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I am about to have a .303 brit to feed. I have the Lee mold and a 314299 from Noe already. i am wondering if the 316 will do better for my needs. If you have another mold that works well I am happy to try that also. Shoot me a PM and we can talk over trade or shipping costs.
Thanks
.455
I'll be sending a dozen or so Lee 316-188-1R's (yes, I lapped it).
Others, please feel free to step up too.
Should be a good thing to compare. My Enfield prefers the 314299-- but you never know until you try.
Excited to try those test Lee 316's. Many thanks.
How that work for you?
I have some I have to measure them probly .313
I have some after PC I run them through a .314 push through to set GC
It's embarrassing to admit that I have yet to test any of them out 7 months later. I was a little aggressive in my estimation of what can get done with a new baby in the house.
My suggested way to pick the right bullet/boolit size is to try it and decide if it is good enough or if you need better.
For example, if the stated diameter for a jacketed bullet is .310 you can try .310 jacketed bullets. If a .310 jacketed bullet gives acceptable accuracy then the conventional wisdom says to try a .311 diameter cast boolit. If .311 cast boolit underperforms, then try .312. If .312 also underperforms, then try .310, then .309.
This is a general rule for cast boolits in rifles or pistols where the diameter is expected to be the precise diameter it is supposed to be! Note: That is so for .308 and .30-06, but not so for .303 British or 7.62x54R! It also works well for .38 spl, .357 mag, 44 spl and mag, 45 Colt, etc.
When the general rule doesn't work it is time for alternate rules! Go back to that "if the jacketed bullet gives acceptable accuracy" part! What if standard military or commercial ammo doesn't give acceptable accuracy? It may be a loose barrel, worn barrel, etc. Maybe the cure is oversize boolits or a lot better lube.
If a jacketed bullet is "too loose" to be accurate, a larger boolit is needed. Keep trying larger, while monitoring pressure, until accuracy improves. You will likely need to ream the neck or turn the neck to keep the neck with oversized boolits from exceeding the standard neck diameter! If oversize doesn't work, try a Louverin design which provides a lot of lube in many grooves and doesn't use a land sized nose to keep the boolit centered.
A bit off subject but I found appox. 284 pieces of "British 303" brass cases in a junk box of mine that have 2 tiny pin holes for the primer pocket instead of 1 hole in the base. Are they any good to someone or just scrap?
If someone knows how to decap them they are ok. I broke my pin in the size in die then realized I had some those mixed in . I have wondered about drilling them but not tryed it.
If the brass was actually made by the British, it has .250" Berdan primers, where the anvil is part of the case, not the primer, and there are two little flash holes. All the British .303 was corrosive, so water wash the cases. I have some .250" primers made by Fiocchi long ago.
South African .303 is made with .217" Berdan primers, but the sealant they put on them seems to be epoxy, and getting them out with the Lachmiller/RCBS pry-out tool or hydraulics does not work very well. I have .217" Berdan primers also.
I have never come across any Australian .303. I have come across .303 made by FN in Belgium, and it has .217" Berdan primers, corrosive. Canadian .303 I have seen is Boxer primed with ordinary Large Rifle primers.