That batch was approximately 2tbls lemi-shine "citric acid" and 1tbls Finish Jet dry rinse aid, but I often use the
same recipe as you.
What did you reload today?
- Thread starter Ad Astra
- Start date
That batch was approximately 2tbls lemi-shine "citric acid" and 1tbls Finish Jet dry rinse aid, but I often use the
same recipe as you.
shoelessjoe
"I took out a Chihuahua!"
50 rounds of easy-peasy .303 British
PPU brass (new)
PPU 174 gr. FMJBT bullets
S&B LPP
Vectan Tu5000 powder- 35gr.
Viton 1x10 o-rings
- case prep: chamfer inside case mouths
... no need to tumble, size or trim.
- after crimping, an o-ring is placed on
the rim/case web for fireforming
purposes.
PPU brass (new)
PPU 174 gr. FMJBT bullets
S&B LPP
Vectan Tu5000 powder- 35gr.
Viton 1x10 o-rings
- case prep: chamfer inside case mouths
... no need to tumble, size or trim.
- after crimping, an o-ring is placed on
the rim/case web for fireforming
purposes.
'splain this, not sure how that's done or why?
shoelessjoe
"I took out a Chihuahua!"
Primarily, fireforming prolongs the life of .303 brass ... i.e., more reloads.
Enfields were designed with roomy chambers & fireforming mates brass to its’ rifle’s chamber ... I keep spent .303 brass segretated to their specific rifles.
The o-ring, which is only used on the initial firing of a new case snugs the case against the bolt head, centers the cartridge to the chamber, reduces case stretching at the head/web & subsequently, facilitates stretching/case-to-chamber mating at the shoulder.
Most .303 (reloaded) case failures/separations occur just above the case head & these failures are expedited by full-length resizing. By fireforming the .303 case to the chamber, all that’s needed for subsequent reloads is a wee bit of neck sizing & as needed, trimming.
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I understand fire forming to the chamber, been reloading for decades. Never fooled with Lee Enfields though. They must have REALLY loose chambers! So is the O-ring placed in the extractor groove? I'm having trouble envisioning how a case could be chambered with an O-ring on it.
- Thread starter
- #46
A trick applicable to my Japanese Arisakas ...sloppy, sometimes egg-shaped chambers. Presumably the o-ring centers against that happening.
AA
So would you care to do the 'splainin?
- Thread starter
- #48
shoelessjoe
"I took out a Chihuahua!"
Enfield rifles were purposely engineered to operate under adverse conditions - water, dirt, sand, debris, etc - with zero thought given to reloading spent cases ... hence, the roomy chambers.
SAAMI .303 Brit specs were determined by/for the cartridge itself, not varying Enfield chamber tolerances. US-manufactured .303 cartridges/brass will work all day long in an Enfield, but when compared to the likes of Mk VII .303 Brit. surplus & Prvi Partizan cartridges/brass, the SAAMI-spec’d brass is thinner/weaker at the case head/web ... as such, spent SAAMI brass doesn’t lend itself to (as many) repeated reloads. Fireforming does prolong their usefulness, but you’ll never get close to the dozen-plus (some claim, dozens) reloads that you’ll get from stronger Mk VII & PPU brass.
The big knock on Enfield rifles concerns headspacing, which, should you ask anyone outside of The Commonwealth, leads to bolt lug shearing, exploding receivers & ruptured cases ... yes, .303 cases will & do ruptured &/or separate if a close eye isn’t kept on one’s spent brass. Again, the Enfield & more specifically, its’ chambers were not engineered with thoughts of reloading spent cases.
Knowledgable Enfield faithful across the Pond(s) will laugh should discussion turn to sloppy chambers &/or headspace concerns. Their philosophy is simple; when firing a sound SMLE or No.4/5 rifle, using correct cartridges, if you don’t experience repeated light primer strikes &/or blown/protruding primers, them your Enfield & it’s headspacing are just fine.
Should have mentioned this earlier ... when manufactured, each Enfield rifle possessed a bolt that was lapped & fitted for that particular rifle. Headspace problems do arise when swapping the original bolt for a like bolt off of a different rifle. But, Enfield bolts were designed with different-sized, interchangeable heads (0,1,2,3 & some say, 4) to address headspace issues in the field.
