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Brit ammo going the way of the Dodo

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Category: Enfields
Forum Name: Hunting with the .303 British cartridge.
Forum Description: Share your hunting stories with the rest of us.
URL: http://www.enfield-rifles.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=11664
Printed Date: March 28 2024 at 2:10am
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Topic: Brit ammo going the way of the Dodo
Posted By: Goosic
Subject: Brit ammo going the way of the Dodo
Date Posted: September 23 2021 at 11:00pm
Vinnym had made a comment in his post about 303 ammo being almost impossible to find. I decided to check it out for confirmation. I went to 10 websites including Midway,Midsouthshootersupply,Graf&Sons,and The Armory.  Nothing with everything on backorder or no longer available. The no longer available has me a tad worried. Yes, I reload and currently I have enough 303 ammo components to keep me above water for a few years but, what then? My thought process is that instead of taking away our guns, they are attempting to take away the ammunition. "The right to keep and bare arms" it does not say anything about ammunition and there is the loophole...



Replies:
Posted By: britrifles
Date Posted: September 24 2021 at 5:25am
I have not bought any commercial .303 in a long time, but, if they stop making .311 bullets and .303 cases I’ll be in trouble.  Not to mention that I still don’t see primers out there either. 


Posted By: Honkytonk
Date Posted: September 24 2021 at 7:10am
I haven't had any issues (other than powder took quite a while to come in, H4895). Lots of primers in the store. Brass I ordered PPU and bullets are either Hornady or Sierra. I think 5.56, 9mm and 7.62x39 components will soon become "scarce" up here in Canada due to our PM's war on drug trade inspired gun violence by recent new Canadian citizens in our larger cities. But hey, punish everybody!


Posted By: Canuck
Date Posted: September 24 2021 at 7:52am
You got that right, Honkytonk! Luckily, I have plenty of the calibers you mentioned in stock.

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Castles made of sand slip into the sea.....eventually


Posted By: hoadie
Date Posted: September 25 2021 at 4:37am
Now I'm wooried as well.
I shoot commercial loads. Went to cabin this week & shot my 1916 BSA Parker/Hale sport.
Had enough .303 @ cabin & shot well. Came home to look @ what I had in locker & OH OH! Less than 1 full box.

After hearing all this I better hustle my bussel to get some..& quick!!

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Loose wimmen tightened here


Posted By: hoadie
Date Posted: September 25 2021 at 5:19am
Sniffing around for .303 hunting ammo..your right..seems to be a short list!

Anyone ever hear of HERTERS ammo? (I haven't)

Bass Pro seems to have it..but I'm skeptical of the price. Is it any good?

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Loose wimmen tightened here


Posted By: Honkytonk
Date Posted: September 25 2021 at 5:27am
I had supper with my brother-in-law from Calgary last night. He's a competitive IPSC shooter, so he shoots alot. Him and his wife spend Winters in Arizona, where he also shoots. He says he has no problems getting reloading components up here, but does when he's down south. I asked him why he thought that is. He said "because this is Canada, not the US." That really surprised me as I always thought our friends down south led the world in freedoms in regards to firearms. What a changing world...


Posted By: britrifles
Date Posted: September 25 2021 at 6:27am
The demand for commercial ammo in the US still outruns the supply.  Lots of reasons that has been the case for a while now.  

Reloading components are almost exclusively going to the manufacture of commercial loaded ammo which is why we see a shortage of primers, bullets, powder and cases.  Component manufacturers have been hesitant to spool up production because in the past, the demand has always fallen and high demand is cyclic.  This shortage has lasted longer than those I’ve seen in the past, and the manufacturing output is now beginning to catch up for the high demand calibers.  Once that settles down, I suspect you will begin to see availability again of less common calibers like .303. 

With the strict licensing regulations in Canada, I wouldn’t think demand can change so quickly as it does in the US. Anyone here can buy ammo at any time.  Firearms too. 





Posted By: SW28fan
Date Posted: September 25 2021 at 9:17am
To be honest I can remember the last time I shot factory ammo in any of my 303s. Sierra 180 grain soft points on moderate charge of Varget or 4895 works for me.  


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Have a Nice Day
If already having a nice day please disregard


Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: September 25 2021 at 9:57am
Herters was a good ammunition supplier for many years, & may still be.
Ok, that was what I feared, now its just a brand name, its actually re-branded S&B. S&B has a kind of spotty reputation, particularly for re-loaders.

"Manufactured by Sellier & Bellot in the Czech Republic and sold by Sidney, Neb.-based http://www.cabelas.com" rel="nofollow - Cabela’s , Herter’s Select Grade Brass Case ammunition is an economical alternative to the traditional, cost-conscious “bread-and-butter” offerings. Available in most mainstream rifle and handgun chamberings, as the name suggest, the line features brass cases. Brass’ relative softness makes it “friendlier” than steel cases on critical firearm parts, such as extractors and ejectors, as well as offering reloadability."

https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/tested-herter-s-select-grade-brass-case-ammunition/" rel="nofollow - https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/tested-herter-s-select-grade-brass-case-ammunition/


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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)


Posted By: Goosic
Date Posted: September 25 2021 at 11:01am
Originally posted by hoadie hoadie wrote:

Sniffing around for .303 hunting ammo..your right..seems to be a short list!

