303 British ammunition question

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poor_farmer

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Flesherton, Ontario
I'm looking to buy some 303 British ammunition for target practice and hunting.

I'm considering buying one of the following:

Federal Power-Shok 303 British 150 grain Soft Point Box Of 20
Bullet Weight: 150
Bullet Style: Jacketed Soft Point
Muzzle Velocity: 2690

or

Sellier & Bellot 303 British 150 grain Soft Point Box Of 20
Weight: 150 Grain
Bullet Style: Soft Point
Muzzle Velocity: 2654 fps

The Federal Power-Shok 150 grain bullets are $4 more per box of 20 than the Sellier & Bellot bullets. The specs for both seem similar to me. Is there any reason to buy the more expensive Federal Power-Shok 150 grain bullets?

I've also found some Federal Power-Shok 180 grain bullets, but they are $10 more per box than the Federal Power-Shok 150 grain. Is there enough of an advantage to the heavier bullets to be worth spending the extra money?
 
If you are able to financially, get a box of each, and see which one shoots the best out of your rifle, the 180's will have more foot pounds of energy for moose, but either of the 150's you mentioned are fine for deer and bear and moose, aslong as you place the shot either of those 3 will do the job,
Cheers,
 
What gun is it being used in?

If it's a Lee Enfield No1 or 4 you may have to try several brands until you find one it likes to shoot, variations in barrel condition will play a role. In this case reloading with the larger .312" bullets like the Hornady interlocks @ 174gr usually work well.

If you have a newer; say Ruger number 1 in .303 with a tighter barrel you can probably shoot anything with decent results.
 
150 grain are sufficient for all medium game. I reload Speer Hot-Cor 150 SP's for hunting deer and bear and they do an excellent job. I have used Sellier & Bellot ammo alot in various calibers and it has always been accurate and consistent.
 
Both are good shooting ammo in my no.4, I’ve shot and hunted with both the 150gr S&B as well as the Fed 180gr PS sp’s. I’ve taken a couple deer with each, I only use the Fed 180’s now. No discernible difference in meat damage with the 180’s, it’s a good all round med to large game bullet around here. Buy a box of each and see which shoots the best in your LE, then buy a few boxes. If you can find PPU 174gr fmj’s, I find they shoot the same poa/poi as the 180gr Fed. I hunt with the federal and I plink with the PPU as they are way less expensive.
 
260SnowBird said:
aslong as you place the shot either of those 3 will do the job,
Cheers,
Click to expand...

As long as he places the shot where? Neck, rump, brain, pecker? I take it you mean a broadside rear lung shot through nothing but ribs, as a lightly constructed 150gr projectile isnt the sort of bullet that makes it through the shoulder blade, through the vitals, and into the offside hide on a quartering towards moose.
 
Butcherbill said:
Both are good shooting ammo in my no.4, I’ve shot and hunted with both the 150gr S&B as well as the Fed 180gr PS sp’s. I’ve taken a couple deer with each, I only use the Fed 180’s now. No discernible difference in meat damage with the 180’s, it’s a good all round med to large game bullet around here. Buy a box of each and see which shoots the best in your LE, then buy a few boxes. If you can find PPU 174gr fmj’s, I find they shoot the same poa/poi as the 180gr Fed. I hunt with the federal and I plink with the PPU as they are way less expensive.
Click to expand...

For factory ammo , I've always had good results from Federal , both the 150gr and 180 gr . My sporterised No 4 loves the 180 gr loading so I've used a fair amount of it . It also shoots to the same point of impact as my reloads ( Sierra 180's ) which doesn't happen often , and it's kinda handy sometimes . I've used the S&B a few times , it shot fairly well , but the Federal grouped a bit tighter . That's in my rifles though , you'll still just have to see what shoots in your rifle .
 
I second what others have said, in your position if your not reloading purchase a box of each, also check out Hornadys 150gr box ammo too, shoot/practice with each, see what produces your best groups and hunt with that, as others said aslong as you place you shot well, any of those rounds will perform well on big game here in Ontario.
 
Grizzly Adams said:
Even reloading components, especially bullets. My preference is 180 grain, pointed. they're for my bear gun and rd. nose doesn't feed all that well. :)

Grizz
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I see reloading supplies and ammo everywhere for the .303 Brit, our local store is well stocked. I prefer the 150 HCSP to the heavier loads, they shoot better and flatter in my No.1-A. Zeroed at 225 yards, I can hold dead on out to 260 yards with a 2.5" KZ radius... and hold just below the spine at 300... pretty effective load for general hunting.
 
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