12 December 2015, 03:31
Shikaribabu303 British loads using Hornady 174 grain BTHP bullets
Guys would appreciate if any one has any load data that they care to share for the Hornady 174 grain HPBT bullets for the 303 British.
12 December 2015, 04:47
HBVWhat powder do you have available?
My Hornady manual only shows the 174gr round nose.
3031 31.4 to 36.9 grains
BL-C2 32.4 to 38.8 grains
4064 37.4 to 40.4 grains
4895 34.2 to 41 grains
4320 34.3 to 41.5 grains
H380 36.6 to 43.1 grains
4350 39.8 to 46.5 grains
FEDERAL 210 Primer
This is a link to Hodgdon load data you might find more there.
HODGDON12 December 2015, 04:56
bigrdp51You will find that unless you have a like new barrel you will be better off with flat base bullets to get the best accuracy. In my Enfield rifles with a worn bore I shot the 174 grain flat base round nose for the best accuracy.
13 December 2015, 03:49
ShikaribabuI do not have the 174 grain round nose bullets> Just the spire points. I have all varieties of powders available such as IMR 4895; IMR 4064; H4895 etc.
15 December 2015, 03:59
bbellApproximately 40 gr of 3031, Federal 210 primer.Start at 38 gr and work up. Also RL15 was very good, forget the charge but it was just slightly above 40 gr. Work up. This is the only cartridge Ive eexrienced this but fed 210 were definitely more accurate in my rifle.
15 December 2015, 04:20
bigrdp51BLC2 was the powder used for export to Britain for American made .303 during WWII. After the war it was one of the first surplus powders sold by Hodgdons.
16 December 2015, 01:40
ShikaribabuGuys thanks for all your suggestions. Much appreciated.
16 December 2015, 02:41
enfieldsparesPowder of choice in UK was always Vihyavouri N140 or second choice N150.
We shot a lot with all Enfields in some serious competitions, as far as shooting goes, in terms of prestige or pot money.
So we knew what worked. Hornady, S & B or other makes 174 grain "spitzer".
What worked was, from memory...so work up...was 41 grains N140 as it duplicated Mk VII ball and shot correctly to factory sight settings.
Same weight, oddly, with N150 although some used 42 grains. But again work up.
These were used maily in SMLE and No4 as "Enfield" competitions didn't allow the Mauser derived Pattern '14 that in the US seems to call the "Enfield".
Lastly I think it impossible to duplicate factory velocity with a 174 grain bullet in .303 using 4895 at safe pressures. Can't be done
16 December 2015, 16:33
wildcat junkieAs usual, in medium capacity cartridge cases RL-17 yields the top Mv for a given pressure followed closely by Vv N550.
The loads in the chart below are near maximum & RL-17 usually reaches the listed Mv at about 2 gr less than listed. 48,000 psi is still 4,000 psi under the CIP listed maximum.
I get excellent results with RL-17 in 8 x 57IS, 7mm-08 ans 30/40 Krag.