reloading for .303 British

butta9999 · September 17, 2009, 04:01 AM

Hi all i will be reloading for my uncle's .303 british soon and i am in need of knowing about bullets..

We just got back from a hunt last week (which i will post photos and a thread) and the .303 didnt really perform..

I bought Hornady factory ammunition 150gr interloack for my uncle.. He shot several goats which were well placed lung shots. The goats would drop on the spot but they were far from dead.. A second shot was needed in most cases..

After opening the goats up and looking at the bullets wounds i found the wound channel to be very narrow and small. The bullet was passing through with minimum damage.. The lung tissue did have mortal damage but not quick enough..

My conclusion is that the hornady interlock was not expanding enough and producing enough shock to the animal..

So my question is what .311 bullets are out there for reloading.. The max fps is about 2650 i think so i guess quick expanding would be the best..

Thanks all.

CowTowner · September 17, 2009, 06:33 AM

I use Sierra's 150 and 180 grain bullets for loads in my 303's.
the 150 grain is for deer and other small game. The 180's are for larger animals. They also have a 125 grain bullet for the 303, but I haven't loaded any of those to date.
Good loading and hunting!

butta9999 · September 17, 2009, 02:30 PM

are they a soft point bullet, hollow point, ballistic tip etc..... What sort of verlocities would i expect with the 125gr bullet.. There is no data listed for that in my book..

Thanks mate

butta9999 · October 20, 2009, 02:43 AM

Does anyone know of any ballistic bullets for the .303 for reloading. Even hollow points?

SKULLANDCROSSBONES65 · October 20, 2009, 05:44 AM

G'day.
How was the accuracy?
Have you checked the bore diameter?

Quote:

What sort of verlocities would i expect with the 125gr bullet

Sent a PM with some load data.
Is the Hornady Interlock designed for penetrating deep into heavy boned game? If so then they might be too solid for Goat.

beauetienne · October 20, 2009, 01:58 PM

I did quite a bit of experimenting with the 303 but, my goal was best accuracy with a hunting bullet.

The rifles used were a #4 MK 2 and a P-14.

I found that the Sierra 180 gr soft points gave the best accuracy. The best accuracy was achieved at velocities around 2100 to 2200 fps at the muzzle. I used IMR 4895 for these loads.

While I've yet to see these bullets perform in flesh, I have an acquaintance that claims it works just fine on hogs at those velocities, out to 100 yards or so. Wouldn't want to do any real long range shooting with it as expansion would certainly be an issue at lower velocities.

G'luck.

.

butta9999 · October 21, 2009, 01:16 AM

Skulls-Yes he was using hornady interlock 150gr factory loads on our last hunt. All shots were on goats and very well placed. He is quite a good shot (would never tell him though). The goats dropped on the spot but it was just knocking the wind out of them. On 75% a follow shot was needed.

After skinning several animals i found the bullets were passing through and not leaving much damage. Ribs were broken and tissue was damaged but not to a point where i could say a clean shot. I do say again these were well placed lung shots but the bullet was passing through like a solid.

I had the same problem with my .243 using handloads with 100gr hornady interlock. I have mentioned in previous posts that i swear by them. I do for pigs and large billies but smaller goats they are no good.

I changed to my 70gr sierra blitzking handloads, they punch out at about 3600fps. i dropped 2 goats with them hitting same spot and death was almost instant. After examining the wounds it was obvious the interlock was the wrong bullet choice. No exit with the blitzking but huge internal damage.

Hence the disscussion about exit or no exit.

Beauetienne- I agree that muzzle verlocity is a little low for what i want to achieve.

SKULLANDCROSSBONES65 · October 21, 2009, 03:47 AM

G'day. Sierra only lists 4x.311 projectiles. 125, 150, & 180gr SPT Pro-hunter or the 174HPBT MatchKing.

Quote:

Sierra does not recommend MatchKing bullets for hunting applications.

Pro-Hunter Bullets.
This classification includes 31 bullets ranging in caliber from 243 to 458. All bullet shapes in this classification are flat base, and they include round nose (RN), semi-pointed (SMP), spitzer-pointed (SPT, flat nose (FN), and with a hollow point (HP/FN). Three bullets in this category have Sierra’s proprietary Power Jacket to enhance bullet expansion in game animals when fired from medium-velocity cartridges, and three other bullets are intended specifically to be used in single-shot pistols. All these bullets have medium to heavy weights in each caliber, and they are designed for a combination of penetration and expansion in medium and heavy game animals for their calibers.

