Thread: 303 bullets tumbling

Originally Posted by Marty Henry

I associate that with boat tail ammunition in a rifle with a worn throat. I have 2 303s that shoot well with flat base bullets (mk7) but mk 7z the boat tailed machine gun ammo and the Hyland commercial go sideways. I've not tried the Greek hpx so don't know the bullet style. Pull one and that may be your answer

I have no idea if these greek rounds have boat tail rounds or not, ive read a bit of stuff that they are less accurate that that this is common with boat tail projectiles.

I have a bunch of CAC ammo too, but the guy in the shop told me not to use it unless its an old worn out gun because its corrosive and its ballistics is not the same as modern ammo, so would need to be sighted in for this ammo

Im also reading that some ammo was designed to hit sideways to inflict more injury, but that makes no sense, as that would mean you loose accuracy.

Would not be a bad idea to measure the bullet diameter with calipers and compare to a new one, I see that these rounds have been put through a tumbler to get rid of most of the corrosion, I wonder if that reduces the diameter?

Will need to pull the head off one of these rounds as you say to see the shape of the projectile, but going by the shape of the hole, it suggests its not boat tail.

Now if this is a worn barrel, i believe there is/was a large surplus of new lithgow parts that went on the market. How easy is it to find a good barrel, or should I just look for another gun if this is stuffed?

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings @Old_School,
The Greek ammo can be variable from excellent to won't fire at all so don't give up yet. By look like they are going sideways do you mean a slightly oval hole or a clear hole showing the the sideways imprint of the projectile. Some .303 rifles can have very loose tolerances. You need to try the rifle with decent ammo or get someone to slug the barrel for you. If you know a handloader they may be able to reload some of the Greek cases for you. The 174 grain round nose is probably the best projectile to try as it seems to shoot well in most rifles. Stay away from spitzer boat tails. Some .303 barrels that look good have eroded throats which may not shoot the boat tails well, or at all. If you are using the original sights make sure that you can see the aiming point clearly. A large black square (at least 100 x 100mm) that you can place the foresight just below showing a thin white line is good. You need to be confident that your sights are aligned the same for each shot. This is an art not gained easily for those of us used to scopes or of advancing years. I assume that your Lithgow is a No1 with open sights.
All the best and let us know of any progress. Grandpamac.

They are definitely hitting mostly sideways, and i haven't found any that have hit cleanly straight, from what I understand, this means the bullet is not engaging with the rifling?
I always thought that even if it was a worn barrel, that the bullet would simply loose accuracy, rather than tumble.

Im pretty sure its a Lithgow no3(possibly no4) with open sights, need to have a closer look at the stamping, as its not entirely readable.
I guess i should get a gunsmith to check it out for wear.
Ive always been used to using sights more than scopes in the past, because I used to have an air rifle that I put thousands of rounds through that was open sighted.

Another thing ive noticed with this gun is that the trigger has a huge amount of travel before it will fire, I find you just have to pull the trigger quickly, rather than slowly and risk moving the gun when you take the shot.
I put about 20 rounds through yesterday, as you say, its probably not a bad idea to get some hand loads. I intend to reload mine eventually and these greek cases are supposed to be good quality for reloading.
I dont see any that are severely corroded with significant pitting.

Originally Posted by gundoc

Check your barrel carefully for muzzle damage. Pitting or bore expansion from water or oil in the last 4-5mm can be enough to destabilise bullets. It is also known that a bad flinch with exquisite timing can also flip a bullet.

I cant see any corrosion when looking down the muzzle, not even any pitting, Would be good to look at another gun to compare the rifling to mine, especially at the muzzle end.


Anyway, here are the photos of the holes ive got on the board. Doesnt look like its boat tail, going by the shape here.