303 reloading

Need to see pictures to be sure. Most .303 cases show substantial stretch, some may have incipient case head failures. Close up pics of this area are needed.

Look that up, and see if your cases show the characteristic bright line above the case head where such a failure is about to happen.

If not, they should be no problem to reload. If you reload at full power, you won't get too many firings out of them before they have to be scrapped.

If you're just punching paper, consider a "reduced load": easier on the brass, on your shoulder, and on your wallet.
 
Shine a pen light into each case and see if there is one flash hole/reloadable or two Berdan /non reloadable without extreme monkeying.
 
Lots of surplus is boxer primed and lots of it isn't. If it's not boxer primed another easy check is to see if it fits in the chamber of your gun. If it does, then reloading will be easy. 303 can be a nightmare to reload sometimes if you have a lot of different rifles and don't match the empties to the gun. Chamber sizes can be all over the place and full length resizing can be problematic.Bore size can also be all over the place but that's not what you were asking. Reloading for 303's can drive you nuts sometimes.
 
Is it generally better if all empties come from the same gun and you only neck size? Does full length sizing just reduce brass life?

bdft said:
Lots of surplus is boxer primed and lots of it isn't. If it's not boxer primed another easy check is to see if it fits in the chamber of your gun. If it does, then reloading will be easy. 303 can be a nightmare to reload sometimes if you have a lot of different rifles and don't match the empties to the gun. Chamber sizes can be all over the place and full length resizing can be problematic.Bore size can also be all over the place but that's not what you were asking. Reloading for 303's can drive you nuts sometimes.
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Yes.

I keep them all seperated and neck size only...actually i am old skool and use a lee loader for 303....except priming. Use a lee auto prime for that.
 
MattE93 said:
Is it generally better if all empties come from the same gun and you only neck size? Does full length sizing just reduce brass life?
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True full length resizing will reduce case life in a 303, as you are contracting and expanding the brass substantially. So, the options are to:

a) neck size, and segregate your brass.
b) partially resize your brass with your FL die. This is done by leaving a "toonie" gap between the die and the shell holder.

I do the latter. I resize the brass to my tightest chamber. (I have many 303's, the tightest chamber is a P-14). This way I have "universal" brass... I've managed to get three reloads so far using my method - I haven't had the opportunity to push the brass further. I did have issues with some Winchester brass recently, getting split necks after two firings. This would have occurred regardless of sizing method, and can be attributed to the thin and brittle construction of the brass. Military brass is generally considered superior in this regard, and should provide better reloading longevity.
 
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