Finally got back to 1903a3 load testing and finally a decent load!

[mac1911]

I been on and off again on load testing for my various mil surp rifles. mainly light,cheap plinking rounds. I do want a good 200 yard load for my 1903a3 and 303. Finally getting around to more testing and up until now the results have not been very good.

until yesterday.... several different powders and charge wieghts then like magic these to loads got my interest.

1st 200 gn lee 209 200 R with 30 grains varget. 5 5shot groups and all under 2.75"
the 3 rd group was the best 100 yards iron sights set @ 300

2nd lee 150gn flat nose with 16 grains 2400, I shot 3 groups with this load and the other 2 where 2.10" and 2.67"


the shift in poa vs poi impact between these loads was the most I experienced so far in reloading. I held center of the 6" bull.

I will take this all day long. These are good groups fpr me even with a known good rifle and ammo!!
now i need to get the groups in the 10 ring!

[Scharfschuetze]

Glad to see you meeting with success. I've always had good results with O3A3s and I enjoy shooting them (or any 03) immensely. Good on you for using those issue sights! That thin front sight is getting harder and harder for me to see.

4759 has always been my "go to" powder for military rifles and cast boolits, but your Varget loads look like they are spot on and well worth investigating in my rifles.

[WineMan]

My load is 1.3 cc of Alliant 2400 (about 17.5 grains), WLR and a LEE 312-160TL with 45:45:10 tumble lube. I put on the gas check and run them through a LEE 0.314" die. Seat to the top of the bands to around 3.09" OAL. For CMP matches at 100 yards, this is very accurate. My rear sight is on 700 and 5 Left windage. On Sat I had a 97-3x and the 8 at 12:00 was totally my fault with sight alignment, and the 9 just missed the 10 ring.

Dave

[mac1911]

Glad to see you meeting with success. I've always had good results with O3A3s and I enjoy shooting them (or any 03) immensely. Good on you for using those issue sights! That thin front sight is getting harder and harder for me to see.

4759 has always been my "go to" powder for military rifles and cast boolits, but your Varget loads look like they are spot on and well worth investigating in my rifles.

If I ever see 4759 on the shelf locally I will try it.
I had good success with H4895 also in the 303. I will try some of that too.

As for the rifle I did install the fatter USMC front blade helped greatly. I think I may need to open up the rear peep a touch also. This rifle was previously D&T for rear target sight. I just have not gotten around to findind the proper base/sight. If I do I will most likely install a target rear sight with the corrective lens insert ?

Most of my casting before the powder shortage was for 50 yard gallery loads and milk jug hunting. I was working on the 303 when I ran out of H4895 powder. I was getting closer to some decent groups just under 3"-3.75"

I need to cast some more slugs. I use wheel weights gas checks and tumble lube for the TL bullets and whites for the others. I have yet to have any leading issues wirth my rifles. my loads range from 1200-1800fps with one cream puff with trailboss @ around 900fps

[Scharfschuetze]

As for the rifle I did install the fatter USMC front blade helped greatly. I think I may need to open up the rear peep a touch also. This rifle was previously D&T for rear target sight. I just have not gotten around to findind the proper base/sight. If I do I will most likely install a target rear sight with the corrective lens insert ?

I built up a mix and match 03/03A3 rifle. Most of the parts were free and the receiver had been D & Td so I put a Lyman rear aperture sight on it with a Merit disk. It's a fun rifle to shoot as I can see the sights well and it's reasonably accurate out through several hundred yards with cast boolits. It would shoot farther, but the Lyman 17a front sight (specifically for the 1903 front sight base) is fairly high, so I run out of elevation on the Lyman 48 rear sight after about 400 yards.

[mac1911]

I built up a mix and match 03/03A3 rifle. Most of the parts were free and the receiver had been D & Td so I put a Lyman rear aperture sight on it with a Merit disk. It's a fun rifle to shoot as I can see the sights well and it's reasonably accurate out through several hundred yards with cast boolits. It would shoot farther, but the Lyman 17a front sight (specifically for the 1903 front sight base) is fairly high, so I run out of elevation on the Lyman 48 rear sight after about 400 yards.

Nice that is the area where minr is D&T'd some day I will get around to finding a sight.

[Scharfschuetze]

Mac1911,

Look for the Lyman models 48 or 57. Redfield also made a nice sight for military rifles, such as the Mauser and Springfield.

