303 Brit Ammo Price?
- Thread starter Fox
- Start date
Hard to put a price on it, every time I go to a gunshow it seems to jump a few cents.
I would say, around $1.00-$1.50 per round for loose rounds, and probably closer to $2.00/rnd for a sealed box as it would have collectors appeal. Most of the surplus I find is WWII dated with the odd WWI dated rounds, never seen a post WWII dated round. Never seen a tracer for sale either.
You buying or Selling?
I would say, around $1.00-$1.50 per round for loose rounds, and probably closer to $2.00/rnd for a sealed box as it would have collectors appeal. Most of the surplus I find is WWII dated with the odd WWI dated rounds, never seen a post WWII dated round. Never seen a tracer for sale either.
You buying or Selling?
Some of the Canadian WW 2 stuff is pretty decent - non corrosive, accurate, and if memory serves, boxer primed. At the other end of the spectrum is foreign made, berdan primed, poorly stored, corrosive ammo (think Pakistan, or even England). Hard to give a value without more details...
The post WW2 ammo is generally in better condition, but ranges in quality and reloadability. Some countries continued to produce corrosive berdan primed 303 well after the war.
The post WW2 ammo is generally in better condition, but ranges in quality and reloadability. Some countries continued to produce corrosive berdan primed 303 well after the war.
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Most of it was from the Mid 40's 
Most of it is DAC Mk 7 from 41-45, there is some 51, 55 and 69, the 69 stuff is the only boxer primed stuff.
I am not sure if it is all powder or if some is cordite.
$1/rd was my thought, does anyone know if tracer is collectible at all?
I am not sure if it is all powder or if some is cordite.
$1/rd was my thought, does anyone know if tracer is collectible at all?
buzzmagoo
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- sprucewood Hallows Eastern Townships
Tracers are looked for by many 2.50 to 5.00 depending on head stamps . Starting to be quite hard to find ( in any calibers for that matter ). Belted or boxed ( originally)?head stamps all the same ? If you find someone looking to complete a belt with the proper stamps or to complete a box .
I have to look closer, may take a count and list the headstamps, no box but may be all the same headstamp.
blasted_saber
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- A blue part of Ontario
303 Brit prices have gone ####ing crazy
I was in some gun shops over the weekend and standard cup and core soft point probably averaged $45 a box
Used to be you could tell new hunter to buy a 303 for $150 and have a gun for life; well thats still true, only now it will cost you $50 for a box of shells. If you do any sort of shooting at all the savings on the rifle are just not worth it.
I was in some gun shops over the weekend and standard cup and core soft point probably averaged $45 a box
Used to be you could tell new hunter to buy a 303 for $150 and have a gun for life; well thats still true, only now it will cost you $50 for a box of shells. If you do any sort of shooting at all the savings on the rifle are just not worth it.
Unless you reload.
If you shoot odd cartridges you need to reload to make it cost effective, 303 Brit is a lot cheaper than factory by far, 174gr Hornady pills with a moderate load of H4895 will run you about $0.82 a shot, $16.41/20.
Yes there is reloading overhead an you better take care of your brass but aside from 223 reloading will save you money with every cartridge and increase your accuracy too.
I have some brass that is boxer that is from the war period but all the loaded ammo that I have from that period is Berdan primed, the only Boxer primed military stuff I have is from 69.
Would that 69 stuff be non-corrosive?
A few months ago Winchester 303 SP was $33 @cabelas I bought 2 boxes when I impulse bought a rifle from the used section.
I found S&B FMJ for $26/box and SP $31/box of 20. All Soft point round go on premium right now.... buy your soft points in the spring or early summer they tend to be better priced or at least no worse than the previous year.
I found S&B FMJ for $26/box and SP $31/box of 20. All Soft point round go on premium right now.... buy your soft points in the spring or early summer they tend to be better priced or at least no worse than the previous year.
blasted_saber
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- A blue part of Ontario
It is becoming so, maybe not to you or to Canada but 303 British is no longer used in war and no new surplus guns are being released.
Just look at ammunition options, 180gr RN is pretty much all you can find, Winchester 180gr is a spitzer sort of, and Federal has a 150gr, the FMJ options are even iffy from American manufacturers.
If you can find a source for Euro ammo you can find more options but you have to find someone to bring it in, it will not be in your local Canadian Tire like old times.
This round is becoming odd, odd like a 222 Rem, like a 7mm Mauser, like 6.5x55mm, 1 style of ammo by each manufacturer with an odd bullet size that does not garner American manufacturing when 308 and 30-06 are a lot better sellers there.
303 ammo used to be cheap but now it's as expensive as premium ammo. Whenever I get to Canadian Tire I swing by the ammo section just to see what they have and for what price.
Standard Winchester 180 gr 303 SP is over 40 bucks a box and anything that is somewhat premium like Federal Fusion is even more money if it's available. If you want to shoot cheap factory, then 223, 308, 30/30 or even 30/06 are usually cheaper.
I think in store customer buying statistics are finding that the 303 is gradually fading from the hunting scene and is now not as popular a round as it once was. As a result, it is now being relegated to the status of a speciality round and prices reflect that. Eventually chain stores could drop the line altogether and you'll only see it in gun shops and only in limited offerings.
No major firearms company or any firearms company for that matter offers 303 in their line up and the old Enfields still out there are gradually getting worn out. If you meet other hunters in the bush today, chances are they are hunting with 308, 270 or 30/06 and with an entry level polymer stocked Remington or Savage.
The 303 will soldier on for a few more years but eventually go the way of the 32 special, 35 Remington etc.
Standard Winchester 180 gr 303 SP is over 40 bucks a box and anything that is somewhat premium like Federal Fusion is even more money if it's available. If you want to shoot cheap factory, then 223, 308, 30/30 or even 30/06 are usually cheaper.
I think in store customer buying statistics are finding that the 303 is gradually fading from the hunting scene and is now not as popular a round as it once was. As a result, it is now being relegated to the status of a speciality round and prices reflect that. Eventually chain stores could drop the line altogether and you'll only see it in gun shops and only in limited offerings.
No major firearms company or any firearms company for that matter offers 303 in their line up and the old Enfields still out there are gradually getting worn out. If you meet other hunters in the bush today, chances are they are hunting with 308, 270 or 30/06 and with an entry level polymer stocked Remington or Savage.
The 303 will soldier on for a few more years but eventually go the way of the 32 special, 35 Remington etc.
It isn't from our perspective. However, from the business perspective of most ammunition manufacturers, in the US and Europe, it is.
Popularity dictates demand which dictates everything else, and the USA being the largest market for everything "pew pew", the .303 British is considered very niche.
The cost of tooling, logistics and set-up for a production run is quite substantive, and from what I've gathered, most cartridge manufacturers might tool up to crank out a fixed amount of .303 Brit but once a year.
That has much to do with the cost of new manufacture ammunition, and it makes sense from a business perspective, even if it offends my pocketbook as a consumer.
That's why I reload. The days cheap surplus died with Greek HXP decades ago. I keep brass to a specific firearm and handload with GC'd cast lead/antimony for punching paper. But that's just me.
