.303 British Case Separations - Causes and Cures

[taco650]

One of the puzzling things, to the British, about the American market is that the detestable jungle carbine seems to carry something of a premium. In an auction in the UK I once saw a lot of about twenty 19in. barrels from jungle carbines, which had been used to build target rifles. But nobody bought them.

True fact, the Jungle Carbines are the most desirable models on this side of the Atlantic. I'll stick with my 1935 vintage #1 Mk3 for which I paid the grand sum of $65. Mis-matched serial numbers, missing wood and came with the tip busted off the firing pin. Machinist friend fixed the firing pin for free and now I have a good shooting rifle even though the sights are hard to deal with for my 54 year old eyes.

[nekshot]

I totally understand fellas that don't want to mess with these procedures but I am glad many are like that so I have a greater picking choice of these undesirable guns. I feed my share of 303 brit tubes and I love the mystique and experimenting to get them to shoot. I do not have case head seperations or primers leaking since I learned to shoot what the gun will give in easy pressure (my word for lower pressure for cast). I recently opened up a .314 sizer to .3155 so I can size my 8mm Lee maxi-245gr and Lee Karibiner-225 gr slugs down to slip into 303 neck and crimp. These slugs hit hard at any speed so I am happy finding the sweet spot for each type of boolit. I got tired of shooting only the Lee 314.175 and I have a lot of 8mm molds to pick from now!

[beemer]

The wire wrap means I can't inspect the bedding, it would have to go. Some frown on changing anything but the rifle belongs to me and anything I can reasonably do to improve the accuracy or utility will be considered on the one I hunt with and shoot the most. I do appreciate an original rifle and have some that I would not alter.

My Mk2 has a beech stock and I too prefer good beech to bad walnut. One of the reasons that walnut makes a good stock is compression resistance, It will hold it's bedding over a longer period.

I believe that the fascination with the jungle carbine is because of the rarity of original rifles, most I have seen had the flash hider cut off. I have only fired one and it shot well but that's hardly a study of the rifle. Back in the 50's some of the sporting goods and department stores had barrels of surplus rifles, cheep even at that time. The JC I fired was bought out of a barrel shot little and put in a closet. A lot of those rifles were hacked up and modified to make cheep deer rifles.

This thread has evolved somewhat but it has been interesting.

Thanks
Dave