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Shooting & Reloading - Mausers, Big Bores and others >> Lee Speed Forum & Archive

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NitroXAdministrator
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Reged: 25/12/02
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Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...
Re: Hunting with the 303, please report [Re: szihn]
      #314600 - 28/03/18 06:00 PM

Quote:

Or being British ----would it be a 303/308?




Yep I had that first, then changed it.

--------------------
John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"


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DarylS
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Re: Hunting with the 303, please report [Re: szihn]
      #314609 - 28/03/18 08:07 PM

Steve - I have read more than once, that Nosler Partician bullets sometimes expand to fill the grooves (or close enough) to shoot well in a lot of .303's. Barnsness and Pierce, are the ones reporting this.

--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V


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szihn
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Reged: 24/06/07
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Loc: Wind River Valley, Wyoming
Re: Hunting with the 303, please report [Re: DarylS]
      #314636 - 29/03/18 07:35 AM

Well I think they are correct. I only need to flow .002" to get a perfect seal. The grooves on my barrels are .310" so a .308 is very close. I used Remington Core-Lokts and they seems to be doing fine. I don't think thy are obdurating front to back as much as the metal is simply being forced side-ways into the grooves, but obviously it's filling. The Core-Lokts have a thicker jacket then some other 30 cal bullets, so I am guessing the flow is side-to side in the grooves. These groups could not be this good if the bullet was loose in the bore.

Nosler and Hornady bonded bullets may fill better, but as I said above, I doubt I could shoot any better than 1.5" or 1.75" at 100 yards with my old eyes. Even if the rifle was shooting 1/4 MOA I'd never know it. When I was young I has super good vision.

I am not young anymore.


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DarylS
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Re: Hunting with the 303, please report [Re: szihn]
      #314639 - 29/03/18 07:42 AM

You are right Steve, that accuracy is very good.

--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V


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mbogo3
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Re: Hunting with the 303, please report [Re: szihn]
      #315401 - 18/04/18 11:35 AM

I know it's blasphemy but he now has a 30-40 Krag sort of ?

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DarylS
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Re: Hunting with the 303, please report [Re: mbogo3]
      #315409 - 18/04/18 01:19 PM

I did try .308" Hornady 220gr. RN's in my 2-groove #4 as I thought they might flow out to fill, due to the exceptionally wide lands displacing metal. Didn't work - lousy accuracy. That barrel is .315", from one groove to the other one.

It does shoot 174gr. Hornady's into 1 1/2", though.100metrs, battle sights.

I had rechambered it to Ken Waters, .312 Express, although mine is .315".

Using necked down .350 Rem Mag or 6.5 Rem Mag necked up to hold .303 bullets, I drive those 174's (Re#19 - or is it Re#22?memory on some stuff sucks) at 2,960fps and they shoot quite well indeed.

--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V


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szihn
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Reged: 24/06/07
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Re: Hunting with the 303, please report [Re: szihn]
      #315527 - 22/04/18 05:57 AM

OK, I made a bit more progress on the other gun. This one is made on a Lithgow action from 1941. I don't know if any real "Speeds" were made on SMLEs, so I'll call this a 'Speedish" 303.

I have the wood sealed and ready for final finish. I did the engraving on the magazine and trigger guard. The express sights in made and installed and I used an extremely high front sight and front sight base so I know the rifle will shoot very low. Now I can work up a load that shoot well and then lower the top of the front sight base and maybe change out the sight itself for the final zero. I am wondering if I should use 220 or 180 grain bullets. Maybe I'll split the difference and go with 200 grain spitzers.

After all the metal work is done and the rifle is perfectly zeroed I'll take it all apart one last time and rust blue the steel as I do the final finishing on the wood. They its time for checkering and after that, the final assembly.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA by Steve Zihn, on Flickr

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA by Steve Zihn, on Flickr

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA by Steve Zihn, on Flickr



OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA by Steve Zihn, on Flickr


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Iowa_303s
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Re: Hunting with the 303, please report [Re: szihn]
      #315528 - 22/04/18 06:00 AM

Very nice Steve!

--------------------
Matt

formerly known as Iowa_303

"Once your reputation is ruined you can live your life quite freely."

"Enkelkinder über alles"


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szihn
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Reged: 24/06/07
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Loc: Wind River Valley, Wyoming
Re: Hunting with the 303, please report [Re: Iowa_303s]
      #315529 - 22/04/18 06:40 AM

Thanks Iowa 303

It will be for sale soon.... PM me if you are interested.
I expect to have all the finish work done in 2-3 weeks. Checkering will be done after all the rest is finished.


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93x64mm
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Re: Hunting with the 303, please report [Re: szihn]
      #315531 - 22/04/18 07:11 AM

Beautiful work to say the least zsihn!
Yes as Eagle27 has quoted...you really have made a purse out of a sow's ear!
I have to agree with Mobogo3, you virtual now have a "British" 30-40 Krag.
In a pinch would your chamber even with the tighter bore be able to shoot the original .303 cartridge?


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Rule303
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Re: Hunting with the 303, please report [Re: 93x64mm]
      #315536 - 22/04/18 08:55 AM

I like the timber in the stock. That is a good bit of work. I would go with the 180 grain projectiles. Most probably more people would be using the 174 to 180 grain projectiles for the game you would use the 303 for.

