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303 British primer issue #6710545 03/20/17 11:54 PM
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Teal28 Offline OP
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Finally got around to shooting some loads if worked up form my Enfield.
150gr spritzer
WLR primers
New Hornady brass
37.5gr -40.0gr of IMR 3031
3 rounds of each load in .5gr increments
All loaded to a COAL of 2.975 per the Lyman 49th
First load of 37.5 shot and grouped well.
Issue is the primer strike is deep and the primer pushed out of the pocket a few thousands.
This happened on all three rounds.
I stopped after this due to it was the lighted load I had and only .5 gr above book min.
Any ideas?




Re: 303 British primer issue [Re: Teal28] #6710556 03/20/17 11:59 PM
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Here's a pic of the loaded bullet and primer pocket.



Re: 303 British primer issue [Re: Teal28] #6710648 03/21/17 01:29 AM
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kmon11 Online Shocked
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Take a read on this LINK from Hornady for internal ballistics and what happens when you fire a round in your gun.

O suspect there is a little extra head space with the new brass and it does head space off the rim and is not stretching the case back against the bolt face like described in the link above for the 308, the case is not stretching back against the bolt face allowing the pressure that is through the flash hole to push the primer back to the bolt face but not the case. See this sometimes with light loaded rounds in a 30-30 I started out reloading for back when I started.


lf the saying "Liar, Liar your pants on fire" were true
Mainstream news might be fun to watch
Re: 303 British primer issue [Re: kmon11] #6710756 03/21/17 03:27 AM
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Originally Posted By: kmon1
Take a read on this LINK from Hornady for internal ballistics and what happens when you fire a round in your gun.

O suspect there is a little extra head space with the new brass and it does head space off the rim and is not stretching the case back against the bolt face like described in the link above for the 308, the case is not stretching back against the bolt face allowing the pressure that is through the flash hole to push the primer back to the bolt face but not the case. See this sometimes with light loaded rounds in a 30-30 I started out reloading for back when I started.


This.


Originally Posted By: theserxtremedays
Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers
Re: 303 British primer issue [Re: Teal28] #6710926 03/21/17 01:28 PM
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Thanks for the link. I was figuring it might be a head space issue. I know it comes up in older military guns.
I suspect that if I just bump the shoulders back a few thousands this should fix the issues. Or maybe just neck size the brass?


Re: 303 British primer issue [Re: Teal28] #6713041 03/23/17 05:30 PM
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Had primers backing out of my Mk4 .303 Enfield and also had a few case head separations. Was just a headspace issue, not a big deal. Swapped bolt heads, quit using import brass and also went to neck sizing only with Lee Collet. Problem solved. Common issue with these rifles.

Told my buddy I'm going to load the once fired brass over max and call it the 303 Jackson Imp. lol






Last edited by chalet; 03/23/17 05:54 PM.

Shoot. Eat. Repeat.
Re: 303 British primer issue [Re: Teal28] #6714303 03/24/17 08:33 PM
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Another guy that is using the Lee Collet die for neck sizing. I have a No 4 & No 5, and they are identical in the chamber cut. In the picture below, you can see how the fired case differs from the full length sized case. The loose primer thing will go away as you use upper-end loads with neck sized cases. I have always thought they look like an Ackley Improved cartridge.



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Re: 303 British primer issue [Re: Ranch Dog] #6714313 03/24/17 08:53 PM
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Wouldn't want a little bit of trench muck stopping that cartridge from chambering - now would ya? rifle


Shoot. Eat. Repeat.
Re: 303 British primer issue [Re: chalet] #6714639 03/25/17 04:16 AM
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kmon11 Online Shocked
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Originally Posted By: chalet
Wouldn't want a little bit of trench muck stopping that cartridge from chambering - now would ya? rifle


Nope I would not want that, and the Military isn't really concerned about reloading.


lf the saying "Liar, Liar your pants on fire" were true
Mainstream news might be fun to watch
Re: 303 British primer issue [Re: Teal28] #6715282 03/26/17 12:00 PM
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I have a "beater" of a No. 5 that was sporterized to resemble a Rem 600 probably back in the period that those rifles were being offered. I figured I was probably the only guy who would buy it and so did the outfit selling it, so I got it very cheap. I have since talked with an older gentleman who taught at a large gunsmith school, and he saw several of these built on the SMLE as project rifles. I milled a scout base out of an existing base and slowly have figured out what it takes to make this old warhorse an accurate rifle.

Friday evening, I had a boar hog come to my yard feeder, so I slipped out the door, I keep the SMLE at the back door, to see if I could get a shot at it. It was in and out of the brush and finally decided to leave. As it went up the tank dam, I shot it right through the heart. It was 90-yards out.



The shot and precise hit were a lot of work in the making, and the second that I have made, so I'm feeling good about it. The image below shows all the info concerning the load which generates 2315 FPS from the rifle's 19" barrel.



Hodgdon's Hybrid 100V has proven to me to be a super powder for filling the case of this cartridge that was designed for black powder while keeping the pressures within its pressure limits. I've used a bunch of different jacket bullets but have found the PPU B125 180-grain SPBT to be the best in this rifle. I'm moving on to cast bullets and had just done the initial shooting with this 210-grain bullet last week.



I do have another SMLE, an NO. 4 MkI that was also sporterized (poorly) but is a super accurate shooter with its two groove bore. It is up at a gunsmith I use in NE, the guy is an artist, being turned into a modern scout rifle. It should end up like this one.





Mine will have a 20" threaded barrel, and I will retain the original peep and have a blade front sight regulated for the peep. That's me, slowly breathing new life into poorly sporterized SMLEs one rifle at a time.

Oh wait, I do have another, A Gibbs/Navy Arms Summit. These are remanufactured/rebarreled No. 4 Mk1s chambered in 45-70 Govt. The only plan that I have for it is milling a scout mount for the barrel.





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