Yugo .303?

TheIndifferent1

TheIndifferent1

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Hey all,
I just picked up two 15 round boxes of .303 british, made in Yugoslavia and imported by Century Arms. The headstamp reads "303MK8Z PP-73" The box reads ".303 CARTRIDGE MK8Z powder nitro-cellulose PPU7302 MBL71111"

Anything I should know about this stuff? Casing and primer look great, although the casing on every one of them is a different colour from just below the neck until the mouth. Considering it's pretty uniform I'm guessing this is done on purpose?

Hm just found two of my .303 rounds look like .30-06, must have missed it while inspecting the box. The headstamp reads "F N M 69-8"

Just want to make sure these are going to go bang :)
 
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dangertree said:
Shoot the 303. Still manufactured as Prvi Partisan. Don't mind the annealing discolouration on the neck, it's normal.
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What causes the discolouration? I've seen it before on other rounds as well. Is the neck heated to form the shoulder or something?
 
Ok, the two rounds that I thought were .30-06 aren't. Not sure what they are. It's a rimless cartridge. The markings on the headstamp are listed above - I took a picture (sorry for the small size and crappy quality, all I have is my webcam) with a .30-06 on the left, one of the .303 to the right, mystery round third and an empty 7.62 NATO on the right.

Picture003.jpg


The primer is held in by 3 crimps.
 
Yes the discolouration at the necks is from heating. A lot of reloaders do this to make the brass easier to work with (less brittle). I don't know why some manufacturers do this with new brass though.
 
A lot of ammo meant for use in semi-auto or full auto have the necks annealed to keep them ductile. If the brass is too brittle, the result can be blown cases, leaving the forward portion of the case in the chamber.
 
THE .303 AMMO YOU ARE DISCUSSING;
Mk8 ammo was a contract that PP (Prvi Partizan) loaded for the Pakistani Government back in the 1970s.
It was intended for use in the Vickers MG and the BREN LMG, it is hotter than normal ammo.That it why we did not purchase it when it was offered to us in the late 80s.

I don't have the specs at hand but may still have them in the office I'll check around.

I would hesitate using it in all but the best condition later issue rifle, if you really must use it.
John
 
johnone said:
THE .303 AMMO YOU ARE DISCUSSING;
Mk8 ammo was a contract that PP (Prvi Partizan) loaded for the Pakistani Government back in the 1970s.
It was intended for use in the Vickers MG and the BREN LMG, it is hotter than normal ammo.That it why we did not purchase it when it was offered to us in the late 80s.

I don't have the specs at hand but may still have them in the office I'll check around.

I would hesitate using it in all but the best condition later issue rifle, if you really must use it.
John
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And there you have it. ;)
 
johnone said:
THE .303 AMMO YOU ARE DISCUSSING;
Mk8 ammo was a contract that PP (Prvi Partizan) loaded for the Pakistani Government back in the 1970s.
It was intended for use in the Vickers MG and the BREN LMG, it is hotter than normal ammo.That it why we did not purchase it when it was offered to us in the late 80s.

I don't have the specs at hand but may still have them in the office I'll check around.

I would hesitate using it in all but the best condition later issue rifle, if you really must use it.
John
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Cool, thanks for the info :) I'll definitely not use it in my Ross, but my No 4 Mk 1* should handle it. Wish the guy at the counter had told me this was MG ammo :rolleyes:
 
Strictly speaking, Mk. VIII ammunition is machinegun ammunition, primarily for the Vickers gun. It is loaded with a bolt tailed bullet for a substantially enhanced range. It is my understanding that British spec. Mk. VIII ammunition is not loaded to higher pressures than Mk. VII, but because of the ballistic difference, the sight calibrations are not valid if it is used in a rifle. John would know about things Yugoslavian. A Ross action is stronger than a No. 4. I have fired this ammunition in a Ross 10E sporting rifle, and it worked very well. We also shot a lot of it in a CA Mk. II Bren.
 
tiriaq said:
Strictly speaking, Mk. VIII ammunition is machinegun ammunition, primarily for the Vickers gun. It is loaded with a bolt tailed bullet for a substantially enhanced range. It is my understanding that British spec. Mk. VIII ammunition is not loaded to higher pressures than Mk. VII, but because of the ballistic difference, the sight calibrations are not valid if it is used in a rifle. John would know about things Yugoslavian. A Ross action is stronger than a No. 4. I have fired this ammunition in a Ross 10E sporting rifle, and it worked very well. We also shot a lot of it in a CA Mk. II Bren.
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Think my Ross will handle it once I clean it up a bit more? Maybe with some luck it'll clean the bore out a bit for me :D
 
All rifle brass is annealed during it's manufacture. Some manufacturers cut out the polishing after annealing step to save cash, thus, you see heat signature from the annealing on the neck....
 
.303 Mk-8 AMMO;
I will search through my cabinets and see if I can find the specs on this loading, remember this was loaded by PP on instructions from the Pakistani government.....
I was tols by the factory director(at the time) that this was hotter ammo....
I know I have all the Parvi technical books someplace they should contain the info.
John
 
TheIndifferent1 said:
Cool, thanks for the info :) I'll definitely not use it in my Ross, but my No 4 Mk 1* should handle it. Wish the guy at the counter had told me this was MG ammo :rolleyes:
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A Ross is one of the strongest, if not the strongest action of any bolt action military rifle ever designed. A test was performed one time which I believe destroyed an 03 Springfield and a 98 Mauser, but failed to destroy an M-10 Ross. I would say the only thing as strong as a Ross would be a Jap Arisaka, because they couldn't blow up a Jap either.
 
Hi-Standard said:
A Ross is one of the strongest, if not the strongest action of any bolt action military rifle ever designed. A test was performed one time which I believe destroyed an 03 Springfield and a 98 Mauser, but failed to destroy an M-10 Ross. I would say the only thing as strong as a Ross would be a Jap Arisaka, because they couldn't blow up a Jap either.
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Cool :) I still need a front sight for my Ross, and need to clean the bolt out, so it's not going to be shooting for a while :(
 
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