Reloading .303 cases

[Vern Humphrey]

As I say, I don't know about Lee Enfields, but the Ross was certainly hogged out -- you have only to look at the ejected cases.

[Sunray]

Knowing where they were didn't help. snicker.
Stuff is 1944 DZ. Weighed 4 randomly selected cases sans primer. Amazing how consistent they are.
167.7
167.0
168.5
167.5
"...adjust head space with different bolt heads..." Yep. Just take one off and put the other one on. Check with gauges. Not bits of tape, empty cases, live rounds, wads of gum or anything else.
"...if any commercial ammo currently available comes close to..." Isn't important.

[Merc]

Go to the Mauser Rifle section of this forum and check out the "Spanish Mauser 7X57 Reloads" topic. I started the topic and got some excellent advice on how to check for throat wear by measuring "jump" which is the distance the bullet must travel to reach the rifling when it is fired. This one deserves a topic of its own but is buried in the current thread.

Merc

[Merc]

Knowing where they were didn't help. snicker.
Stuff is 1944 DZ. Weighed 4 randomly selected cases sans primer. Amazing how consistent they are.
167.7
167.0
168.5
167.5
"...adjust head space with different bolt heads..." Yep. Just take one off and put the other one on. Check with gauges. Not bits of tape, empty cases, live rounds, wads of gum or anything else.
"...if any commercial ammo currently available comes close to..." Isn't important.

That is interesting. I would have thought the military cases would have been heavier than the commercial cases. Then again, they only had to endure one shot and weren't reloaded although the case head extractor was a common tool so it must have been a problem to some degree. I bought one and may never need it as long as I continue to neck size.

The bolt heads are an easy enough part to replace. The resulting new head space dimension will definitely require a head space field gauge test. Can't do one without the other.

Merc

[Vern Humphrey]

That is interesting. I would have thought the military cases would have been heavier than the commercial cases. Then again, they only had to endure one shot and weren't reloaded although the case head extractor was a common tool so it must have been a problem to some degree. I bought one and may never need it as long as I continue to neck size.

The bolt heads are an easy enough part to replace. The resulting new head space dimension will definitely require a head space field gauge test. Can't do one without the other.

Merc

If you see a bright ring around the case just ahead of the extractor groove, trash that case. You can double check with a bent paper clip -- inside the case you can feel a groove at that point, which is incipient case head separation.

[Merc]

If you see a bright ring around the case just ahead of the extractor groove, trash that case. You can double check with a bent paper clip -- inside the case you can feel a groove at that point, which is incipient case head separation.

Vern,

I saw the same video of that Canadian fellow. He has some great tips. I use a thin coat hanger wire sharpened to a point and bent at the tip to probe the internal case walls for the groove. I've heard of some guys using long hat pins or safety pins saying they're more sensitive. I'll have to try a pin the next time I reload. I've reloaded a couple hundred .303, 7mm and 30-06 cases and the next grooved case I find will be my first.

I hear the same bent coat hanger wire can also pull out separated cases that stick inside the chamber. Paint can openers will do the same thing but you need to grind them down a bit so the hook goes out past the neck opening and grabs the rim. Just make sure they aren't sharp enough to scratch the inside of the chamber. I bought an extractor on eBay right after I bought my No. 4 just to have one but have never used it.

I resize the case necks only when reloading and believe that's the way to go. One expansion and done.

Merc

[joem]

I have broken shell extractors for .303, .223 and .30-06 /308. I've had to use them a little.

[Merc]

I have broken shell extractors for .303, .223 and .30-06 /308. I've had to use them a little.

We've been discussing the integrity of the lighter vs heavier cases here and their ability to handle expansion. Are you reloading? I contend that heavier cases hold up better in older military rifles when neck sized only.

I got some great advice concerning a quick and easy way to measure bore throat erosion that's posted on this forum under Mauser Rifles - Spanish Mauser 7X57 Reloads.

Merc

[Vern Humphrey]

Vern,

I saw the same video of that Canadian fellow. He has some great tips. I use a thin coat hanger wire sharpened to a point and bent at the tip to probe the internal case walls for the groove. I've heard of some guys using long hat pins or safety pins saying they're more sensitive. I'll have to try a pin the next time I reload. I've reloaded a couple hundred .303, 7mm and 30-06 cases and the next grooved case I find will be my first.

