for those of you that still hunt with the old warhorse, which facotry loads do you prefer? i don't have time to work up a load. i've tried most of the ones on the list, with the exception of pair of 150 grain loads. my observations as far are this. the Winchester will not hit paper out of my rifle. the Rem loafds are accurate, but kick hard. also the ^%$#!* round nose bullet jams on the feed ramp, making them unreliable as far as a quick second shot is concerned. the Federal 180 load was one of the most accurate ones, the Imperial Sabre Tip was the most accurate, but is getting ver hard to find, and is around $40 a box at gunshows. i'll probably go with the Federal 180 load, but would like to here some other opinions and observations as well.
best factory .303 load
- Thread starter kevin.303
- Start date
The best there ever was, was the 215 gr Kling-Kore Soft Point from Dominion, but they are no longer around.
Next best; the Winchester Super-X 180 gr Silvertip, but I'm not sure if they are still available any longer. Haven't seen them in a while.
So my vote goes to the Win 180 whatever it is. Their PP load is quite nicely pointed up and has a very good trajectory, but most important it feeds like a fat boy at a buffet.
Ted
Next best; the Winchester Super-X 180 gr Silvertip, but I'm not sure if they are still available any longer. Haven't seen them in a while.
So my vote goes to the Win 180 whatever it is. Their PP load is quite nicely pointed up and has a very good trajectory, but most important it feeds like a fat boy at a buffet.
Ted
- Location
- The Conservative part of Ontario
Why not? said:
X2
actuallly, i've been told it's safe, but sloppy. that means that handloads are the best option , just don't have the time and money to start experimenting when the season opens in a month.maybe i should give the Winchester loads another try.
Republic of Alberta
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- ,location, location
The federal used to be loaded with the Siera 180g. I just looked at a box the other day and now it says Speer hotcore on it. I don't think that Federal uses it's own bullets in .311 diameter.
FYI
FYI
kevin.303,
Headspace is not so much a factor in accuracy as it is case life. If nothing seems to shoot very well, I would bet that you have a rifle with a seriously oversize bore. Some of the old Lee Enfields have bore diameters as large as .316". I have never seen one, but have read about them as large as .318. :roll:
Have you slugged the bore to see what diameter it is?
Ted
Headspace is not so much a factor in accuracy as it is case life. If nothing seems to shoot very well, I would bet that you have a rifle with a seriously oversize bore. Some of the old Lee Enfields have bore diameters as large as .316". I have never seen one, but have read about them as large as .318. :roll:
Have you slugged the bore to see what diameter it is?
Ted
- Location
- Miramichi, NB
I've had better luck with the Win SUper X 180's than the Federal 180's. They are the only 2 I have fired. I have a 35 year old Parker Hale with only about 60 - 70 rounds total through it, most of the use seen in the last 2 - 3 years just to sight it in. I used to use the Win Super X 180's until last year when I switched to the Federal 180's Power Shok.
With the Win's, I had no trouble getting on paper and staying relatively tight - about 1.5 - 2" groups @ 100 yards with a brand new Tasco Golden Antler 3-9x40 scope (I know, its a cheapie but it does the trick). With the Federals, I can't get better than a 6 - 7" group (incedentally, the same day I shot several 0.75 - 1" groups with my Win M70 in 30-06 firing Federal 165's Vital Shok - I posted them a few weeks ago).
So I recently took the 303 to the local gunsmith for a quick check - the scope and mounts were fine, headspace is absolutely not an issue, a few other items which I can't specifically remember were also checked out and they were fine. The only thing he found was heavy fouling towards the end of the barrel - a lot more than we expected considering the limited use the rifle has seen.
So after a good cleaning, I'm waiting for the next opportunity to go to the range. I'll update when I can.
I should also mention that I'm just getting back into shooting and hunting after being away from the activity for many years due to work committments. When you fellas get discussing the benefits of handloading, headspace issues, fire-forming, etc., its all a little over my head but I'm coming along slowly.
With the Win's, I had no trouble getting on paper and staying relatively tight - about 1.5 - 2" groups @ 100 yards with a brand new Tasco Golden Antler 3-9x40 scope (I know, its a cheapie but it does the trick). With the Federals, I can't get better than a 6 - 7" group (incedentally, the same day I shot several 0.75 - 1" groups with my Win M70 in 30-06 firing Federal 165's Vital Shok - I posted them a few weeks ago).
So I recently took the 303 to the local gunsmith for a quick check - the scope and mounts were fine, headspace is absolutely not an issue, a few other items which I can't specifically remember were also checked out and they were fine. The only thing he found was heavy fouling towards the end of the barrel - a lot more than we expected considering the limited use the rifle has seen.
So after a good cleaning, I'm waiting for the next opportunity to go to the range. I'll update when I can.
I should also mention that I'm just getting back into shooting and hunting after being away from the activity for many years due to work committments. When you fellas get discussing the benefits of handloading, headspace issues, fire-forming, etc., its all a little over my head but I'm coming along slowly.
I've seen the 180 gr. Cor Lokt in action on a good sized black bear at 30 yards. Plucked a couple of those slugs out of him and they retained 66% of their weight +/-
Pretty good performance, but might expand too much to penetrate deep...
Pretty good performance, but might expand too much to penetrate deep...
Winchster 180gr Power Point
3 shots, 2 holes.
Of the commonly available stuff, this is the factory load I like the best, although I mostly hav shot handloads.
Don't mean to be presumptious, but is your bore realy clean? I've seen lots of guys complain that thier SMLE's won't shoot, but once I use some aggresive copper cleaner in them, they seemt o shoot just fine.
If you can't find any of the ole 215gr's then my 1st choice would be the imperial 180gr. These seem to be getting tougher to find these days to.If you can't find these anywhere then I would definately go with the wins. If you do handload or know someone who does then contact steve redgwell at: .303british.com he will be able to help i'm sure.
Dave.
Dave.
- Location
- Ft. Mac. Alberta
The 215'3 were great for moose.
PMC ammo is alsoo very good, as is the 180 Ignman in my Dad'a old hunting rifle, but that stuff is too hot for a numv=ber of Enfields we have tried it in.
It shhoots super, however, in the Old man's custom rig.
Cat
PMC ammo is alsoo very good, as is the 180 Ignman in my Dad'a old hunting rifle, but that stuff is too hot for a numv=ber of Enfields we have tried it in.
It shhoots super, however, in the Old man's custom rig.
Cat
telesquirt
CGN Regular
- Location
- Fort Frances
My vote goes to Winchester---took a large doe for the freezer last year with my mk.4 and Win.180's---150yds straight on right through heart and lungs broke a rib on the off side and almost exited---she pancaked on the spot---I was pretty impressed with "the old warhorse" and I refuse to use Remington anything since I missed one of the biggest bucks I have got the chance to squeeze on----Rem. 170s out of my '64 winchester 30-30----dropped the hammer on a dead round and he was gone----tried the rest out at a pit later and got 12---yes 12 misfires out of a box of twenty----sorry for the rant but it felt good!!
