Ammunition

[BritishBeer]

I'm having a look at reloading for my club and had a look back at this post I posted a while ago: Long range .303

A question I do have that may be a silly one:

As far as I know companies such as Privi and S&B are only producing new .303 for those of us who shoot Lee Enfield, Ross rifles and a few Vickers etc here and there.

Is there a good reason why they don't make the rounds to the same specs as the old ammo?

From what I understand the .311 is only used for .303 so why don't they make a flat-based bullet instead of boat-tailed? In the same way I think I remember it being mentioned that the modern ammo is a bit hotter than the original stuff (correct me if I'm wrong, I think that's the reason given for the trajectory not conforming?) - so why don't they put a bit less powder in?

Had a search on the forum and a quick google, couldn't find any other posts asking this.

In regards to my reloading, definitely starting with .308 as it seems a bit easier

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[Beerhunter]

I guess that PPU are making boat-tails because that is what their plant is set up to do.

AS top PPU being hotter, I can't say that I have noticed any difference between it a Mk.VII. Any difference in trajectory at longer ranges will be down to the boar tail, rather than the load.

I don't use S&B because last time i looked, they were using steel jackets.

[Brian Dick]

The PPU and S&B is made to Mk.8z specifications. My uneducated guess would be that they originally set up their plants for machine gun ammo and that's what they've continued to make. The Mk.8 and Mk.8z was designed for use in mg's. It's not any hotter than Mk.7 in my experience. The only difference is the boat tail projectile. Some rifles will shoot it fine as long as the lead or throat of the barrel isn't well worn from the hot burning cordite of the day.

[CINDERS]

We had Taipan bullets making 170 FB HP Spire point in .312 and they were the projie of the day absolutely cr*pped over the 174 SMK's was a bloke in Gympie Aus Malcolm Bone dirt floor work shop ancient presses but I tell you I used them and have an unopened packet of 100 of them as a collectable as Malcolm sold all his gear and retired I mean he was 91 and yes I think another Aussie icon vanished into the red dust

I have had pretty good results with the 150gn Hornady's as they are .312 FB Soft point 500M max but they group well I mean I shot 98.11 out of 100.20 200M sitting with them from one of my Savage No.4's

[WarPig1976]

From what I understand the .311 is only used for .303 :

FYI, .311 can be used on 7.62+54r "Russian" and 7.7 "Japanese"
For simplicity I use Hornaday .312 HPBT in all 3..

[Robert303]

I rember that we used to get Yugoslavian .303 which had a red circle round the primer it was said to be Mark VIII and I wonder if the Privi Partizan is the same stuff repackaged.

[Brian Dick]

I think the Privi Partizan is new manufacture but to the same specification. The headstamps are different since Yugoslavia dissolved.

[Robert303]

Brian I'm sure you are right, I worded it badly and meant to say 'And wonder if Privi are just making the same stuff with different markings'. The other story that went the rounds was that FNM in Portugal, who used to make good .303, sold the machinery to Privi Partizan. That was backed up by the fact that FNM ammo vanished about the time that Privi Partisan took off. It's still a disgrace that the U.K. stopped production of ammunition for the civilian small arms market with the exception of.22

[Beerhunter]

It's still a disgrace that the U.K. stopped production of ammunition for the civilian small arms market with the exception of.22

Disgrace? Would you waste your own money making a product for which there was no domestic market?

[Brian Dick]

I'm not sure about the FNM ammunition from Portugal. I had 10,000 rounds of it dated 1971 at one time as imported by Century Arms and still have and shoot some of it. It's not Mk.8z. It's Mk.7z and excellent stuff. The brass is Berdan primed where the PPU is Boxer primed. I know that several military calibers were produced at FNM over the years on foreign contract and the set up was supposedly by Hirtenberger in Austria. There was also excellent .303 Mk.7z on the market years ago with a MEN headstamp from Germany. I can't remember the date but I think it was 1980 if memory serves. I often wish these factories would crank out another batch at a reasonable price. Good mil spec .303 ammo is near impossible to find now.