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Thread: 303 British to 410 shotshell

  1. #41
    Boolit Grand Master
    rockrat's Avatar
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    Saw a box of 410 Federal 3" shells at wally world today for just shy of $20 and 2.5" shells were just shy of $18

  2. #42
    Boolit Buddy
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    Here in Oz, most brass is either unobtanium or made of platinum!
    I had a pillowcase of .303B brass, dis a lot of web search etc.
    as stated by others, some shotguns will not lock up because of the thick rim. My Rossi .410/.22LR switch barrel will not.
    I thin the rim and check for fit in the action, case by case.
    Next, run the case into a 9.3x62 FLS die. Thats the biggest I have. Standard LP primer, 11.4 gr of Blu Dot or 15 gr 2205 (w296) OP cork wad cut crom wife’s ex favourite cork coasters usingan evilbay wad punch - 11mm iirc- had a mate machine up a ‘seater plug’ on a stem which screws into Lee universal expander die. Use that to squish down on the OP wad after seating the case in the press. Then 1/2 oz of no6 shot. Next OS wad cut from soft cheese can covers. A dab of Elmers white glue. I did try to run the loaded shell into a .303 seating die to help with the mouth crimp. Sometimes it did and sometimes not.
    blue dot gave the best ignition and pattern. The w 296 equivalent gave bloopers and lot of unburnt powder.
    I’ve now progressed to using Buck and .38 wc in these cases.
    Fair warning, novice shotgun loader. I have a long way to go.
    "...Some days its rocket science, and some days it just zinc..."

  3. #43
    Boolit Master
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    I have a MARLIN 410, lever action. made from 1929 to 1932, would I have any problem in using a 303, or a 444 case? feeding & ejecting. I believe that it is chambered for 2 & 3/4 inch hulls.

  4. #44
    Boolit Master 15meter's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by toot View Post
    I have a MARLIN 410, lever action. made from 1929 to 1932, would I have any problem in using a 303, or a 444 case? feeding & ejecting. I believe that it is chambered for 2 & 3/4 inch hulls.
    I thought .410 came in 2-1/2 and 3". Was there a 2-3/4" that's now obsolete?

  5. #45
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    Quote Originally Posted by toot View Post
    I have a MARLIN 410, lever action. made from 1929 to 1932, would I have any problem in using a 303, or a 444 case? feeding & ejecting. I believe that it is chambered for 2 & 3/4 inch hulls.
    You have what a lever action .410 should be. My friend had one for a few hours at a gun show and sold it for a small profit. Well balanced and lighter than the later introduced models. I looked at a Henry .410 lever action and it also was too heavy for a .410 shotgun.
    I believe the old Marlin is 2-1/2" chamber only.

    Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

  6. #46
    Boolit Master
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    and the 303 converted comes up short of 2-1/2"... Mine are anyway...but, mine have Not fully formed except about half way to the head..
    Sorry... No Experience with a "repeater" in 410... Don't see why it wouldnt work...except that, again, they are Short.
    Last edited by racepres; 10-29-2022 at 09:21 AM.

  7. #47
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by nhithaca View Post
    Bought ......e.

    Lastly, bought a paper package of British military issue 410 ball loads that as I understand it, were issued for crowd control!!!! Only shot one or two out of a SMLE that was modified specifically for these by boring out the standard 303 barrel to 410 and installing a plug in the mag well. Recoil was quite brisk and the shells did not want to extract well. Cases are Berdan primed and about 2.1" long. Lead ball is exactly 0.410" in diameter and appears to be harder than pure lead. Ended up buying a whole case (original wood box) of these things but have not even opened it yet (collector value?). Don't know what would happen if you shot one through a choked gun. The two I shot seemed to be loaded quite hot.
    I can not say for your gun, but I know of one case where oversized projectiles like of .429 and .452 were fired through a .387 choke and no damage to the choke or gun even from factory .454 casull. .454 casull reloaded with range trash powder in a later video did blow up the gun.

    start 4:00 minutes


  8. #48
    Boolit Master
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    15meter, my bad. a senior moment. stuck on old 12 gauge.

