Just wondering.........

[Bruce_in_Oz]

I was pondering the matter of the vanishing of good .303 ammo and the problem of "proper" bullets of the correct diameter and form and had a few flashes.

I have built a couple of rifles up using .30 cal (.300" / .308") barrels over the years.A bit of creativity with the chamber reaming is all that is required.

The advantage is the huge range of .308" diameter bullets on the market.

Taking the idea further, why not go really mad and chamber a good .308" barrel for .30-40 Krag. That cartridge has a longer neck which is more suited to the longer, heavier bullets. The general dimensions and overall lengths of the two cartridges are very similar and thus the .30-40 should fit and feed from the Lee Enfield magazine without too many dramas.

I realise this may be a little heretical and I would guess that at least fifty people have done this before, so, I am interested in the philosophical and technical feedback.

Or, one could go completely mad and set up a Lee Enfield for the 6.5 x 54R, as used in Dutch and Romanian Mannlichers. Military rifle, military cartridge, just not the usual combination. That could be a bit of a winner with modern bullets and powders. Interesting side note: Lithgow did a bunch of reverse conversions (6.5 to .303) of Dutch service rifles in WW2. Apparently most ended up on the bottom of the ocean courtesy of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Right out on the edge: has anyone encountered a shooter who has survived converting a No4 to 7.62 x 54 Russian, with its near-.30-06 performance, or perhaps .30-284Win?

Or maybe I should just lay off the Bundaberg Rum for a while...............

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[browningautorifle]

I could see doing a #4 in 30-40. I would see more to the point around Canada doing a #4 in 30-30 Win. I have the same thoughts about feed from the mag. I think tweeking the lips on the front might be in order. Worst case, you might have to addd a bit to the rear edge of the forward lips to do it. 7.62x54 might be a bit big in the back end for feed. I used to load 30-40 from 303 dies because it worked and I was in a tight spot.

[vintage hunter]

If ammo availability is the sole reason for a caliber conversion why choose an obselete round like the .30-40 thats bordering on extinction itself?

[Rumpelhardt]

I would think necking the .303 case down to accept .308 bullets wouldn't be a big deal. .303 British is far more readily available than 30-40 Krag. I don't know if you could use a .303 chamber reamer in a 7.62x51 barrel but it looks to me like it might work. A nice tight chamber and an excellent selection of bullets. I like this idea. I already load for both 30-06 and .308 so I have a good supply of bullets of several different weights all ready.

[vintage hunter]

I like the .30/.303 idea too, in fact I've already tried it. I have a 2 groove LB that shoots .308'' bullets 180gr or heavier surprizingly well. I don't know who actually made them for Herter's but at one time they sold 174gr .303 bullets that were very close to the mk.VII in profile. Anybody remember those? I had a couple boxes but shot them up long ago.

[Old Lancer]

Ok, I'm not sure if i'm off the mark here. 303 projys are either .312 or .311, what actually is a
308 projys dimentions and can they be used in a 303 round.

[vintage hunter]

Old Lancer, 308 projo's are typically .308'' dia and no they could'nt be used in a .303 with normal bore dimentions with any degree of sucess. With the above mentioned Long Branch I was experiencing excessive fouling with .312 bullets and a bore slugging revealed it's a bit tight at .302'' instead of the normal .303'' or better. Being a 2 groove with a .302'' bore I figured there was a fair amount of swaging taking place with the .312's so I loaded a dozen rounds with .308'' 180gr Nosler Ballistic Tips just to see how well they would group. I had to remove the expander ball to get enough neck tension to hold the bullets in the case but the results were surprising, average 3 shot group @ 100 yds was 3 1/2''. Plenty good for close in hunting, however recovered bullets showed signs of blowby and it's not very practical anyway, having to remove the expander ball then run to cases through again so they will hold the bullets.