303 Reloading?

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Secutarius

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I have been very fortunate and have inherited a lovely Lee-Enfeild No4 Mk1 from my grandfather. Seeing as the ammo for it is hard to come by and expensive when found. I figured the only way to go is reloading the 50-ish rounds that I got as well. I'm looking for recommendations on where to buy some supplies. is https://budgetshootersupply.ca/ a good place to start since they have most of what I would need? Of course open to suggestions and recommendations.

Thank you
 
I am in the same boat, with the exception being I had to buy my No4 Mk2.

The only two places in Canada I have found that carry components (cases / bullets) are Budget Shooter and Rusty Wood Trading. Budget Shooter's prices are better, however Rusty Wood does offer cast bullets at a really good price.

I got a set of Hornady Full Length Dies but have also ordered a Lee Collet Die for neck sizing to try and give the brass a longer life. I have also ordered a Lee bullet sizing setup so I can size cast or even .32 cal jacketed bullets down to .314". If you are considering the use of cast bullets you will also need a Lee Universal Flaring Die and some NOE Expanding Plugs. For best accuracy w cast bullets, the case neck needs to be minimally sized to prevent shaving lead off the bullet's bearing surface. It would seem that reloading for the Lee Enfield is an adventure unto itself.

You are gonna need a reasonable supply of cases, as apparently 303 cases don't last very long. They do come up for sale and can be had for about $0.50 a case.
 
Look to the gun shows to buy used brass. 50 pieces of brass will not get your through the test shooting stage unless you're happy with mediocre groups. Hornady makes a .312 150gr bullet that works well. If you don't already have primers and powder you may pay a premium at this time.
 
Nothing wrong with Budget Shooter Supply or Rusty Wood Trading. Both excellent dealers. The Mark 7 military round that the No 4 Mk 1 was designed for was a 174 grain boattail bullet. I usually use 174 or 180 grain Hornady flat based bullets for best results. 36-37 grains of 4895 or Varget is a good place to start.
I have a bunch of pulled 7.62 x 54 bullets that I am going to try when it warms up. 7.62 x 39 bullets have also been used with some success. Some people even use the powder. There's a whole thread about that in here somewhere.
 
been loading for 303 for the past year. I have been using the 150 gr speer and have a bunch ready for hunting with, and have now started to load a bunch of the 150 gr fmj for plinking with.

Both those you listed are good to deal with. Found a bunch of used brass, so I'm golden, and it pops us regularly.

I have had great success with N540 and recently swapped to varget, with the same success. I plink out to 300m and may try and poke out further this year with it.
 
The 303 British is often looked down upon by "elitist" shooters, because it is an older design and the rifles
it is generally chambered in are not so pleasing to the eye.

However, the old warrior is better than many realize, approaching 308 Winchester ballistics, and actually
equaling them in the P14, Ruger #1, and Ross rifles.

I have owned at least 1 303 British rifle since half of forever, sometimes I have had 3 or 4. At present, I am
down to 1, a rebarrelled Ross Mk 10. I have shot deer, Black Bear and 3 moose with the 303....never had
any issues with lack of power.

My pet loads are all in the 174 - 180 grain area, IMR 4320 (obsolete now, but still plenty around) N540,
Norma N202 and 203b, IMR 4895, Ramshot Big Game, H380, W760/H414. It is really quite versatile.

I bought some of the PRVI 180 grain softpoints from Budget. My Ross shoots them sub-moa, but I have not
had a chance to try them on game yet. Maybe next spring on a Black Bear.

OP, enjoy your 303. They are a lot of fun, and effective too!! Dave.
 
I've just started getting the sporterized SMLE I got from my FIL going. I have been looking out from some 303 ammo, but haven't had any luck. A friend at the range offered to show me how to reload for 303, and I bought some brass from Budget Shooter Supply, and he loaded up some rounds for me, using his powder, primers, and cast bullets. So I will be off to the range soon to see how it shoots. And now I am looking to get set up for reloading. And he is helping me unsporterize it (I have received metal parts from Numrich, and ordered a new stock from Alberta Gun Stocks, run by Bill Landals. He runs it old school, no web presence, contact by phone 780-608-4364.) Looking forward to that project in the new year.
 
Just buy surplus steel cased 7.62x54R ammo and take it apart. You recover the projectiles and powder and reload those two scavenged components into boxer primed 303 British cases. HOWEVER, don't use all the powder from a the donor 54R cartridge to the 303 British case. Instead go down about 6-7 grains!!!

Do this and you end-up with a limitless supply of affordable 303 British ammo and because you aren't using a corrosive primer the stuff is NON corrosive too (even though the donor ammo was corrosive).

The best way to take the 54R ammo apart is with an RCBS collet bullet puller. Second choice is one of those kinetic bullet pullers.

Use Herters brass if you can find it. It is much better than the North American commercial junk (i.e., R-P, Imperial, FC, etc.)

