duty context.
Published BCs depend on a reference drag model and stated velocity conditions. A source review does not independently measure a BC. Understanding BC sources
Manufacturer item AE30CB · Sources checked
Federal lists 110 gr FMJ, 1,990 fps and 967 ft-lb. Its 2024 catalog gives a 18-inch test barrel. The published coefficient 0.165 has no explicit G1/G7 label in the reviewed sources. These rifle-barrel figures do not establish velocity from a pistol.
Still unresolved: The stored coefficient model and sectional-density attribution remain unresolved.
Your barrel, ammunition lot, and conditions will differ — always verify against the manufacturer's data and your own firearm.
In a handgun the .30 Carbine is prized for flat trajectory and high velocity relative to conventional pistol rounds, since its powder charge was designed to burn in a roughly 18-inch rifle barrel. Fired from a short barrel that charge produces a spectacular muzzle flash and a sharp, punishing report, making these guns notorious for blast and noise and effectively mandating hearing protection at the range. The light .30-caliber bullet carries modest energy and a low ballistic coefficient, so it sheds velocity quickly and is a poor choice against larger game. Owners generally treat it as a novelty and plinking round rather than a serious defensive or hunting cartridge, valued more for its rifle-like performance and character than for practical stopping power. It remains a curiosity chambering kept alive largely by the enduring Ruger Blackhawk.
The .30 Carbine was developed by Winchester and adopted by the U.S. military in 1941 as the cartridge for the M1 Carbine, a lightweight semi-automatic longarm intended for support troops. Its case is essentially a rimless adaptation of the older .32 Winchester Self-Loading round, giving it a short, nearly straight-walled profile that feeds reliably in autoloaders. Although designed as a rifle round, it was later chambered in handguns beginning in the late 1960s, most famously the Ruger Blackhawk single-action revolver, and afterward in semi-automatic pistols such as the AMT AutoMag III and Taurus's Raging Thirty.
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