.303 load

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gixer1

gixer1

Well-Known Member
Supporter
I recently acquired a Long Branch 1942 No4 Mk1* and so set about rustling up a load.

I found some S & B 180gr FMJ’s for a pound a pop in a local gun shop so figured this was a cheap way to check the sighting of the rifle and get some brass for reloading.

On checking over the brass after firing - the shoulder looks to have had the shoulder pushed up - not unusual I guess for an enfield as they were apparently purposely sloppy on the chambers to account for debris in the heat of the moment which makes sense.

Now, I discovered I had the boy federal large rifle magnum primers so had a look online and some suggested this was not anything to consider and just load as normal however some suggested the charge should be lowered by 10% to account for this?? Which seems excessive.

I’m loading some PPU 174gr FMJ’s so rattled up a batch at 37gr of N140 (so on the low side) but just wanted to be cautious. No4 actions are apparently considerably stronger than no1 so I’m not overly concerned but just thought I’d put it out there to see what the feedback was.

Thoughts on the above?

Also, since some b*stard decided to cut the 300yard battle aperture off the micrometer machined sight before I owned it - does anyone have a spare machined sight body lying around they would part with?? Need the part the arrow is pointing to as the circled part has been cut off - can’t think why this would be done??

9E75D4DB-45DD-4E34-AEF0-892D9B0C3454.webp

Regards.
Gixer
 
The chambers weren’t ‘sloppy‘ as such - as with many rimmed or belted cartridges the case shoulders were kept overly clear of the chamber shoulder as it didn’t control headspace. On firing the case shoulders have moved forward, as you note to not only fill the ‘gap’ but also to a small degree due to the action stretching (normal for this action type). He golden rule is resize only sufficient to allow easy chambering of the case - the case shoulder shouldn’t be returned to it’s original position otherwise very early case head separation can occur. Excuse me if this is old news to you but it‘s always worth repeating when dealing with these great rifles.
 
webley701 said:
The chambers weren’t ‘sloppy‘ as such - as with many rimmed or belted cartridges the case shoulders were kept overly clear of the chamber shoulder as it didn’t control headspace. On firing the case shoulders have moved forward, as you note to not only fill the ‘gap’ but also to a small degree due to the action stretching (normal for this action type). He golden rule is resize only sufficient to allow easy chambering of the case - the case shoulder shouldn’t be returned to it’s original position otherwise very early case head separation can occur. Excuse me if this is old news to you but it‘s always worth repeating when dealing with these great rifles.
Click to expand...
Thanks Webley - I only neck size for the .303 so will not be bumping them back, the reloaded rounds seem to chamber no problem so I guess it’s not an issue - it just appears to be a more significant increase than I expected for this rifle.

Regards,
Gixer
 
gixer1 said:
Also, since some b*stard decided to cut the 300yard battle aperture off the micrometer machined sight before I owned it - does anyone have a spare machined sight body lying around they would part with?? Need the part the arrow is pointing to as the circled part has been cut off - can’t think why this would be done??


Regards.
Gixer
Click to expand...
The battlesight was cut off as standard on No4(T) 'scoped rifles else the rear bell would foul it. I suspect, possibly, your rifle at some past time has maybe had a set of "no gunsmithing" mounts and a 'scope fitted? The good news is that usually means you've an accurate rifle. The other very good news is that you the two vital bits you can't nowadays find....the spring and plunger. So the easiest part to find the actual sight itself is the least problematic to source. BUT NOT FROM ME I DON'T NOWADAYS HAVE ANY ENFIELD SPARES!
 
enfieldspares said:
The battlesight was cut off as standard on No4(T) 'scoped rifles else the rear bell would foul it. I suspect, possibly, your rifle at some past time has maybe had a set of "no gunsmithing" mounts and a 'scope fitted? The good news is that usually means you've an accurate rifle. The other very good news is that you the two vital bits you can't nowadays find....the spring and plunger. So the easiest part to find the actual sight itself is the least problematic to source. BUT NOT FROM ME I DON'T NOWADAYS HAVE ANY ENFIELD SPARES!
Click to expand...
Oddly enough it does shoot rather well with the S&B I tried (even in my hands) although most enfields seem to shoot pretty well if not abused…

Interesting! I wish I had more info on the rifle however it doesn’t seem to have many markings on the woodwork which I suspect has been changed as it has the hand guard without the lines and is also stamped FTR so obviously went through factory refit at some point.

Regards,
Gixer
 
It’s very possible that the battlesight was removed from the rear sight to accommodate the No8/53 aperture sight with windage adjustment which also allowed a shorter distance zero.
This particular one shows the above sight complete with Parker Hale 5 hole eyepiece.

I hope you can see that the battlesight has been ground off completely on this one.

These were used on the No8 and No4 Enfields.

D38A7B95-DC6D-4420-81BA-FF824C2107EB.webp
 
gixer1 said:
I recently acquired a Long Branch 1942 No4 Mk1* and so set about rustling up a load.

I found some S & B 180gr FMJ’s for a pound a pop in a local gun shop so figured this was a cheap way to check the sighting of the rifle and get some brass for reloading.

