I was thinking I might try a soft C+C flat base bullet in 308 in my Brits and see how they "slug up" and how well they shoot. Something like a 165 -180 Sierra or Speer flat base..........anybody try this already..........any results?
Anybody Try .308 Bullets in The Brit.........How Do They Shoot?
- Thread starter c-fbmi
- Start date
I know a couple of guys that never did reload with 311 bullets and they never had many problems. I used the one rifle just once and did notice a more pronounced black ring on the boars forehead then I had ever seen with other rifles. Course we are talking point blank range.
I've done it quite a bit when a no.5 was my main camp and travelling gun.
Some brass you can get away with just swapping the expander ball, some I used a 308 win die to neck size (after FL sizing in a 303 die)
I started with 180 partitions with the idea the base would obturate (not sure if it did) and then used any old 180 in 308 caliber.
You needed way more than book max loads to get velocity and in two different no.5's I got 3-5 inch groups at 100 yards with the iron sights
Some brass you can get away with just swapping the expander ball, some I used a 308 win die to neck size (after FL sizing in a 303 die)
I started with 180 partitions with the idea the base would obturate (not sure if it did) and then used any old 180 in 308 caliber.
You needed way more than book max loads to get velocity and in two different no.5's I got 3-5 inch groups at 100 yards with the iron sights
Now THAT is what would put me off trying this out. Once you get past the posted maxima, you are own on your own in uncharted territory. I wouldn't like to be the experimenter on any rifle with a minimum age of fifty years, especially a milsurp with a zillion rounds down the tube before it was ever yours...
Call me a coward.
tac
The .32 acp 70 grain bullet is .311 diameter, perfect size.
In the .303 British use 7 grains of any fast-burning pistol or shotgun powder you have lying around. Bullseye, 231, TiteGroup, 700-X, Red Dot, Green Dot 7625, PB, Unique will all work.
You have to load these singly though, as they are only seated in the case 1/8 in.
In the .303 British use 7 grains of any fast-burning pistol or shotgun powder you have lying around. Bullseye, 231, TiteGroup, 700-X, Red Dot, Green Dot 7625, PB, Unique will all work.
You have to load these singly though, as they are only seated in the case 1/8 in.
Surplus .303 British bores run from .310" to .315" commonly, sometimes even worse, so whether a .308" bullet will work or not really depends on the specific rifle.
I have a P14 that slugs .311" or so (from memory) that shoots flat base .308" just fine. Only boat tail design I tried was .3105" (Hornady) which also worked fine. I use .303 British load data for the same weight.
I have a Martini-Enfield that slugs .3155" and needs a minimum of .312" to stay under 4" at 50yds. Even the .311" I have sometimes tumble and shoot patterns, not groups.
I had a No.1 Mk.3 that slugged .316" or so and wouldn't shoot anything but .312" well. .3105" and below just tumbled and keyholed and .311" were at least circular holes but all over the paper at 50yds.
If you're going cast you need to match the bullet to your groove diameter. If you load .311" cast into a .312" or larger you're probably going to have a good deal of leading in your barrel. If you push a cast bullet past a certain velocity or RPM you can also get terrible leading. The speed limit is a combination of barrel roughness, rifling depth, bullet hardness, lube type, and several other factors so it's a trial and error thing. The bullets I cast can go up to 1700fps or so with crisp rifling but in some rifles can't go past 1100fps because of a terribly pitted bore.
I have a P14 that slugs .311" or so (from memory) that shoots flat base .308" just fine. Only boat tail design I tried was .3105" (Hornady) which also worked fine. I use .303 British load data for the same weight.
I have a Martini-Enfield that slugs .3155" and needs a minimum of .312" to stay under 4" at 50yds. Even the .311" I have sometimes tumble and shoot patterns, not groups.
I had a No.1 Mk.3 that slugged .316" or so and wouldn't shoot anything but .312" well. .3105" and below just tumbled and keyholed and .311" were at least circular holes but all over the paper at 50yds.
If you're going cast you need to match the bullet to your groove diameter. If you load .311" cast into a .312" or larger you're probably going to have a good deal of leading in your barrel. If you push a cast bullet past a certain velocity or RPM you can also get terrible leading. The speed limit is a combination of barrel roughness, rifling depth, bullet hardness, lube type, and several other factors so it's a trial and error thing. The bullets I cast can go up to 1700fps or so with crisp rifling but in some rifles can't go past 1100fps because of a terribly pitted bore.
I think they will expand just fine, to fit the bore.
Prior to WW1 it was the British experimenting with their 303 Lee Enfields discovered that when the powder of their standard military cartridges was ignited, the rear of the bullet started to move before the front of the bullet moved. That should seal the bore before gas started to leak.
Prior to WW1 it was the British experimenting with their 303 Lee Enfields discovered that when the powder of their standard military cartridges was ignited, the rear of the bullet started to move before the front of the bullet moved. That should seal the bore before gas started to leak.
Thanks guys for all the input, especially from those of you who have actually done it. My two Brits are both 95 Wins so I shall slug the bore but would suspect closer to the nominal 311 than the OS 315 of the poor quality control of fast, mass produced military firearms. I can buy 311s from Henry but I think I'll try some 180 308 flat base just for the knowledge and see how they do.
