.303 British, Modern Bulk Production?

plinker 777 said:
Yea, you don't resize the case, just the neck. I have a No1MkIII and a No4Mk2 and keep the brass separated for the rifle that fired it. I have bought a crate + of 7.62x54r for the very reason of pulling the projectiles (I don't even own a Nagant). Some here have said to reduce the factory Russian load by 10% case volume and you have a good range load for the .303Br reloading with the russian powder as well as the bullet. I was intending on mixing the Russian powder into the garden myself...the savings on the projectiles themselves made the purchase worthwhile believe it or not.
If the Russians are manufacturing .303Br we MUST get Canam on this and revive the noble Enfield in Canada, and hear the rifle range bark of victory once again on our shores :p (Hows that for pulling on the Patriot heartstrings?)...If that isn't motivation, an Importer should know that if it's priced right, it will fly off the shelves. Most if not all Canadian rifle shooters own an Enfield.
Click to expand...

Maybe there's some surplus for those refurb Ross rifles??
 
Travis Bickle said:
Yeah I was waiting for that comment to be honest.
Reloading .303 (if you can find powder, if you can find proper projectiles) probably doesn't put you any closer to $23 buck a box for Wal Mart Federal stuff.
I can't see it being all that much cheaper with the price of powder alone these days IF you can even find any for sale sadly.

I'm just saying, if MFS can hammer out 7.62x54R for like $0.46 a round it's not that far off a stretch for any of the bulk, steel cased ammo manufacturers to just pump out .303 Brit. I know they could, I guess they just don't as the #1 consumer is the USA and they aren't big on the .303 Brit down South. I guess I'm just dreaming :(
Click to expand...

I reload it very cheap, under a buck a round BLC-2 and a 180 RN hornady round

The problem I run into is that hornady hasn't done a ####ing batch of .303 RN in like 4 years.... to many more popular rounds to make. I still got a few hundred... but that doesn't last long.

but that said, I got those RN punching a 1.2 to 1.5 MOA groups out of a 100 year old P14, winchester at $28 bucks a box is 5-7 MOA.
 
LordEvilPepper said:
I reload it very cheap, under a buck a round BLC-2 and a 180 RN hornady round

The problem I run into is that hornady hasn't done a ####ing batch of .303 RN in like 4 years.... to many more popular rounds to make. I still got a few hundred... but that doesn't last long.

but that said, I got those RN punching a 1.2 to 1.5 MOA groups out of a 100 year old P14, winchester at $28 bucks a box is 5-7 MOA.
Click to expand...

Crazy difference in results Sir! I heard many times as well about getting good quality projectiles being extremely frustrating.

I would love to own an Enfield. I like the No 4 Mk1's full wood myself. To be honest about 5 years back I had no love for them really. They did nothing for me. Until I shot one with good ammo. It was a mint No4. Could have been the most accurate milsurp I ever shot.

I don't/will not have the time to reload anywhere in the future. Not going to happen until the kids get older and job pace slows down.
By then powder will probably be at $100 a lb and we'll be lucky if we can even own a bolt action! lol :(
Man.....I might just buy one to have and shoot 20 rounds through once a year but that goes against the grain of everything I stand for as a gun user/abuser. They are priced so cheap for what you can get out of them for reliability and accuracy.

Too bad the old AIA M10's in 7.62 NATO never really came through in any great numbers! Now there was the solution to the problem!
 
Travis Bickle said:
Crazy difference in results Sir! I heard many times as well about getting good quality projectiles being extremely frustrating.

I would love to own an Enfield. I like the No 4 Mk1's full wood myself. To be honest about 5 years back I had no love for them really. They did nothing for me. Until I shot one with good ammo. It was a mint No4. Could have been the most accurate milsurp I ever shot.

I don't/will not have the time to reload anywhere in the future. Not going to happen until the kids get older and job pace slows down.
By then powder will probably be at $100 a lb and we'll be lucky if we can even own a bolt action! lol :(
Man.....I might just buy one to have and shoot 20 rounds through once a year but that goes against the grain of everything I stand for as a gun user/abuser. They are priced so cheap for what you can get out of them for reliability and accuracy.

Too bad the old AIA M10's in 7.62 NATO never really came through in any great numbers! Now there was the solution to the problem!
Click to expand...

It was not the results i was expecting at all. A quick ladder test of some loads and i found a winner on batch 3.
PPU makes some decent .303 more affordable too. I find the lead round nose stuff flys better then the fmj stuff.
I should go use it on bear this year... since that's why my grampa bought it lol.
 
IMHO, the reason the round nose ammo shot so well for you had more to do with the flat base instead of a boat tail. Have you tried flat base spire points??
 
bearhunter said:
IMHO, the reason the round nose ammo shot so well for you had more to do with the flat base instead of a boat tail. Have you tried flat base spire points??
Click to expand...

^I agree, but they're really hard to find at less than $1 per bullet. I've wrestled with casting my own (I cast lead for BP shooting) but the aspect of adding gas checks after casting is just a pain in the a$$ that I'm not willing to mess around with at this point. Maybe some day, but not today.
 
Raton57 said:
Not really good business to make ammo for a gun that hasn't been made for 60 or 70 years at least.
Click to expand...

Millions of these rifles were made and there are thousands in Canada. The only reason I dont shoot mine is because the ammo prices are rediculous, im sure its the same with a lot of others. I would love to be able to shoot cheap ammo out of my lee enfields
 
only reason i ave not picked up a lee jungle carbine from a show is because of the ammo cost. i dont reload yet so ya cat afford for a fun gun. BUT if somesurplus r cheep russian stuff hit i would pick one up quick. so count me in
 
plinker 777 said:
^I agree, but they're really hard to find at less than $1 per bullet. I've wrestled with casting my own (I cast lead for BP shooting) but the aspect of adding gas checks after casting is just a pain in the a$$ that I'm not willing to mess around with at this point. Maybe some day, but not today.
Click to expand...

I cast a plain based bullet for .303. Just have to keep it under 1500 fps to avoid leading. I water drop the bullets too.
 
tootall said:
Considering that that the bullet dia is roughly the same as the x39 and x54R rounds, a Russian manufacturer should make a run of cheap, steel cased blasting ammo.
If it was Russian (not Chinese), it could be sold into the huge US market too.
At one time, the 303 round was an oddball down there. But recently, tons of surplus LE have been sold there too.
Click to expand...


I am actually loading 123 grain 3.10 diameter projectiles in mine :)
Intended for yup the sks
 
angrysoldier said:
canada is going to "burn"all remaining 303 ball ammo this year in base gagetown. It has been deemed to expensive to store. I heard its well over 1 million rounds.
Click to expand...

if true- it is a crying sin. The IVI brass that one occasionally finds after the Rangers have had a practice shoot is great stuff. Better than any of the Fed/Rem/Win commercial brass.
A lot of the IVI Ranger ammo is typical cup and core 180 grain hunting ammo. No reason that DND couldn't surplus and then sell this ammo and once fired brass to Canadians.
DND could use the cash by the sounds of things. There is surplus clothing, boots, packs etc. Why not ammo?? Especially if the 303 LE is being retired as the Ranger Rifle!
 
Brno8x57 said:
if true- it is a crying sin. The IVI brass that one occasionally finds after the Rangers have had a practice shoot is great stuff. Better than any of the Fed/Rem/Win commercial brass.
A lot of the IVI Ranger ammo is typical cup and core 180 grain hunting ammo. No reason that DND couldn't surplus and then sell this ammo and once fired brass to Canadians.
DND could use the cash by the sounds of things. There is surplus clothing, boots, packs etc. Why not ammo?? Especially if the 303 LE is being retired as the Ranger Rifle!
Click to expand...

Occasionally you can find brass on gcsurplus
 
gunsdora said:
I still got this stuff from last year & never had a chance to shot it. Box's are still seald & I sold the gun.

Click to expand...


The Greek stuff isn't bad (HXP) but that FNB 86 is beautiful ammo - corrosive, and Berdan primed, but beautiful to shoot - I still have a box myself that I'm keeping for a special occasion. The Churchill stuff is a collectors item. I have to admit, even if the Russian stuff sucked, I'd buy it - of course if we're getting some cheap 303 coming in, buy rifles, they're already outperforming most investments.

PS on reloading, 4064 works exceptionally well in the 303 and isn't a "###y" powder, so it's been available all through the recent powder shortage.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom