.308 British ?? loaded test tomorow
- Thread starter WhelanLad
- Start date
You will get the best results when shooting .308 bullets in your .303 British if you use "FLAT BASE" 30-30 bullets that have a softer lead core. When these bullets are kicked in the seat of the pants they will enlarge and fill the bore (Obturation)
If the 30-30 bullets shoot well then you can try standard "FLAT BASE".308 bullets designed for higher velocities. And please note the faster burning powders will kick the bullets harder in the seat of the pants than slower burning powder will.
This will not work with boat tail bullets because of the design of the base of the bullet makes it more ridged and less likely to expand and fill the bore. This also explains why bolt tail bullets do not shoot well in worn bores.
If the 30-30 bullets shoot well then you can try standard "FLAT BASE".308 bullets designed for higher velocities. And please note the faster burning powders will kick the bullets harder in the seat of the pants than slower burning powder will.
This will not work with boat tail bullets because of the design of the base of the bullet makes it more ridged and less likely to expand and fill the bore. This also explains why bolt tail bullets do not shoot well in worn bores.
Awesome, thanks for the Info! Id even suspect 30-30 170gr projectiles to be cheaper than .308 win projectiles.
Would you think the 170gr 30-30 would be just as hard on game as a 150gr .311?
thanks for the post Bigepd51, ill look into that!
WL
Edit*
found a price list
30-30 170gr hornady $39/100
150gr hornady $39/100
308 150gr hornady $44/100
165gr Hornady $45/100
180gr hornady $48/100
311/312
170gr Corelokt $56/100
150gr Speer $54/100
180gr Speer $57/100
150gr Hornady $37/100
I had a feeling the .312 were a lot more than that locally, so will sus them out , although a bit lighter than id like, beggers may not be chosers in some applications
Would you think the 170gr 30-30 would be just as hard on game as a 150gr .311?
thanks for the post Bigepd51, ill look into that!
WL
Edit*
found a price list
30-30 170gr hornady $39/100
150gr hornady $39/100
308 150gr hornady $44/100
165gr Hornady $45/100
180gr hornady $48/100
311/312
170gr Corelokt $56/100
150gr Speer $54/100
180gr Speer $57/100
150gr Hornady $37/100
I had a feeling the .312 were a lot more than that locally, so will sus them out , although a bit lighter than id like, beggers may not be chosers in some applications
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.308 diameter bullets shot down a .312 bore is just plain silly.
No, it won't Kaboom. Will it shoot well, that really depends on the particular rifle and the bullet design.
I have a Pakistani built No4 MkII that seems to like .308 flat exposed lead base bullets better than it likes any factory 303 bullets of .312 diameter. It has a .310 bore.
That being said, some rifles will and some won't, just like the girls I used to date. Some did and some didn't.
Why bother though??? There are plenty of .312 diameter bullets available from 150 - 175 grain and maybe more. Most rifles won't shoot .308 bullets well.
As far as saving money???? That's a new one on me. A box of Hornady or Sierra bullets in the weights mentioned retails for the same amount as a box of .308 diameter bullets.
If you are just playing, go ahead. I doubt the jackets will obdurate enough to make a seal in the grooves but I don't think you will get any gas cutting because of it.
It's been done by thousands of people. Mostly because they just didn't know any better.
I even have a few rounds with pinch crimping made in the US during WWII for the lend lease program that are loaded with 150 grain .308 diameter bullets. Supposedly this never happened but never say never. I remember I bought several crates of them because they were cheap. Mind you, that was over 45 years ago.
The reason you are having difficulty getting your brass to size down enough to grasp 308 diameter bullets is because your expander button is sized .312. Exchange it for a .308 expander button and all will be well.
No, it won't Kaboom. Will it shoot well, that really depends on the particular rifle and the bullet design.
I have a Pakistani built No4 MkII that seems to like .308 flat exposed lead base bullets better than it likes any factory 303 bullets of .312 diameter. It has a .310 bore.
That being said, some rifles will and some won't, just like the girls I used to date. Some did and some didn't.
