Any experience loading .303 British w/ hard cast?

[KansasPaul]

Hello all,

I've got a .303 Enfield for which I am considering loading some gas-checked lead bullets.  Has anyone out there had any experience with this particular cartridge?  I've loaded a lot of pistol cartridges with cast or swaged bullets but I've never attempted any high pressure rifle cartridges.  Any help or opinion is GREATLY appreciated!

Thanks

Paul

[Hank08]

Yep, just loaded some last week.  I use Lyman 311299 200 gr. gas check, sized .311.  2400, 4227, 4198, 4759 are all good powders for this.  Around 1800 fps usually gives good accuracy.
H08

[KansasPaul]

Thank you so much for the info!  I've been tinkering with this rifle for a while and it shoots jacketed bullets great but they are just too expensive for shooting paper. 

Paul

[FredWT]

Slug your bore first, they can be a bit generous, size your projectile a bit over sized so that they do not strip in the bore. Use a Lyman M die to open up the mouth like you would for a .45 acp.

[Old Fart]

I've had good luck in the past with mine shooting cast/GC bullets.
And you're right shooting paper with store bought bullets gets expensive.

[curator]

A good bullet to start with is the Lyman #314299. This is a 200+ grain gas check design that usually casts at .314 using wheel weight alloy. Lee Enfields vary a lot so its a good idea to make a "throat slug" to find the best diameter for your rifle. Best accuracy is with no more than 1/2 thousandths under throat diameter. For some ideas about loading cast in the .303 british check out "cast bullets in the Lee Enfield" on Steve Regwell's web site: http://www.303british.com/id37.html

[beerbelly]

I tried the lee 185 grain .312 mold in my #4mk1 and they will not shoot worth a flip. It shoots hornady 174 grain .312 jacketed bullets great.
   I am going to try the lyman .200 grain, .314 in it.
                           Beerbelly

[Steve P]

My cast bullet load is the RCBS 165 silhouette bullet (30 cal.) as cast with WW and water quenched.  I run them thru my .312 sizer to seat the check and lube.  Bullet doesn't size much.  Accuracy is minute of beer can with open sights at 100 yards.  Great fun!

Steve

[KansasPaul]

I think I'll try slugging the barrel first. The factory jacketed bullets that I have been shooting group really well.  I've saved enough brass that it's time to reload.... I'll start by slugging the barrel to see what diameter it is... I had heard shortly after I bought the rifle that some Enfields shot really well while others did not - likely because of the "generous" barrel dimensions. 

I have put quite a bit of work into this particular gun (correcting issues made by previous owner's sporterizing job) and just finished putting a new duracote on it.  Not sure why I like this cobby thing but it has grown on me and my young adult kids laugh every time they shoot it.  Hence, the need to reload cartridges and find more bullet fodder to shoot at.

Thanks again for all the great tips!

Paul

[KansasPaul]

curator - thanks for sharing the link to .303 british.com - the site contains some really good info re: the enfield.

Paul