No.1 Question.

[newcastle]

Took my new No.1 Mk3* to the range yesterday. It's 1918 Enfield made, rifle with worn rifling and beaten wood. Bit of a surprise when I started shooting though. Ok I was only at 50 yards and from a bench but it put ten shots of Sellier and Bellot inside about an inch and a half, this making it instantly my most accurate LE with issue sights. However it raised a coupe of questions. The rear sight was moveable - not windage adjustable, just moveable - I could push the whole leaf across with my finger. Enough to move a group an inch at 50 yards. it all seems to be attached properly and the base isn't moving - common? Secondly anyone have a decent source for boltheads (in USA) There was a noticeable thinning / stretching effect on the case by the rim and the headspace is touch and go on civilian gauge. I guess I'll need to order a few and go trial and error until I find a slightly longer one.

Information

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[Gibbs505]

Photos, please!!

[Amatikulu]

Sellier and Bellot ammunition in .303 is one of the most common posts on the internet. Numerous people report problems with the brass. Before you buy a new bolt head, try using different ammunition.

(Sir) Edward Horton M.B.E. (Manual keeper of the British Empire) recommends Privi(y) Partizan as being the best brass for future reloading.

[Stevo]

Are the rims on S&B cases thinner than normal?

[Brian Dick]

Hey Newcastle, email me if you need a bolt head select fitted although if it passes a civvie gauge it should be OK.

[Edward Horton]

Are the rims on S&B cases thinner than normal?

“Are the rims on S&B cases thinner than normal?”

The rims on the S&B are very close to what American Remington and Winchester cases are, they average .059-.058

Prvi Partizan cases have a rim thickness average of .062 -.061 BUT the base diameter of the Prvi cases are .004 to .005 LARGER in diameter and the Prvi case wall thickness in the base web area is .010 thicker.

Bottom line the Prvi Partizan cases are made like American military cases which are heavy duty and exactly what we need for reloading the military .303 Enfield Rifle.

If you use the rubber O-ring method for fire forming your cases even with factory loaded ammunition the case stretching and thinning in the web area will be eliminated and prolong case reloading life. The Rubber O-ring fire forming method also eliminates “headspace worry” as the case is forced against the bolt face fooling the rifle into thinking the rim thickness is the same as whatever the headspace the rifle is set at. (Zero head gap clearance)





You could say with military cases, headspace sometimes means absolutely nothing in a military rifle.
(The only thing that happened is the primer backed out of the primer pocket, see center image below)

[Bindi2]

Sir Edward Horton MBE. An expat living in pencil land or a dual citizen no American can have an English Title wonder if they want him back or the USA want to surrender him to the Brits.He likes vegemite the Aussies can have titles not many SMLEs left here as bait. Pity what could have been. Sir Edward Horton MBE extraordinare.

[Beerhunter]

The other strike against S&B, as far as I am concerned, is that the bullets are steel jacketed. Some say it don't make no never mind (Let's not get into to much of a debate.) but I don't fire steel jackets in my rifles.

[Danhar1960]

Sir Edward Horton MBE. An expat living in pencil land or a dual citizen no American can have an English Title wonder if they want him back or the USA want to surrender him to the Brits.He likes vegemite the Aussies can have titles not many SMLEs left here as bait. Pity what could have been. Sir Edward Horton MBE extraordinare.

WTF ????????

Danny