Repurposed !

[CINDERS]

Had a friend give me this the other day a MKVI CAC 1917 as far as I can tell it has a nickel soft point projectile I'm surmising at 215 gns.
RCS or any other person in the know did they re purpose the left over rounds like this or where these a production run.
As the stabs appear to be factory with no other visible signs it has had the projectile changed and then re-stabbed.
MKVII nickel 303 for scale.
Thanks for you replies.

[Sapper740]

Are you referring to the crimps/indents as 'stabs'? Someone removed the cupronickel jacket at the nose to expose the lead-antimony core. Why? I have no idea. Perhaps an attempt to circumvent the 1899 Hague Convention restriction against expanding bullets?

[CINDERS]

A friend and I talked along those lines I do have in my MKVI collection rounds from our troops that have carved crude X's in the nose to perhaps aid expansion as the MKVI round was full lead and did not posses the aluminium filler in the nose that the MKVII has. (See pic)

[browningautorifle]

I seriously doubt the nose of a 215 RN was cut away to make that a lead point. If it's open at base it CAN blow the lead filler out and leave the jacket in the bore. The whole procedure wouldn't be cost effective for an ammo company. Also as shown the lead isn't so pronounced at point under a jacket. These are just RN hunting bullets that are well beat up. Did Cinders say the headstamp is military? Since ammo companies had over run stuff after war contracts cancelled, yes they were used up.

[RCS]

I believe someone converted the bullet to a soft point for hunting ?

[Woodsy]

It is a standard .303 Mk VI soft-point hunting round made by CAC (Colonial Ammunition Company) in Auckland, NZ. They were made for the commercial market using over-run Mk VI ball cases. With the exception of some especially head stamped target ammo, all CAC sporting .303 up until the late 50's was made on ball cases in 150, 180, and 215 grain. soft point, hollow point and aluminium tipped. After the army change to 7.62x51 in 1959 production of .303 ball stopped and boxer primed cases were introduced for sporting ammo, head stamped CAC .303, CAC .308, etc. There were some contract loads for Alpine helicopters (A .308) and .270 for the NZ Forest Service in both 130 grain and 150 grain loads (NZFS .270). There was also some target 7.62 ammo loaded with special headstamps. CAC ceased production in the 1980's. CAC also established the Australian Government Ammunition Factory in Footscray, Melbourne, which only made military ammo to my knowledge, and passed into Australian Government ownership in the 1920's.

[CINDERS]

Always amazed at the wealth of knowledge here, Thanks Jim & Woodsy sorta surmised along that train as if they did mod the round there is nothing to stop the core launching down the tube and leaving the jacket somewhere behind in the bore.Yes Jim AFAICS the H/S is CAC ! 17 as the base is pretty beat up.

[browningautorifle]

there is nothing to stop the core launching down the tube and leaving the jacket somewhere behind in the bore

There was a test done by two individuals to see if this was possible at one point...and they each shot 500 rounds of tip chopped ball. They would shoot one round and check, and through it all they each had ONE jacket stick in the bore. That's not much but it's sure enough. That convinced me it would be a bad idea.