Anyone ever hear of HERTERS ammo? (I haven't)

Bass Pro seems to have it..but I'm skeptical of the price. Is it any good?
I have used Herters for decades. The 150grn in my opinion is better ballistically than the 180grn...


Posted By: hoadie
Date Posted: September 26 2021 at 3:43am
Well, its all for naught any way.
Drove all the way over to Bass Pro to get the Herters they advertised...they have NOTHING!! Not a single box - of any brand - of .303.
Didn't have any 20 Ga either!

Now after reading bout Herters being S&B in different clothes, I don't want it any way(after that episode number years back with S&B)

So I went Cdn Tire.They had 2 boxes .303 on shelf. $74.99 for Remington(+tax) & $69.75 for Winchester(+tax). There is "taking advantage" then there is rape!!
So, the 2 boxes are still sitting in Cdn Tire.

I'm in Hamilton this week, I'll go to Al Simmons shop..bet I make out there ok

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Loose wimmen tightened here


Posted By: britrifles
Date Posted: September 26 2021 at 5:33am
Yikes, that’s expensive.  

I passed up a chance to buy 500 rounds of PPU for $500 a few weeks back.  I prefer my own handloads with 174 SMK.  I’m trying to cut back on shooting the No. 4, down to one match a month, 35 rounds.  No more practice.  Same for the M1 .30-06.  


Posted By: WilliamS
Date Posted: September 26 2021 at 10:22am
Lots and lots of new shooters, plus the old ones who didn't stack it deep when they had the chance, are buying up every last round of 5.56, .308, 9x19, etc the ammunition companies can produce. Until that market is saturated, most companies are not going to retool a machine for a relatively niche caliber like .303.

The upside to this run lasting so long is that it may convince ammunition companies that the market has permanently expanded, and that they should expand their production facilities to match. In previous shortages, they did not do this because they were concerned, rightfully, that when the demand dropped to normal levels they'd have been saddled with excess machines and employees.

I think we'll see .303 back on the shelves in a year or so in decent quantities. There are far more unique rounds than that available in times of "normal" demand; .30 Remington and .42 Berdan are two that I buy a box or two of every few years they are available. 


Posted By: Zed
Date Posted: September 26 2021 at 11:33am
I was thinking it may be possible to make a press to bump a .308 ogive up to .311 if they stop making them. However I don't see that happening just yet!

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It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!


Posted By: paddyofurniture
Date Posted: September 26 2021 at 3:14pm
Originally posted by hoadie hoadie wrote:

Well, its all for naught any way.
Drove all the way over to Bass Pro to get the Herters they advertised...they have NOTHING!! Not a single box - of any brand - of .303.
Didn't have any 20 Ga either!

Now after reading bout Herters being S&B in different clothes, I don't want it any way(after that episode number years back with S&B)

So I went Cdn Tire.They had 2 boxes .303 on shelf. $74.99 for Remington(+tax) & $69.75 for Winchester(+tax). There is "taking advantage" then there is rape!!
So, the 2 boxes are still sitting in Cdn Tire.

I'm in Hamilton this week, I'll go to Al Simmons shop..bet I make out there ok

Hoadie,

I feel your pain.

Not much good priced 303/here eather.

Thinking about buying a die set and rolling mine own.


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Always looking for military manuals, Dodge M37 items,books on Berlin Germany, old atlases ( before 1946) , military maps of Scotland. English and Canadian gun parts.


Posted By: bubba ho tep
Date Posted: September 26 2021 at 5:32pm
I spent the last couple weeks in spare time pulling several hundred paki 303 MkVII bullets from their lousy clink bang primers and cordite loads.
   Anyhow a place near me , located in Versailles KY called centerfiresystems.com has Winchester made for Britain during WW2 303 ball. To me it's not cheap at $29.99 per box of twenty or $124.99 for five boxes ( 100rds ) . But of that era Winchester 303 contract ball I have had and shot it is decent stuff not loaded with that nasty cordite and reloadable brass.


Posted By: hoadie
Date Posted: September 26 2021 at 5:34pm
Well, as it turns out I was looking in the wrong locker!

I still have little over 100 rounds in stock.

But...I'll still p/u some in Hamilton - just in case.

(Plus I shud be able to get 20 Ga 00Buck as well)

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Loose wimmen tightened here


Posted By: britrifles
Date Posted: September 27 2021 at 1:47pm
That WRA Mk 7z may have corrosive primers. That’s very expensive for WWII surplus. 