Last comment on Enfields & headspacing ... I once read that some headspace problems arose when service rifles were reproofed prior to being released for civilian sale. During wartime manufacture, strictly calibrated proof loads were used when proofing SMLEs, which were designed (metallurgy) with receivers that stretched & retracted at/post recoil. When the battle rifles, which had successfully fired countless thousands of rounds, were reproofed with .303 proof rounds considerably warmer than original-specced, receivers were, for lack of a better word, overstretched & this resulted in altered, excessive headspacing.
Fireforming o-ring/cases
Case failure ... red arrow indicates where the vast majority of .303 case failure/separations occur. The best way to stay ahead of these separations is to fabricate a small, L-shaped implement which is used inside the case to detect (feel for) potential problems. A (separation) ridge will develop inside the case before any signs of a problem reveal themselves on the case exterior.
SAAMI .303 Brit specs were determined by/for the cartridge itself, not varying Enfield chamber tolerances. US-manufactured .303 cartridges/brass will work all day long in an Enfield, but when compared to the likes of Mk VII .303 Brit. surplus & Prvi Partizan cartridges/brass, the SAAMI-spec’d brass is thinner/weaker at the case head/web ... as such, spent SAAMI brass doesn’t lend itself to (as many) repeated reloads. Fireforming does prolong their usefulness, but you’ll never get close to the dozen-plus (some claim, dozens) reloads that you’ll get from stronger Mk VII & PPU brass.
The big knock on Enfield rifles concerns headspacing, which, should you ask anyone outside of The Commonwealth, leads to bolt lug shearing, exploding receivers & ruptured cases ... yes, .303 cases will & do ruptured &/or separate if a close eye isn’t kept on one’s spent brass. Again, the Enfield & more specifically, its’ chambers were not engineered with thoughts of reloading spent cases.
Knowledgable Enfield faithful across the Pond(s) will laugh should discussion turn to sloppy chambers &/or headspace concerns. Their philosophy is simple; when firing a sound SMLE or No.4/5 rifle, using correct cartridges, if you don’t experience repeated light primer strikes &/or blown/protruding primers, them your Enfield & it’s headspacing are just fine.
Should have mentioned this earlier ... when manufactured, each Enfield rifle possessed a bolt that was lapped & fitted for that particular rifle. Headspace problems do arise when swapping the original bolt for a like bolt off of a different rifle. But, Enfield bolts were designed with different-sized, interchangeable heads (0,1,2,3 & some say, 4) to address headspace issues in the field.
Last comment on Enfields & headspacing ... I once read that some headspace problems arose when service rifles were reproofed prior to being released for civilian sale. During wartime manufacture, strictly calibrated proof loads were used when proofing SMLEs, which were designed (metallurgy) with receivers that stretched & retracted at/post recoil. When the battle rifles, which had successfully fired countless thousands of rounds, were reproofed with .303 proof rounds considerably warmer than original-specced, receivers were, for lack of a better word, overstretched & this resulted in altered, excessive headspacing.
Fireforming o-ring/cases
Case failure ... red arrow indicates where the vast majority of .303 case failure/separations occur. The best way to stay ahead of these separations is to fabricate a small, L-shaped implement which is used inside the case to detect (feel for) potential problems. A (separation) ridge will develop inside the case before any signs of a problem reveal themselves on the case exterior.
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Thanks, I thought that was how you had to do it!
shoelessjoe
"I took out a Chihuahua!"
I originally doubted the centering part, so I decided to experiment with some empty cases. Loaded empty cases, some with o-rings, into the magazine & then slowly cycled the bolt. Without fail, the non-o-ringed cases hung-up at the bottom of the chamber, while those with o-rings chambered cleaner than an actual cartridge.
- Thread starter
- #52
Enfield rifles were purposely engineered to operate under adverse conditions - water, dirt, sand, debris, etc - with zero thought given to reloading spent cases ... hence, the roomy chambers.
