Iraqi .303?

[Anzac15]

Picked up 100 rounds of this today, suspect it to be Iraqi manufacture. Any thoughts?

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[browningautorifle]

I guess you'll tell us after the first hundred or so...

[smellie]

1964.

Iraqi, I believe.

I have a couple of bandoliers of it here but haven't shot any. It came from door-prizs at a CFB Shilo shoot, several years ago. Some of the guys had a lot of trouble with it (missfires, especially) but this gets me thinking. Might take out a couple of chargers and try it out of a rifle that I KNOW is in decent shape.

BTW, did you know that a cartoon version of an SMLE was on the Iraqi 1-ryal silver piece, back in 1971? True thing. They did a big, fat solid-silver commemorative coin for the Golden Jubilee of the Iraqi Army. On one side, there was a image of two soldiers, the one in the background suitably equipped with his British-type solar topee and SMLE, the one in the foreground looking rather revolting (or is that "revolutionary"? Get them mixed up from time to time, especially when the artwork is this bad), scowling at something off the coin while attired in his Soviet-style helmet and toting a cartoon Klack. Other side of the coin is quite pretty, beautiful Arab-style calligraphy everywhere, a twinned geometrical design and the date in both systems: 1971 AD on the Christian calendar, 1390 AH on the Muslim. I picked one up several years ago in a coin shop, came in a nice blue leather-covered case, gold-stamped, coin itself in Proof condition and sealed in a plastic bag. Buck and a half. Coin and plastic together are 487 grains, so I'm thinking it's supposed to be a Troy ounce. Think I got my money's worth this time! Pretty, too. You don't find many coins with Lee-Enfields on them, that's for sure. This is the only one I've seen; even our 2010 WW2 commemorative quarter has some plastic thing on it: C-7.

Likely I'll head off to the range tomorrow, take along a good SMLE and 10 rounds of that ammo. Let you know what transpires.
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[jona]

From what I have heard about Iraqi ammo it is generally reliable(depending on how it was stored) but very dirty. You will find yourself doing a lot of cleaning after you use it.

[jonnyc]

Yes, Iraqi 1964. I have not had good results with Iraqi .303, very click...bang.

[Anzac15]

Thanks for the responses. I figured that it would probably be a lot like the POF stuff, click bang and all that. Am taking some along with my Long Branch No 4 to the range Sunday, will give a report on it as well.
The coin story was very interesting, to say the least! Would like to find one!