Originally Posted by
Bruce_in_Oz
The Mk8 .303 was not introduced so the average Tommy / Digger could head-shoot the Hun at 1000 yards with a bog-standard SMLE / No.4. It was to extend the effective beaten zone capability of the Vickers (on a tripod) and Bren guns. Getting caught in a shower of subsonic Mk8 bullets at 2000 yards would not be a pleasant experience.
As for increased throat erosion, swapping a barrel on a Vickers or Bren is a "user" task, performed during brief halts in firing, as opposed to the field workshop nature of a rifle re-barreling.
With Vickers being deployed in "teams" drawn from a specialist Platoon,or even a machine-gun battalion, a "solo" gun is an aberration. With six or more guns on a fire task, one could always be "off-line" for a barrel swap, stoppage clearance, parts replacement, a quick clean and re-oil, re-laying, or whatever.