Posted By: 303 Hunter
Date Posted: September 29 2021 at 8:16am
I have noticed that .303 is becoming harder to find and what can be found has gone up in price. Most notably federal .303 has gone from $40 a box to $60 a box in Canadian dollars.

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The Lee Enfield is to the Canadian north what the Winchester repeater was to the American west.   Cal Bablitz


Posted By: paddyofurniture
Date Posted: September 29 2021 at 8:40am
About the same price in the states.

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Always looking for military manuals, Dodge M37 items,books on Berlin Germany, old atlases ( before 1946) , military maps of Scotland. English and Canadian gun parts.


Posted By: hoadie
Date Posted: September 29 2021 at 11:09am
303 hunter, when I was @ Al Simmons gun shop on Monday I got the splainin why.

There is no commercial ammo manufacturers left in Canada. Most now comes from the States.
8 Million new firearms owners there within last year or so has put strain on ammo supply.
Plus, Covid meant that they couldn't produce all the powder req'd, because of manpower restrictions.
SO..the 'Merican manufacturers will produce as much 'Merican calibre product as possible to fill the shortage - as they see it.
Low demand calibers like .303 aren't being packed @ this point.
I can get European hunting rounds - like 6.5X55 from Finland etc..(which I did), but we will have to wait til .Merica catches up with their domestic demand.

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Loose wimmen tightened here


Posted By: bubba ho tep
Date Posted: September 29 2021 at 2:30pm
Of course the WW2 era win 303 will be corrosive but it is not click bang like paki or indian 303 surplus. And not being loaded with cordite is a major plus !. And being boxer primed means you can reload it .
   Many years ago I had over 200 rds of 42 & 43 dated win made 303 ball. I shot them up and reloaded those cases many many times. I would still be reloading them if my largess of equipment & material was not lost in a fire back in 2015.
    You really should consider reloading...especially if canuckia goes the way Australia and New Zealand have gone...full retard fascist over this covid scam.


Posted By: hoadie
Date Posted: September 29 2021 at 3:02pm
These inflated / increased prices are truly making deer EXPENSIVE fast food

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Loose wimmen tightened here


Posted By: Honkytonk
Date Posted: September 29 2021 at 4:12pm
In my experience, whitetail steaks and walleye fillets, all things factored in (beer, gas, etc) probably cost you 3-4x more than prime Hereford beef and lobster...


Posted By: Marco1010
Date Posted: September 29 2021 at 6:45pm
No problem sourcing 303 brass or projectiles down here in NZ at present. 
just got 200 hornady 150grain interlocks  equivilent to $82 USD
Powder is a bit up and down for supply, choices of brands varied.
Primers still readily available.
Think a lot of people are stockpiling.


Posted By: britrifles
Date Posted: September 29 2021 at 7:05pm
If I had not stockpiled, I would not be shooting today…unfortunately, this situation just encourages us hoarders to do it again, after prices come down.  I have not bought any primers, powder or bullets in nearly 2 years.  


Posted By: A square 10
Date Posted: September 29 2021 at 7:35pm
having a stockpile has taken on a new meaning , not sure why things are what they are but i suspect political influences , ive no 303 left , 


Posted By: hoadie
Date Posted: September 30 2021 at 4:00am
I have a bucket full of .303 brass (destined for the scrapyard) but I don't re-load.

I was going to get into it @ one time - but I don't shoot enough now to warrant it.

I noted lots of brass on shelves @ bass pro (not in .303), but again - it was all 'Merican calibers.(.308,30.06 etc)

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Loose wimmen tightened here


Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: September 30 2021 at 9:53am
If its re-loadable all you really need is a Lee "Classic" Whack-A-Mole kit & the powder scoops.
Its a thought as you can load 3 rounds every 1 1/2 minutes when you're practiced so its a great solution for low volume re-loaders.


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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)


Posted By: A square 10
Date Posted: September 30 2021 at 4:55pm
yes , do not abandon your brass to the recycler , its worth keeping/selling to those that reload , we may need it in future , not one to shoot a lot so i dont reload but i might should the need arise and it may well do so , what i do reload is what i shoot regularly and i have enough to keep shooting for a bit , may have to add some to my repertoire down the road so im saving my brass - particularly once fired as its what all reloaders look for , 


Posted By: hoadie
Date Posted: October 01 2021 at 3:56am
I used to give all my brass to Rhino..til he had way more than he could use

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Loose wimmen tightened here


Posted By: bubba ho tep
Date Posted: October 03 2021 at 8:32am
I replenish my 303 brass when a buddy comes over with his lewis gun.  He only shoots privy partisan new ammo in it. And since he does not reload...it's all good . Finding click band indian/paki ammo is always good for the boolitz but nothing else , although my garden likes the cordite raked in the soil !.
    Please do take the advice and give the brass to someone that will put it to use. You may even find a web board local to you to swap it for loaded 303 or something else you seek. My local scrap dealer only gets berdan and or worn out brass. Even when I cull out gobs of 40 cal and 380 I give it to my local smithy whom resells or trades it , same with rifle calibers I do not load for. Waste not , want not .


