Rings on cartridge 303

I recently aquired a sporterised 303 and gave it a bit of a birthday before getting it looked over by someone who knows them very well. He reckoned it should be good to go, so I put a few rounds through it using the string on the trigger and hiding behind the longdrop technique. All good.
Put a few more rounds into a taget at 50 meters and still all good.
Then I noticed that the spent shells had a faint ring around them, which you can hopefully see in the pic.
Is this anything to be concerned about, IE too much pressure ??
Ammo used is Winchester super x 180gn pp
Attachment 13776Attachment 13777

Looks like a headspace issue but I am no expert, sure some of the gurus will help you out!

I get that too, I've reloaded them like that and use them again with no issues

Looks like large chamber and or headspace.
Quite common in the old 303s

Sent from my GT-S5360T using Tapatalk 2

Dangerous????

I doubt it but Bend a small right angle on the end of a paper clip or something so you can feel down inside the case for a groove .
Or better yet cut a case in half and look.
Groove is caused by excessive headspace and case stretching to fill the gap and can lead to case head separation.

Sent from my GT-S5360T using Tapatalk 2

Being a rimmed cartridge the head space is on that rim not the shoulder, I think VC is right large chamber and you have fired formed into it.

Thanks all. Very helpfull.

Headspace. Check with a 303brit nogo or field headspace gauge if you want. Your cases will not do many reloads unless you can fix that.

Get a copy of Hatchers note book it will explain it all

Not fussed about re-loading, purely wanted to find out if reasonably safe to carry on using.
It was checked using go/no go gauges, by a guy who is self taught man cave type gunsmith. In his opinion, there was some room for improvement by changing the bolt head, but it was safe to fire. Being as he owns probably 50 rifles and makes his own suppressors etc etc, I took his word on it. Just that having noticed the change taking place on firing, I thought best to ask a wider audience.

I get those on my 270wsm cases from the first firing. I cut it open and found no bad separation. So am still loading them, one lot of cases are up to 7firings. Also I got 8firings out of the nickel plated brass before the necks split, but no case head separation

Info on head spaceAttachment 13782Attachment 13783Attachment 13784
Hope it helps

Geeeezee all upside down:wtfsmilie:

Bugger! Many thanks for taking the trouble Maca. I will save the pics and flip them to read.
I just cut a cartridge down and cleaned up inside. There are no signs of a ridge inside the case, just a bit of a dark ring that matches the placement of the light ring on outside. From what your book says, it sounds like stretched case. May have to look out for either the original bolt, or replacement, although as I wont be reloading I am not sure it is worth worrying about.
Feel free to advise if you think otherwise, as I am quite looking forward to going to the siska show with my face intact

I think if the headspace is correct, being a 303 it will probably be oversize in the chamber, having to handle military ammo, and the brass has sized up to that chamber, my 577/450 will split cases when new, I'm only using BP, but the ones that come thru I only use in the same rifle and reload over and over, realise other probs as pressures increase in smokeless

Would another, possibly cheaper option, not be to get a gunsmith to trim a bit off the thread at the back of the barrel ? That should shorten your chamber and improve the headspace issue. Maybe some extra work because it is a rimmed case, but could be worth getting a price on that as opposed to a new bolt. Or I could be completely wrong, in which case someone in the know will point it out shortly :D

Note the brass that has separated is rimless ammo, controlled at the shoulder not as in your case the rim

I think your safe as.

Sent from my GT-S5360T using Tapatalk 2

This site Headspace 101 for .303's in The Lee Enfield Forum Forum has some excellent info, animations and even some DIY fixes for excessive 303 headspace using monofilament line.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ishoot10s

This site Headspace 101 for .303's in The Lee Enfield Forum Forum has some excellent info, animations and even some DIY fixes for excessive 303 headspace using monofilament line.

---

Thanks for the link. Interesting

That is an excellent and informative link, thanks. Even I understood the guys demonstration :thumbsup:

I had some 577 snider that the rim is only half the thickness of my other shells. The firing pin wouldn't hit hard enough to fire them! Lots of head space but a straight case.

