Looking for some good .303 british loads

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GDavies

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Hey guys

I have been reloading for about a year now I have tried a few different recipes for reloading .303 British with mixed accuracy differences. I just wanted to know if anyone has a few really good loads they use for consistent accuracy. Right now im using sierra .174 gr HPBT matchking bullets , Hodgdon H4895 with a 35.3 gr powder charge. Any help would be great.
 
Hi. It may not be the load. Lee-Enfield barrels can measure from .311" to .315" and still be considered ok. Over .315" the barrel is shot out.
174 grain Matchkings are .311" diameter. May be too small for good accuracy.
Start by slugging the barrel. Hammer a cast .30 cal bullet or suitably sized lead fishing sinker through the barrel with a 1/4" brass or Al rod and a plastic mallet and measure with a micrometer.
Hornady uses .312" or .3105". Steve, at .303british.com, seasonally, makes 200 grain fmj, .313" and .314" bullets too.
 
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I use RL 15 powder (exact charge varies with each rifle) WLR primers and 170 Gn bullets. I have actually had the best luck with Hornady 174 Gn RN 0.312 diameter. The RN bullet is generally considered forgiving for accuracy at short ranges (couple of hundred yards). I think that is because it is shorter than the spire points so it stabilizes better in that standard twist.
 
With my short barrelled No.5, I get bet results out of .312" Hornady Interock 150 grain with near minimum loads of IMR3031 (38.0 gr) and 1 grain below max of Varget (42.0).

Happy reloading.
 
So much depends on your barrel condition and it's size. My Longbranch Enfield loves Hornady 3131 174gr FMJBT sized .3105. I tried some Hornady Match 174GR BTHP sized .312 and they did not group well at all and I was getting pressure signs on the cases using the same load I had been using for the ones sized .3015 even though I was a couple grains below max so the best recommendation is to experiment. My Enfield likes 40 gr of RL-15 behind the .3105 174 gr bullet and I have had good results also with 40 gr of Varget and I am currently testing IMR 4895.

Don
 
I use the Hornady 3131 174gr FMJBT aswell.
i havnt been reloading for very long (about a year too) but i do enjoy the savings, especially with all the brass i saved up from buying factory before taking the leap.

i mainly use IMR3031 (37 grains)and IMR4350 (41 grains) due to their price and availability.
 
My TEST load for the .303 is 38 grains of 4895, Defence Industries brass and a Sierra 180 Pro-Hunter FLATBASE bullet. And here's the tricky part: seating is to the OAL of a military Mark VII Ball round. This seating crowds the lead just a bit, but the rifles like it.

This load runs about 2250 ft/sec in most rifles, about 100 ft/sec faster in an uncut Ross. This duplicates the 1910 test load which showed that 2250 ft/sc is the most consistent and accurate velocity with the Mark VII bullet. The Service load was a compromise between the most accurate load..... and the hottest load that could safely be run through an absolute-junk rifle with a super-tight bore. They were thinking, they really were.

My findings are that if a rifle will not shoot UNDER 1 MOA with this load, then there is a problem with the rifle. With this load, I have a 1918 NRF, absolutely original and untoched, that shoots just under 1 inch, a 1918 Lithgow that now shoots 7/16 and a Ross that shoots 3/16..... called 2-round groups from a dead-cold barrel, off the sandbags, at 100. This is your "Sniper's Zero" test, but you could just as easily call it "Hunter's Zero": neither target is gonna wait around for you to warm up your barrel!

ENFIELD-rifled barrels (5 grooves, lands and grooves equal width) nearly always prefers a FLATBASE bullet, especially if the barrel is getting a tiny touch worn, or is anything at all over minimum. Boat-tails are fine for Rosses if you need them, but the LE prefers flatbase.

ANOTHER good load, this with the Hornady150 Spoire Point flatbase, is 40 grains of 4064, bullet seated so the entire cannelure shows at the case-mouth. Again, not a hot load but very accurate in many rifles. I am getting 6 in a ragged hole at 140, out of a P-'14 with a scope.

BEST bullet diameter for ANY .303 is .312", again by actual British 1910 test. I have NO idea why people even make .310 and .311 bullets and then try to run them in a .303. Flatbase ones you can at least kick hard on their back ends and get them to obturate, but subdiameter boat-tails are a waste of time, technology and money.
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I've had good success with IMR 3031, IMR 4064, and H4895. As for bullets, both the Hornady 150 grain SP and 174 grain RN have worked quite well for me. My Long Branch Smiley will do 2.5 inches at 200 yards with H4895 and the 150 grain hdy's.
 