Posted By: Canuck
Date Posted: October 05 2021 at 9:30am
Just reported on a social media site that Canadian Tire in Belleville, Ontario, selling Federal 303 British 150 grain for $71.99/box of 20. $3.60 per round.....

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Castles made of sand slip into the sea.....eventually


Posted By: Marco1010
Date Posted: October 05 2021 at 12:26pm
anyone tried the wolf steel cased 303 ?


Posted By: Goosic
Date Posted: October 05 2021 at 2:11pm
Originally posted by Canuck Canuck wrote:

Just reported on a social media site that Canadian Tire in Belleville, Ontario, selling Federal 303 British 150 grain for $71.99/box of 20. $3.60 per round.....
This my thinking on the price gouging. Make the ammunition so unobtainable that you can no longer afford it and make the primers nonexistent for the civilian market that your rifles,shotguns, and pistols become wall hangers. In the U.S., you will still have the right to, "Keep and Bear Arms" you just will not be able use them the way they were intended to be used. Just a bunch of fancy baseball bats...


Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: October 05 2021 at 2:38pm
Seriously guys.
Lee Whack-A-Mole.
You can do it safely & with better accuracy than factory. Yes, you'll need a few things, a set of powder scoops (Not vital, but they give you access to many more powders)
A 6" dial caliper (cheap plastic is fine.)
A rubber, or hide mallet. (no sparks & you won't beat up the rods.)

I have taught absolute beginners with zero knowledge of reloading to do it & do it well, on a Picnic bench in the Ozarks!
It will load 2 rounds every 3 minutes withing a day of starting off.
At those prices you'll pay for it in less than 50 rounds & it will last for ever.


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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)


Posted By: Honkytonk
Date Posted: October 05 2021 at 4:24pm
Totally agree. Although reloading components (powder, primers, projectiles) has gone up in price, I can still load ammunition for way less than store prices. My reloading station(s) is from the '60's, but not counting brass cleaning, I can easily load 40 rounds in an hour. If you asked me 2 years ago if it was cheaper to reload, I would say no... 


Posted By: A square 10
Date Posted: October 05 2021 at 7:27pm
i found powder for my 4570 this past week - its been allusive for months , i now have all the needed components to work up my loads , i found my small pistol primers first part of the summer and im now able to load all of what i need for a couple years of shooting , im kinda happy im not looking for other calibers these days , it was easy getting started everything was on the shelf , 


Posted By: britrifles
Date Posted: October 07 2021 at 5:16am
Perhaps the component and ammunition companies are enjoying these high prices and don’t really have the motivation to meet the demand else it will result in competition and a return to lower prices.  I think this is especially true with primers.  


Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: October 07 2021 at 9:58am
I think they're just swamped with new gun owner demand & short staffed because the the Fu-Flu still.


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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)


Posted By: Marco1010
Date Posted: October 07 2021 at 2:45pm
Talking with my work Chemists about it.
Lead azide and lead styphnate which is used in the production of detonators & primers is in world wide shortage at present. 
 Much of this is a by-product of industrial processes that use lead.  industry world-wide is trying minimise / eradicate use of lead in anything (such as paints/ fuel/ etc). Even third world countries have cut back on using lead.   Its not economic to make it just for the ammunition industry, therefore not much to be had anywhere.

Similar scenario to the United Kingdom having a Carbon Dioxide Shortage Crisis at present.




Posted By: britrifles
Date Posted: October 07 2021 at 3:18pm
Funny how lead bullets (and lead batteries) are plentiful, but primers are not.  Something else is going on particular to primers. 


Posted By: Goosic
Date Posted: October 07 2021 at 4:34pm
I am not attempting to disagree with your assessment Marco1010 but,  I highly doubt that primer manufacturers are having a difficult experience locating the necessary components to produce primers. As britrifles stated. The vast majority of bullets are made with lead cores as well. The economics of trying to reduce the amounts of lead in the process of bullet manufacturing is not conducive to the ammunition industries especially when you consider the numbers created for military use. Something or someone else is creating this primer shortage for the reloading market. I have been fortunate enough in the past year in a half to find rifle cartridge cases, powder, and bullets. Primers on the other hand, have become damn near impossible to find. The same can be said for percussion caps for my Colt Navy revolvers...


Posted By: A square 10
Date Posted: October 07 2021 at 8:30pm
something is happening behind the scenes tho - why do we no longer have a single lead smelrter in this country , and now we no longer have a black powder producer ? guess we will have to go back to making our own , 


Posted By: Marco1010
Date Posted: October 07 2021 at 11:09pm
sorry guys. Its not a lack of lead smelting as such, if it did it would be simple.
these chemicals come from quite a different process. Normally these are a common by product of making lead additives that go into petrol. Almost no countries make leaded fuel these days , so producers have to get it from elsewhere. as its not common any longer , the price goes up and availability goes down, and very few factories exist any longer to make it.  this is common in the global commodity market.
Just Like Vinyl factories, of which there are only 2 in the world left and one is out of action till late 2022 due to a fire.
Ironically your ban on importing russian ammo might work in your favour as it will encourage some in the US to set up production to meet domestic USA demand.


