100gr lead bullets in 303 British?
- Thread starter Fox
- Start date
TargetAcquired
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- S. Ontario
They would also make for good light loads for fire forming once-used brass to your specific rifle with the rubber ring method.
I use 85gr Hornady XTP hollow points meant for .32ACP in .303 from time to time. They range from .310" to .312" depending on the manufacturer but the Hornady ones are .312".
I also cast 90gr SWC pistol bullets for the same. Mould from Lee is rated for .312" but they usually drop ~.314" and I load them as cast; no sizing.
Can cause chambering problems in some rifles. My ERA P14 needs to be single fed because the nose is so short it'll hit the back face of the barrel instead of going in the chamber.
I use the same bullets in my Mosin Nagant and the same issue happens there but maybe only 1 in 5 shots.
I load mine with 0.7cc's of Reddot and can shoot about 3" @ 50yds with them. No filler.
I also cast 90gr SWC pistol bullets for the same. Mould from Lee is rated for .312" but they usually drop ~.314" and I load them as cast; no sizing.
Can cause chambering problems in some rifles. My ERA P14 needs to be single fed because the nose is so short it'll hit the back face of the barrel instead of going in the chamber.
I use the same bullets in my Mosin Nagant and the same issue happens there but maybe only 1 in 5 shots.
I load mine with 0.7cc's of Reddot and can shoot about 3" @ 50yds with them. No filler.
First slug your bore! I have a No4 Mk1 that I've been using for a good 30 year's now and it'll fire anything I put in it! Except cast boolit's. When I slugged the 2 groove barrel it was an eye opener. It's 302 on the land's, and 320 in the groove's!!!
I've been playing with 90-100 grain 32 cal boolit's in 30 cal rifles, all using 5gr of 700X. the 32 in the 30 cal rifle's all work!!! No sizing and tumbled lubed.
I've been playing with 90-100 grain 32 cal boolit's in 30 cal rifles, all using 5gr of 700X. the 32 in the 30 cal rifle's all work!!! No sizing and tumbled lubed.
I have shot the Lee 90 gr cast (90311) in the 303 Brit. Dropped at 0.314" from wheelweight, I lubed it with Alox. Quick, easy and cheap.
Seated to 2.625" over 4.0 grs of Trail Boss resulted in 950 fps. I'm not A huge fan of Trail Boss, usually using Red Dot in an application like this (3.0-5.0 grs), but it performed well.
The issue with the light bullets is that they're short, and in many guns the bullet will have exited the cartridge case before it engages with the rifling. For a few thousands of an inch they are "in limbo" (neither in the neck nor in the rifling) and this can cause hangfires if you're not careful. You need to use very fast pistol powders in order to ensure that the pressure is high enough to seal the cartridge neck against the chamber thus providing a seal to keep the pressure up. With this same bullet and a sensible load of H4198 I got those hangfires.
Seated to 2.625" over 4.0 grs of Trail Boss resulted in 950 fps. I'm not A huge fan of Trail Boss, usually using Red Dot in an application like this (3.0-5.0 grs), but it performed well.
The issue with the light bullets is that they're short, and in many guns the bullet will have exited the cartridge case before it engages with the rifling. For a few thousands of an inch they are "in limbo" (neither in the neck nor in the rifling) and this can cause hangfires if you're not careful. You need to use very fast pistol powders in order to ensure that the pressure is high enough to seal the cartridge neck against the chamber thus providing a seal to keep the pressure up. With this same bullet and a sensible load of H4198 I got those hangfires.
