303 length seems short

[Striker33]

Hey guys,

I am just starting reloading 303 British. I bought someone else's reloads as they were cheaper than brass. ( I got 150 rounds for about $50) I went to measure the OAL and found them to be around 2.74. my Lyman says >2.8. Do I need to pull all of these and start fresh? They are Lead bullets. Pulled 1 and it was ~160gr (.312-3.14) and there was ~10 grains of powder ( I am guessing Reddot because it was so light) Can I shoot these? Also I have heard that sizing just the neck is best... how the heck do I do that if I have a traditional lee die set?

 

[H4831]

Hey guys,

I am just starting reloading 303 British. I bought someone else's reloads as they were cheaper than brass. ( I got 150 rounds for about $50) I went to measure the OAL and found them to be around 2.74. my Lyman says >2.8. Do I need to pull all of these and start fresh? They are Lead bullets. Pulled 1 and it was ~160gr (.312-3.14) and there was ~10 grains of powder ( I am guessing Reddot because it was so light) Can I shoot these? Also I have heard that sizing just the neck is best... how the heck do I do that if I have a traditional lee die set?

They sound like great, light plinkers, shoot away and enjoy them.
Pay absolutely no attention to them being .006" shorter than what your book shows as normal. This is just nothing. I mean nothing, like absolutely nothing.
A 303 Lee Enfield has a very long chamber. Just compare the position of the shoulder on a fired case, as compared to a new, factory round. The shoulder will be pushed ahead at least an eighth of an inch on the fired case.
Just to size the neck, leave your die so far out of the press that it either doesn't touch this shoulder, or just barely touches it.

 

[Tinman204]

Like stated above, don't worry too much about the short OAL length, it's no big deal.

One thing that I'll ad is that I would buy reloads from someone but I would pull all of the bullets and check the charge weight before I'd even consider shooting them. But that's just me.

A .303 British case could be double charged when using only 10 grains of red dot. My go to load is 13 grains of red dot and a lee 180 grain cast gas checked bullet. These loads are accurate out to 200 yards and the recoil is very light. They are an absolute blast to shoot!!

As for necksizing, that is done with a necksizing die. It comes in the lee deluxe dies set and is sold for under $50. It only sizes the neck and doesn't touch the shoulder of the brass. If you plan on reloading and shooting .303 a lot a necksizing die will give you the nest accuracy and longest case life.