What round to shoot through my LE no.4 mk1

@ endophobic:

Your Aussie rifle; is that an 8mm on a .303 case?

Original rifling pitch on German rifles remained unchanged through the 98 period, and they used (in order) 227, 154, 196 and 178-grain slugs. The 178s were iron-cored and had the profile of the 196: boat-tailed. The 227 and the 154 both were flatbase bullets.

I have had good shooting from Mausers with the 150 Hornady and also with the standard US 170/175-grain bullets.

You will really need to determine the rifling pitch of your rifle in order to 'suss out' the ideal projectile weight. Original Gew 98 spec was 1 turn in 9.39 inches, this according to TEXT BOOK OF SMALL ARMS - 1909. I would suggest starting with a 170.

Hope this helps.
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To TransAm: The cash you spend on 100 rounds of factory ammo will easily buy a Lee reloading kit full of everything you need to start reloading. I bit the bullet and bought one about 3 years ago and I have yet to look back. Some may poo-poo a Lee kit, but that's only because they paid too much for a different brand. My kit has already paid for itself a few times over.

Factory ammo for .303 is not worth the price you pay because it is absolute crap in comparison to the reloads you can churn out with a reloading press for half the cost.

In short, I've pulled apart Winchester, Remington, Federal, and Igman ammunition. Winchester was best... but of a bad lot to begin with. They all use undersized bullets, light loads of powder which is inconsistently weighed, and crimped inconsistently as well. None of this helps in the accuracy department, and it's safe to say my groupings in my .303 rifles suffered as a result.... until I started rolling my own.

If you are stuck with factory, try Sellier & Bellot 180 FMJ's. It's loaded hotter, uses true .311 bullets, and worked best in all of my rifles.
 
IMG_5342.jpg
well after in-depth research and taking it to our local guru 'Dave' at wholesale sports here in Calgary we have confirmed that my SMLE sporter is a Parker Hale Custom #4 with original everything. The picture posted is a close cousin. my beauty is identical however is has the original PH scope mount and 4x scope. The .323 we assume is a stamp error the 2 is over the 0 where the 303 would be. an 8mm mauser round will not go in the barrel let alone go into the action. all I need know is the armory markings to find out when PH put this thing together.... I know within the crossed emblem lies a T on the left and a B on the right with the number 5 under it 'this means something. any takers? and the OA placed 6 or 7 times on the action does not mean Australia. I'm learning. and I thank all who have helped...
 
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endophobic said:
well after in-depth research and taking it to our local guru 'Dave' at wholesale sports here in Calgary we have confirmed that my SMLE sporter is a Parker Hale Custom #4 with original everything. The picture posted is a close cousin. my beauty is identical however is has the original PH scope mount and 4x scope. The .323 we assume is a stamp error the 2 is over the 0 where the 303 would be. an 8mm mauser round will not go in the barrel let alone go into the action. all I need know is the armory markings to find out when PH put this thing together.... I know within the crossed emblem lies a T on the left and a B on the right with the number 5 under it 'this means something. any takers? and the OA placed 6 or 7 times on the action does not mean Australia. I'm learning. and I thank all who have helped...
Click to expand...

OK I don't know how to add a pic
 
Can you PM me the kit you bought, you've got my gears turning.
Tyler said:
To TransAm: The cash you spend on 100 rounds of factory ammo will easily buy a Lee reloading kit full of everything you need to start reloading. I bit the bullet and bought one about 3 years ago and I have yet to look back. Some may poo-poo a Lee kit, but that's only because they paid too much for a different brand. My kit has already paid for itself a few times over.

Factory ammo for .303 is not worth the price you pay because it is absolute crap in comparison to the reloads you can churn out with a reloading press for half the cost.

In short, I've pulled apart Winchester, Remington, Federal, and Igman ammunition. Winchester was best... but of a bad lot to begin with. They all use undersized bullets, light loads of powder which is inconsistently weighed, and crimped inconsistently as well. None of this helps in the accuracy department, and it's safe to say my groupings in my .303 rifles suffered as a result.... until I started rolling my own.

If you are stuck with factory, try Sellier & Bellot 180 FMJ's. It's loaded hotter, uses true .311 bullets, and worked best in all of my rifles.
Click to expand...
 
@endophobic et al:

OA on an Australian rifle will indicate ORANGE Arsenal, NSW.

Your barrel date is 1945 and that is an Army barrel for sure, Proofed commercially after the War. Your rifle SHOULD handle regular .303" ammo safely. Here's a quick, easy and safe way to CHECK: take a live .303 round and reverse it, put the bullet into the muzzle of the rifle. The CASING should stand out of the muzzle, likely about 1/8 of an inch, possibly more. If the whole bullet disappears into the barrel, you will want to have the barrel SLUGGED in order to determine exactly what you have.

The Aussies did some strange (and wonderful) things with Lee-Enfields, notably .25-cal and .270-cal rounds on .303 cases, even a 7mm and a 6mm, but all of these required new barrels which would NOT have military markings. An 8mm, though, COULD be cobbled-up by reboring a military barrel, hence my unwillingness to go any further right now.

Get her slugged if the bullet enters all the way, then we'll worry about What Can Be Done. If the bullet doesn't go in all the way, you have a .303" for which you can buy ammo..... and then start rolling your own: MUCH more accurate. Of the brass available commercially, Prvi Partian is closest to Military specs; the others all use SAAMI specs which give you undersize cases which don't last the way good brass should last, even though the materials are excellent.

Have fun!
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This kit, calipers and loading manuals will get you started.
http://leeprecision.com/50th-anniversary-breech-lock-challenger-kit.html
You will also need to get dies for the calibers you want to reload.
Don't go by the price on the Lee site.
It will pay for itself quickly.
 
As far as terminal ballistics go, even the 150's mushroom perfectly. I've pulled alot of them outta deer from my old no4. The speed seems right for soft points so they don't fragment too bad and they all shot well
 
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