SAAMI .303 Brit specs were determined by/for the cartridge itself, not varying Enfield chamber tolerances. US-manufactured .303 cartridges/brass will work all day long in an Enfield, but when compared to the likes of Mk VII .303 Brit. surplus & Prvi Partizan cartridges/brass, the SAAMI-spec’d brass is thinner/weaker at the case head/web ... as such, spent SAAMI brass doesn’t lend itself to (as many) repeated reloads. Fireforming does prolong their usefulness, but you’ll never get close to the dozen-plus (some claim, dozens) reloads that you’ll get from stronger Mk VII & PPU brass.
The big knock on Enfield rifles concerns headspacing, which, should you ask anyone outside of The Commonwealth, leads to bolt lug shearing, exploding receivers & ruptured cases ... yes, .303 cases will & do ruptured &/or separate if a close eye isn’t kept on one’s spent brass. Again, the Enfield & more specifically, its’ chambers were not engineered with thoughts of reloading spent cases.
Knowledgable Enfield faithful across the Pond(s) will laugh should discussion turn to sloppy chambers &/or headspace concerns. Their philosophy is simple; when firing a sound SMLE or No.4/5 rifle, using correct cartridges, if you don’t experience repeated light primer strikes &/or blown/protruding primers, them your Enfield & it’s headspacing are just fine.
Should have mentioned this earlier ... when manufactured, each Enfield rifle possessed a bolt that was lapped & fitted for that particular rifle. Headspace problems do arise when swapping the original bolt for a like bolt off of a different rifle. But, Enfield bolts were designed with different-sized, interchangeable heads (0,1,2,3 & some say, 4) to address headspace issues in the field.
Last comment on Enfields & headspacing ... I once read that some headspace problems arose when service rifles were reproofed prior to being released for civilian sale. During wartime manufacture, strictly calibrated proof loads were used when proofing SMLEs, which were designed (metallurgy) with receivers that stretched & retracted at/post recoil. When the battle rifles, which had successfully fired countless thousands of rounds, were reproofed with .303 proof rounds considerably warmer than original-specced, receivers were, for lack of a better word, overstretched & this resulted in altered, excessive headspacing.
Fireforming o-ring/cases
Case failure ... red arrow indicates where the vast majority of .303 case failure/separations occur. The best way to stay ahead of these separations is to fabricate a small, L-shaped implement which is used inside the case to detect (feel for) potential problems. A (separation) ridge will develop inside the case before any signs of a problem reveal themselves on the case exterior.
Great write up, thanks!
I have the Lee 303 dies, we're going to get around to this!
AA
shoelessjoe
"I took out a Chihuahua!"
ENFIELD DISCLAIMER!!
Yes, Enfields do have a set service life & if fed enough, they do eventually wear to a place to where the headspace becomes irredeemable ... but, this condition generally comes after the barrel has been rendered a smooth bore.
Post Script: Try this with a Mauser, Springer or Mosin Nagant
Yes, Enfields do have a set service life & if fed enough, they do eventually wear to a place to where the headspace becomes irredeemable ... but, this condition generally comes after the barrel has been rendered a smooth bore.
Post Script: Try this with a Mauser, Springer or Mosin Nagant
shoelessjoe
"I took out a Chihuahua!"
Mike, I don’t know if it would work for reloading purposes, the chamber & spent case being slightly egg-shaped & all ... unless perhaps, you o-ringed subsequent reloads?? With the .303 Brit, the o-ring is used once, on new brass.
- Thread starter
- #55
I was guessing. I also neck size and keep seperate brass per rifle in that case.
AA
shoelessjoe
"I took out a Chihuahua!"
But I’m wondering if the rings will work on semi-rimmed cases?
- Thread starter
- #57
Dunno. I do load 6.5x50sr and 7.7x58, though.
I hope to keep my brass longer by loading low velocity, TrailBoss/cast range rounds.
AA
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327 Federal
100 loaded
85g XTP
5.5g Titegroup
Should be around 1385 fps and mild to shoot.
100 loaded
85g XTP
5.5g Titegroup
Should be around 1385 fps and mild to shoot.
- Thread starter
- #60
100 more 38s:
50 Starline, 50WWB brass
4grs Red Dot
158gr Acme HiTek SWC "lipstick" boolits
AA
50 Starline, 50WWB brass
4grs Red Dot
158gr Acme HiTek SWC "lipstick" boolits
AA
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