Posted By: Boogaloo
Date Posted: November 09 2021 at 5:18pm
he!!o all. Just joined this forum today because I just acquired a 1940 No. 1 Mk.lll rifle along with an unopened box of 48 bullets which I think are milsurp. I will enjoy reading and learning from all on here. I have some pics but don't know how to post.....................Daniel


Posted By: Dragunov
Date Posted: January 11 2022 at 6:51pm
I acquired a small bit of .303 ammo and OF brass over the last two weekends. A good buddy that collects and horse-trades Pre-64 Winchesters let's me have a spot to place a 5" x 8" file card on his table at the local gun shows. I just let it be known on the card that I am looking to buy or trade for .303 ammo, brass and  .311/.312 bullets. New Year's  weekend I got 154 rounds of WW2 Brit ammo and 21 pieces of brass. This past weekend I traded into 69 Remington and PPU pieces of brass, and 61 loaded factory JSPs. It pays to advertise .... someone out there has stuff to unload. You just gotta seek it out.


Posted By: paddyofurniture
Date Posted: January 12 2022 at 6:57am
Originally posted by Dragunov Dragunov wrote:

I acquired a small bit of .303 ammo and OF brass over the last two weekends. A good buddy that collects and horse-trades Pre-64 Winchesters let's me have a spot to place a 5" x 8" file card on his table at the local gun shows. I just let it be known on the card that I am looking to buy or trade for .303 ammo, brass and  .311/.312 bullets. New Year's  weekend I got 154 rounds of WW2 Brit ammo and 21 pieces of brass. This past weekend I traded into 69 Remington and PPU pieces of brass, and 61 loaded factory JSPs. It pays to advertise .... someone out there has stuff to unload. You just gotta seek it out.

That's a great idea.


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Always looking for military manuals, Dodge M37 items,books on Berlin Germany, old atlases ( before 1946) , military maps of Scotland. English and Canadian gun parts.


Posted By: Dragunov
Date Posted: January 12 2022 at 7:48am
Paddyo, I have a number of boxes of various calibers that either I no longer have guns for, (.30-06, .358W, .350RM, .25-20W & 222R) or big overruns on those I still shoot (.327, .41M, 5.56, .44spl & .45acp). Last month I purchased and took delivery of a mold Accurate Molds. While it is advertised as for .308 diameter cartridges, the gent will expand them to the diameter you desire. Mine are a nominal .314ish.


Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: January 12 2022 at 7:55am
Originally posted by Boogaloo Boogaloo wrote:

he!!o all. Just joined this forum today because I just acquired a 1940 No. 1 Mk.lll rifle along with an unopened box of 48 bullets which I think are milsurp. I will enjoy reading and learning from all on here. I have some pics but don't know how to post.....................Daniel

Whats stamped on the base of the brass? That will let us ID what you have there.
Be aware some is re-loadable, some is not. Some is corrosive some is not. Neither is disastrous, but correct cleaning is needed for the varieties.

To post pictures use "Post Reply" not "quick reply. Then click on the "tree" icon (7th from left at the top of the dialog box, browse click "upload & bingo its both posted & saved to the board for future re use.


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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)


Posted By: britrifles
Date Posted: January 12 2022 at 8:12am
Originally posted by Boogaloo Boogaloo wrote:

he!!o all. Just joined this forum today because I just acquired a 1940 No. 1 Mk.lll rifle along with an unopened box of 48 bullets which I think are milsurp. I will enjoy reading and learning from all on here. I have some pics but don't know how to post.....................Daniel

Do you you really mean to say “bullets” (projectiles) or cartridges?  If cartridges, let us know the headstamp. It may be Berdan primed, in which case, do not run the fired case thru a reloading die, you will bend or break the primer punch.  




Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: January 12 2022 at 9:51am
Good point. I missed it completely.


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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)


Posted By: shiloh
Date Posted: January 12 2022 at 4:21pm
 Been searching for a long time now for 303 jacketed projectiles, none, nota, zip.

 Was talking to a rep at Epps just before Christmas inquiring about PPU bullets, back ordered until Feb/22 or latter as they have completely shut down due to covid related issues.

 There is a company in Canada, Quebec I think, called General Dynamics among other things they make both 303 ball and Jsp rounds, the best part is they don`t sell to Canadian public.

 Also another awesome snafu up here is there is now only one courier that can ship ammo and components and that`s UPS, and a lot of shops won`t ship with them, and when our Gov`t decides they can`t ship ammo any more that`l make it all the more difficult.

 Being a conspiracy advocate, I have a sneaky suspicion our gov`ts have realized it`ll be way to costly make guns go away, so lets make it near impossible for anyone to shoot them.




