Pet 303 loads

[6.5west]

There seems to be a fair amount of 303 "shooters" posting on this board and I am sure quite a few are handloaders. So...for those that are pretty serious target shooters...what are your favorite loads? What brass, bullet, primer, OAL, etc?

Thanks, Tony

Information

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[lucky dog]

What works great in one rifle might not be quite as accurate in another as no two rifles are identical for many reasons. Part of the reloading experience is finding the load that works best for a particular firearm. Having said that I like Varget for powder, Privi or HXP cases, (Remington cases are pretty good also) and CCI large rifle primers. I suggest a starting load of 38gr behind a .312 Hornaday projectile and increase your load by .5 grain until your group starts shrinking. When you get past the "sweet spot" the groups will start to open up. After you find the load that gives you your best group then you start fine tuning by increasing or decreasing the charge in very small amounts and adjusting your seating depth. The second time you reload once fired brass kneck size only, and if you are loading for more than one Enfield keep your brass segregated as the brass has formed to that chamber. It is the exception and not the rule if you can chamber a round that has been fired in one rifle in another. My advice is to buy a few good reloading manuals and do some homework. Most everyone I know started out reading Lee's Modern Reloading Manual and though it promotes Lee equipment there is a lot of valuable information in it.

One other bit of advice is to make sure your front trigger guard screw is tight, the barrel has the correct down pressure at the muzzle and is also centered in the channel. A good linseed oil soaking of the forearm and adjustment of the front trigger guard screw bushing helps a lot of these old rifles. If you search the Enfield forums I'm sure you can find the information on the proper screw tension and bushing adjustment. I'm sure I have left out a few other tips but that is it in a nutshell

[goblin357]

One of the better .303 shooters here in the UK wrote an article in target shooter online magazine.. In here somewhere:

Target Shooter

suggesting a load of 42.5gns of RL15 with a 175 Sierra matchking as being good.
I tried it in my No4(T) with a near perfect bore, and it chronographed 5 shots as 2438, 2438, 2445, 2428, 2438 fps!
I took it to Bisley last year for the imperial meeting and shot at 200 yards 50.6V and 3 of the 5s was me not allowing enough windage, that's a 3.5inch V bull.
Excellent load, if a bit pricey for the matchkings, but it's my competition load for the T now :-)

[GRF]

Lucky dog has said it very well. I have had very good luck with the seirra matchking and prohunter bullets.

[smellie]

My test load for the .303 has been published several times, but we'll do it again.

I am using Sierra Pro-Hunter 180 bullets ahead of 38 grains of IMR-4895 with either a CCI LR or a WLR primer. Now here is the hard part: I am using DI (Defence Industries) WW2 brass. This is Canadian-made. Boxer-primed, it ALL is to max rim thickness AND it is the most consistent military .303 brass I have ever encountered.

SEATING is to the OAL of a Mark VII Ball round. Yes, this crowds the leade just a bit, but it works.

This load averages 2250 in Lee-Enfields, 2335 in an uncut Ross.

Enfield rifling always prefers a flat-based bullet, so that is what I feed it.

Do everything right, this is a 1/2 MOA load, if a little slow. It happens to be right ON the 2250 ft/sec that Enfield and the Royal Laboratories determined was the most-accurate velocity for the .303 round, back in 1910 while they were working-up the Mark VII combat load.

My rifles like it, anyway.

Hope this helps.
.

[muffett.2008]

Yep, give it to the matchkings, my load-38gr AR2206H, 174gr pill, Remington cases, CCI primers, average 2500 f.p.s, bloody tight groups.
Oh I forgot to add that I molycote, like to save the strain on my old girl, I've probably stripped her more times than my wife.

[Ro-bert]

Here is my yesterday tested Short-Track load:

HXP Brass, LEE Collet neck, Trim to 56,20mm
Federal LR Primer
25,50grs VV N110
Lapua S-405 (123grs.)
COAL was lower edge of crimping cannelure

Barrel of my 1941 Lithgow looks poorly..... but @50m a tight clover, no barrel heating - you can shoot it all day.