303 Ammo

[Black Jack]

Thanks in advance for the help. I have the chance to buy 100 rounds of .303 (for $90 USD)with the headstamp R (broad arrow) L 7 45. From what I could find it is 1945 Royal labratory Woolwich, Mark 7 ammo. It is it cordite, and corrosive, corrosive, or just nitro non corrosive? There is another 7 or L I am betting on 7. Thanks again for the help.

Information

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[TonyE]

It is as you say, Mark 7 ball loaded at Royal Laboratory, Woolwich in 1945.

If the headstamp is "R^L 45 7" it is cordite loaded, but if it is "R^L 45 7Z" then it is nitrocellulose loaded. Either way it has corrosive primers so clean accordingly.

Regards
TonyE

[Black Jack]

Tony, Thanks for the info, I don't think there is a "Z" so cordite it is.

[DocAV]

R^L 45 7 is Ammo delivered to Greece, during its civil war ( 1944-47/8). It was surplussed out back in the early 1980s, along with a variety of Commonwealth .303 supplied in the 1940s.
A lot of the Berdan,corrosive primed ammo of that period is now unreliable ( dead primers), a feature of a lot of British made ammo supplied to Greece...but the Canadian, South African and Aussie ammo is pretty much OK. And of course the Greek made HXP Boxer, Nitro ammo ( 1970s) is very very good.

Regards,
DocAV

[budman46]

black jack,

i'm confused...are you requesting info about this ammo as collectible or shootable?

from your question on corrosive or not, i'll guess you want to shoot it...why? modern .303 brit is available for less than your quoted price...http://www.aimsurplus.com/catalog.as...e=.303+British

[Black Jack]

Thanks for the info. I had a chance to go back and check, and I am pretty certain it is Brit .303.

Separate note why is all the Greek surplus ammo (.303, .30-06) good (and gone!)

[Bruce McAskill]

In general it was quite accurate. The cases are boxer primed and reloadable which most military ammo in .303 was not. The Greek 30-06 is still available from CMP and the .303 is long gone.

[Ro-bert]

Well..
I can buy some WW2 ammo:






municion.org says:
DI = Defense Industries Ltd Verdun (Quebec). Z = Nitrocellulose
DAC = Dominion Cartridge Co. Ltd Brownsburg (Québec)

in my region .303 is pretty uncommon, it can be possible, that those rounds are parachuted British help for Partisans during WW2. What do you think?
What would be reasonable price (about 100pcs.)?

Regards,
Robert.

[DocAV]

The DI cartridges are all Boxer, Noncorrosive, and Nitro Powder Loaded ( probably IMR4740 or IMR 3031, Bulk Powder---not the same as the Retail "canister" Powder).

Some of the ones shown have had their Mk7 FMJs replaced with Soft Points ( aftermarket)...commonly done by Interarms in the 50s and 60s, at their Lapua Associates.( Finland) and also by Belmont (NZ) in the 1990s.

The DAC^ Cartridges are all Berdan (.250") Corrosive, and Cordite...although DAC did make some Mk7z (Nitro) beginning in the 1950s, also with the .250" primer.

Both types of ammo are of better quality than British-Made .303, lasting longer, and with less
primer failures or case splits. The Boxer cases, once annealed, will still get 10 + reloads.; as will the DAC^, but only if you can get the RWS#6000 .250" Berdan primers.

Collector cartridges....every collector should have a complete Year and Factory collection of Canadian WW II production...there is enough still around to do so, but it is fast being burnt up...( as seen with the HXP Greek .303 ammo of the 1980s sales.).
They "ain't makin' 'em no more!" so, save some, and shoot the rest ( and reload if you can!!!)

Regards,
Doc AV
(Down Under, a recipient of 1,000s of DI and DAC^ ammo back in the early 70s...some collected, the rest shot and reloaded to extinction as Ball and finally Movie Blanks )

[Ro-bert]

Thank You very much for explanation!
I will do it, as you said - buy them, save some, and shoot the rest.
At the moment i reload the HXP cases, when they are broken, i will load the DI's (boxer). Berdan Primers are very hard to buy.

Best regards,
Robert.