Each unit of 100 is 5 boxes, plastic wrapped. All from the same lot and with one box open, other 4 with intact seal.
2 lots dated December, one October in my order. All rounds externally clean in the open boxes.
Pulled 2 rounds from each open box.
October and Dec #1 have ball powder. Powder flows freely, some internal staining on brass but not enough to make me scrap the case. About 44 grains.
Dec. #2 has stick powder, about 39 grains. Kitchen clean on the inside.
I'll give all of these lots a chance to go bang once the weather turns. The bullets are definitely good but the crimp is heavy so preferably they can shoot from the cases they are already in.
The primers have always and still might be the problem, hang fires... Hopefully you get good results. I used to take them all, change the primers and then there was no issue. Even though the powder is 80 odd years old and has degraded some without showing signs, the primers are the usual issue. Let us know...
Each unit of 100 is 5 boxes, plastic wrapped. All from the same lot and with one box open, other 4 with intact seal.
2 lots dated December, one October in my order. All rounds externally clean in the open boxes.
Pulled 2 rounds from each open box.
October and Dec #1 have ball powder. Powder flows freely, some internal staining on brass but not enough to make me scrap the case. About 44 grains.
Dec. #2 has stick powder, about 39 grains. Kitchen clean on the inside.
I'll give all of these lots a chance to go bang once the weather turns. The bullets are definitely good but the crimp is heavy so preferably they can shoot from the cases they are already in.
From 1941 Winchester had big quality problems with 303 manufacture, It got so bad that the ammunition was banned from use in aircraft and some batches were so poor that they were not even issued to active Infantry, and instead, consigned to 'practice use only'.
The problem was a lack of 'dimensional' quality control resulting in jamming.
No serious problem if you are just 'at the range' but when being shot at it could be quite inportant to be able to fire back.
Mine are not the best, but they are not too bad. I can think of lots of Enfields I'd rather have but instead of constantly striving for more, sometimes it's good to be satisfied with what one has...
From 1941 Winchester had big quality problems with 303 manufacture, It got so bad that the ammunition was banned from use in aircraft and some batches were so poor that they were not even issued to active Infantry, and instead, consigned to 'practice use only'.
The problem was a lack of 'dimensional' quality control resulting in jamming.
No serious problem if you are just 'at the range' but when being shot at it could be quite inportant to be able to fire back.
Between it being American ammo (inferior by birth, naturally) and fired in rifles that had seen too much Cordite, the Winchester ammo had zero chance on the reputation front.
Except that there are the reports that operators of No. 4 Mk. 1 (T) rifles preferred it. Reasonable to assume they were more discriminating in their choice of ammunition from the start.
Between it being American ammo (inferior by birth, naturally) and fired in rifles that had seen too much Cordite, the Winchester ammo had zero chance on the reputation front.
The problem was not the accuracy, but the inconstant sizing and quality control of the cases which jammed in the breech and could not be ejected - not easy to rectify when your guns were out on the wings.
Nothing to do with being US produced or cordite eroded barrels.
it was even worse in WW1 as the Butler Cartridge Company (later to become Winchester) and who supplied some 50% of all US supplied 303 was decalared as 'unusable' and sentenced for 'use at home only', and, cost Britain 25% more that home produced 303.
Eventually all of the contracts were cancelled.
Mine are not the best, but they are not too bad. I can think of lots of Enfields I'd rather have but instead of constantly striving for more, sometimes it's good to be satisfied with what one has...
- Gave some of this brass to a reloader who said he only got a few reloading out of it in rifles. Seems to have thinner wall thickness than UK brass. When used in a Lewis Gun (US legal) he only got one reloading out of it. Greek, Winchester, FC brass gave 2-4 reloadings in the Lewis Gun.
That is interesting that even it those early days Winchester brass was (apprears to be) thinner than British 'mil-spec'
Photo comparing a modern Win and 'mil-spec' case wall thicknesses ;
Photo from Ed Horton
Last edited by Alan de Enfield; 01-25-2025 at 04:06 AM.
Mine are not the best, but they are not too bad. I can think of lots of Enfields I'd rather have but instead of constantly striving for more, sometimes it's good to be satisfied with what one has...
Given the rounds will be Berdan primed is this even a possibility?
Not using those cases. I would use a boxer primed case if they were berdan and use the powder and bullets. I had substantial brass. If they were berdan they may be corrosive primed as well.
PM
Originally Posted by togor