  9. #49
    Boolit Master
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    Texas by God, yes you are right.

  10. #50
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by cwtebay View Post
    Ahhh.... should have mentioned - I have a bajillion pieces of 303 British brass.
    And I am wishing to:
    A) make 100 pieces for reloading for a long time.
    B) conserve primers

    I already have 300 or so from MagTech brass and am just thinking down the road. I have owned it


    Oh - and C) kinda want to do this project!
    I'm thinking about making a progressive ball type neck expander for this project should I ever wish to repeat it.
    (And sort of D) I end up spending quite a little time up at night looking for projects to occupy my mind this time of year)
    sort through your loading dies and find one that will clear the outside of your 410 case and has a 3/8th thread in the top - then get ye a couple of bolts and make an expander with a long slow taper - if you work it right that will get you out to 375 in one pass - have someone run the same thread on a 7/16 bolt and repeat the excercise - gonna need to anneal these before (not too far down the case first time out) then after first pass (further down the case body for the second expand)

    I took PMC 30/30 to 375 BB in one pass with this kind of expander die didnt lose a case - didnt need to anneal (sadly we dont see PMC brass anymore it was good stuff)

  11. #51
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    I really detest folks that form 303 Brit to 410! I need more 303BR brass!

    Here is a thread I did years ago making all brass 3" 410 from 9.3x74R:

    https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...ins-of-Red-Dot!

    444 Marlin makes great 2 1/2" 410 all brass hulls. 444 Marlin dies with the stem removed size any 410 case.

    Yes, I do have Magtech brass for 410 and 12. Also 444 and 9.3x74R. I still haven't made noticeable progress since I posted this thread. Too much going on out here!

    I suspect you can expand 303, 444, 9.3x62R or 9.3x74R to 410 in one firing with the right amount of slow pistol powder. Start small and increase slowly. Since I posted this thread, I have learned a 1/4 square of toilet paper wadded up on the powder and in the case mouth is an improvement to what I did. I also learned that extra wads to put the crimp where you want it can cause case head separations in only two or three loads. These all brass hulls made from rifle brass should be good for a hundred or more loadings! Enjoy and have fun!

  12. #52
    Boolit Master
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    Brass Magnet. your thread should be made a STICKY!! I just saw it and it is the most informative one on the subject.

  13. #53
    Boolit Master
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    Although I have a bunch of 303/444marlin brass converted and loaded for 410, I decided to try another longer brass case. I bought a bunch of brass at an auction and some were 300Win that had been sized in a 300H&H die. I sized the cases in a 45acp sizer die until they got hard to size any farther. This left about 3/4" of the base unsized. I turned a mandrel to fit the mouth of the case using a live center in the primer hole and turned the case to .470 leaving the rim untouched. This leaves the rim to thin and my gun has a short firing pin so I drilled a 15/32" hole through a 3" piece of 3/4" cold roll and cut a 20 degree taper on the end. I slide the case in the tube and using a light hammer pound the edge of the rim forward to adjust the head space. I then anneal the neck/shoulder.

    Next is fire forming. I prime and use about 5gr of nitro 100 with a patch of cloth about 1/4" square packed on the powder. Then fill to the base of the neck with cream of wheat. Then I push a 98gr .311 boolit in the neck and fire form. They form out nicely and can then be loaded. I load with 15gr of 2400, a 1/2oz plastic wad and 3/4 oz of #9 shot with an over shot wad glued in with silicone.

    It's a lot of work but the 9.3x74R cases are very hard to find and very expensive if you do find them. These cases are 2.65 inches long which is long enough to get a full 3/4 oz load. You nee a lathe to make these but it is another option and 300 Win is a lot easier to find,

    I could have used 300 H&H cases but they aren't easy to find or cheap either.

    Just another option for those with access to a lathe.

