An un-reloadable Enfield?
- Thread starter mikeystew
- Start date
Headspace has nothing to do with the case. The case will expand until it hits the steel and stop, anyway. There is still berdan primed .303 ammo around. Berdan primed cases(two primer flash holes) are not reloadable.
"...inserted into my No 1 (the one that shot them) but they are difficult to insert into my No 4..." That's normal with any two rifles. All chambers are slightly different. If you want to use the same cases in two rifles, you have to full length resize when you load for one or the other.
"...inserted into my No 1 (the one that shot them) but they are difficult to insert into my No 4..." That's normal with any two rifles. All chambers are slightly different. If you want to use the same cases in two rifles, you have to full length resize when you load for one or the other.
Case head expansion has nothing to do with headspace??? thats contradictory to my hornady handbook. im just curious if it's possible that my enfield has a chamber that is so oversized that it expands cases too much to reload.
Once cases are fireformed, if you necksize, they aren't going to get any larger in diameter.
Casehead expansion is lateral. Headspace issues are longitudinal.
Berdan cases can be reloaded. I still have about 500 1/4" Berdan caps of the type used in British cases. An issue with reloading these cases can be that the primers were mercuric. That is more of a problem than them being Berdan.
Casehead expansion is lateral. Headspace issues are longitudinal.
Berdan cases can be reloaded. I still have about 500 1/4" Berdan caps of the type used in British cases. An issue with reloading these cases can be that the primers were mercuric. That is more of a problem than them being Berdan.
Be aware that the walls of some ammo is thinner at the case base near the rim than it should be. S&B ammo is great to shoot new, but a nightmare to reload. With tight headspacing, they still split. too hard and too thin towards the primer pocket. I have noticed new winchester brass is also getting thin. I have DI brass that is awesome. thicker at the base helps.
And of course the Lee Enfield has a generous chamber.
And of course the Lee Enfield has a generous chamber.
Yup, x2 on fire forming. Ever heard about the trick of using an O-ring on the cartridge base to keep it centered? Good advice given above. Keep the brass segregated for use in that rifle only and reload by neck sizing.
I have rifles that came to me with rusted or gauged chambers. Even cleaned up they were hard on extraction because of the pitting or imperfections. To salvage the barrels I ended up polishing the chambers smooth, tapered, but way oversize. The brass expands considerably as witnessesd by the shiney stretch marks on the case wall, but no failures, even after two or three reloads. I have been using milspec IVI brass, seems to be good stuff.
I have rifles that came to me with rusted or gauged chambers. Even cleaned up they were hard on extraction because of the pitting or imperfections. To salvage the barrels I ended up polishing the chambers smooth, tapered, but way oversize. The brass expands considerably as witnessesd by the shiney stretch marks on the case wall, but no failures, even after two or three reloads. I have been using milspec IVI brass, seems to be good stuff.
Cocked&Locked
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Some of the early/mid war chambered guns had brutal chambers, that where caused by dull reamers in the rush to get guns off the line and into the hands of troops. I've seen some really ugly brass come out of enfield chambers. I've never had one that i couldn't reload once, but i've had at least one that i couldn't reload twice. And you couldn't keep the brass seperate, the chamber was essentially egg shaped on this dear. you could neck size, but then would have to rotate the case and find the orientation it went in on.
Did shoot well, but left to a person who wanted a cheap deer rifle and only shot factory.
Did shoot well, but left to a person who wanted a cheap deer rifle and only shot factory.
Two things:
First off, you will get that effect if the .303 round was fired in a .30-40 Krag. And, believe me, you get some wonderfully strange things happening when you cram a .303 into a Krag and let fly. Had to remove the front of a Krag casing from the chamber of a '95 Winchester a few years ago.
Second, yeah, there were some pretty big chambers made, but such was not the original intent. I ran into one, 'way back when, got around it by resizing my brass in 2 stages, first in the SEATING die, then in the full-length die. Worked.
First off, you will get that effect if the .303 round was fired in a .30-40 Krag. And, believe me, you get some wonderfully strange things happening when you cram a .303 into a Krag and let fly. Had to remove the front of a Krag casing from the chamber of a '95 Winchester a few years ago.
Second, yeah, there were some pretty big chambers made, but such was not the original intent. I ran into one, 'way back when, got around it by resizing my brass in 2 stages, first in the SEATING die, then in the full-length die. Worked.
i've since noticed that some of the primers are backed out of the case slightly and one case actually had a split at the neck. im beginning to think the 60 year old dominion brass was shyte, and i have slightly excessive headspace. something i could remedy with good brass and fireforming with floss or o-rings.
Your 60-year-old Dominion brass was some of the finest brass ever made for reloading.
What has happened is that it has hardened over the years: brass both work-hardens and age-hardens. When you get a cracked casing, anneal it and make it into something else. If they don't crack, anneal them and reload them. I'm using nearly ALL WW-2 brass in my .303 reloading and find that the DI-Z has EVERY other make I have tried, just plain beat. In a Ross with a tight chamber, I have had 14 firings of the same box of 1942 DI brass; it still does ot need to be trimmed.
What has happened is that it has hardened over the years: brass both work-hardens and age-hardens. When you get a cracked casing, anneal it and make it into something else. If they don't crack, anneal them and reload them. I'm using nearly ALL WW-2 brass in my .303 reloading and find that the DI-Z has EVERY other make I have tried, just plain beat. In a Ross with a tight chamber, I have had 14 firings of the same box of 1942 DI brass; it still does ot need to be trimmed.
