Thread: CAC .303 vs HXP .303

Go HXP

Originally Posted by John Duxbury

It is? They sell it in plastic bags of 10 for $15 down here. And I thought that was steep for 70 year old ammo...I have a couple of boxes of it lying around here dated '54 or '58. I have been keeping it in case an elephant escapes from the zoo and I need some ball ammo

It is if it’s still in the cylinders and tubes and case - especially unopened

Hi everyone,

I thought I'd provide an update.

I ended up buying both. Reasoning being that they aren't exactly making any .303 like this anymore, and thus, it probably ain't getting any cheaper.

I have figured out what a majority of the markings mean. But on the CAC box it says
ASA1
2
and
SBL 1954
and
G30
Can anyone tell me what these mean?

Also about how much are these rounds worth?

Ps don't worry I didn't commit sacrilege, the HXP can and one of the tubes were already unsealed upon purchase.

The CAC is good stuff, I went through about 30 rounds of it yesterday!

The hpx is 7z so single based powder not cordite so will burn a little cooler

Originally Posted by Jhon

Yeah I tried to sell some mint cond CAC at low price and no takers so just shot it off. Went well too. I bought HXP primed brass ex GC, bullets had been pulled so neck sizing indicated. After first firing I annealed and FL sized. I got bags of 50 2 yrs ago from GC ChCh and while they had been tumble cleaned they were still tarnish stained dark in places but no visible rot. I've reloaded the first bag twice so far, one neck failure with cracking on first firing before annealing. If I get 3-4 reloads out of them I'll more than get my $$ worth.

Another thing, if you don't reload, the HXP brass that survives being shot will likely fetch upwards of 80c a piece on yellow site. Just offer it as is. I hate buying brass someone else has cleaned and decapped and resized. Prefer to do that stuff myself. Well, I guess cleaning is ok if they don't use steel pins...

What is wrong with steel pins?

Originally Posted by Mooseman

I have read that cordite is more corrosive than powder as well as corrosive primers I would go for the XHP.

Not really corrosive as such, it just burns way hotter and erodes the lands more.

Originally Posted by Lazyafpanda

Can’t complain.
I get like 3 inch groups at 100m from sitting.
But I feel like that’s more of a “I suck” problem than it is a “The ammo sucks” problem.
I do get the occasional failure to fire but that’s to be expected.
Longest 60 seconds of my life ever though waiting to confirm it’s not a hang fire.

All the HPX ammo is ex Greek stuff. GC has loads of it and they seem to have obtained all the water affected stuff. However i strip the ammo and standise the loads, because they all vary a bit and neck size them. Some ammo depending on the year is ball powder and others are stick powder. Neck tension is all over the place, most of it is really loose, but some is that tight i cant pull the projectile out. I have also noted several splitting the neck after 1 firing. That said the price is good and its cheap shooting.

I've considered buying some of the HPX Greek stuff from GC, can it be considered that given the info in this thread and the info by Percy Jones above that this stuff is safe and reasonably consistent for general use?.
By that I mean plinking targets with an old 303.

Originally Posted by Twodiffs

I've considered buying some of the HPX Greek stuff from GC, can it be considered that given the info in this thread and the info by Percy Jones above that this stuff is safe and reasonably consistent for general use?.
By that I mean plinking targets with an old 303.

It pays to pull and check them. I have pulled cases that look brilliant on the outside but are wet on the inside. The powder and a bit of damp makes corrosion which eats into the brass, so when you tip the powder out and its not all loose and dry, dump the case. If you fire then it will blow the side out of the case, however it is contained within the chamber. I turned a couple of these cases into blank rounds and even with such a small powder charge the cases split up the side.

That info is good enough for me, without the know how to do that I'll avoid them. I'll buy a pkt of good rounds.

Originally Posted by Percy Jones

It pays to pull and check them. I have pulled cases that look brilliant on the outside but are wet on the inside. The powder and a bit of damp makes corrosion which eats into the brass, so when you tip the powder out and its not all loose and dry, dump the case. If you fire then it will blow the side out of the case, however it is contained within the chamber. I turned a couple of these cases into blank rounds and even with such a small powder charge the cases split up the side.

Some of the crap that GC sell is appalling. I’ve seen significant case failure (thankfully no damage to shooter) and a case of one squib round which luckily the shooter heard ( he was shooting a rapid fire match so was lucky).

I’ve also seen unfired rounds from GC so corroded that the case neck was completely shot.

Be careful when using the poor grade HXP from GC.

Originally Posted by TeRei

What is wrong with steel pins?

Haha, was waiting for that..purely a cosmetic preference. I bought brass that had been cleaned with steel pins and it was covered in these minute little marks that looked real glittery in the light. Easier to see in the grass I guess but not my preference.