Factory Second Bullets 303 Caliber and 7.7mm Japanese

[usabaker]

I'm finally getting around to loading up some ammunition for the Arisaka Type 99 carbine I bought in March of 2023. It came with 100 once-shot Norma brass just needed some projectiles.

I was looking around MidwayUSA and noticed they had Factory Second Bullets 303 Caliber and 7.7mm Japanese (3105 Diameter) 174 Grain Full Metal Jacket Boat Tail for $35.00 for 100.

Being the couruios type, Aka Test Engineer, I am I wanted to see what the deal is with these bullets. I was curious about what makes them 2nds. Not knowing who the manufacturer limits what I can learn since I have no reference bullet or complete manufacture specification to compare what the projectiles are.

So really, all I can learn is what the variance is;
1.) In weight
2.) In Diameter
3.) In Ogive to Base

And, of course, after working up a decent load, how well do the bullets work (out of my Arasaka)

So far, I have learned:

1.) Only 43 of 100 projectiles weight are within the advertised 174.0 grains (+/- in 0.1 Grain)
2.) The Average Ovige is 0.618" (+/- 0.0001)
3.) The Diameter is almost a 50/50 split 0.3106"/0.3107" and more than the .0.3105" advertised by MidwayUSA.

So what does it all mean so far?

• For enjoyment shooting (plinking), these projectiles should work just fine; how much they vary in the three measurements should have little impact on the accuracy of my rifle at my intended shooting distance of 100 yards.
  
• These seem to be an excellent deal for the price, and I'm glad I bought two boxes.
  
• I can't wait to see how these perform.

[bob q]

After test shooting many different loads in over 200 T-99 rifles , I found that bullet to be about the worst for accuracy .