September 17, 2009, 04:01 AM	#1
butta9999 Senior Member Join Date: June 29, 2008 Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Posts: 692	reloading for .303 British Hi all i will be reloading for my uncle's .303 british soon and i am in need of knowing about bullets.. We just got back from a hunt last week (which i will post photos and a thread) and the .303 didnt really perform.. I bought Hornady factory ammunition 150gr interloack for my uncle.. He shot several goats which were well placed lung shots. The goats would drop on the spot but they were far from dead.. A second shot was needed in most cases.. After opening the goats up and looking at the bullets wounds i found the wound channel to be very narrow and small. The bullet was passing through with minimum damage.. The lung tissue did have mortal damage but not quick enough.. My conclusion is that the hornady interlock was not expanding enough and producing enough shock to the animal.. So my question is what .311 bullets are out there for reloading.. The max fps is about 2650 i think so i guess quick expanding would be the best.. Thanks all. __________________ Knowledge is Power!

September 17, 2009, 06:33 AM	#2
CowTowner Senior Member Join Date: October 17, 2007 Location: Cowtown of course! Posts: 1,747	I use Sierra's 150 and 180 grain bullets for loads in my 303's. the 150 grain is for deer and other small game. The 180's are for larger animals. They also have a 125 grain bullet for the 303, but I haven't loaded any of those to date. Good loading and hunting! __________________ NRA Chief Range Safety Officer, Home Firearms Safety, Pistol and Rifle Instructor *“Today, we need a nation of Minutemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life......”* President John F. Kennedy

September 17, 2009, 02:30 PM	#3
butta9999 Senior Member Join Date: June 29, 2008 Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Posts: 692	are they a soft point bullet, hollow point, ballistic tip etc..... What sort of verlocities would i expect with the 125gr bullet.. There is no data listed for that in my book.. Thanks mate __________________ Knowledge is Power!

October 21, 2009, 01:16 AM	#7
butta9999 Senior Member Join Date: June 29, 2008 Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Posts: 692	Skulls-Yes he was using hornady interlock 150gr factory loads on our last hunt. All shots were on goats and very well placed. He is quite a good shot (would never tell him though). The goats dropped on the spot but it was just knocking the wind out of them. On 75% a follow shot was needed. After skinning several animals i found the bullets were passing through and not leaving much damage. Ribs were broken and tissue was damaged but not to a point where i could say a clean shot. I do say again these were well placed lung shots but the bullet was passing through like a solid. I had the same problem with my .243 using handloads with 100gr hornady interlock. I have mentioned in previous posts that i swear by them. I do for pigs and large billies but smaller goats they are no good. I changed to my 70gr sierra blitzking handloads, they punch out at about 3600fps. i dropped 2 goats with them hitting same spot and death was almost instant. After examining the wounds it was obvious the interlock was the wrong bullet choice. No exit with the blitzking but huge internal damage. Hence the disscussion about exit or no exit. Beauetienne- I agree that muzzle verlocity is a little low for what i want to achieve. __________________ Knowledge is Power!

October 20, 2009, 02:43 AM	#4
butta9999 Senior Member Join Date: June 29, 2008 Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Posts: 692	Does anyone know of any ballistic bullets for the .303 for reloading. Even hollow points? __________________ Knowledge is Power!

October 20, 2009, 01:58 PM	#6
beauetienne Junior Member Join Date: September 26, 2009 Location: Louisiana Posts: 8	I did quite a bit of experimenting with the 303 but, my goal was best accuracy with a hunting bullet. The rifles used were a #4 MK 2 and a P-14. I found that the Sierra 180 gr soft points gave the best accuracy. The best accuracy was achieved at velocities around 2100 to 2200 fps at the muzzle. I used IMR 4895 for these loads. While I've yet to see these bullets perform in flesh, I have an acquaintance that claims it works just fine on hogs at those velocities, out to 100 yards or so. Wouldn't want to do any real long range shooting with it as expansion would certainly be an issue at lower velocities. G'luck. .