.303 british 215 V 174 gr

WhelanLad

WhelanLad

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G'day Folks,
Ive been using the 215gr Woodleigh for a while now and did get to shoot some Deer with it, I ordered some replacement projectiles and ended up with 174gr PPSN Weldcores and I was initially bummed about it as it isnt worth the postage sending back.. So i have a box of 174 im going to load up..

i've found the 215s are good strong bullets but perhaps not ideally intended for Sambar deer (elk sized game) and smaller bodied deer making some distance with what i can only put down to not as much expansion due to not enough mass to initiate it..

So im wondering if those who have used 174 would Agree there should be better expansion an just as much penetration on these sized animals, also aiding in a bit better trajectory?

i dont shoot past 200m , most being 100 or so, im planning on not driving these too hard in the Ruger, just more an accurate load--


will post up some photos once i get organised with 174s, got 10 or so 215s left for now, anyone else used both? on game? preference
 
I'm using 150 Gr. Hornady on Ontario White Tail. I found the 180 commercial stuff did too much damage to the meat or left too much blood spatter. I should think the 174 Gr. would be more than adequate to take anything you encounter in Kiwi land. Hereabouts, that'll take down anything we hunt, so we're talking black bear being about the largest. I know the guys out west have had good results on Elk and Caribou.
 
While I've not personally shot anything with a 303, I do know that the 174gr Hornadys have been used for just about everything here in Canada and not heard a word against them and how they work on game.

I'd use them w/o a second thought keeping in mind that unlike a 30cal bullet that can be used in a number of velocities from 300Savage to 300RUM and everything in between with mixed results depending on the the type of bullet, the 174gr would have been designed specifically for the 303British and the velocity it produces.
 
SuperCub said:
While I've not personally shot anything with a 303, I do know that the 174gr Hornadys have been used for just about everything here in Canada and not heard a word against them and how they work on game.

I'd use them w/o a second thought keeping in mind that unlike a 30cal bullet that can be used in a number of velocities from 300Savage to 300RUM and everything in between with mixed results depending on the the type of bullet, the 174gr would have been designed specifically for the 303British and the velocity it produces.
Click to expand...

Yep, im not doubting them but im wondering if they will kill a little quicker than what im experiencing with the 215s, being made for the velocity of the cartridge - im hoping they perform a little better on the deer sized game than heavy 215s did
 
I've shot several deer with the Hornady 174's. They are relatively soft bullets and dissipate their energy nicely. In some cases, the deer were knocked off their feet, and lay where they fell. I would consider them generally superior to a 215 gr bullet - apparently so did the British army.
 
I don't have any experience with either bullet in the .303 British but they are both designed for the velocities attained by the .303 Br. I have a little experience with Weldcore's in other cartridges and they seemed to perform well on game for me. I've always thought they were an excellent bullet when used for the cartridges they were designed for.

I'm definitely interested in hearing about your results with the 174's.
 
I have shot deer with both the Hornady 174 RN and 150 SP's... results identical on lung shots, but the 150's were more accurate in both of the No.1's that I shot them in.
 
I haven't used the 215's, but the 174 's work well on deer and are accurate.
I have also shot more than a few deer with the 215 C.I.L. bullets but they are a different construction than the Woodleigh.
Cat
 
catnthehatt said:
I haven't used the 215's, but the 174 's work well on deer and are accurate.
I have also shot more than a few deer with the 215 C.I.L. bullets but they are a different construction than the Woodleigh.
Cat
Click to expand...

When I was about 12 or 13, I got my intro to Moose & Mule Deer hunting in the B.C. central interior. Funds weren't plentiful at that time, but as I recall, Dad & I were using a pair of Simpon-Sears 'sporterized' Lee Enfields. The C.I.L. or Dominion 215gr ammo was Dad's choice for Moose. Brings back memories:).
 
I have a 1910 Ross that I had rebarrelled a couple of years ago. I have not shot
anything with it yet, but plan to try it out this fall.

It shoots that 174 Woodleigh into under 1" at 100M, so it is plenty accurate.

It will be interesting to pack it, since I may see Elk, Moose, Whitetail deer, Mule
deer or Black Bear where I hunt. I am quite certain the 303/174 Woodleigh will
be up to any task out to 300M or a bit more.

The chrony says 2620 fps, using a nice load of Norma 202. I'm sure your #1
would digest similar loads, but you are giving up 3" of barrel length in that #1A.
Dave.
 
Hind that was shot the other night with 215gr woodleighs. entry on point of shoulder. exit couple ribs back... took a moment and filled with blood.
proberly shot from about 50m though after a poor initial shot from the mate..

QowwTYW.jpg
 
Some Wonderful replies here guys.

im interested to know the difference in construction between the ol CIL/ Dominion 215 which ive only ever heard about from CGN in regards to the 303 and MOOSE!



im also confident in the 174s at the 303 speeds which the woodleighs are made to work at , across their whole board of bullets , each is 'tailored' for its intended cartridge, an the COAL also with cannelures in the right place for saami spec lengths etc.. quite good i rekon!


im wondering about the length of projectile, we know these rugers have looong throats, i wonder how much this will interfere with accuracy..?!
 
WL....those 215 CIL bullets should be the old Kling-Kor SP. They were actually a quality bullet that
tended to stay together, even on heavy bone. Penetrate like mad, too. You can tell by looking at
the bullet, it should have several little notches in the jacket just below the cannelure. Dave.
 
Here ya go WL!
As you can see, the KKSP C.I.L. bullets have the jackets staked to the lead cores, this was to help them retain the cores.
The middle is a 180 grain and the other is a 215, alongside the 174 Woodleigh
Every bullet I have recovered more or less acted like an H mantel -- that is, the core and jacket stayed together at the stakes ( or inn the case of the H mantel at the bulkhead with the front half separating.
However this was only when they hit heavy bone at ranges inside 100 yards, otherwise for the most part i get pass throughs right out to 300 yards.
The Woodleigh is of a heavier jacket I think, and a bonded core?
Cat
WYldTma.jpg

KwuAKGS.jpg
 
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Now those holes or stakes are interesting as all hell! we are talkin a fairly old bullet here , aint we?

Now those entry an exit holes are what i expect from that distance :)




Yes Woodleighs are Bonded bullets, given a bit of a model name as "Weld-cores" .......

Thanks for the pics! ive never seen such projectile!!
 
FYI- Woodleigh also do a 130gr PPSN in .312 for the 7.62x39? rated 2000 to 3000 fps........ that flattens the 303 alot!!!
woodleigh dont do 150gr, only 174-215 and the 130 mentioned above..
 
We are working on a .303 load for a P14 with a 150gr TSX. So far load development is very promising and according to the chrono readings, it's pushing 2950-3000fps and very nice accuracy.
This should be more than adequate for moose in the fall.
 
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