.303 ammo

Nightstalker

Nightstalker

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Shopping around for .303 ammo , I have some questions for the people who have been shooting it for a while now. 174-180 grain is the best option ?, among the mfts , since i could not find any surplus, which is the better choice ? Priv, Speer , s&b ?, anyone shoot CamPro ? and to answer the obvious, no i dont have the "reload" option so just looking for economically viable pre packaged ammo. cheers
 
174gr was what Lee Enfields were designed for but as far as shooting goes 150 and 180gr have been just fine for me.

I found that the cheap Winchester 303 British cycled the best for my Enfield and most people I have talked to found the same with their rifles.

I know you said it but reloading is the cheap option. There really is no economically viable factory ammo. From what I have found 303 is $30 per 20. Yes you will find cheaper but by the time you ship it, its not cheaper anymore
 
Priv makes the best factory ammo for the 303 british and their brass is top notch for relaoding. It seems to be the way to go for factory ammo or brass. Winchesters always work well for me, but they are all over the place for oal. And the cost a lot, 35.99$ plus tax a box here and the brass sucks for relaoding.

I bought 200 s&b one time. It all shot well, had no comlants there , but the brass suck, primer hole are tight and so is the flash hole.

The guys over on Enfieldrifles love priv and always recomend it. Thats why i started using before i started reloading.
 
Gnome75 said:
174gr was what Lee Enfields were designed for but as far as shooting goes 150 and 180gr have been just fine for me.

I found that the cheap Winchester 303 British cycled the best for my Enfield and most people I have talked to found the same with their rifles.

I know you said it but reloading is the cheap option. There really is no economically viable factory ammo. From what I have found 303 is $30 per 20. Yes you will find cheaper but by the time you ship it, its not cheaper anymore
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Actually they were designed for 220 grain roundnose/flat base bullets and that's why it has the 1-10 twist rate. The 174 grain boat tail bullets do work well and in some rifles so do the 150 grain bullets.

Flat base bullets seem to give the best results in these rifles.

Now, this for the OP. Try your rifle with a few different weights and brands. These old war horses have bores that vary from .309 to .315. Most of the offerings have .311 or 312 diameter bullets and they may not be accurate enough for your needs in YOUR rifle.

Also, there are other factors in Lee Enfields of all models that will effect accuracy. Sloppy ways (receiver bedding). Warped stocks. Cut down stocks on sporters usually don't have the 6 pounds of upward barrel pressure need from the fore ends or the spring/plunger has been lost.

Lee Enfields can be extremely accurate when the rifles have been properly maintained. If you have a sporter that doesnt want to shoot, I would suggest bedding the receiver area, after doing some due diligence, rather than searching for a brand that shoots well. When a LE is set up properly it will usually shoot just about anything fed into it within specs or better.
 
Like the gnome said, there is no economically viable commercial option.

200 rounds of Remington UMC 174gn will run you $400 pre tax.

That same $400 will buy you a Lee single stage kit, brass, bullets and powder enough to load 100 rounds.

Keep any eye on the EE, sometimes 303 brass can be had for the cost of postage.
 
I have been reloading with cast bullets and the deer I have shot with them do not know what hit them. I can put 5 shots in the size of a 2$ coin at 60 yds all day long. reloading will save you lots of $ in the long run if you shoot a lot, but if you have lots of money buy factory and settle with fair accuracy. happy hunting
 
Prvi has great brass, I use it for .303, 8mm, 6.5x55, 7.62x54r, etc. I've got .303 brass that's on its 7th neck-sizing, doing just fine.

The No.4 does 'OK' with round nose ammo, and every Pattern-14 I've owned hates the stuff. Spitzer all the way.

Flat based is good, and boat tail will do alright as long as the bore size matches up well with your bullet. Slugging is a must.
 
For cheap commercial ammo, I like the 180gr winchester stuff. Closer to what the sights are regulated to than 150gr, and a pointier bullet than the 180gr federal (which uses a round nose bullet that has dreadful BCs)

I reload my own by pulling down surplus 7.62x54r for about 54c a round. Much, MUCH cheaper than buying 303 ammo. Although I am probably going to switch to 180gr soft points with store-bought powder (the 7.62x54r are 150gr FMJ) so once I have a load worked up it'll be useful for both plinking and hunting (It'll cost closer to 75c a round, but thats still much cheaper than commercial ammo)

You should consider reloading. If you get a Lee Classic Loader, they are under $50, and contain everything you need to get started. They are a bit crude (you use a hammer) but they do the job just fine, albeit a bit slower than alternatives. If you have a bit of free time to give er a go, I highly recommend it.
 
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