Beginning to reload .303 British

[FAQMAT]

Noob question.

I want to start to reload .303 British to shoot in my 2 Lee Enfield No.4Mk1. What is the minimum equipement that is required to take a good start?
I already reload 9mm cartriges so i have:
-A RCBS turret press with a 5 holes disk
-A RCBS Uniflow II powder measure
-A RCBS 10-10 powder scale
-A mastercraft electronic caliper
-40 empty .303 British cases (winchester)

so what else do i really need? (money is an issue)
Thanks
Math

 

[Pathfinder]

Do you have a manual yet ?

everything is outlined in there, The Lyman is a good one, I think its at the 49th edition, nothing wrong with an older one for loading procedures, I have the 48th.

Dies and shell holder
case lube
loading blocks (nice to have)
chamfer tool
case trimming tool ( Lee make a cheap cutter and case lenght gauge )
Powder funnel

the list can go on and on.

Something to think about when reloading for Lee Enfield Milsurps is Unless you are really sure of the Headspace in that rifle I would pay attention to how much the brass stretch after its fired. If the Heaspace is excessive and you keep Full lenght resizing them you will eventually have case head separation - Neck sizing only / partial full lenght resizing can fix this.

Food for thought.

 

[Grouse Man]

Is the stretching more of an issue with the SMLE, and not so much the Pattern 14?

 

[purple]

The Lee -Enfield is more prone to case stretching than the P14 due to the rear locking bolt lugs.The .303 Brit case headspaces on the rim and chamber depths are variable(some quite long)which is also a contributing factor.After initial firing cases should be segregated by rifle and then neck sized in the interests of accuracy and longer case life. The Lee Collet die works well for this.The .303 British.com website is a very useful reference for tweaking both the rifle and handloads for it.

 

[smellie]

The older the rifles, the oldert the steel specs, in the Lee line, the worse the stretch problem. My LM Mk. II (1894) stretches worse than the 1907 SMLE, it stretches worse than the 1918 NRF SMLE, it stretches worse than a Number 4, the Number 4 stretches worse than a P-14..... and I just don't know HOW to get a Ross to stretch its brass..... must not be using enough pressure, I guess.

The stretch issue gets worse with pressures, too. Keep to pressures relatively sane and the problem subsides. No hassle: you get the best accuracy (generally) with loads about 10% BELOW Mil-spec (which is a 174-grain bullet at 2440 ft/sec MV)

Nevertheless, case-length IS a big issue..... and case-length increases with stretch and so forth.

You really NEED something so that your brass doesn't get too long. You can get a little LEE case trimmer, lockring, stud and cutter assembly for about 10 bucks and it WILL do the job. This one IS important.

Keep your loads sane and you will get better accuracy, longer barrel life, less recoil and MORE FUN. Do you have any idea how much fun it is when you shoot a better target with a 70-year-old iron-sight warhorse..... and your buddy does with his superduperscopesightedlasercorrectedultramodern supersniper with the million-dollar scope? It's fun, believe me!

My rifles (P-14, Lee, Ross) tend to like eating the Sierra 180 flatbase, seated to the OAL of a Mark VII Ball round. Put them out at about 2250 ft/sec MV using a relatively quick powder: IMR 4895 is a good choice, my rifles like between 35 and 37 grains of the stuff, which is nice as I can get nearly 200 rounds out of a pound (on a total-disability pension, you don't buy a lot of moder powder a month, believe me!). I have had half-inch groups (repeated and repeated) from a Ross, 9/16 from an SMLE and 1 inch with a completely-original, absolutely untouched 1918 NRF SMLE, using this data.

SO: trim your brass, load sane and HAVE FUN!

 

[grouch]

You can minimize the stretching issue by neck sizing your brass after the first firing. Lee's collet die does a nice job of this and brass lasts much longer than full if length sizing
Grouch

 

[sunray]

"...what else do I really need?..." Dies and a shell holder. If you're using carbide dies for the 9mm, you'll need a case lube pad and case lube or some spray case lube.
You will have to work up a load for each rifle and full length resize the cases when you switch from one to the other. Check the case lengths too.

 

[Garand]

When your loading .303 remember A BROKEN CASE EXTRACTOR, never leave home without it. I average 5-6 reloads on my .303 cartridge cases before a separation can occur. It pays for itself in less stress and hardache, which you have without one. Available through brownells.

 

[icedog]

While perhaps not a true "necksize only", you can set your regular Lee or RCBS die so that it does not bump the shoulder back at each reloading. Your first use of the brass will fire form it to the chamber of your rifle. "Paint" the neck and shoulder of a once fired round with a permanent felt marker, and adjust the die so that it just touches the felt marking (the die will remove some of the marker where it touches) on the neck of the die down to where the shoulder flare begins. You will have a case that fits your chamber, and its forward stretching, or lengthening has been pretty much limited. This won't eliminate the eventual need for case trimming, but it will certainly decrease the frequency of trimming, and will increase case life. On a side note, not ALL SMLE chambers are guilty of the same the degree of case stretching...some are markedly better than others.

 

[Griffoneur]

Get yourself a BROKEN SHELL EXTRACTOR, sells for $6-$7. A broken shell can really screw up your day at the range!