Thread: Casting for an SMLE

I have been assembling components to load for this rifle over the last few days.

I ordered 50 210gr cast projectiles for a good price from Shooternz, and they showed up very quickly and look good.



I also dropped into gun city and bought some of the Greek brass they are selling. Some of it is pretty tragic, but it mostly looks good. It was the only 303 brass I could find in Auckland, so we will see how it goes. At $30 for 50, I'm not too fussed if it ends up in the bin. I de-primed all of them and found 4 that had heavily corroded primers. All the others looked fine, so given the current climate, I will use the original primers for initial testing.



I also made a 303 case holder for my Wilson case trimmer. These are pretty easy to make so long as you get the compound slide on the lathe set just right for cutting the internal taper. I have made 5 or 6 now for various random cartridges I load for. Much better than spending $30 per holder.




I am currently waiting on some sulphur to arrive so I can attempt a sulphur/graphite chamber cast. I am also going to order a Lee collet neck sizer + seater.

It's amazing how much crap you need for loading a new cartridge. I have several drawers full of reloading gear already and it just keeps on growing.

Any suggestions on powder for this load? I have AP100, 2205, 2206H and a little 2209 on hand and likely won't be getting anything else until the next powder shipment arrives in NZ. 2209 seems the best candidate to me.