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Lead from the front; eliminate all obstacles...


Posted By: Canuck
Date Posted: January 12 2022 at 6:35pm
Shylo, I think you nailed it on the head! No ammo equals no shooting.

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Castles made of sand slip into the sea.....eventually


Posted By: Dragunov
Date Posted: January 12 2022 at 8:38pm
I fear that it may be a considerable amount of time before we see any .311/.312 bullets made available. While there is obviously a large demand, sadly for us there is just not enough of that demand to override both the ammo manufacturers and those wanting the more common and "desireable" 5.56, 6.5, 7mm and .308 diameters. I  do think this is where buddies need to join together to create proper sized cast bullets. Whilst this only solves part of the cartridge equation, we gotta start somewhere. And, it can (as in my case) help solve the lack of .314 caliber projectiles. 


Posted By: Goosic
Date Posted: January 12 2022 at 8:49pm
You can still find the 200grn 310.5" D166 FMJ Rebated BT's at Midwayusa and Graf&Sons...


Posted By: Dragunov
Date Posted: January 13 2022 at 3:32am
Do these work well in your Enfields? I tried some pulled 7.62x54R Mosin Nagant FMJs once, but groups were wild and seemingly unpredictable.  I do note that a YouTuber is a big proponent on his channel. He even goes so far as to empty the contents of that 7.62 case directly into the .303! 


Posted By: britrifles
Date Posted: January 13 2022 at 4:12am
Those are expensive bullets, but then, all reloading components are expensive now. 

It might be worth trying .308 bullets, these are available and at reasonable prices.  If the bore less than .303, particularly in a 2 groove barrel, they may work for you. 


Posted By: britrifles
Date Posted: January 13 2022 at 4:23am
I just checked Graf&Sons, they have Prvi .311 bullets in stock, and the price is quite reasonable.  




Posted By: shiloh
Date Posted: January 13 2022 at 5:25am
Originally posted by britrifles britrifles wrote:

I just checked Graf&Sons, they have Prvi .311 bullets in stock, and the price is quite reasonable.  




That is a very good price. I checked here, RustyWoods reloading gets them from Graf&Sons, and then charges a $1 a pc for them.
The last time I bought the privi 174gr they were $35 for a bag of 100pcs, not 50`s.


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Lead from the front; eliminate all obstacles...


Posted By: Dragunov
Date Posted: January 13 2022 at 1:29pm
This is really great news if Graf actually has this in stock. I'll purchase  a couple of 100 or so at this price, just to have for a rainy day. I note that they are also currently listing .303 brass. Probably a good idea for us to get it while we can. If things do "open up" for us soon, then Graf might order even larger quantities in the future if they perceive the market wants it.


Posted By: britrifles
Date Posted: January 13 2022 at 3:16pm
I bought a boat load of Prvi Brass from Graf&Sons when it was available.  Glad I did.  I had no idea at the time that it would become unavailable.  

If all H E double ell breaks out, ammo will be the currency. I’ll be fine….


Posted By: Dragunov
Date Posted: January 13 2022 at 4:11pm
Originally posted by britrifles britrifles wrote:

I bought a boat load of Prvi Brass from Graf&Sons when it was available.  Glad I did.  I had no idea at the time that it would become unavailable.  

If all H E double ell breaks out, ammo will be the currency. I’ll be fine….

Me: How much for this loaf of bread?
Grocer: That will be 4 rounds.
Me: Geez, I remember the good old days when it was under 2 rounds, and you'd get a handful of .22s for change!


Posted By: Goosic
Date Posted: January 13 2022 at 4:30pm
Makes me wonder how much I can get for all the Norma 303 brass along with the Norma gun powder i have.


Posted By: Dragunov
Date Posted: January 13 2022 at 5:42pm
Originally posted by Goosic Goosic wrote:

Makes me wonder how much I can get for all the Norma 303 brass along with the Norma gun powder i have.

I should think that the Norma 303  would fetch at least a dollar @ if new, maybe half that for OF, in the land of Brandonville. As most rifle powders are now going for $50+/-  LB, its anybody's  guess on that powder.


Posted By: britrifles
Date Posted: January 13 2022 at 5:53pm
I hope one day I don’t regret shooting the 150 rounds each week that I have maintained all thru this shortage.  I’m off fo the range tomorrow to see if I successfully fixed the vertical stringing problem I have with my Savage No. 4 Mk 1/3. 


Posted By: A square 10
Date Posted: January 13 2022 at 10:32pm
me too - ive been reloading at the same rate so far but the components may not last , but ill still have enough for the final shootout i think , 

i was looking for cast bullets - not a great picture so far , im looking for primers and not happy with the scalper prices , ive not looked for powder recently but friends say its not good , 

im sure its all gonna work out this year ...right ? ........after all the election cycle should shift it 


Posted By: britrifles
Date Posted: January 14 2022 at 3:42am
I will cast my own bullets to keep shooting my No. 4 rifles (.303 and 7.62) if I have to, but I’m not going to pay $700 for 5,000 primers.  That is 5 times the price it was a few years ago and is price gouging.  

