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No5Mk1 150 grain chrony results

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Category: Reloading
Forum Name: Reloading .303 British
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URL: http://www.enfield-rifles.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=13498
Printed Date: March 26 2026 at 3:31pm
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Topic: No5Mk1 150 grain chrony results
Posted By: 303carbine
Subject: No5Mk1 150 grain chrony results
Date Posted: August 23 2024 at 4:20pm
The 150 grain Hornady shot pretty good, I got 2375 fps over the chrony with the shorty barrel of the No5Mk1 303 , I think that is good enough for the thick bush trails around here.
The Bergara 300 WM I recently bought isn't as  handy as the No5 in the thick stuff.
I tried some 180 grain RN .308 bullets in my 303 just for giggles, they shoot accurately without tumbling.
I may find some older data and try the .308 diameter 220 RN in the shorty 303 and see how they do, I think even if I got 1900 fps, that will still flatten deer and bear in the thick stuff up close.



Replies:
Posted By: Canuck
Date Posted: August 24 2024 at 6:11am
I have always liked carrying my No5/MK1 in the bush. It is light and carries easily in the thickets and walking over fallen trees, etc. It can also dispatch game and predators with ease. I always load it with 180 SP ammunition. I would imagine the recoil with a 220 grain bullet would definitely let you know you are shooting a carbine!

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


Posted By: Honkytonk
Date Posted: August 24 2024 at 6:15am
I switched to Hornady 174 gr RN for my No. 5 with H4895. Forget how much powder but way below a max charge. Manual says 2300'ish fps so I doubt there's a deer that can outrun that. I kinda set 100 yards as a limit for this combo. Shoots nice groups.


Posted By: KRRC1984
Date Posted: June 21 2025 at 1:32pm
I’ve been reading the above. 
My no 5 shoots like bird crap with PPU factory 174gr and home loads with 174gr heads. The rounds are feet apart at 100 yards and the odd tumbler. I’ve put a new bolt head in as the “ no go” was closing. As the bullet dia is the standard .311. Plus as far as I know it’s possibly one of the first “batch” serial B333. Is the barrel burnt out. I’m looking at using .312 heads next to see it that improves things. 


Posted By: Rick
Date Posted: June 27 2025 at 10:29am
Originally posted by KRRC1984 KRRC1984 wrote:

I’ve been reading the above. 
My no 5 shoots like bird crap with PPU factory 174gr and home loads with 174gr heads.
One way of getting a baseline is to lay your hands on some decent quality MkVII ball rounds, at least enough to fire some groups to show you how your rifle performs with the ammunition it was designed and built for.  I've had a couple of local Lee Enfield guys do that - contacting me to sell them 10 of the Greek HXP rounds I have remaining to fire for group.

Handloaders attempting to sort out Lee Enfields have a lot more exploration ahead of them than they do with something else like a Remchester .308 Winchester.  The scores of threads here and elsewhere in getting the action and barrel properly fitted in the furniture, the condition of the barrel, etc. are just one part of the equation.

The other part is that the Lee Enfield/Mk VII ball round is a package where each was engineered to operate with the other (generally speaking).  This is a 4 MOA package (again, generally speaking); if anything is off in the package, grouping is going to perform a lot worse.  It is far more complex than purchasing the 174gr. bullets from PPU, Sierra, Hornady, etc - for one thing, those bullets are quite different than the MkVII bullet: boattails rather than open based, and not the internal construction of the ball bullet.

If you're looking to do more than kill tin cans for recreational fun at the local borrow pit and are trying to get the best out of the rifle, there's a lot of exploring ahead.  Aside from taking a deep dive into how good the condition of the stocking is, trying reloads with different bullet designs, different weights and different powders is the easiest and quickest way to hope for quick success.


Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: June 27 2025 at 12:46pm
Originally posted by KRRC1984 KRRC1984 wrote:

I’ve been reading the above. 
My no 5 shoots like bird crap with PPU factory 174gr and home loads with 174gr heads. The rounds are feet apart at 100 yards and the odd tumbler. I’ve put a new bolt head in as the “ no go” was closing. As the bullet dia is the standard .311. Plus as far as I know it’s possibly one of the first “batch” serial B333. Is the barrel burnt out. I’m looking at using .312 heads next to see it that improves things. 

That sounds like badly worn rifling. tumbling & huge patterns, instead of groups. Maybe a bedding issue too though.

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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: June 27 2025 at 1:14pm
^^^^ THIS ^^^^

My guess is the throat is burned out from shooting cordite loaded Mk 7 ammo. Though, the same happens eventually when shooting Mk 7z NC Powder loads, it just takes longer, but usually accuracy falls off more “gracefully” with Mk 7z. 

On a good barrel and well fitting forend, load development for the .303 is not at all difficult. 

If you see elongated holes in the target, it’s likely a shot out barrel. If holes look perfectly round, check the forend fit. Easiest thing to do first loosen the trigger guard front screw a few turns (or better still, remove it) grasp the rifle at the wrist with right hand and pull the forend forwards and back with left hand, you should not be able to move it at all. If it moves, you will need to shim the draws.  

There are other things to check with fit of the forend, but this is a start.  





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