I really like 39.0 gr of IMR 4064 behind Hornady's .312" 174 gr boattails. Nice and gentle, easy on brass and did well with them at my last milsurp match. Mind you, I neck size only, and match the overall length to my No.4's chamber.
 
Is anyone using cast bullets with gas checks in their LE's? I'm looking to produce a nice fun but inexpensive plinking round and I noticed that the Bullet Barn has two options for .303Brit last GC options that are a LOT cheaper than jacketed bullets.

I'm going to give them a try anyway but I just thought that if anyone has tried them and has some hints or found that they were a total waste of time it may save me some trouble.
 
BCRider said:
Is anyone using cast bullets with gas checks in their LE's? I'm looking to produce a nice fun but inexpensive plinking round and I noticed that the Bullet Barn has two options for .303Brit last GC options that are a LOT cheaper than jacketed bullets.

I'm going to give them a try anyway but I just thought that if anyone has tried them and has some hints or found that they were a total waste of time it may save me some trouble.
Click to expand...

I cast the Lyman 314299GC boolit for my Longbranch. I mounted a scope on the rifle using the SK mount. 19 gr of IMR 4227 with boolits sized .313 produced a 10 shot group of 1.5" at 100 yards. Avg Vel 1536 SD 9, OAL 3.065

100ydswiththeLongbranch001.jpg


002.jpg


003-2.jpg


Rifle also likes 23 gr of IMR 4227 under the same boolit.

Take Care

Bob
 
smellie said:
My TEST load for the .303 is 38 grains of 4895, Defence Industries brass and a Sierra 180 Pro-Hunter FLATBASE bullet. And here's the tricky part: seating is to the OAL of a military Mark VII Ball round. This seating crowds the lead just a bit, but the rifles like it.

This load runs about 2250 ft/sec in most rifles, about 100 ft/sec faster in an uncut Ross. This duplicates the 1910 test load which showed that 2250 ft/sc is the most consistent and accurate velocity with the Mark VII bullet. The Service load was a compromise between the most accurate load..... and the hottest load that could safely be run through an absolute-junk rifle with a super-tight bore. They were thinking, they really were.

My findings are that if a rifle will not shoot UNDER 1 MOA with this load, then there is a problem with the rifle. With this load, I have a 1918 NRF, absolutely original and untoched, that shoots just under 1 inch, a 1918 Lithgow that now shoots 7/16 and a Ross that shoots 3/16..... called 2-round groups from a dead-cold barrel, off the sandbags, at 100. This is your "Sniper's Zero" test, but you could just as easily call it "Hunter's Zero": neither target is gonna wait around for you to warm up your barrel!

ENFIELD-rifled barrels (5 grooves, lands and grooves equal width) nearly always prefers a FLATBASE bullet, especially if the barrel is getting a tiny touch worn, or is anything at all over minimum. Boat-tails are fine for Rosses if you need them, but the LE prefers flatbase.

ANOTHER good load, this with the Hornady150 Spoire Point flatbase, is 40 grains of 4064, bullet seated so the entire cannelure shows at the case-mouth. Again, not a hot load but very accurate in many rifles. I am getting 6 in a ragged hole at 140, out of a P-'14 with a scope.

BEST bullet diameter for ANY .303 is .312", again by actual British 1910 test. I have NO idea why people even make .310 and .311 bullets and then try to run them in a .303. Flatbase ones you can at least kick hard on their back ends and get them to obturate, but subdiameter boat-tails are a waste of time, technology and money.
.
Click to expand...

I dont' currently have a rifle chambered in 303 british but after reading your post Im almost tempted to go and get one. thanks for the info
 
BCRider said:
Canuck44, thanks for that info. It shows I'm not out to lunch on this idea. Not by a long shot if I should choose to get serious about it.
Click to expand...

The Cast Boolit Forum has a sub-forum dedicated to shooting cast boolits out of milsurps. You might want to visit that forum for even more information. You will be surprised at the number of folks who shoot cast in their old military guns. Great hobby, relatively inexpensive once you get set-up, and very challenging.

www.castboolits.gunloads.com

Take Care

Bob
 
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