ENJOY
 
bdft said:
Nothing wrong with Budget Shooter Supply or Rusty Wood Trading. Both excellent dealers. The Mark 7 military round that the No 4 Mk 1 was designed for was a 174 grain boattail bullet. I usually use 174 or 180 grain Hornady flat based bullets for best results. 36-37 grains of 4895 or Varget is a good place to start.
I have a bunch of pulled 7.62 x 54 bullets that I am going to try when it warms up. 7.62 x 39 bullets have also been used with some success. Some people even use the powder. There's a whole thread about that in here somewhere.
Click to expand...

As I recall, the Mk 7 was/is a flatbase bullet. A flatbase usually offers the best accuracy in the average lee Enfield.

When IVI started making the most recent FMJ ammo, they were given, in error, the wrong bullet spec sheet, and made a boattail bullet that was intended for machine gun use.
 
Eagleye said:
The 303 British is often looked down upon by "elitist" shooters, because it is an older design and the rifles
it is generally chambered in are not so pleasing to the eye.

However, the old warrior is better than many realize, approaching 308 Winchester ballistics, and actually
equaling them in the P14, Ruger #1, and Ross rifles.

I have owned at least 1 303 British rifle since half of forever, sometimes I have had 3 or 4. At present, I am
down to 1, a rebarrelled Ross Mk 10. I have shot deer, Black Bear and 3 moose with the 303....never had
any issues with lack of power.

My pet loads are all in the 174 - 180 grain area, IMR 4320 (obsolete now, but still plenty around) N540,
Norma N202 and 203b, IMR 4895, Ramshot Big Game, H380, W760/H414. It is really quite versatile.

I bought some of the PRVI 180 grain softpoints from Budget. My Ross shoots them sub-moa, but I have not
had a chance to try them on game yet. Maybe next spring on a Black Bear.
Click to expand...

I have 100 of there PRVI 150gr SP coming. Figured they were worth a try. I will also eventually try some 170-180gr cast to see how those work. I have some 245gr cast coated bullets available however they are only .309" so not sure if they will work. I got those for my 300 BLK bolt rifle.


I was playing around w my Irish No4 and even as a lefty I can cycle the bolt pretty handily. I kinda like the MK2 trigger. It has zero creep and is very crisp, which is pretty impressive for a simple military trigger.

At some point I will likely buy a No1, mostly to hang up on the wall.
 
I Dont Care About You said:
I have 100 of there PRVI 150gr SP coming. Figured they were worth a try. I will also eventually try some 170-180gr cast to see how those work. I have some 245gr cast coated bullets available however they are only .309" so not sure if they will work. I got those for my 300 BLK bolt rifle.


I was playing around w my Irish No4 and even as a lefty I can cycle the bolt pretty handily. I kinda like the MK2 trigger. It has zero creep and is very crisp, which is pretty impressive for a simple military trigger.

At some point I will likely buy a No1, mostly to hang up on the wall.
Click to expand...


I have had mediocre success in loading for my LE rifles. They may be shot out. The exception is the Irish Contract, which was new and shoots jacketed bullets very well.

I did find that 200 gr lead bullets with gas checks with 10 -15 gr of shotgun powder worked well enough in all the rifles to by good plinkers. Cheap, too. I think the mold is a Lee 205 gr. round nose.
 
dan belisle said:
Regarding the life of your brass, a lot will depend on your rifle's chamber. Headspace varies, but different bolt heads are available to adjust for that. Neck size your brass as much as possible, and it will last a lot longer. - dan
Click to expand...
Lee collet neck die. They work really well, keep brass seperate if you have more than one Enfield.
 
Shoot lots of 303B for cheap.
Look up "The Load" on google.
Take up casting along with reloading & enjoy.
These slightly reduced loads are easy on brass and also your shoulder.
Cheers
 
I’ve been using my grandfathers mklll sportarised 303 for moose since I was 16 and have 2 others in my collection, in the same boat as you and am just starting to reload, good to know I can take apart 7.62 ammo
 
Ganderite said:
As I recall, the Mk 7 was/is a flatbase bullet. A flatbase usually offers the best accuracy in the average lee Enfield.

When IVI started making the most recent FMJ ammo, they were given, in error, the wrong bullet spec sheet, and made a boattail bullet that was intended for machine gun use.
Click to expand...

You are, of course, exactly right. I don't know what I was thinking.
wY5Sw3Z.jpg


https://talesfromthesupplydepot.blog/2017/09/20/mk-vii-303-rounds/
 
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Secutarius said:
I have been very fortunate and have inherited a lovely Lee-Enfeild No4 Mk1 from my grandfather. Seeing as the ammo for it is hard to come by and expensive when found. I figured the only way to go is reloading the 50-ish rounds that I got as well. I'm looking for recommendations on where to buy some supplies. is https://budgetshootersupply.ca/ a good place to start since they have most of what I would need? Of course open to suggestions and recommendations.

Thank you
Click to expand...

If you don't want to get into the cast bullet game, you can download your rounds using IMR/H4895 powder to around 35gr. This produces very mild loads that are easy on the cases and recoil. I've found especially in my No5 that these reduced loads make for a very pleasant shooting experience. Also, as mentioned before, use a Lee neck sizer to maximize case life.
 
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