.303 drill round availability?

[Rumpelhardt]

I would like to get some of the original type. I have the Azoom things but they just aren't cutting it. How easy are the originals to come by. I could make some I suppose but I would have to use some of my precious reloading components to do that.

Information

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[Bruce_in_Oz]

GOOD originals are not that common any more. After all they were essentially a consumable item.

The A-Zoom ones are too light, the projectile end is a bit short and, being aluminium, they wear very quickly, especially if you are using them for "Mad Minute" dry practice.

Let's face it, how many dummies do you need? Ten? Twenty?

You can use your shabbiest, umpteen-times fired case (full-length sized) and ANY .30 cal bullet that will seat properly and come to the nominal "full length" of the round. Using a Lee "Factory Crimp" die will certainly fix them in place. Any of the "Ballistic tips" with the nylon noses are good if you can't find a suitable ball projectile. Hollow-points and especially soft points will get snagged and turn scruffy in short order.

For extra points, you can bore out the primer pocket, stand the rounds on their noses and fill the cases with red-dyed epoxy or polyester resin.

Drill, so to speak, a couple of holes through the sides of the case, just to make it REALLY obvious, and away you go.

DO NOT store or use anywhere near REAL ammo. (And vice-versa).

If you know the right people, get them nickel plated.

Drill rounds get flogged out from repeated use: that's their job; to "take one for the team".

[Dad]

A quick Google search yielded the following:

303 British dummy practice rounds

303 Drill Rounds Pack 5 [H4585] - 1.90 : Henry Krank, Everything for shooters and collectors

.303 Drill round chrome

I have never bought from the above, I just make my own inert rounds from fired cases....

D.

[Peter Laidler]

If you're making your own then I suggest that you MUST fill the case with something such as fine sand or a wood insert (as on the originals) to prevent the bullet from being pushed into the case. This'll happen if the bullet stubs into the breech anywhere OR when you eject them and they fall nose down onto the floor - as they will - and the case closes down over the bullet.

My friend made a load for our rifle club but remover the primers (or drilled a small hole in the side of the case) cleaned the interior of the necks and the corresponding circumferencial area of the bullet, put some grains of soft solder inside the case, then nserted the bullet to length. Then held the neck upside down over a blow torch for a few seconds so that the soft solder melted and sealed the bullet into the case. End of proble,.

Never affected me as I always had access to zillions of drill rounds! But I did ask him afterwards why he'd bothered when I could have given him and the rest of the worlds .303 and 7.62mm shooterts a handfull of each!

[Brian Dick]

Still using mine. They look the part too but just keep on going!

[Roy]

My ten drill rounds are UTTERLY shagged and barely hang in to the charger clips, but they are CAC 1942. I wouldnt buy used originals to play with.

[redbone]

rumpelhardt,

If you can send me a private message with your mailing address and I'll set you up with 5 of the rounds I received from Vulch years ago. Redbone