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Iowa_303s
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Re: Hunting with the 303, please report [Re: Rule303]
      #315543 - 22/04/18 11:37 AM

Quote:

I like the timber in the stock. That is a good bit of work. I would go with the 180 grain projectiles. Most probably more people would be using the 174 to 180 grain projectiles for the game you would use the 303 for.



I second this. The 174-180 bullets will do everything a .303 Brit needs to do.

--------------------
Matt

formerly known as Iowa_303

"Once your reputation is ruined you can live your life quite freely."

"Enkelkinder über alles"


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500Boswell
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Re: Hunting with the 303, please report [Re: Iowa_303s]
      #315544 - 22/04/18 12:58 PM

About forty years ago when I was shooting kangeroos for dog meat ,I just filed down the Military ammo projectiles [I'm told its illegal to do that now ] and used to produce perfect mushroomed bullets

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szihn
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Reged: 24/06/07
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Re: Hunting with the 303, please report [Re: Iowa_303s]
      #315545 - 22/04/18 01:02 PM

Yeah, I may just stick with what the Irish gun shoots. As we can see, it's accurate, and a 30 cal 180- grain at closer to 2400 is a good recipe for venison in the freezer. I would not hesitate to take one of these rifles after elk or moose. It's about the same as the old 180 grain load for 300 savage, and I used those when I was a boy and never had any problems.

Thanks for your kind words gentlemen.

I like these old Lee sporters. Light and easy to shoot well.

I head spaced the chamber to set on the shoulder of the shells so there will be a lot less working of the brass in firing then with the military spec chambers. I simply didn't run the reamer in to the rim. I let the cartridge hit the shoulder with a .002" on the base. That means the rifles work best with the brass shortened from 2.222 to 2.200. But as was said by 9.3X64, you can still fire factory ammo. In fact, that what I did to get the sights close before I worked up the load with the 180 gr Core-Lokts. If anyone prefers the standard chamber I can always run the reamer in all the way, but for my own gun (or guns) I prefer to shorten the necks and let the brass head space on the shoulders.


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Waidmannsheil
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Re: Hunting with the 303, please report [Re: szihn]
      #315547 - 22/04/18 01:23 PM

Lovely engraving, very tasteful and not over the top. Well done. Did you actually do the engraving yourself?

Waidmannsheil.

--------------------
There is nothing wrong with vegetarian food, so long as there is meat with it.


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szihn
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Re: Hunting with the 303, please report [Re: Waidmannsheil]
      #315549 - 22/04/18 01:57 PM

Yes, that my "scratching"

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Waidmannsheil
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Re: Hunting with the 303, please report [Re: szihn]
      #315551 - 22/04/18 03:13 PM

Very good indeed. Did you use a hammer and chisel or did you use one of the air gravers.

Waidmannsheil.

--------------------
There is nothing wrong with vegetarian food, so long as there is meat with it.


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szihn
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Re: Hunting with the 303, please report [Re: Waidmannsheil]
      #315556 - 22/04/18 11:53 PM

Both.
I have a GRS machine which I can use on smaller objects, but when I have work to do on something too long to go in the engravers ball, I just use my bench vice and use the hammer and hand chisel. I do some engraving on barrels of the muzzleloaders I make, and many of them are 42 to 48 inches long, so those are best done all with hand tools.
The floor plate on the magazine I did with the GRS, but the guard was cut by hand, and so was the socket on the Irish gun


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DarylS
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Re: Hunting with the 303, please report [Re: szihn]
      #315561 - 23/04/18 03:23 AM

Really nice work, Steve.

--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V


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szihn
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Reged: 24/06/07
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Re: Hunting with the 303, please report [Re: DarylS]
      #315617 - 25/04/18 04:58 AM

Thanks guys.


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szihn
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Reged: 24/06/07
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Re: Hunting with the 303, please report [Re: szihn]
      #315650 - 26/04/18 07:36 AM

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA by Steve Zihn, on Flickr
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA by Steve Zihn, on Flickr
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA by Steve Zihn, on Flickr


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leeenfield
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Re: Hunting with the 303, please report [Re: szihn]
      #315655 - 26/04/18 08:55 AM

PM sent

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szihn
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Reged: 24/06/07
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Loc: Wind River Valley, Wyoming
Re: Hunting with the 303, please report [Re: leeenfield]
      #315770 - 28/04/18 02:28 PM

Looks like the SMLE "Speed" is sold.

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PapaScarface
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Reged: 28/08/15
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Re: Hunting with the 303, please report [Re: szihn]
      #315777 - 28/04/18 05:10 PM

Szihn I would have been all over it if it was in Australia!

what rear sight option did you use?


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szihn
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Reged: 24/06/07
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Re: Hunting with the 303, please report [Re: PapaScarface]
      #315787 - 29/04/18 12:04 AM

Papa, I had to make the rear sight bases out of bar stock. The 3 blade express sights were commercial ones available at one time from SARCO, but I think they are all gone now. They are marked 100,200 and 300 but on my Irish rifle (the one I will keep) I hand-made another fixed sight and soldered it to the base behind the folders, so the 100 is now zeroed at 200, the 200 at 300, and the 300 at 400. The sights on the SMLE were marked 100, 200 and 300, and because it was going to be for sale, I didn't add the fixed sight and I though it would be best to have them zeroed as marked.
Both rifles are zeroed for 180 grain bullets at 2400 FPS.

The fixed sights is zeroed at 100. The front sight base and sight itself are Williams brand, and I bought them from Brownells.


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