Oh boy am I getting Enfields on the brain....

:roll:

There will be a number stamped on the bolt head, 0,1,2 or 3, if you got a 3 that's it cant get a 4 (as far as I know). Trouble is they are hard to get, Im looking for a 0 and a 2 at the moment. Both my enfields are 1 but I'd like to experiemnt......

303 headspace....shouldnt go anywhere near closed on a field gauge...ideally almost closed on a no go (3~6mm) off the wrist for best accuracy (apparantly).

Does the serial number on the receiver match the bolt? if so very good. The next big thing is take a magic marker or better a white board marker and paint both lugs surfaces , fit the bolt and close it, open, repeat 2 or 3 times, remove the bolt the whiteboard marker should be scratched off quite a bit of BOTH lugs, if so its probably safe to fire. Next when closing the bolt does it seem to catch about half way in? if so the receiver is worn out. Finally the main bolt needs to be tight or the stock will split, but not too tight or it will, uh split...

For accuracy the barrel should be "centre" bedded, if yours isnt and many sporters are not, you can probably improve its accuracy a lot by doing so.

My new toy....Attachment 13830

Steven.
Could you elaborate on center bedding a sporterised one please.

Sent from my GT-S5360T using Tapatalk 2

Serial numbers on my barrel and reciever match, but the bolt came from a donor rifle so obviously that doesnt match.
I have put 15 rounds through the old girl now without any issues. In fact I am pleasantly surprised that even with my limited shooting ability I can hit a 4 inch claybird 4 out of 5 times at 60 meters with the open sight and using a rest. As I intend using it for typical NI bush hunting, I am not worried about tack driving ability.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Steven.
Could you elaborate on center bedding a sporterised one please.

Sent from my GT-S5360T using Tapatalk 2

---

Hi, First off there is some contention on what method is best. The original no4 mk1 T sniper configuration or centre bedding or some combo. What is pretty much shown is the barrel has to be bedded to give the original accuracy or better. That would be about 2MOA for a no4 mk1 and 1.75MOA for a no4 mk2 as issued ie full wood, mil spec. What's been seen is that freely floating the barrel tis whole length ruins that std accuracy, you could end up with a 3 or 4MOA gun, even worse. Since sporterised enfields chop off the forestock front end the bearing has gone and If its a no1 mk3 they had "floppy" barrel so even worse! If you have a shortened wood sportster then you cant front bed it, the wood isnt there, what you can do is install the centre bed method that target shooters use as that much wood is left.

Im de-sporterising one at present. The new wood is being setup as as-issued original. I'll go to kaitoke and demo both stocks...should be interesting.

Here is the example part of a great book,

*********Actually thinking, might be a bit naughty, without permission I'll do my own pic*********

Its only $19USD as an electronic download but a very good read for making an Enfield rock, none better IMHO.

I see he's got a screenshot and video on youtube anyway, if you look at the top left hand page pic you will see what I mean. That layout was used by canadians to win in 1964 so it should work pretty well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qndpFCovqAs

Otherwise its a good listen.

phale bedding v sporterised stock no beddingAttachment 13892

the blemishes on the barrel is where its had weld beads done to touch the upper wood, fine tuning I assume.

Thanks for that.

I take it from the vid noone gets good results from free floating the barrel?

Sent from my GT-S5360T using Tapatalk 2

Hi,

I can only quote that piece and what I have read elsewhere, the answer is no bedding = poor accuracy. I do intend to try that sporterised stock v std and see what the difference is, I just have to join Kaitoke and get up there for an hour or so, pop 10 rounds say in each one, see what I get.

BTW As an aside ive just had that pic of the parker hale bedding assessed last night by milsurps.com and there is some concern that there is too much bedding, so may not be original PHale. Even if so the gun looks like its very good so I wont be that unhappy even if I need to re-tune it. I'll get it to a gunsmith this week to make sure its safe, after that I'll aim to shoot some rounds with the phale forend and then my std enfield forend setup once ive finished it, see which does better.