I was thinking about the various military derivatives we have-both the North American and European[stemming from the 30-06-270, 308,233 ,35 whelen etc ]and the Mauser offerings,8x57,7x57,9.3x57 etc] but am hard pressed to think of any derivative of the venerable 303-was there any?And-in spite of all the ''modern'' cartridges-the old military offerings don't show much sign of biting the dust any time soon[my 6.5x55 swede is still doing a fine job on deer with very little fuss ]
military derivatives
- Thread starter ratherbefishin
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Hi
I think a lot of this is pretty local. The Finns have a whole ocean of wildcats based on the 7.62x54R. It just a matter of working with what's at hand. I think if you dig into it, there are a number .303 based wildcats. You just have to dig in the right areas.
The golden age of cheap throw away military bolt rifles is drawing to a close. That's very true if you cross the MN off of the list. Most of the conversion work was done in the late 40's and 50's. That dates it far enough back that the data will take some digging to find.
Bob
I think a lot of this is pretty local. The Finns have a whole ocean of wildcats based on the 7.62x54R. It just a matter of working with what's at hand. I think if you dig into it, there are a number .303 based wildcats. You just have to dig in the right areas.
The golden age of cheap throw away military bolt rifles is drawing to a close. That's very true if you cross the MN off of the list. Most of the conversion work was done in the late 40's and 50's. That dates it far enough back that the data will take some digging to find.
Bob
I recall there was a ''311'' magnum a while ago-but it never seemed to catch on.I'm interested in that 35-303 though-that sounds like the equivilent of a 35 whelen-a 30-06 expanded up to 35 caliber,which I am told is a very efficient cartridge in terms of energy for powder burned.Obviously the US market had a much wider consumer base to draw on which probably accounted for most of the military derivatives being from the 30-06 rather than the 303,plus the fact that the 303 worked just fine as it was for our northern game-typically moose and bear
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Northman999
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There's some around. I went to my gunsmith a while back to ask him about that sort of thing and he had both a 35/303 and a 375/303 on hand. Not for sale, unfortunately. He had high praise for them with heavy cast bullets for hammering large game with only moderate recoil. Of course the cost of making one of these rifles is so high nowadays, you'd only get one made if for some reason you personally "just had to have one". You could buy a new Stevens or Savage package with scope for the cost of converting your old LE or P14.
Hi
Last time I did a Mauser conversion it wound up costing me more than twice as much as a good newly made rifle. I don't think there was anything on the converted rifle that had roots in the original other than the bolt and receiver. Both of them were heavily modified in the process.
Bob
Last time I did a Mauser conversion it wound up costing me more than twice as much as a good newly made rifle. I don't think there was anything on the converted rifle that had roots in the original other than the bolt and receiver. Both of them were heavily modified in the process.
Bob
I picked up a nice 9.3x57-but the economics dictate that unless you can do it yourself, the only practical way to utilise a derivative is if and when it gains enough demand for commercial production.I had never heard of a 35-303,but when you think about it it makes sense,just as a 35 whelen makes sense as a derivative of the 30-06,or the 9.3 x57 makes sense as a derivative of the 8x57
Hi
I suspect that it's as much "most gun magazines were published in the US". The reason we know about a bunch of this stuff is article after article pushing this or that particular cartridge.
I have been told that *anything* tried on the 30-06 was also done on the .303. I can't prove it with hard data, but tidbits here and there seem to support the theory. It appears the Finns did the same set of things with 7.62x54R ....
Bob
I suspect the reason for many of the ''new'' developments can be attributed to the gun writers-and making people think that unless they had the very latest whiz-bang they were dreadfully handicapped.My 6.5X55 is 100 years old-and many 'modern' cartridges would be hard pressed to beat it in terms of a high SD,accuracy,efficiency,and low recoil.
Check some of the Australian Hunting/shooting "sites" .
..... Not at all sure if they're still around, but growing up in Australia, and there being lots of SMLE No3's being available, there were a great many .303 "derivatives" kicking around. Used mostly for Kangaroo and Pig Hunting.. the "varmint" types were used on Foxes, Rabbits and Dingoes. ( There was Deer Hunting too, but most I think used either factory .303 or more modern commercial rounds, same for Goats). Perhaps if one checked some of the Australian Hunting / Shooting magazines and web sites, specific information may be available? ...... David K. ....
..... Not at all sure if they're still around, but growing up in Australia, and there being lots of SMLE No3's being available, there were a great many .303 "derivatives" kicking around. Used mostly for Kangaroo and Pig Hunting.. the "varmint" types were used on Foxes, Rabbits and Dingoes. ( There was Deer Hunting too, but most I think used either factory .303 or more modern commercial rounds, same for Goats). Perhaps if one checked some of the Australian Hunting / Shooting magazines and web sites, specific information may be available? ...... David K. ....
Hi
It's hard to find a single issue of *any* gun mag without a new cartridge (or newly discovered one) in there somewhere. It's sort of like having a flashy cover picture. It's not a magazine if you don't have one....
You will get no argument from me about the 6.5 Swede. They even shoot ok from 100 year old rifles. I'd have to reach a full arm's length to grab one of those ....
Bob