On checking over the brass after firing - the shoulder looks to have had the shoulder pushed up - not unusual I guess for an enfield as they were apparently purposely sloppy on the chambers to account for debris in the heat of the moment which makes sense.

Now, I discovered I had the boy federal large rifle magnum primers so had a look online and some suggested this was not anything to consider and just load as normal however some suggested the charge should be lowered by 10% to account for this?? Which seems excessive.

I’m loading some PPU 174gr FMJ’s so rattled up a batch at 37gr of N140 (so on the low side) but just wanted to be cautious. No4 actions are apparently considerably stronger than no1 so I’m not overly concerned but just thought I’d put it out there to see what the feedback was.

Thoughts on the above?

Also, since some b*stard decided to cut the 300yard battle aperture off the micrometer machined sight before I owned it - does anyone have a spare machined sight body lying around they would part with?? Need the part the arrow is pointing to as the circled part has been cut off - can’t think why this would be done??

View attachment 291749

Regards.
Gixer
Click to expand...
Remember that a rimmed cartridge headspaces off the rim, not off the shoulders as a rimless cartridge will be. After firing the brass will fill to meet the shoulders of the chamber. When resizing, make sure you fully resize the case.

I use a rimmed in a break action, if I don’t bump the shoulders back it won’t close. Less of an issue in a bolt action where you have a bit more camming power as you close the bolt.

The lee Enfield was very built as a battle rifle designed to work in truly awful conditions. You wouldn’t design it like it is if you wanted a highly accurate target rifle, but as a battle rifle - many a still going strong in all parts of the world
 
Heym SR20 said:
Remember that a rimmed cartridge headspaces off the rim, not off the shoulders as a rimless cartridge will be. After firing the brass will fill to meet the shoulders of the chamber. When resizing, make sure you fully resize the case.

I use a rimmed in a break action, if I don’t bump the shoulders back it won’t close. Less of an issue in a bolt action where you have a bit more camming power as you close the bolt.

The lee Enfield was very built as a battle rifle designed to work in truly awful conditions. You wouldn’t design it like it is if you wanted a highly accurate target rifle, but as a battle rifle - many a still going strong in all parts of the world
Click to expand...
I was told the opposite - to neck size only…

And another post above seems to corroborate this…

Can anyone confirm? @Muir ?
 
gixer1 said:
I was told the opposite - to neck size only…
Click to expand...
I have only ever neck-sized for my No4. My loads are mild, and I've never found the cases (S&B and HXP) needed any further sizing. The S&B are now 6x fired.

I wonder whether Heym's rimmed break-action is firing full-fat loads through a chamber cut rather less generously than the .303 battle-rifes' usually are?
 
S&B brass isn't the best for reloading - quite common to get case head separation with it. PPU brass is better.

It happened to me once and I did something I had read on an American group. Very slowly load the next round and it should engage with brass cylinder left in your chamber. Then very slowly withdraw the bolt, and the round should bring the brass out with it.

41grain of N140 is the go to load with a 174gr bullet. My friend rings gongs at 900 yards with standard sights with this load!
 
reiver said:
Bren gun ruptured case extractor .
Good looking finding one they seem to have become a bit like unicorn 🦄 tears nowadays!!
Click to expand...
This place sells them -

.303" Clearing Plug, Or Split Case Extractor.

These are original issue .303" clearing plugs, also known as 'split case extractors', 'seperated case extractors' or 'in official terms 'Extractor Ruptured Cartridge, .303"'. They were found in the spare parts (or Section) wallet for the BREN gu
www.ds-solutions.co.uk www.ds-solutions.co.uk
 
gixer1 said:
This place sells them -

.303" Clearing Plug, Or Split Case Extractor.

These are original issue .303" clearing plugs, also known as 'split case extractors', 'seperated case extractors' or 'in official terms 'Extractor Ruptured Cartridge, .303"'. They were found in the spare parts (or Section) wallet for the BREN gu
www.ds-solutions.co.uk www.ds-solutions.co.uk
Click to expand...

........... and £25. I have one in my range box that I bought back in the 80s for £1, so a decent investment. I used to shoot at Strensall MoD Ranges with a real character called Reg Collinson (RIP) who was a genuine Pvte Pike as a teenage schoolboy Home Guard late in WW2. Reg was always getting himself into hot water with recovered wartime ammo, dodgy handloads, and his terrifying home 'improved' Enfield Number 4 trigger. In those days weekends were busy on these ranges with Cadets and Territorials and we spent a lot of time lounging around while other parties crossed in front or used the narrow gauge railtrack that takes targets to and from the butts. One day, I produced my separated case extractor and showed it around. Only Reg knew what it was, but said words to the effect of: "Foolish boy wasting your time carrying that around! You only ever need one of these for Brens. The front half of a broken case always falls out of a rifle easily." Now Reg should know as he had more separated cases in his No.4 than most people ate hot dinners. Anyway, the 'Terry' party passed clear, the red flag came down, and we restarted .............. and first shot off the line was from Reg who then started fiddling with his rifle ............. and after a few minutes, turned to me and said in much quieter, humbler voice: "Er, Laurie. Can I borrow your broken case extractor, please."
 
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