Printable View
Attachment 305003The cartridge that MostlyLeverGuns, suggested is a good one . I have a single shot chambered in rimmed 35 Rem. and this picture is of a 303 British case run thru a 35 Rem. sizing die and a 35 cal. boolit seated in it. If it was fire formed it would look better but it gives you the idea of what the cartridge looks like.
It would be great with heavyweight plain based boolits.
Jedman
Well well. This is getting interesting now.
I got a invite to hunt water buffalo yesterday. And after chatting to my mate who had tee'd up this trip, we are now thinking about both using our lee Enfields in 303 brit. I definitely understand it's considered to light for buffalo. However lots of people use 308 & for a long time it was pretty much only 303's that were used on them. Are castboolits one of the top contenders of projectiles to use in this caliber on such large game ?
I'm thinking yes but not sure. I guess i gotta get casting & experimenting.
II had only fired my rifles and the 316-240 CBE bullets on the range,single shot from top of the magazine,this morning I tried out from the magazine,wasn’t a success,the first No 4 would feed from the right side OK but not the left,the other No 4 was no better.The best I could expect would be a two shot rifle,one in the chamber and one in the magazine.Quote:
Originally Posted by Concerned Aussie
I am not against the idea of a 303/35,I have one built on a Martini Enfield and it shoots well with the RCBS 200 grain gas check bullet,that was the heaviest bullet I used as the CBE 300 grain Flat nose was too much for the chamber and throat.Once you move to a chambering of an exotic calibre,you need to have your reloading dies sorted out and in your hands before committing to the gunsmithing.
You mentioned that you have a 314-190 flat nose mould,that is a very good mould,I would give that a workout with the barrel you have.
I think if you check B.A.W.'s reply with his flat points, you have a totally workable solution. Consider:Quote:
Originally Posted by Concerned Aussie
Attachment 305010
Both 130 grain .32's at 1250fps out of a Martini Cadet. The hard alloy on the left took six feet of water to stop. With .303, you've got skinnier, heavier, faster, and a faster twist rate. It may not be the ideal charge-stopper, but certainly capable of draining a circulatory system or spining your critter.
For sure that’s my 1st port of call. I spoke to my gunsmith yesterday & he said basically no to modifying the throat without massive expense . Far more then I expected! So 190gr it is. I will just have try it out. It has a ruff bore , so I don’t know how it will do with cast . That’s the next thing to look at . How to utilise the barrel I already have. If I can , or is it strictly a jacketed barrel? Paper patch ???.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike H
Wow that’s super impressive . This is what has hooked me in about cast boolits. I gotta get casting & experimenting. I have a lot to learn. Maybe some soft nose & straight hard cast ??? 1st round soft in the neck & hard cast as follow ups ??Quote:
Originally Posted by Bigslug
A Wildcat is definitely not off the table just yet ! But there’s a lot to consider before I pull the trigger on one. I think I need a computer & quick load before I make any decisions.
I have a unfired Lithgow heavy barrel here , but think it’s better on a genuine full wood target rifle IMHO. I have a few spare Lithgow barrels of questionable cast boolit quality to play with . Anything special that’s needed with neck sizing / tension ect ? Std dies ? Ect . Plenty to learn.
Why would you want to start with a shagged barrel????? Most of my cast boolit rifles started with new barrels and with a life expectancy of over 100,000 rounds, each becomes highly polished.Quote:
Originally Posted by Concerned Aussie
https://i.imgur.com/QyI1fXvl.jpg
Just a harder, non-expanding alloy for the whole mag. Unless you're loading everything with soft charges, you'd be unlikely to get consistent point of impact out of both. The flat points in question will create an adequate tunnel of destruction to act as a drain. A classic dangerous game approach is to aim through the cardiovasculars with the intent of scrambling them first, then breaking the leg/shoulder on the opposite side of the animal. This being a Lee-Enfield, you DO have the ability to hit them again, quickly.Quote:
Originally Posted by Concerned Aussie
[QUOTE=Bad Ass Wallace;5465186]Why would you want to start with a shagged barrel????? Most of my cast boolit rifles started with new barrels and with a life expectancy of over 100,000 rounds, each becomes highly polished.
