My mother-in-law gave me her deceased husband's old 303. It's pretty old and has been restocked (Company name indicates London manufacture, 1940-something, but I've been told some a crest on it indicates Indian manufacture. Who knows?). She also gave me a bag of old ammo. A few shells are stamped "1944" on them. Any risk of firing them, either due to the condition of the shells themselves (they look OK, but I have no idea how they have been stored), or the rifle?
Dare I shoot this? 63 year old bullets?
- Thread starter Okotokian
- Start date
- Location
- Newmarket,Ontario
I inherited about 700 rounds of wwII 303 and have got them down to about 100 now. They shot fine for me and they were free 
I have four enfields and I never had one problem.
I have four enfields and I never had one problem.
Start by having the rifle's headspace checked. Do not shoot it with any ammo until you do. Thousands of Lee-Enfields have been assembled out of parts bins with zero QC. Shooting one with bad headspace can ruin your day. And it doesn't matter if your Da-in-law shot it regularly.
"...Who knows?..." We do. There are two basic models of Lee-Enfield. A No. 1 Mk III and No. 4. A No. 1 Mk III will have the rear sight on the barrel. A No. 4's will be on the receiver. It really only matters which one, cost wise, if the headspace is bad.
Post every marking on it. Especially what it says under the bolt handle on the receiver. Is the serial number on the back of the bolt handle the same as the serial number on the receiver?
For the ammo, look on the case head of the ammo, what is stamped there? Other than '1944'.
"...Who knows?..." We do. There are two basic models of Lee-Enfield. A No. 1 Mk III and No. 4. A No. 1 Mk III will have the rear sight on the barrel. A No. 4's will be on the receiver. It really only matters which one, cost wise, if the headspace is bad.
Post every marking on it. Especially what it says under the bolt handle on the receiver. Is the serial number on the back of the bolt handle the same as the serial number on the receiver?
For the ammo, look on the case head of the ammo, what is stamped there? Other than '1944'.
Just shoot it, especially if it's been shot already! The old milsurp rounds are about the best you will ever get. Modern factory loads are downloaded to make sure no bubba blows up his 1890's Lee Metford...so go nuts and enjoy it the way it's supposed to be shot, although those oldschool rounds are worth money as collectors items
- Location
- charlotte county, new brunswick
a few years back i came into the possession of about 30 rounds of 303 ball, which were dated 1915-1918. i fired all of it off with no problems. as long as the ammo is in good shape, there should be no problems using it. happy shooting!!!
Brother in law brought me over 8 rounds last winter that wouldn't fire in Grandpa's 32-40 Marlin (made in 1898 approx.) Said the rest of the two boxes had shot, smelt funny and smoked.
Tore the ones he brought over and they were loaded with Black Powder. him Grandaddy never reloaded always bought bullets make you wonder how old that stuff really was.
The powder was packed in so tight it was unbelievable.
So shoot it!!!
Ken
Tore the ones he brought over and they were loaded with Black Powder. him Grandaddy never reloaded always bought bullets make you wonder how old that stuff really was.
The powder was packed in so tight it was unbelievable.
So shoot it!!!
Ken
if I was you... listening to the story and trying to piece it together... I wouldnt shoot the rifle just for the sake of its history.
If your mother inlaw gave you the rifle, it may very well have been your father inlaws service rifle that he used in the war.
there is family history there that is worth preserving.
I'd clean it all up and put it in a nice fancy display case.
if you want to shoot one.. go get a piece of crap from the EE forum and blast away with one of those.
Keep this one in the best shape you can, and find out more about your father in law.
just my two cents.
If your mother inlaw gave you the rifle, it may very well have been your father inlaws service rifle that he used in the war.
there is family history there that is worth preserving.
I'd clean it all up and put it in a nice fancy display case.
if you want to shoot one.. go get a piece of crap from the EE forum and blast away with one of those.
Keep this one in the best shape you can, and find out more about your father in law.
just my two cents.
Hi-Standard
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Republic of Newfoundland
I dissagree hoochie, I think guns are meant to be shot. Have it checked for safety, look after it a shoot away. If you're using corrosive ammo it must be cleaned with water afterwards. I use hot soapy water. Although, as a reloader, I don't bother using old ammo anymore, the hangfires make me nervous. I knock the rounds apart and salvage the components.
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A number of years ago, I acquired some 73 year old (WW 1) .303 Ball ammunition that was not stored properly. I inspected it for corrosion, dents and cartridge case discoloration, finding no problems I tried it out. It gave me 6" groups at 100 yds, which isn't great, but considering the age of the ammunition, acceptable. Remember, a large number(but not all) of the .303 ammunition produced by the British Commonwealth prior to 1950 was corrosive primer. Clean your rifle very good after your range practice.
