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M1 Carbine Ammo Steel Case 1943 made by Chrysler.
Ricci.Wright
Member Posts: 5,129 ✭✭✭✭
Just found a few rounds of this .30 Carbino ammo. I don't remember seeing steel case U.S. production carbine ammo before.
Steel case with Zinc-Cronak
EVANSVILLE CHRYSLER CORP.
Comments
Once upon a time, this forum had a member whose user name was Iconoclast and he knew everything there was to know about US service ammo. Teak, you are missed.
600,000+/- rounds of steel cased ammo from various manufacturers was produced during WWII. There were issues due to a higher case failure rate (about 40% higher) than brass cased ammo, and a 50% greater muzzle flash. There was a flash hider available for issue for the carbine so that flash was deemed less of an issue than the case failure rate. By early 1944, Western Cartridge company (Winchester) developed a powder combination which worked well in steel cases and the case issue was essentially solved.
Like everything in the military, there is no such thing as, "Okay, issue it." There were more tests: by the Cavalry Board, the Infantry Board, and of course the Marine Corps who didn't like steel due to salt water corrosion issues. This all dragged on through early 1945 when a coating was developed to protect the steel, after which the cartridge was adopted as substitute standard in October, 1945...a month after the war ended. My understanding is that most of the 600K rounds were used as training ammunition and that none ever entered US service.