Pure lead .303 Brit

lyman54

lyman54

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Anyone ever tried using pure lead cast bullets for the .303 Brit? My WW bullets are crap. I've cast lead for many calibers of muzzle loaders, some reachi.ng over 1700 fps with great accuracy and no leading. I'm going to try a few .303 with gas checks and liquid alox. 15-18gr of IMR4198 should keep velocities low. Lead fills the mold better than WW's, and I won't try to harden them. Last try before buying jacketed bullets. Would appreciate any input. Thanks.
 
Never tried pure lead.

I do cast for my 303's using Lee 185 grain mold, aluminum gas checks and wheel weights dropped into cold water, then alox lubed. I never had a problem gettin 2000+ fps out of them, and they are shooting about 2" groups at 100 meters...
 
15-18gr of IMR4198 would very likely be far too low and cause detonations.
Before buying jacketed bullets you need to slug the barrel. The only diameters currently made are .311" and .312". Not much good in a .313" or .314" barrel.
There is cast bullet data on .303British.com. Gas checked 180's only and nothing using 4198. Couple of cast loads on Reloader's Nest too. Still no 4198 loads.
 
OP if you are going to use the load of 4198 you listed put a small tuft of dacron filler over top of the powder to hold it against the flash hole. That will eliminate the possibility of detonation.

I've experimented with soft alloys in the 303 and I find that it's not worth the risk of leading

Make sure you bullets are 1 to 2 thou over bore diameter and use gas checks.
 
Thanks to all. I used just WW without adding anything. Did water quench and oven heated along with gas x and alox. Never had problems with RB or .58 cal minies with lead. Guess casting for centre fires are a whole new ballgame. So it's jacketed for me now. Always had good results with the SMLE and jackets. Just thought I'd try something new.
 
I picked up a small pile of cast lead bullets from the Bullet Barn. 303 cal, 180 grain, .313 diameter, gas checked and lubed. They shoot really well from both my Ross MkIII and Ruger #1. The load I use is 18 grains of H4198. Easy on the shoulder and on the wallet!
 
If casting was the problem, I'll second beagling and smoking the mold (for filling), or simply turning the temp down as pure lead melts at higher temperature.

If accuracy was the problem, it might have been due to poor bullets or ill fitting to the barrel's actual bore; some SMLE's have reportedly miked at 8mm... Wheel Weight might also be more adequate for a gallery/short range load than for a mid range one like yours:
http://home.comcast.net/~gavinsw/guns/castbulletmilitaryrifle.pdf
 
Pure lead will make a mess of the rifle's bore. Pure lead is soft enough to bend with fingers. Have spools of pure lead wire, biggest size is .370 and that can be finger bent.
 
lyman54 said:
15-18gr of IMR4198 should keep velocities low.
Click to expand...

I was using 158gr GC's and ~12 gr 2400, if I remember right; didn't have a chrono at the time, but the loads were fast and very accurate; never had a leading problem either. I'd recommend a faster powder than 4198. Also slug your bore, if it's a WW surplus; some of the WW rifles were cut very sloppy to not have problems using lousy ammo; I read about some Brazilian stuff sold to the Brits in WW1, the bullets miked 0.317"!!

What's the rifle? SMLE's are not the best thing to reload for, as they lock-up at the back of the bolt so there's a lot of stretch in the action; get a Ross ;)
 
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