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BELT-FED DMR CARBINES

BATTLE RIFLE

The reasons behind the creation of the .30 M1 carbine and its corresponding cartridge in World War II are generally well

known, but let’s very briefly remind them to newcomers. At the time, the U.S. military needed a kind of intermedi-ate weapon, something between the .45 ACP M1911A1 pistol and the .30-06 M1 Garand rifle, to arm so-called second-line troops (drivers, communications and artillery crews and so forth).

The final result was a lightweight gun-and-ammunition combination that proved so popular that front-line troops often used the light and handy semi-auto M1 and its selective-fire version, the M2, as their primary weapons—no wonder that over 6.5 million examples were produced by a dozen or so manu-facturers. The weapon was in action in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, not to mention in countless smaller conflicts worldwide to this day.

The M1 and its dedicated .30 Carbine round (the 7.62x33mm) also found their way into the law enforce-ment world, mainly due to the compara-tively low ballistic performance of the caliber’s moderate-velocity, moderate-range, jacketed 110-grain bullet, which minimizes over-penetration in human targets, a major consideration for public security. Israel’s police was (and still is) an early user of the “ol’ reliable” M1. In the late 1990s, Israel even went ahead and designed a local carbine cham-bered to the .30 Car-bine round, the IWI Magal (see the March 2013 issue of Tacti-cal Weapons).

FAMAE/TAURUSCT-30 CARBINENo-frills gun to meet basic LE requirements in mission-specific niches!

By RONALDO OL IVE

S P E C I F I C A T I O N S :

TAURUS CT-30CALIBER: .30 CarbineBARREL: 10.24 inchesOA LENGTH: 19.88 inches (stock folded), 30.91 inches (stock unfolded)WEIGHT: 7.05 pounds (empty)STOCK: Side-foldingSIGHTS: Protected blade front, U-notch rearACTION: Gas-operated, rotating bolt, semi-autoFINISH: Matte blackCAPACITY: 30+1

The author fires the CT-30 at an indoor range in Porto Alegre, Brazil, where Taurus has its main production facilities. The .30 Car-bine cartridge (and the author) is over 70 years old and still in action.

The Taurus FAMAE’s design lineage can be traced back

to the SIG SG 540 family of assault rifles, whose

stamped receiver can be recognized in the CT-30. The carbine’s side-folding stock, however, is sturdier than the

original Swiss model’s.

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battle rifle

In a quick flashback, the Domini-can Republic’s Armeria San Cristobal produced around 200,000 examples of the Pistola Ametralla-dora Cristobal Modelo 1 (foldable metal stock) and Modelo 2 (fixed wooden stock) selective-fire car-bines in this caliber in the 1950s and 1960s. The guns were generally based on the Hungarian Danuvia series of 9x25mm Mauser (or Mauser Export) submachine guns, shar-ing with them a common designer, Pál M. Király. Besides using the .30-caliber carbine, the Dominican Republic also obtained some export orders for the weapon from countries such as Colombia and pre-Castro Cuba.

In the 1960s, the Brazilian bolt-action Chapina carbine, normally chambered for loads such as the .32-20 Win, was reportedly tested in .30 Carbine fed from a 15-round magazine. This cartridge has also been used in handguns, such as

the AMT AutoMag III semi-auto, and in revolvers, such as the Ruger Blackhawk and the discontinued Taurus Model 30C Raging Thirty. Well, so much for history.

Swiss & South AmericanConsidering that the .30 Carbine car-

tridge (mainly with expanding bullets) had been well accepted by law enforcement, some South American countries in mid-2002 decided to make a modern weapon chambered to fire it. It was a joint venture between Chile’s Fábricas y Maestranzas del Ejército (FAMAE) and Brazil’s Forjas Taurus S.A. (Taurus).

It should be remembered that the state-owned FAMAE had long acquired manufacturing rights and tools to pro-duce the Swiss SIG SG 540 series of assault rifles (the SG 542-1 in 7.62x51mm and the SG 540-1 and SG 543-1 in 5.56x45mm), whose short-stroke gas-pis-ton action and firing mechanism proved entirely adequate for the task at hand.

With the necessary dimensional changes to chamber and fire the new .30 Carbine round, the CT-30 carbine emerged. The “CT” designation signified both Carabina Táctica (tactical carbine) and Carabina Taurus (Taurus Carbine),

The CT-30 carbine partially disassembled for maintenance.