I know I know . That’s why I started my 1st thread with the thought of new barrel of larger caliber specifically for hunting. But wanted a 303 based wildcat that will reliably feed from the unaltered mag & action . As it is with my terrible eye sight , I can group it at about 3” @ 50 yards with 180gr privi partisan open sights. ( I’m struggling with my glasses as of late , most probably need contact lenses for shooting now ) definitely a new 303 barrel is also a option.
https://i.imgur.com/QyI1fXvl.jpg[/QUOTE
I know I know . That’s why I started my 1st thread with the thought of new barrel of larger caliber specifically for hunting. But wanted a 303 based wildcat that will reliably feed from the unaltered mag & action . As it is with my terrible eye sight , I can group it at about 3” @ 50 yards with 180gr privi partisan open sights. ( I’m struggling with my glasses as of late , most probably need contact lenses for shooting now ) definitely a new 303 barrel is also a option.
The barrel maker said the easiest option for him & cheapest for what I want is to go a 35 / 303 on the standard 303 shoulders & case & just neck up to 35 cal. He will modify a 303 die to suit. Because he has all the gear for 35 throating that’s the easiest way forward.
So looks like barely sub $1000 but I’m sure I can increase that a wee bit with a 12 week turn around ( that will blow out ) .
So that’s definitely a option right there.
Another you might consider is the American .30-40 Krag. Dimensionally and performance-wise, it is very similar to the .303 Brit - - to the point that I think "not invented here" nationalism is the only reason the U.S. didn't just use the British round. HOWEVER, the Krag does have a longer neck which gives you some GOOD heavy weight cast bullet options.
Know the krag well & especially because dimensionally it’s very similar. It’s far to rare over here to use . I have many hundreds of 303 brass, die’s , stripper clips ectQuote:
Originally Posted by Bigslug
A 30 cal is possibly a option also , however if I go 35 cal I get a bigger meplat & weight & get to use std 303 dies to ream out . If I go 30 cal I need to use more expensive dies , maybe even rcbs bushing dies.
The question may be one of "meplat vs. sectional density". For deer and pig sized game, sure, a 200-250 grain .35 should be nice and thumpy and likely penetrate plenty. But the same general weight in a .303 may be a better drill for a larger animal. A longer wound track will have more chance of transecting something important than the one that stops shorter.
Consider that the 215 grain solid .303 is about the same concept as the 175 grain round nose 7x57 that Bell used for much execution on African elephants. We went to little things like the 7.62x39 and 5.56 NATO because it was recognized that the old service rounds of Empire were really more than we needed to use on each other - but they have routinely killed A LOT of thousand-pound game animals.
Of course if you wanted to throw big 303 "j" boolits as well as cast, you could always chamber for the 303 Epps Improved
https://i.imgur.com/1klwRefl.jpg
Yes the old 303 has a ton of body taper & it would be a great improvement!Quote:
Originally Posted by Bad Ass Wallace
However getting the smelly to reliably feed em is something that I don’t want to wait on. The wait time for smith work in qld is outrageous.
Yeah mate I’m definitely going to try the std 303 barrel it has . I just done my 1st casting session in 5 or 6 years ! I think it went ok . I water dropped em & they definitely have a bit of a tink sound to em . I’m guessing that means they’ve hardened up a bit ??? 190gr gc fp
It is possible to get the old Lee Enfield to shoot well, even with worn and rough barrels. I paper patch which gives me quite a range of options. I made a few smooth side nose pour molds which can cast either flat nose or hollow nose. Being smooth side, they tend to be shorter for the weight because they have no lube grooves.
I did once shoot 230gr plain lubed at full power and it shot rather well but this was in a mint barrel 303. The smooth sides were just coated in melt on lube. I have a 14 1/4 inch barreled 303 that shoots a 194gr paper patched boolit to 2000fps with a 44gr charge of 2209. Not accurate enough for long range shooting though.
I have one No4 2-groove with a 'rust textured' bore.
https://i.postimg.cc/Y05h9fdJ/TWO-GROOVE_BORE_003.jpg
Those pits don't even copper foul. But then I do put a melt on lube on the boat tailed base. With 180gr PPU bullets it is very accurate. I think my load is 44gr 2209 so velocity is 2300fps nominally. One doesn't expect a boat tail to shoot well in a 303 but these PPU's do.
https://i.postimg.cc/rshqVs3C/MVC-201F_(2).jpg
This might be a bit extreme but this thing gets loaded pretty hot for use in a P14. It's a 416 Straus.
https://i.postimg.cc/nh7q9YTV/416-Strauss.jpg
I once contemplated a 375/303.
https://i.postimg.cc/8cR7wDX7/38303group.jpg
This image is from JeffinNz.
Come to think of it, Lee Enfields have been chambered in 45-70. Even 45-90! But realistically, I would consider leaving it as is or the 35-303 or the 375/303. Consider that with a 35/303, after opening the neck which is done after full length sizing, you would never resize the case, only the neck for which any 35 sizer that won't touch the should or case body can be used.