Let’s hope things get better after November, the Dems are going to take a she!!acking. 


Posted By: Goosic
Date Posted: January 14 2022 at 4:23am
Bruno's Shooters Supply has another shipment of primers. Federal Gold Match.  $650.00 for 5000. 


Posted By: Dragunov
Date Posted: January 14 2022 at 4:40am
Brit & A square, I have been using the Accurate Molds 31-180MB mold for just a few weeks now and love it. The proprietor will make these at whatever diameter works for you. My bullets come out about .3145. Then I tumble lube them with Lee's Alox (which is really the same compound as Ziebart auto undercoating). Next I load this on top of 13 grains of Red Dot in neck-sized only brass. My Chrony malfed years ago, but I would guess it's in the 1300 fps range. I note that upon ejecting a chambered round, one can clearly see the rifling is engaging the bullet. Shoots reasonbly well in both the No4 & 5.  The brass lasts a long time, the powder goes a long way and my bullets are cheap (like me). I'm happy.


Posted By: britrifles
Date Posted: January 14 2022 at 5:20am
That’s what Ed Harris termed “The Load” for just about any .30 Cal rifle cartridge.  I’d try it if I could find some Red Dot.  Shooting cast bullets at these velocities also have the added benefit of greatly reduced barrel wear. 




Posted By: britrifles
Date Posted: January 14 2022 at 5:23am
Originally posted by Goosic Goosic wrote:

Bruno's Shooters Supply has another shipment of primers. Federal Gold Match.  $650.00 for 5000. 

I only see Federal Large Pistol Magnum Match listed. 


Posted By: Dragunov
Date Posted: January 14 2022 at 8:32am
Originally posted by britrifles britrifles wrote:

That’s what Ed Harris termed “The Load” for just about any .30 Cal rifle cartridge.  I’d try it if I could find some Red Dot.  Shooting cast bullets at these velocities also have the added benefit of greatly reduced barrel wear. 



And.....the benefit of greatly reduced wear on an old guy's shoulder  Thumbs Up

Here in my part of Florida,  the shotgun/pistol powders are more available,  albeit at the new pricing reality. Harris has a lot of great material floating around the internet on shooting cast bullets. Wish he could be convinced to compile his writings into a book.


Posted By: White Rhino
Date Posted: January 14 2022 at 10:31am
Originally posted by hoadie hoadie wrote:

Sniffing around for .303 hunting ammo..your right..seems to be a short list!

Anyone ever hear of HERTERS ammo? (I haven't)

Bass Pro seems to have it..but I'm skeptical of the price. Is it any good?

I have used Herters in several calibers .... Had no problems with it ......



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"White Rhino"

"Everybody's got to believe in something. I believe I'll have another beer." --W. C. Fields


Posted By: Goosic
Date Posted: January 14 2022 at 1:29pm
Whenever I needed store bought off the shelf stuff for my 303, I used Herters. The 150grn stuff is phenomenal for taking down a mule deer or javelina...


Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: January 14 2022 at 1:35pm
Herters used to be highly regarded.
Isn't it rebranded PRVI or something now?
I stand corrected its S&B.
"For hunters and shooters looking for traditional ammunition, Herter’s Select Grade Brass Case loads offer full metal jacket and jacketed cup-and-core soft-point bullets for target and big-game use. These Boxer-primed, non-corrosive cartridges are loaded by the Czech firm Sellier & Bellot in several common rifle and handgun chamberings."


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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)


Posted By: Bullet Smith
Date Posted: January 09 2023 at 5:48pm
I cast gas checked bullets for my 303s, as well as paper patched bullets. Most recently, I started swaging soft point hunting bullets for myself and my friends.


Posted By: scottz63
Date Posted: January 10 2023 at 6:25am
Just noticed this morning there is a lot of Winchester 180gn hunting 303 everywhere. Around $50 a box average though.

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14EH AIT Instructor-PATRIOT Fire Control Enhanced Operator/Maintainer


Posted By: shiloh
Date Posted: January 10 2023 at 6:28am
I hope the prices come down, but I doubt they will. Artificial shortages blamed on covid and other nonsense to drive prices up on good across the board and then inflation on top of that is setting prices where the greedy want them.
As long as there are sales the prices will remain.
I have what I have now as far as reloading is concerned and when its all used up that`l be be it for me.
I no longer have the means nor the funds to replace it. All our house hold funds go to home, food and gas for the car. The rest gets gobbled up in taxes, more than half of our income goes to one form of tax or the other, leaves zero for leisure.


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Lead from the front; eliminate all obstacles...