Why bother though??? There are plenty of .312 diameter bullets available from 150 - 175 grain and maybe more. Most rifles won't shoot .308 bullets well.
As far as saving money???? That's a new one on me. A box of Hornady or Sierra bullets in the weights mentioned retails for the same amount as a box of .308 diameter bullets.
If you are just playing, go ahead. I doubt the jackets will obdurate enough to make a seal in the grooves but I don't think you will get any gas cutting because of it.
It's been done by thousands of people. Mostly because they just didn't know any better.
I even have a few rounds with pinch crimping made in the US during WWII for the lend lease program that are loaded with 150 grain .308 diameter bullets. Supposedly this never happened but never say never. I remember I bought several crates of them because they were cheap. Mind you, that was over 45 years ago.
The reason you are having difficulty getting your brass to size down enough to grasp 308 diameter bullets is because your expander button is sized .312. Exchange it for a .308 expander button and all will be well.
WhelanLad
I had a 1943 Remington made 03-A3 military 30-06 rifle and it had been road hard and put away wet. The chamber was over sized and may have been sanded/repared by an armourer to remove corrosion or a defect in the chamber. When fired this rife tortured Remington cases and they warped and became banana shaped and were worthless for reloading. The cure was to download the rifle to lower pressures and not distort the brass, so I loaded the 170 grain Hornady flat point 30-30 bullets and carried this rifle for years as my "rain gun" in bad weather hunting. And I killed more deer with my "rain gun" than any of the newer and more costly rifle I ever owned, meaning as long as you match the bullet to the velocities you are shooting it will put anything down in its tracts. I always jokingly thought of my 03 with the 170 grain bullets as my 30-30 "magnum" because I was shooting them at the upper range of their designed velocity.
Not only was the chamber oversized on the 03-A3 the bore was also very worn, the throat was .311, mid bore was .309 and the muzzle was .312. Looking at the muzzle all you could see were swirl marks where the rifling "had" been and shooting boat tail bullet produced groups in the 5 to 6 inch size range at 100 yards. When I tried the 170 grain Hornady flat point 30-30 bullets the first group I fired was well under an inch at 100 yards and I almost left brown stains in my underwear.
Later when I started collecting .303 Enfield rifles the flat base bullets again improved accuracy in their worn bores. Here in the USA the Enfield rifle was a stranger in a strange land and when they were sold as surplus the proper size bullets were hard to find and many shooters used .308 bullets as a substitute and the best accuracy was achieved with the softer lead core bullets. As another example the .308 bullets for the M1 carbine with their softer cores worked very well for plinking and lite practice rounds.
If you think about our Civil War and the lead Minié ball that was used and just slid down the bore when loading, then expanded to bore diameter when fired you will get the idea. But again this depends on the .308 lead softness and the thickness of the copper jacket. So the .308 diameter to .312 bores isn't a perfect fit but it can be made to work with the right bullet and when kicked in the seat of the pants hard enough.
I had a 1943 Remington made 03-A3 military 30-06 rifle and it had been road hard and put away wet. The chamber was over sized and may have been sanded/repared by an armourer to remove corrosion or a defect in the chamber. When fired this rife tortured Remington cases and they warped and became banana shaped and were worthless for reloading. The cure was to download the rifle to lower pressures and not distort the brass, so I loaded the 170 grain Hornady flat point 30-30 bullets and carried this rifle for years as my "rain gun" in bad weather hunting. And I killed more deer with my "rain gun" than any of the newer and more costly rifle I ever owned, meaning as long as you match the bullet to the velocities you are shooting it will put anything down in its tracts. I always jokingly thought of my 03 with the 170 grain bullets as my 30-30 "magnum" because I was shooting them at the upper range of their designed velocity.
Not only was the chamber oversized on the 03-A3 the bore was also very worn, the throat was .311, mid bore was .309 and the muzzle was .312. Looking at the muzzle all you could see were swirl marks where the rifling "had" been and shooting boat tail bullet produced groups in the 5 to 6 inch size range at 100 yards. When I tried the 170 grain Hornady flat point 30-30 bullets the first group I fired was well under an inch at 100 yards and I almost left brown stains in my underwear.
