Why is .303 british so god damn expensive to shoot? smh.

[toebako]

303 is hard to find. Demand is really low. I can’t recall when the last time was that I saw a 303 out hunting. Many of the traditional users now shoot modern calibers as they buy rifle/scope package from Cantire.
If you need it(303) then find it and buy it. It won’t get cheaper or easier to find.

 

[rhino519]

$69.99 for 20 rounds is criminal for a military surplus round.

last i saw it was $90/20

 

[cigar_man]

Reloading and bullet casting is the only way to reduce costs. Initial setup can be costly, but depending on how long you plan to be in this game for, it may pay off in the long run.

Reloading and casting cannot be a passing phase, it also must be a passion for you.

I have been seriously at both for over 53 years now.

.303 FMJ loading, I neck the cases down from .303 to .308 and use the cheap 147gr Campro's or I use cast bullets in .311 - .312. powder coated without necking the casing down.

Neck size only is best along with annealing and your cases will last longer.

I run everything from RCBS, Lyman, Lee, Redding onto Dillon. I bet I have at least 8k invested in reloading dies alone.

Don't be afraid of Lee equipment, it will get you across the finish for many years if needed, just choose wisely.

 

[SteyrM69]

I've had some on the EE for a month at just over a dollar a round including shipping and got no interest, it all depends where you look

 

[Bigcrigger]

Where do you get it from? Cheapest I've been able to find is $49.99 for S&B

local gun store, $40 for fmj, 45 for soft point. Both s&b

 

[mephisto002]

All surplus ammo is expensive nowadays, with the exception of the Russian stuff, but not for too long.

Reloading is the ONLY way to go if you want to shoot these rifles at a reasonable cost.
I reload for all my guns, just counted, I am at 19 different calibers now.
I am sure there are quite a few members here who load for much more.

 

[maple_leaf_eh]

$69.99 for 20 rounds is criminal for a military surplus round.

You're shopping in the wrong place. In the recent past I've found S&B and Privi 174gr FMJ for about $40 to $42 a box.

 

[Snider shooter]

Make me some..

You have good luck with that. I’m down to about 40 rnds so need to load for myself.

 

[mephisto002]

You're shopping in the wrong place. In the recent past I've found S&B and Privi 174gr FMJ for about $40 to $42 a box.

Most dealers on this site have the ammo you mention in stock.

 

[Suther]

I spent 5 minutes looking and found multiple places selling it for $40-42. That's actually pretty affordable, and less of a price increase from 2019 prices than things like 30-06.

 

[OkayShooter]

You have good luck with that. I’m down to about 40 rnds so need to load for myself.

I gotta get some bullets from ya.

 

[Carpenter25]

Yup expensive lifestyle now.
Way less expensive than buying at a store though

I stopped shooting Fclass it took the fun out of it

 

[LawrenceN]

Keep your brass, keep your eyes open for brass at a decent price at gun shows and your LGS, buy the components and learn to reload. Rumour has it that Campro may start production of a .311 flat base 174 gr. copper plated bullet for those of us who reload and shoot that lovely old round. The last batch I loaded for my buddy was Hornady 174 gr. boat tail FMJ's as a plinking round.

 

[Suther]

Keep your brass, keep your eyes open for brass at a decent price at gun shows and your LGS, buy the components and learn to reload. Rumour has it that Campro may start production of a .311 flat base 174 gr. copper plated bullet for those of us who reload and shoot that lovely old round. The last batch I loaded for my buddy was Hornady 174 gr. boat tail FMJ's as a plinking round.

I feel like I saw a discussion here that was saying that bullet might not hold up to full power 303brit loads, velocity must be kept a bit lower than what the 303brit is capable of?

 

[Egon]

If you always keep in the back of your mind that you need to buy it whenever you see it for sale, you seem to see it for sale more often than if you head out specifically to buy some.
It’s not the easiest cartridge to only shoot factory ammo, but it’s far from the hardest one either. Up here in Northeastern BC there are still quite a few guys using Enfield Sporters, so the local gun shops make sure to have some. You just have to buy it when you see it, cause it will often be six months before they order (or find) more. I finally got my wife understanding that, because she was getting pissed off that I’d go in for a can of worms or new wool socks and then end up coming home with $200 worth of obscure ammo. You gotta get it when you see it!

Or Reload (a better idea)

Last year I got back into hunting, after a 35 year hiatus. After reading all about the latest cartridges and guns (actually a lot of decent cartridges have pretty much come and gone in that time), reading the opinions of the Hunter GunNutz, and discussing with hunter friends that are keeping abreast of the trends, I decided to just use my old Martini-Enfield Tilting-Block single shot .303 British rifle. And just like that one Moose and one Muley, both cleanly killed. I accepted the limits of the gear I chose and hunted accordingly. I was lucky to have gotten opportunities in iron-sight range and I was also lucky to be hunting with friends that were so excited to have me come out big game hunting again that they didn’t take shots that would have been a piece of cake for them.
Now, I am thinking of the .303 British as a hunting round, not a Mil-Surp round to be honest. Cheers.

 

[Highwind]

303 British hasn't been cheap for over 20 years... I remember the ole Imperial AMMO. It used to be almost as cheap as 30-30; and that's not cheap anymore... Other expensive cartridges are 300 Savage, 260 Remington, 243 WSSM or 25 WSSM, 300 WSM, 45-70, 6.5 Swede, among others. Reloading is the only way to keep ammo available for when it's needed.

 

[Suther]

303 British hasn't been cheap for over 20 years... I remember the ole Imperial AMMO. It used to be almost as cheap as 30-30; and that's not cheap anymore... Other expensive cartridges are 300 Savage, 260 Remington, 243 WSSM or 25 WSSM, 300 WSM, 45-70, 6.5 Swede, among others. Reloading is the only way to keep ammo available for when it's needed.

What's 243wssm or 25wssm worth these days? Is it even made? Lol

 

[NAA]

It's always nice when someone gives you this:



-------------
NAA.

 

[Highwind]

What's 243wssm or 25wssm worth these days? Is it even made? Lol

Yes they are still produced from time to time. Both are excellent rounds for deer sized animals. The 243 WSSM is a tad faster then a 243 Winchester and the 25 WSSM is pretty much equal to a 25-06.

 

[sillymike]

$69.99 for 20 rounds is criminal for a military surplus round.

- Because it was last used in WW1... and we've been depleting the supply ever since?
- For the last few decades, we've been dealing with anti-gun bureaucrats and politicians... So even if they stumbled upon pallets load it... They would rather pay to have it destroyed instead of selling it to civilians...