Posted By: Goosic
Date Posted: January 10 2023 at 8:10am
Originally posted by scottz63 scottz63 wrote:

Just noticed this morning there is a lot of Winchester 180gn hunting 303 everywhere. Around $50 a box average though.
Gunbroker has a bunch of unfired Winchester ammunition dated 1941 for $26.99 a box. Do not buy it unless you are willing to spend an additional $35.00 in shipping costs. I made that mistake. Saw the 26.99 price tag for the cartridges but did not see the 35 dollar shipping cost and blindly made the purchase. No jodidamente bueno!


Posted By: Bullet Smith
Date Posted: January 10 2023 at 8:26am
Back in the 90s, I was working 3 jobs trying to make ends meet. I ended up selling my customized Long Branch sporter and all my reloading supplies to help support the family. I was working 7 days a week and sleeping around 5 hours each night. I eventually moved west and found better opportunities. I had to retrain my thinking so that I could relax and not work all the time.
I hope things turn around for you.


Posted By: britrifles
Date Posted: January 10 2023 at 8:46am
Originally posted by shiloh shiloh wrote:

I hope the prices come down, but I doubt they will. Artificial shortages blamed on covid and other nonsense to drive prices up on good across the board and then inflation on top of that is setting prices where the greedy want them.
As long as there are sales the prices will remain.
I have what I have now as far as reloading is concerned and when its all used up that`l be be it for me.
I no longer have the means nor the funds to replace it. All our house hold funds go to home, food and gas for the car. The rest gets gobbled up in taxes, more than half of our income goes to one form of tax or the other, leaves zero for leisure.


You can add to that the millions (maybe billions?) of rounds going into the Ukraine. I’d imagine that many ammo factories are concentrating production for government contracts. I did read that the US military has depleted much of their stockpiles and will need to build them back up.

We can hope that someday, the demand will go back down down, the supply will catch up, and we will see new .303 on the market again.  But, yes, this sucks. 






Posted By: Goosic
Date Posted: January 10 2023 at 8:57am
For those who reload. I have noticed that a couple of online stores have PPU FMJ-BT 174grn bullets for sale with a $39.00 dollar price per 100 pieces. 


Posted By: Zed
Date Posted: January 10 2023 at 1:16pm
Originally posted by Bullet Smith Bullet Smith wrote:

I cast gas checked bullets for my 303s, as well as paper patched bullets. Most recently, I started swaging soft point hunting bullets for myself and my friends.

 Very Interesting! what is your process for swagging your own bullets? Are you starting with an empty cartridge case ? I heard a few years ago that fired .22 cases could be swagged into bullet ogives and filled with lead. although I would expect a .22 case to be very thin for a .311 bullet.


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It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!


Posted By: Bullet Smith
Date Posted: January 10 2023 at 1:47pm
I make the jackets from 223 Rem - 5.56 NATO and 300 Blackout brass. It takes 4 anneals and draws to get them sized down to .312”


Posted By: Honkytonk
Date Posted: January 10 2023 at 1:59pm
That is pretty cool!


Posted By: scottz63
Date Posted: January 10 2023 at 2:10pm
It is pretty cool!

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14EH AIT Instructor-PATRIOT Fire Control Enhanced Operator/Maintainer


Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: January 10 2023 at 2:31pm
The .22RF cases were swaged into bullet jackets for 5.56 or 6mm.
there was a lead "wire" that you cut & slipped inside the case first IIRC.
http://www.corbins.com/kit-224.htm" rel="nofollow - http://www.corbins.com/kit-224.htm



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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)


Posted By: Bullet Smith
Date Posted: January 10 2023 at 3:03pm
Because I want to make a better hunting bullet, I melt the cores in using an acid flux. That is why they look copper, rather than like brass. The acid leaches out the zinc from the surface brass. The expanded bullet was recovered from 8” of dry newsprint.



Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: January 10 2023 at 5:32pm
Bonded core! nice!


-------------
Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)


Posted By: Sapper740
Date Posted: April 13 2023 at 11:57am
SGAmmo in Oklahoma has tons of PPU .303 British for as low as $22.95 box of 20. 

  https://www.sgammo.com/catalog/rifle-ammo-sale/303-british-ammo" rel="nofollow - https://www.sgammo.com/catalog/rifle-ammo-sale/303-british-ammo


Posted By: Honkytonk
Date Posted: April 13 2023 at 1:35pm
That is a fine performing projectile! Well done!


Posted By: Dragunov
Date Posted: April 16 2023 at 4:05am
The brother-in-law in Georgia looks for .303 brass/bullets for me (as I look for .45 LC & .45-70 for him). He recently procured 3 sealed bags of 50 O.F. brass for me from a gun show in Jonesboro. The vendor, Georgia Arms, is a big player in selling components and reloaded ammo. While I didn't "need" the brass, it is always good to have back-up. Whilst not cheap @ $25/50 per bag, when calculated in Biden-bucks, it is what it is. Interestingly, they are generous counters, as one bag had 52, and both the others had 53. Sadly, when I checked online, they are currently out of stock.



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