Kynoch .303 Mark 6 - 215 grain ball

[Nigel]

This is not something you see everyday - in fact in over 40 years of collecting I've never seen a fresh box (24 November 1964 packaged) of Kynoch .303 Mk6 Bullets (one hundred). I can only imagine, given the packaging date, that somebody was going to load these for brain shots on Elephants! I have an 1889 Mounted Infantry Bandolier that would look good with these in. Note the KN stamp on the base of the bullet.

Information

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[Alan de Enfield]

They are still manufactured and available today - direct from Kynoch / Kynamco


Kynoch .303 British



Click this link for the full range - I reckon the 700 Nitro express would have a bit of a kick ;

The Kynoch range of Big Game cartridges

[Nigel]

Yes I was aware of Kynamco's .303 production but they don't make a solid cupro nickel 215 grain bullet. BES make that profile but unfortunately it is copper jacketed.

[Mk VII]

They will be for double rifles, regulated for the Mk. VI bullet.

[Mark Thorp]

I understand Kynamco are looking for a new owner

[Surpmil]

It appears to be a cupro-nickel jacket over a lead core which is visible in this photo.

"Hark the herald angels sing,
Kynoch's pills are just the thing."

And would probably cure many more ills than Beecham's

Elephants? Yes, one wonders what the purpose of a solid tip for game purposes would be - or was Kynoch just using up some old jackets they had about the place?

Or at that time still wanted for target work back when people remembered that earlier Lee Enfields were rifled and sighted for MkVI?

I understand Kynamco are looking for a new owner

A history going back to 1863 and a worldwide reputation? Yes, dither around and run it into the ground so it can be closed down and scattered to the winds as quickly as possible, in the usual manner.

No agents in North America? There's no one here who'd like some MkVI ammo, or some 215gr. sporting loads? Truly bizarre.

Maybe they can sell it to the Germans; at least they'll run it properly.

[Nigel]

To quote Karamojo Bell: "For the brain shot only bullets with an unbroken metal envelope (i.e. solids) should be employed; and those showing good weight, moderate velocity, with a blunt or round nosed point, are much better than the more modern high velocity sharp-pointed variety. They keep a truer course, and are not so liable to turn over as the latter." He used .303 rifles (Martini and Lee Metford) early in his career - shooting 200 elephants with the 215 grain .303 service load before switching to a 6.5x54 Mannlicher-Schoenauer using 159 grain round nose (300 elephants) before settling on .275 Rigby (7x57) with 173 grain round nose with which he shot the majority of his elephants for a grand total of 1,011. He did try a few other calibres but the above three accounted for the majority of his kills.
I must stress that he was a man of his time and now, in our time, I am not an advocate of shooting elephants for their ivory - the World has moved on.[COLOR="black"]

---------- Post added at 01:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:22 PM ----------

[Roger Payne]

Interesting that the bases of the bullets are stamped 'KN' & not just 'K' which was the usual marking for Kynoch. A change in marking practice late in the production history, or old stock bullets taken on from King Norton (also located in Brum)???

[desperatedan]

A history going back to 1863 and a worldwide reputation? Yes, dither around and run it into the ground so it can be closed down and scattered to the winds as quickly as possible, in the usual manner.

No agents in North America? There's no one here who'd like some MkVI ammo, or some 215gr. sporting loads? Truly bizarre.

Maybe they can sell it to the Germans; at least they'll run it properly.

Perhaps somewhat unfair.

Kynamco was set-up by David Little and his wife in the mid-1990s and it shouldn't be confused with the original Kynoch/ICI/IMI/Eley group of companies. IIRC, after many years of running it down, IMI/Eley finally ceased production of centre-fire ammunition in the 1970s.

When he formed Kynamco David Little licensed the Kynoch brand from Eley and since then has allowed owners to keep many big game/double rifle and other "obsolete" calibre rifles going when stocks of original ammunition were no longer available. I think that David and his wife must now be in their 70s/80s so it's likely a desire to retire that will be prompting the sale of the business.

I hope they manage to find a buyer rather than liquidate the business and then maybe we can look forward to MkVI and MkVII ammunition from them!

[Alan de Enfield]

I hope they manage to find a buyer rather than liquidate the business and then maybe we can look forward to MkVI and MkVII ammunition from them!

They did do a 'large' production run of MKVII a few years ago. Our club bought 1000's of rounds and I manged to secure 'quite a bit' (by UK standards)
Excuse the quality of the bullet section, I only had a blunt hacksaw and a rustry screwdriver.