The iron sights of the bi-national, South American carbine. The rear drum-type sight is in the “5” position, a U-notch for the 50-meter range.

but the marketing efforts eventually con-centrated on Taurus. Following the CT-30’s local product certification (RETEX No. 1923/04) issued by the Brazilian army’s Secretaria de Ciência e Tecnologia (Sci-ence and Technology Secretary) on June 4, 2004, the gun was placed in production and commercialized that same year.

FAMAE supplies the stamped receiver and firing-mechanism components, while Taurus makes the 10.24-inch barrel, which has four grooves, a 1-in-16.5-inch, right-hand twist and a muzzle velocity of about 1,640 fps, the dedicated 15- and 30-round steel magazines, and the tubu-lar, metal, folding stocks, which are based on the SG 540’s. Final weapon assembly takes place at Taurus’ Brazil facility, so Brazil is responsible for over 70 percent of the CT-30’s final value. Confirmed users of the carbine today include several Bra-zilian civil and military police agencies.

Gun DetailsAs highly subjective as this subject is,

I will venture to say that the bi-national CT-30 immediately comes across as

business-like. The CT-30’s method of operation is a conventional, locked-breech, gas-piston system by way of a rotating bolt housed in a trapezoid-shaped bolt carrier. The upper and lower receivers are made from stamped steel, and the removal of two push pins allows the gun to be fully opened for disassembly or cleaning.

As does the SG 540, the CT-30 has two reinforc-ing ribs that are stamped on each side of the lower receiver, in the area above the magazine housing. The mag release lever is a sturdy metal blade located at the rear of the housing and is pushed forward to carry out its function, while the triggerguard can be side-folded to allow the operator to use the gun while wearing thick gloves.

The fire selector lever, within easy reach of the firing hand’s thumb, is duplicated on both sides, with the up-position (“S”) for safe and the down-position (“1”) for semi-auto. The reciprocating, curved charg-ing handle is located to the right and detachable from the bolt when disassembling the gun.

The iron sights are all Sig. They consist of a rotating, drum-type rear unit that’s adjustable for windage and has a U-notch for 50 meters (marked “5”) and apertures for 100 and 150 meters (marked “10” and “15” respectively), and a blade-type front unit that’s adjustable for eleva-tion and well protected by V-shaped, side ears. This is mounted on top of the three-position gas regulator, which enables the user to adjust for different types of ammunition. The sight radius is a comfortable 350mm.

The Taurus CT-30 is pretty straightfor-ward to handle and shoot. Its 7.72-pound weight with a loaded, 30-round magazine helped mitigate felt recoil—a real plus for accuracy. The foldable, tubular stock is reminiscent of the ParaFAL’s and, when in the closed position, reduces the gun’s overall length from 30.91 to 19.88 inches while still allowing all the basic fire opera-tions to be carried out.

Both the two-piece handguard and the pistol grip are polymer, with the latter featuring a hollow space where cleaning material is stored. An optional flash sup-pressor adds about an inch to the gun’s length and 2.29 ounces to its weight. The cocking piece reciprocates during firing, and the bolt remains open after the last round is fired. With a fresh magazine re-placing the empty one, you just press the small bolt release button on the left side and you’re ready to go. All in all, the smart Taurus CT-30 carbine is a no-frills gun that appears to meet basic LE requirements in mission-specific niches. For more on FAMAE, visit famae.cl. For more on Forjas Taurus, visit taurus.com.br.

The ParaFAL-style tubular stock folds neatly to the right side and allows the gun to be used in this configuration.

The 30-round, steel magazine has small observation holes on both sides to show full and 20-round capacities.

The fire selector is in the semi-auto (“1”) position. Also shown are the push-forward magazine-release lever, the stamped reinforcing ribs above the magazine housing, the foldable triggerguard and the button that unlocks the stock for side-folding.

“In the 1960s, the Brazilian bolt-action Chapina carbine, normally chambered for loads such as the .32-20 Win, was reportedly tested in .30 Carbine fed from a 15-round magazine.”

An optional flash suppressor is available for the gun, this adding

25mm to the overall length and 2.29 ounces

to the weight.

A trooper of the Brigada Militar do Rio Grande do Sul (the Rio Grande do Sul State Military Brigade) trains with a CT-30. Note the plain barrel sans flash suppressor.

SW