Early .303 Ammunition

T

tiriaq

Super Moderator
Moderating Team
Rating - 100%
252   0   0
Took these photos to post in a thread - then couldn't find the thread, so thought I'd just post them here...
Kynock Mk.IV Cordite. Note hollowpoint. DC Mk.II Cordite. RL Mk.II Cordite. No headstamp.
001.jpg
002.jpg
 

Attachments

  • 001.jpg
    001.jpg
    76.2 KB · Views: 519
  • 002.jpg
    002.jpg
    81.5 KB · Views: 517
Thanks for posting those.
Makes me somewhat regret banging off all the good old surplus .303 we had back when I was a kid.
Did have fun burning strands of cordite on the workshop bench too!
 
Hi tiriaq. This is service rifle ammunition from the Boer War period. The Mk II Canadian and British were for the (Long) Lee
Metfords and Lee Enfields. The Mk IV round is rather scarce. Made near 1900 if I remember the rumour correctly it was very
short lived and deemed 'uncivilized' due to the mess it made on a body. Of course followed by the Mk V and then the round used
by the early Ross rifles - the Mk VI. All with round nose bullets. When the Mk VII round with its flatter tragectory came in around 1910 that necessitated a sight change for all SMLE rifles and made the early Rosses and Long Lees obsolete.
 
jtaylor said:
Hi tiriaq. This is service rifle ammunition from the Boer War period. The Mk II Canadian and British were for the (Long) Lee
Metfords and Lee Enfields. The Mk IV round is rather scarce. Made near 1900 if I remember the rumour correctly it was very
short lived and deemed 'uncivilized' due to the mess it made on a body. Of course followed by the Mk V and then the round used
by the early Ross rifles - the Mk VI. All with round nose bullets. When the Mk VII round with its flatter tragectory came in around 1910 that necessitated a sight change for all SMLE rifles and made the early Rosses and Long Lees obsolete.
Click to expand...


Was that the stuff that was marked "NOT FOR USE ON CIVILIZED TROOPS"?
 
Not to derail the thread, I found a round stamped 300Z. Research told me it was what UK designated 30-06 for machine guns chambered 30-06 in early aircraft sent from U.S. to UK. Also have some of the round-nose .303 as well as Mk Vii.
 
DOUGLAS D said:
Thanks for posting those.
Makes me somewhat regret banging off all the good old surplus .303 we had back when I was a kid.
Did have fun burning strands of cordite on the workshop bench too!
Click to expand...

Ya, burning cordite was fun. It burned slower than I imagined it would.
I always marveled at how interesting it must have been to manufacture with all those strands and the little cardboard disc.
 
The cordite and disc were loaded into the case before the neck was formed. Once charged, the case was finish formed. That is why it is a bit of a challenge to extract the cordite intact.
 
bushwhacker said:
Not to derail the thread, I found a round stamped 300Z. Research told me it was what UK designated 30-06 for machine guns chambered 30-06 in early aircraft sent from U.S. to UK. Also have some of the round-nose .303 as well as Mk Vii.
Click to expand...

.300Z = nitrocellulose loaded .30-06. The packaging would tell if the ammunition was acceptable for use in aircraft guns. .303 was all round nosed until the pointed MK.VII was adopted.
 
kawicrash said:
Ya, burning cordite was fun. It burned slower than I imagined it would.
I always marveled at how interesting it must have been to manufacture with all those strands and the little cardboard disc.
Click to expand...

Incredibly slow burn rate compared to what I first imagined as a delinquent 12 year old.
Here's a link to show some burn rates for those who haven't had the pleasure.
ull30.com/watch/MDE3MzI5/cordite-vs-smokeless-vs-black-powder---brief-demonstration
 
Hi ipscgraz. The Hague Convention of 1899, Declaration III, prohibits the use in warfare of bullets which easily expand or flatten in the body,
and was an expansion of the Declaration of St. Petersburg 1868, which banned exploading projectiles of less than 400 grams. So says Mr.
Internet when you look up Dum-Dum bullets and that was what the Mk IV .303 round was nick named. John
 
It is my understanding that Dum Dum is from the name of the arsenal outside Calcutta where hollowpoint ammunition was manufactured.
 
Incidentally, the loose rounds and the packet are from the ammunition that accompanied the Gregory Prize shooting kit that was won, along with a MLE rifle, by Capt. AP Cartwright at Bisley in 1899.
 
I know a 303 ammo collector:

OBaEDug.jpg


eknzcOQ.jpg


ZhrsCAY.jpg
 
wbaad said:
That’s some commitment ganderite! What’s the newest box of issue .303?
Click to expand...

Not my collection. I had a few of those packs of 303 ammo that were marked for DCRA competition. I gave them to the collector, where I knew they would be taken care of.

He showed me a pack of old hollow point ammo that was marked with something about it not being used on certain types of enemies. Next time I am there, I will get a picture of it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom