does this brass look ok?
- Thread starter Wildfoot
- Start date
i have to check the headspace.. im unsure. I had a neighbor who shoots a lot and is familiar with the no 1 mk3* and he said it was ok, but he just checked quickly.
The grooves along the brass, since its not on all the brass I have here is probably from chambering the round over and over? some of these had been in my rifle all last fall and all this spring without being shot.. so i chambered some of these rounds probably 100 times before finally shooting it.
I will chuck that one that looks cracked. I think it was some of the old 1963 milsurp i found in my dad's basement.
The grooves along the brass, since its not on all the brass I have here is probably from chambering the round over and over? some of these had been in my rifle all last fall and all this spring without being shot.. so i chambered some of these rounds probably 100 times before finally shooting it.
I will chuck that one that looks cracked. I think it was some of the old 1963 milsurp i found in my dad's basement.
i was mostly worried about the unusual ring about 1/4" up from the rim...? looks very worn there compared to an unfired cartridge- Location
- Vancouver Island BC
Neck sizing will help save your brass, but have the headspace checked by a competent gunsmith. Unfortunately the No1Mk111 rifles don't have the different sized boltheads to adjust headspace.But if it's out really bad then it's possible to have the boltface shimmed to correct any headspace problem.I have had this done on a few older No1Mk111's and it works fine, it's almost the same as changing boltheads. All you are doing is adding a bit of bolthead as you would if you were swapping one out on a No4 rifle.
Hotwheels81
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- South of GP
some swelling close to the rim is the norm as far as i know, the .303's have a rather generous chamber not to be confused with a pitted or worn chamber from year's of shooting corrosive milsurp and not being cleaned tho....
i would have the headspace checked but my no.1 mk3 will swell a winchester cxp-3 game load cartridge to the point it make's clearing the round from the chamber quite a chore... i have never had an issue with 180gr ingman or 150gr handload's or even mkVII milsurp for that matter... i suppose what you should watch for is...
#1 are you having to pull alot harder on the bolt to clear the round then to chamber it?
#2 is the swelling only on 1 side of the case or is it even all around?
#3 is it doing it to all the cases or just a certain type/brand of ammo?
check the headspace on the old girl and let us know what you find.
i would have the headspace checked but my no.1 mk3 will swell a winchester cxp-3 game load cartridge to the point it make's clearing the round from the chamber quite a chore... i have never had an issue with 180gr ingman or 150gr handload's or even mkVII milsurp for that matter... i suppose what you should watch for is...
#1 are you having to pull alot harder on the bolt to clear the round then to chamber it?
#2 is the swelling only on 1 side of the case or is it even all around?
#3 is it doing it to all the cases or just a certain type/brand of ammo?
check the headspace on the old girl and let us know what you find.
#1 Nope its easy to extract the cartridges.
#2 Swelling is uniform - its a band all the way around the cartridge 1/4" from the rim
#3 all ammo it seems. I have some '63 milsurp, some super-x, some really old imperial brand, and some federal cheapys and all look the same.
- Location
- Vancouver Island BC
My guess is that the headspace is a little excessive, the smiths will tell you it's not dangerous. The only thing is that your brass will not last very long.
- Location
- Tucson, Arizona
You will find that shiny ring on EVERY .303 round fired in EVERY .303 Lee enfield
"...don't have the different sized boltheads to adjust headspace..." Yes, they do. They're just not numbered like the No. 4 bolt head. Therein lies the biggest problem if the headspace is bad. You need a handful of bolt heads to try with headspace guages until you find one that is ok. Gets expensive at $11.30US(Gunparts) each.
The bolt should close on a 'Go' guage(only used when installing a new barrel), but not on a 'No-Go'. However, if it does, you try a 'Field' guage. If the bolt doesn't close on a 'Field' guage, the headspace is on the high end, but still safe to shoot. 'Closed' means completely closed. If the bolt head is up, even a little, it's ok.
The bolt should close on a 'Go' guage(only used when installing a new barrel), but not on a 'No-Go'. However, if it does, you try a 'Field' guage. If the bolt doesn't close on a 'Field' guage, the headspace is on the high end, but still safe to shoot. 'Closed' means completely closed. If the bolt head is up, even a little, it's ok.
You can neck size only by using a normal die but adjusting it back about .020" from the shell holder. That way you end up headspacing from the shoulder rather than the rim.
The problem you will find tho, is that the cases get tighter in the chamber and require more effort to close the bolt. So you might want to use new ammo for hunting and neck sized reloads for practice.
The problem you will find tho, is that the cases get tighter in the chamber and require more effort to close the bolt. So you might want to use new ammo for hunting and neck sized reloads for practice.