I hear the same bent coat hanger wire can also pull out separated cases that stick inside the chamber. Paint can openers will do the same thing but you need to grind them down a bit so the hook goes out past the neck opening and grabs the rim. Just make sure they aren't sharp enough to scratch the inside of the chamber. I bought an extractor on eBay right after I bought my No. 4 just to have one but have never used it.

I resize the case necks only when reloading and believe that's the way to go. One expansion and done.

Merc

One of the simplest ways to get a case with a separated head out of the chamber is run a cleaning rod with a bronze bore brush through from the muzzle.

[Merc]

One of the simplest ways to get a case with a separated head out of the chamber is run a cleaning rod with a bronze bore brush through from the muzzle.

I've heard of that and can understand how a bore brush would work. I'll have several options if that ever happens but as previously mentioned, I only reload the heavier cases which seem to hold up better. I also think pushing or pulling the separated case out by the neck rim would be effective although sometimes they become jammed in the receiver. There's a video on the internet of a guy who has an extractor wedged tightly into a jammed separated case and is hammering on the bolt handle trying to break it loose. Ugly to watch. I'll see if it's stiil up on YouTube and put it up.

Here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqb0ubyabDk&nohtml5=False

Merc

[Vern Humphrey]

"Don't use force. Just get a bigger hammer."

[bigedp51]

I reload .303 British cartridges and have been using PPU brass because the cases weigh more than cases made by some of the other cartridge manufacturers. From my own experience - 3% heavier than Remington Core-Lokt and 9% heavier than Winchester Super-X. The basic thinking here is the heavier weight translates to slightly thicker walls of the PPU case which should hold up better/longer than thinner cases if the cases are neck sized only and fired from the same rifle. The PPU cases I've fired show no sign of excessive stretching after multiple reloading.

Does anyone have any fired Mk 7 .303 British cases on hand? I'm curious to know how the weight of a Mk 7 case compares to the weight of a PPU case (in grains).

Prvi Partizan .303 cases are one of the best cases for reloading, they have thicker rims than American made cases, their base diameter is larger and the case is .010 thicker in the base web area.

Below both factory loaded cases were fired in the same Enfield rifle, and as you cans see the Prvi Parizan has a larger base diameter. Add this the thicker case walls in the base and the thicker rims and you have a .303 cases built Ford Truck Tough.



In 1914 the Enfield chamber were reamed larger in diameter and also the chamber shoulder was moved forward. This was done for two reasons, a ammunition scandal over who was awarded contracts to make .303 ammunition. And some of the ammunition was so poorly made it would not chamber in existing chambers. Another reason was the dirty, muddy conditions of trench warfare that created chambering problems.

When you add this to the fact that American commercial .303 British cases are not made to military standards "some cases" are short lived when reloaded.

Below a Remington .303 British case compared to South African surplus .303 British. The Prvi Partizan cases are made similar to the way a Lake City 7.62 military case is made and thicker in the base of the case.

The South African case is over .005 thicker in the base.



The base is larger in diameter.



And the rim is .004 thicker.



Bottom line with Prvi Partizan .303 cases I have gotten over 30 reloads by neck sizing only and not shooting maximum loads.

[Merc]

Big Ed,

Thanks for the info on PPU cases. I suspected they were superior by their weight and the way they react to being fired multiple times. Neck sizing is the only way to go.

Merc

[bigedp51]

The strange part is the Greek HXP cases are also very good for reloading and last a long time. And the HXP brass is more flexible and more durable than any American made brass.
The problem is the HXP brass is harder to find and thankfully Prvi Partizan is the best of the newer made .303 cases and lasts well when reload also.

[Merc]

The strange part is the Greek HXP cases are also very good for reloading and last a long time. And the HXP brass is more flexible and more durable than any American made brass.
The problem is the HXP brass is harder to find and thankfully Prvi Partizan is the best of the newer made .303 cases and lasts well when reload also.

The PPU ammo has the unusual combination of being decent shooting with reloadable brass while remaining very competitively priced. I reload my ammo in order to work around the various preferences of each antique military rifle I own. It really isn't cheaper to reload. In fact, at the end of the day, I'm probably spending more to reload PPU brass than buying PPU factory loads. It's fun, I enjoy doing it and I like the results. Hobbies are rarely cheap.

Merc