Light cast bullets in a 303?

GP11

GP11

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Good day guys...

I came across a bunch of .313 lead cast 90 grain pistol bullets... and I also happen to have a No4 Mk1 that has a barrel that is slugged to .313

I would love to have an easy on the shoulder (and wallet) paper punching round for 100 yards.

Should I bother?

Any recommendations on powder for starting? Someone who has tried this?

Thanks
 
90 gr pills is light but I would give it a go.
Unique or AA5744 - maybe even powder coat a few bullets.
Barrel needs to be very clean of jacket fouling and smooth.
 
I have used Hornady 100 grain .312 pistol bullets with SR-4759 that has been discontinued and now use Trail Boss. All you can do is try these 90 grain bullets and see how they shoot.

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Below a 50 yard target with my case forming/plinking loads above. These loads also make the Enfields brass butt plate much softer when forming 100 or more cases.

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Don't forget the rubber o-ring around the rim when fire forming your cases. This holds the case against the bolt face so the cases do not stretch. When the o-ring is compressed it also centers the rear of the case in the chamber as the bolt is closed. And this makes the case more concentric when fired and improves accuracy. The o-ring fire forming only needs to be done only once and thereafter you neck size only and let the case headspace on its shoulder.

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I have tried very light bullets in the 303 and they all shot like sh¥t. Huge jump to the rifling and it just wasn't worth it. If you're simply trying to save money, longer cast 150 gr bullets, or jacketed 123 ish gr bullets cost hardly any more.
 
Moodie said:
Bigedp51, is there a specific size of o ring to use? Not just diameter but also thickness. Thanks
Click to expand...

The smallest and thinnest that will stretch over the case, and this will vary depending on the rifles headspace setting. Just remember to grease your locking lugs to prevent from galling the lugs.

Some people have used rubber bands for braces or for little girls hair. But again the advantage of the "round" rubber o-rings is when compressed and flattened they center the rear of the case in the chamber.

Note if you remove the extractor the o-rings will not get cut and will last much longer.
 
Andy said:
I have tried very light bullets in the 303 and they all shot like sh¥t. Huge jump to the rifling and it just wasn't worth it. If you're simply trying to save money, longer cast 150 gr bullets, or jacketed 123 ish gr bullets cost hardly any more.
Click to expand...

This for me too. I haven't had great accuracy from any pistol weight bullet in a rifle, but it depends what you're trying to do. If you want 100 yd accuracy of some sort then you're better to go with a longer heavier bullet. But if you're looking for something mild for the grandkids to shoot pumpkins at 50 yds, then the light pistol bullets work.
 
Thanks for the info... so accuracy will suffer at 100 yards, I was wondering about that.
Out of curiosity what kind of recoil compared to standard hunting rounds would you expect from a 180 grain cast using trailboss etc?
 
GP11 said:
Thanks for the info... so accuracy will suffer at 100 yards, I was wondering about that.
Out of curiosity what kind of recoil compared to standard hunting rounds would you expect from a 180 grain cast using trailboss etc?
Click to expand...

Not sure about 303 but 30-06 with 165 and a full case of trailboss only gets me 1300fps. My rifle weighs 8.5ish pounds. It is very easy on the shoulder.
 
I ran 00 buck through a lee sizer and loaded them up with 12 gr of unique. It was just as well I shot them out of a shotgun because they grouped like buckshot. Go figure lol. My no4 and no 1 like em heavy and seated well out.
 
+1 for heavier cast and Trail Boss. 200gr W/W 314299 and 11 to 11.5 gr in a No 4 Mk1 (partial T ) are very kid friendly 'cat sneezes'. Pretty fair 1 3/4 inch groups around 50yds makes it fun for everyone to shoot!

Even +/- max loads at 15gr are very mild and can hit the 200yd gong with a few tries. Afterwards, I ran a couple factory loads in a different No 4 - surprised me enough to call it quits for the day!
 
I have been shooting 120 gr cast under 7 gr titgroup with great success to 66m, past that i do not know. Beware shooting light loads in milsurps is quite addictive and lots of fun.
It can disapointing if they dont group, but then you know what dont work. Heavier boolits preform better from first try. The report is lower than 22lr but not by much.
Castboolits has alot of info.
be well
 
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GP11 said:
Good day guys...

I came across a bunch of .313 lead cast 90 grain pistol bullets... and I also happen to have a No4 Mk1 that has a barrel that is slugged to .313

I would love to have an easy on the shoulder (and wallet) paper punching round for 100 yards.

Should I bother?

Any recommendations on powder for starting? Someone who has tried this?

Thanks
Click to expand...

I've done this with the Lee 90 gr cast (TL314-90-SWC see below) at an OAL of 2.625 - that's a jump to the lands that's longer than the bullet, so there's a period of time when the bullet is completely out of the neck and not yet engaged with the rifling. This is a great recipe for hangfires and/or bore obstructions.

That said, the best remedy for a hangfire in this situation is to use fast pistol powders. I've only used Trail Boss, and 3.5 grs produced 750 fps, and 4.0 grs produced 925 fps. Accuracy was "Minute of Target Stand". You could also use something like Red Dot (a great choice for light bullet and/or subsonic loads). You could start at 4.0 grs and work up to 15.0 grs (and beyond, but I won't say how far) .

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