303 british

T

Turkeygun

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Hi ALL.. Im crazy I know but can any 303 experts out there help me or at least point me in the right direction to duplicate as close as possible the factory load that Federal used to make.. (303 Brit, 150 grain Federal Classic Hi-Shok SOFT POINT) These are discontinued now I believe (Silver box) and are now marketed as 303 Brit 150 grain Federal Power-Shok, Blue Box)

I can't find any information if the NEW Power-Shok is any different than the older Hi-Shok but if its the same then loading specs for that one will be good too.

ALL I know is my Lee Enfield No4 Mk1 shoots those old factory federal classic line 150grn Hi-Shoks REAL GOOD... And I want to reload it as close as possible to factory spec..

i.e.

Bullet type manufacture
Powder , ie what did federal use?
their grain load
primers..

Hopefully someone out there can point me in the right direction to find Federals original load recipe for these accurate loads..

CHEERS
 
Turkey, one thing you need to get straight right off the get go when it comes to factory loads.

Every lot number is different from the last. Maybe. Even if they use the same powder by number or primers or even brass manufacturer, they will usually be different.

Their experts test the components for velocity, pressure and general consistency.

They may or may not have the same point of impact, even out of the same rifle.

Another thing to consider, there is a good likelihood that they will be using proprietary powders that are available only to them.

Higginson's used to sell a lot of their overstock as well as powder manufacturers product over runs. This was about the only way handloaders could get similar powders as to those used in factory rounds. Even then, there was no way to identify which factory or which rounds they used the particular components in.

The commercial ammunition loaders, use the cheapest components that are acceptable for the job. Unless they state a certain bullet on the box, even those will change from lot to lot.

Your question is unanswerable.

The best you can do, is go to their website, look at the specs for the particular bullet you want to shoot and try to get velocities as close as possible with what is available to public hand loaders.
 
Agree with bearhunter,get some safe general reloading data for the round you'd like to load and work from there to find what your particular rifle truly likes. I'm sure if it's a plain Jane hunting round your after it won't take much to develop a sufficient load. Good luck.
 
Ok thats what I wanted to know if the factorys keep there components secret. Then I will get the same bulleys ie remg core lokt 180 grn and start from scratch with powder loads and types available to me with my aim point being to match factory velicity and accuracy.
 
If some factory ammo works well in your rifle, buy a case of the same lot #. A different Lot # could be as different as a different brand.

Get a quantity of the identical brass, and a couple boxes of different brands of FLAT BASE 180 gr (or 174 or 150) bullets and try them out.

Pick a single powder and work up loads, testing for accuracy. Any of the medium speed powders would work well. I use 4895, 4064 and RL15. I prefer the latter because it meters well.
 
I've found the flat base Hornady SP's to be consistently more accurate than any other hunting bullets. In particular, the 150 gr SP, loaded to min load, comes close to the rifles design MV @ 2450 fps. I call it 303 lite.
 
Ammo makers don't publish the components they use because they vary. Including the bullet maker. And they use powders reloaders can't buy.
You have to work up the load for your rifle.
 
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