Thread: 303 ammo

Gday team have inherited dads 303 which is in great shape after some ammunition that don’t have the corrosive primers
Just looking for something cheaper than factory stuff or maybe I’m just a tight ass don’t mind doing paper work
Also would fmj rounds be okay for hunting ?

Just buy ppu its the cheapest non corrosive, brass is excellent to reload.

My Grandfather paid off his mortgage back in the days in Ashburton shooting deer for green skins. All they had to use was ex military FMJ. They would file the point down then drill them. They worked very well out to 300m. I wouldn't recommend that now though. I have some Norma ammo I will have a look for it and PM you.

plenty on trademe...dont be a tight arse....the deer deserve better. try both 150 and 180 grn stuff as rifle will probably show marked preference for one over the other depending on which rifling it has and which round it was intended to use in first place.
photos of the old girl........

Three generations of 303 users, all with ex mill ammo and all lasted for many decades. Dont be scared by the corrosive primer stories .Just clean the barrel with good technique and products as you should anyway and NO you do not have to use boiling water. You wont find 303 ammo than cheaper ex mill. but not the best for hunting really.

Not the best pictures but nice smooth action clean barrel with good rifling

yip thatll do the biz if you do your part and get in nice n close..... shot many animals with one very similar way back when I was a teenager.

Early one by the look of the magazine cutoff slot. Nice to see its kept to shoot.

Originally Posted by Cody.a

nice smooth action clean barrel with good rifling

You've done better than me. Smooth action but barrel a bit naff.
funnily enough I splurged on some of the Greek fmj stuff to try just for shits and giggles.
I came to the conclusion that the ammo would shoot good enough to see if the barrel might group before I dropped cash on decent hunting ammo.
Doubt you will have any issues and I'd like to have a play with one of these one day also.

@Cody.a

You have inherited a nice "Long Tom" MLE. They have the thick/Heavy profile barrel, with the longest barrel of all the Lee Enfields.

Your dad is/was tall going by the butt stock extension. The few extra inches will help use the open sights too I bet.

Re corrosive primer hysteria, just think of these classic primers as lead-free primers and they suddenly don't seem so evil.. The evil corrosive compound is just the potassium chlorate often used in cap guns, if you've every played with those long paper strips. Same smell on burning matches, same chemical, leaves corrosive chloride salts which are readily water soluble/flushable.

Re FMJ spitzers on animals, the spitzers tumble when they go through more than 10cm and cause a mess, and especially original Mk VII spitzers with extra-light tips. Any .303 spitzer is no less effectve than a .223 softpoint, except an AR15 with a scope may enable you to better place your shots. Do get the best bullet you can for animals.

If you are happy to reload, try @shooternz 's gas checked lubed round nose lead pills. He sells them on TM under same name. These are close to .303 Mk VI bullets, the bullet your rifle was originally made for (but your's sights are likely graduated for Mk VII "High Velocity" spitzers, which you can confirm by finding a "H" stamped on the barrel just behind your rear sight - but no concern at 200 metres).

The primers are not the problem it's the cordite that does the real damage to your barrel it is very erosive and burns out the throat
very quickly if you have any loaded with cordite pull the bullets and replace the cordite sticks with modern powder.