[mac1911]

I got out to local 100 yard CMP match. Hot, humid ,rain, fogged up glasses, sweat in the eyes and shooting lefty I did about as well as I do any other time 408/500 I could not see the holes in the target as it was just to hazy ( crazy vapor coming from the huge puddle in front of the target plus the rain) so I had to accept my sighters and hope I held a good bead. in hind sight a notch or two up in elevation might have done me well.
Off hand was a failure all me so I wont go there. Im pleased I used the 16 grain 2400 and a ranchdog custom 160gn flatnose TL design. barrel was silly clean when done. im happy with these inexpensive loads! going for 200 yards in a few weeks.

sitting rapid

Slow Prone the 4 white pasters are covering up my first 8mm mauser test.....no clue where 5th shot went. The 5 sighters with the 03a3 are under the black pasters 2 shots are under the high 8 paster. Im pleased

prone rapid

[Scharfschuetze]

Nice shooting Mac1911!

Yep, a notch up and a click or two right and you would have been spot on.

Those hot humid days are tough on a marksman, particularly if he's wearing a heavy shooting coat with a sweatshirt on underneath it. I use an anti-fog wax on my glasses to keep them from fogging up and wear an athletic sweat band under my cap to keep the sweat from running down into my eyes.

[mac1911]

nothing helped with the fog or sweat, the inside of my eyelids where sweating! it was HUMID

[dogmower]

my go to load for this caliber is the lyman 311299 over 32 grains of h4895. give it a try. 4759 is going (gone) the way of the dodo, so I worked up loads with alternate powders. also use h4895 in 7.62x54, 35 rem.

[mac1911]

my go to load for this caliber is the lyman 311299 over 32 grains of h4895. give it a try. 4759 is going (gone) the way of the dodo, so I worked up loads with alternate powders. also use h4895 in 7.62x54, 35 rem.

I have tried a few test runs with H4895 and in 303 brit it did well. Although im looking to conserve as much powder as possible so 2400 gets a little more use.
I will use H4895. I had great results with reduced loads with jacketed bullets and before the powder shortage H4895 in the 303, mauser 8mm and 54r where showing good results.

[mac1911]

got out a back on the 12th the springfield match was cancelled due to the heat. After everyone shot the M1 match they where spent.
I got to shoot my slone prone with the a3 @ 200 yards.... I like the SR target a little better!

[lobogunleather]

I have several 1903's as well as a couple of 03A3's (all 4-groove barrels). Been shooting the Lee C309-180 for decades. Cast of 50/50 wheel weights and new linotype metal, Hornady crimp-on gas checks. 30 grains H335 with 2-grain tuft of loose Dacron fiber fill. Estimated 1900 FPS, roughly equivalent to the .30-30 factory 170 grain load for power.

Rifles are as-issued, no modifications. I use the 300 yard sight setting for 100 yard targets with POI about 3" above POA (which I consider perfect for hunting, as it allows holding dead-on out to 200 yards on deer-sized critters). 2" groups and under are common from the bench with sandbag rest. Same load has accounted for several mule deer in the freezer.

One thing I do religiously is to segregate the cases I use for reduced loads in .30-06 and other calibers, keeping them separate with a record of exactly what loads have been used, and how many of each. My standard is 5 full-power loads, then switch that batch of brass over for reduced loads, and that has worked well for me over the past 43 years of reloading and casting bullets. I still use some FA-35 Match brass that started out as loaded ammo when I bought it in the mid-1970's, fired it up, soaked it for 2 days in soapy water (corrosive primers), then started loading it. Because I own multiple rifles in .30-06 I always full-length size, but even with that I have found that brass can be reused 25 times or more with reduced loads easily.

[mac1911]

Sorry no pictures.... I shot my 1st 200 yard match back on Oct 11. Finally I nice day for shooting. Started of well with the M1 taking gold with a personal high score of 461/500/6x
Then the a3 match....not to bad shot a 427/500 19 points more than the 100 yard match with the same cast load.. I lost a shot to a jam in rapid prone and could not find the 10th shot on the target for rapid sitting? Off hand well let's say I'm not doing well in off hand.

[Scharfschuetze]

Ah yes, off hand.

What's the old saying... You win a match off hand and loose it at 600 yards? A little simplistic maybe, but a good score off hand often has a way of keeping you on for the rest of the match.

[mac1911]

Finally getting back to shooting the 1903a3 again. Have a match first Sunday of August can't wait. Same gun and load.... I have been shooting pretty well this year and keeping my scores in the 420-470 area with the milsurps

[35 Whelen]

Keep up the good work!! Here are some that have shot well in my 03A3, maybe they'll work for you:









35W

[Scharfschuetze]

Excellent load, rifle and shooting 35 Whelen. Your sight setting is similar to mine when shooting the 311291 out of my rack grade O3A3.

Good luck at the match Mac. Hope you enjoy many 10s and Xs.

[triggerhappy243]

I know this is not the swap and sell sec, but I came across this part that I believe is from an 03a3, it looks like the safety lever. I have no need for it and will post it for sale. any interest?