Later when I started collecting .303 Enfield rifles the flat base bullets again improved accuracy in their worn bores. Here in the USA the Enfield rifle was a stranger in a strange land and when they were sold as surplus the proper size bullets were hard to find and many shooters used .308 bullets as a substitute and the best accuracy was achieved with the softer lead core bullets. As another example the .308 bullets for the M1 carbine with their softer cores worked very well for plinking and lite practice rounds.
If you think about our Civil War and the lead Minié ball that was used and just slid down the bore when loading, then expanded to bore diameter when fired you will get the idea. But again this depends on the .308 lead softness and the thickness of the copper jacket. So the .308 diameter to .312 bores isn't a perfect fit but it can be made to work with the right bullet and when kicked in the seat of the pants hard enough.
Are they showing up on store shelves again? I haven't checked recently but only a month ago there where dozens of people unable to find a single box of .311" or .312" bullets anywhere in the country. Most US manufacturers have suspended production "until further notice".
*edit*
I see Hornady no longer has them listed as "temporarily suspended". I guess the dry spell may be ending for .312" bullets?
bearhunter, please don't take this the wrong way, "BUT" there has been a bullet and powder shortage going on and some of us with itchy trigger fingers will use whatever works for the sure joy of smelling cordite in the morning.
On the other hand dropping napalm on your house would be "just plain silly" for someone with an itchy trigger finger replying to your posting.
(example only used "HOT" silly American humor) 
If the land diameter is .3095 then this is already bigger than a .308 bullet. So what is going to grip the bullet to provide the spin? I'd suggest that it'll simply wipe it's way along the lands and pick up no more than some minimal spin.
And besides as pointed out a little above you need to slug the bore and find a bullet that is closer to the groove diameter than the land or bore diameter. There needs to be an few thou of interference fit to the bore diameter so the rifling cuts into the bullet.
And besides as pointed out a little above you need to slug the bore and find a bullet that is closer to the groove diameter than the land or bore diameter. There needs to be an few thou of interference fit to the bore diameter so the rifling cuts into the bullet.
BCrider,
initially I thought .3095 but later slugged it at .313....
Ive been told there is no .311 or .312s from any suppliers for the LGS........ friiickkkk
So its actually back to the .308 projectile test, im goin to load up an shoot some in the next few weeks, generally speaking with others an it seems I should get satisfactory results of accuracy with this setup... some speak of 2 inch groups at 100m, plenty plenty plenty accurate enough for a huntin gun especially close range work.
im going to try a 180gr Flat Base .308 , partial neck sized 303 brit cases with a 308 die (I don't want to pull apart my dies) and Varget powder.
not looking for Velocity, just something that puts 2 or 3 shots on target at 100m
Will post a report when I get around too it!
WL
initially I thought .3095 but later slugged it at .313....
Ive been told there is no .311 or .312s from any suppliers for the LGS........ friiickkkk
So its actually back to the .308 projectile test, im goin to load up an shoot some in the next few weeks, generally speaking with others an it seems I should get satisfactory results of accuracy with this setup... some speak of 2 inch groups at 100m, plenty plenty plenty accurate enough for a huntin gun especially close range work.
im going to try a 180gr Flat Base .308 , partial neck sized 303 brit cases with a 308 die (I don't want to pull apart my dies) and Varget powder.
not looking for Velocity, just something that puts 2 or 3 shots on target at 100m
Will post a report when I get around too it!
WL
Ok the final post to this for now, ive got my hands on the 30-30 170gr Projectiles from Hornady... This, ive been told will fill the bore a little better than the harder 308w projies...
cheerin
Thanks for everyones opinion, I realise some may scratch their head at my ideas an have a gut full off my ramblings... Sorry to those who do so, but to the other fellows who give their 2c or experience, Thanks!
WL
cheerin
Thanks for everyones opinion, I realise some may scratch their head at my ideas an have a gut full off my ramblings... Sorry to those who do so, but to the other fellows who give their 2c or experience, Thanks!
WL
