Thread: Shaved cordite

Originally Posted by Cordite

Our friends are waiting for us, 40mm. Come, let's go see them.

Attachment 190951

I pick the second room on the right.

Originally Posted by norsk

I would like to hear from anyone who has had success loading BP in 303 British.From what I have read the results are generally disappointing.

Re-creating the authentic .303/71.5 would be difficult if not impossible. UNLESS ... you actually went back to load straightened annealed cases with cordite pellets and then necking them down. Sounds a bother but it's frankly is easier than alternatives.

The heavy working of the brass with no helpful re-anneal stage allowed in-between to a loaded case off course rules out repeated reloading. Split necks are commonplace with cordite loaded ammo which has been formed that way, but for military ammo reloading was not considered.

We don't know what binder was used in the pellets, if any.

One thought I had is a long flat head nail. You could ... stick a long flat head nail through the primer hole and up to the level of the cartridge shoulder/neck junction and from the throat end stuff down a pre-weighed amount of FG black powder moistened with some binder. Tamper it down with a hollow rod before withdrawing the nail to leave a central powder canal as in the original load. Let it dry somewhere warm for a few weeks, prime and insert a jacketed 215grain round nose. Wear visor and ear muffs of course. It just can't be recommended to prime cases already containing their propellant. And even at that stage, assuming you'd have 71.5grains FG powder in, you're still not matching the original load as the original pellets had at least a loose sliding fit with the cartridge walls which would affect combustion. No, the only safe way to do it would be to do it the original method and then not expect to be able to reload the case.

Originally Posted by 40mm

I pick the second room on the right.

Trust you...

Originally Posted by Marty Henry

I'm not so sure the nitroglycerin will evaporate, it's chemically bonded to the nitrocellulose and acts as a plasticiser.
To test if it does take the lid of your jar and have a good sniff, if your heart starts really racing there's a pounding in your ears and your head feels like someone is hitting it with a hammer from the inside then yes it's evaporating.

It's not evaporating, it's gone. I did wash the cordite with dish soap and bicarb. No fizzing of the bicarb so I don't think there were any dangerous acid breakdown products present.

I'll leave it with a cloth over it for a few more weeks, nice ice cream container nearly full. Going to be a pain reloading with it as won't meter terribly well. It feels drier than before, probably also some of the vaseline phlegmatiser gone. Now not burning quite as vigorously as when fresh out of the cartridges so I think I'm on the right track.