.38/303 gallery load.

[JeffinNZ]

Team.
I'm sitting at the loading bench the other evening and had a sudden epiphany.
I shoot a pair of .40cal MLers using .395 cast balls. These balls are only .020 over size for the .375 groove barrel on my .38/303 BPCR. I thought if I load the balls in the case mouth they would be the same outside diameter as the case mouth and as they move down the bore the ball with have a driving band about 40% of the diameter swaged onto it. Might make a good practise load!!!
Well, yesterday I put it to the test. Loaded 3 rounds with 5gr of Green Dot, a wool wad, 1/8 lube and a ball. Clocked at just shy of 800fps and all 3 balls touching at 25 metres. The next load of 6gr of Green Dot sprayed them to a group of 4 inches at the same range though I think I am using far too much lube under the ball.
Either way, the 5gr load is a sub rimfire cost practice load for the BPCR I could even use on an indoor range.

[BerdanIII]

Do have any pictures of the rifle and cartridge? Gotta love wildcats on the LE action.

[JeffinNZ]

Oh dear. Are you sure? The rifle makes a camel look pretty............. Well, you asked.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/JeffinNZ/Shooting%20stuff/IMG_0031.jpg

100m group.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/JeffinNZ/Shooting%20stuff/38303group.jpg

HOWEVER, a much dinkier wildcat is the .303 Pygmy (.303 x 1.5).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/JeffinNZ/Shooting%20stuff/Pygmy31617550m.jpg

Since this photo I have fitted a real butt plate and refinished the butt stock.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/JeffinNZ/Roo%20trip%2008/Pygmy1stroo3.jpg

[docone31]

Hey, that is a beauty!
I like the Schnable foreend, and upper furniture.
Mine has an original cheek piece. I lucked out and found one.

[Southern Son]

What is the story with the 303 Pygmy? Who's idea, what loads, what do you shoot it in (I just cant see it feeding smoothly out of a SMLE)?

[BerdanIII]

Nice set-ups and really nice cartridges, but did you have to drop the hammer on Skippy?

Just kidding........

Gunsmithing in NZ must be dirt cheap. That kind of job here would probably go $400, if not more.

Thanks for the photos.

[trooperdan]

What is wrong with that coyote in the picture? Darned rear legs are deformed, he was running downhill all the time!

[JeffinNZ]

What is the story with the 303 Pygmy? Who's idea, what loads, what do you shoot it in (I just cant see it feeding smoothly out of a SMLE)?

If you search the forum I have posted before on it.

It is single shot and yes, they will not feed well from a magazine.

[Echo]

Is Skippy good eating? I would think so - smoked for a while (buried under a bonfire, overnight?), or whatever...

[JeffinNZ]

You know, I have never wallaby. Kangaroo sausages are OK. Very low in fat. Never seen a roo have a heart attack. Seen a few sh!t bricks as a lump of lead goes by....................

Did take a back steak of a wallaby the day I got that one (might have even been that one) but I left it in the sink in the hut with a plate over it to keep the flies off and someone soaked it in soapie water. :roll:

[Razor]

Jeff...

Tell me more about that .38/.303 please...:-D
I think I want one...:twisted:

Who dun the barrel..? special order item.??
Have you bragged on it before ??
I've been unable to get any search results on it..:confused:


Thanks

Razor
:castmine:

[13Echo]

A 38/303 is a 38-50 Remington Hepburn introduced in 1883. In fact 303 or 30-40 cases are used to make new cases for the Hepburn. A great cartridge then and now. I'm waiting for Rolling Block in 38-50 to be finished. Looks like a real winner in your rifle.

Jerry Liles

[Razor]

A RB in 38-50 ? Cool .. never heard of such.. I think I want on
So the 38-303 would be fairly similar/close ???

A rebarreled SMLE is surely more feasible (cheap) for me..:roll:


In fact 303 or 30-40 cases are used to make new cases for the Hepburn.
Would this be covered in NONTE's book on cartridge conversions ?:confused:

That settles it.. I gotta get a copy...

Razor
:castmine:

[Nrut]

A 38/303 is a 38-50 Remington Hepburn introduced in 1883. In fact 303 or 30-40 cases are used to make new cases for the Hepburn. A great cartridge then and now. I'm waiting for Rolling Block in 38-50 to be finished. Looks like a real winner in your rifle.

Jerry Liles

Jerry...what will the groove dia. be on your 38-50?..
TIA :)

[Euan]

The 38/303 is one of my favourate cast bullet hunting cartridges. I have 2 rifles in 38/303 that I hunt with often. My first 38/303 is on a mod 95 winchester that had a rusted out 303 british barrel. It has a 1 in 16" twist 26" long. My 2nd rifle is an 1885 winchester hi wall with 1 in 12" twist 30' long. I restocked both rifles, They go very well and have taken many head of game with them, Red deer, feral pigs, feral goats, fallow deer, whitetail deer, chamios, thar even wallaby etc. used ww mostly and also 1 in 20 lead tin for paper patched bullets.

[13Echo]

A 38-50 Hepburn cartridge length is 2.23" and the head size is the same as the .303 and .30-40. Cases are made simply by expanding the neck of the case or blowing it out to fit the chamber with a squib load. The .303 is actually just a tad short at 2.222". Bullet diameter is .376". I don't know if it's in Nonte's book but there have been some recent discussions of the cartridge on various BPCR web sites. It has become a somewhat popular but still uncommon black powder shilhouette and midrange cartridge. Dan Theodore posting as HpGuy420 has written quite a bit about it. Looks like you've rediscovered a classic cartridge developed by one of the most respected American gun designers and shooters of the late 19th century.

Jerry Liles

[Bret4207]

Love that stockwork Jeff!. How about some pics of the other side?