  14. #54
    Boolit Master

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    Bought some Prvi made 9.3x74R a couple weeks ago from Graf's. 49.00 for 50. Used Large pistol primers about 10.5 grains Lil'Gun a card on top of the powder, tried corn meal etc got the wasp waist with huge top. Went ahead and used 3/4 oz of 7.5 shot and swapped to 12.5 grains Alliant 410 powder and finally blew them out to size in my Uplander Coach side by side in 410. Trimmed them a bit then loaded up 10 each with the following.
    Powder 410...12.5gr.
    Claybuster (red) Wad
    5 ea. 00 Buckshot
    another card on top and Elmers glue to anchor.
    Shot them off OK but I think they are a bit under powered, so after chrono I will probably go to 13.5 grain 410.
    All and all it was a lot of work, But, Hey what are you going to these days.
    “You should tell someone what you know. There should be a history, so that men can learn from it.

    He smiled. “Men do not learn from history. Each generation believes itself brighter than the last, each believes it can survive the mistakes of the older ones. Each discovers each old thing and they throw up their hands and say ‘See! Look what I have found! Look upon what I know!’ And each believes it is something new.

    Louis L’Amour

    The Californios

  15. #55
    Boolit Master


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    Quote Originally Posted by TyGuy View Post
    I have been dabbling with this as well. Made some .444s into nice blanks and thought I would play with the .303 also. I have a couple that I have annealed and fire formed but they aren’t exactly a smooth transition up the sides. They still have a bit of a waist to them. I’ll try them again when I have more free time.
    This was my experience also!

  16. #56

  17. #57
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Been messing with the same thing, forming from 9.3x74r. Have some Norma brass I was trying. Problems galore (didn't want to fireform) until I glanced at the shelf and there was a set of Lee dies for the 416 rem mag. Pulled out the expander, and it was tapered, probably to form from 375 H&H brass. Tried a lubed case and it was fairly easy. Only bad thing, it wouldn't go far enough down to seat a plastic wad, so got on the lathe and made an expander to open the case up farther down the case and fit it to the seating die. Really needs to be polished up more, but works as is. Plastic wad seats with about 20 lbs pressure and loaded some over 13 gr. 296 and 3/4 oz shot with a .030" wad on top and crimped with a 375 H&H seating die. Haven't shot them yet, maybe next week when it warms up a bit.
    Next is trying some 444 brass for my Marlin 410

  18. #58
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    Quote Originally Posted by BrassMagnet View Post
    I really detest folks that form 303 Brit to 410! I need more 303BR brass!

    Here is a thread I did years ago making all brass 3" 410 from 9.3x74R:

    https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...ins-of-Red-Dot!

    444 Marlin makes great 2 1/2" 410 all brass hulls. 444 Marlin dies with the stem removed size any 410 case.

    Yes, I do have Magtech brass for 410 and 12. Also 444 and 9.3x74R. I still haven't made noticeable progress since I posted this thread. Too much going on out here!

    I suspect you can expand 303, 444, 9.3x62R or 9.3x74R to 410 in one firing with the right amount of slow pistol powder. Start small and increase slowly. Since I posted this thread, I have learned a 1/4 square of toilet paper wadded up on the powder and in the case mouth is an improvement to what I did. I also learned that extra wads to put the crimp where you want it can cause case head separations in only two or three loads. These all brass hulls made from rifle brass should be good for a hundred or more loadings! Enjoy and have fun!
    @brassmagnet
    Came into a partial box of 303 ammunition. Was looking for ways to fire form it to 410 and saw your post. I’d hate to be detested.

  19. #59
    Boolit Master
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    I guess full disclosure, I received about 20 pounds of 303 British brass. I am close to 250 pieces going to 410 so far, plan on forming it all that way. I have a set of dies I purchased at a gun show years ago that works on my Lee Progressive.

    Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

  20. #60
    Boolit Master

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    I don't understand your hunting Elk from horseback with a .410? as for full mail box -check both recieved and sent -they both count.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check