Just picked up a Number One in the above. Anyone care to share a favorite load for 180's?
I'll be using W-W brass...

Thanks...

Start with min load of 3031 and work up. My load is 37.2 grains. Where in PA? I am near Washington.

From Britain...ancestral "home" of the 303 all with 174 grain bullets but I have little doubt that they will be OK for your 180 grain...providing you work up to them:

Sierra Match King 174 BTHP - H4350. I started at 43 grains which shot high at 25 yards indicating low velocity but it was very accurate. Tried 44 grains and 44.5 grains which shot lower so indicating higher velocities.

Sierra Match King 174 BTHP - H4894. I found no point in using any loads over 38 grains as if you did it gave stiff extraction at even just 38.5 grains. I could see why Hodgdon gives 40 grains as a MAX load!

So. What do we Brits use here in England? Vihtavouri and I'd suggest that you "move heaven and earth" to get some...quite simply it is the 303 powder par excellence.

The two "go to" loads in England used by most 303 shooters in competition are either 42 grains or 41.5 grains of N140 or for a ever so slightly "softer" load 42 grains of N150.

All three of these combinations match military sight settings on 303 rifles at 200 yards.

As the N150 is less dense than N140 42 grains of N150 will occupy more of the case than 42 grains of N150. Just so you know!

As soon as N140 came along in UK we 303 shooters pretty much abandoned half empty all American powders in this calibre.

Bad news is that we found W-W brass prone to head separation in rifles with overlong chambers (pretty much all military 303 rifles but not the Vickers that had a shorter chamber) and so preferred Greek HXP, South African PMP or Sellier and Bellot brass.

If you neck size only case's will last much longer.

I'm in Forest County....

I have both N140 and N150 as well as a Redding NS die in addition to an "older" set of RCBS....Bore slugs .311 so I have expectations of reasonably good accuracy with this modern-day .303....

Appreciate the info...will post results...

As you do have N140 and N150 here's what my personal "Reloading Notebook" says:

Mk7 Military Surplus 174 grain FMJ - N140

42.0 grains. A test using proper Commonwealth made Mk7 bullets instead of the steel jacketed boat-tail Sellier & Bellot 180 grain bullets. In the No 4 this shot "on" at 500 yards with the leaf sight set to 500 yards. It appears although not "quite" as accurate as the S & B bullets to be capable of, say, 90% of the accuracy of the S & B bullets.

Sellier & Bellot 180 grain FMJ-BT - N140

42.0 grains. Shoots a good group in the SMLE. Also shoots to POA at 200 yards in the same rifle but HIGH at 500 yards. Thrown charge.

41.5 grains. This load shot in the No4 rifle on 14 October 2003. Note comments: "This rifle is now "dead on" at 200 yards. It appears this load is as accurate as 42 grains and shoots to same POA as 42 grains.

Sellier & Bellot 180 grain FMJ-BT - N150

41.0 grains. Thrown charge using measure set to throw 42.0 grains of N140. On a volume for volume basis N150 is less dense (thrwon charge weighs less). Gives noticeadbly lower velocity and noticeably less pressure. An accurate load showing potential for development. Tested at Bisley 24 October 1999.

42.0 grains. A thrown charge using a measure set to throw this weight of powder. It matches sight settings on the SMLE at 200 yads and is accurate. An 8" group on a very windy and gusty day. A good 200 yard load. Seems "softer" than the 42.0 grains N140 load. Yet at 200 yards matches exactly same POA.

Hope this is helpful as if you had not got N140 or N150 it'd just be frustrating!

You can see why here in UK nobody bothers with any other powder for the 303 as these combinations are just so much better than anything else tried.

41.5 of N140 or 42.0 of N150 although the 41.5 of N140 was certainly the more popular of the two with maybe seven out of ten shooters using it in preference to anything else including N150.

quote:

Originally posted by woodhick:
Just picked up a Number One in the above. Anyone care to share a favorite load for 180's?
I'll be using W-W brass...

Thanks...

I shoot a lot of 180 grain Hornady's over 42 grains of Reloder 15, it gets 2400+ out of a full stocked 44 Longbranch. Quite a few deer have gone into the freezer with that load.

Adjust you sizing die to just touch the shoulder no matter how long the chamber is...that will help keep the head separation to a minimum.

I use a Redding competition shell holder I ordered in 0.015" over which helps...

The oblonged chamber I can't do anything about barring a new barrel, other than polishing out the sizer so it wouldn't size the base so much. This also helps, I can get up to 10 reloads per case usually before the case thins out too much.

I use AA2700 with 150 gr bullets and have RL17 on the list to try in my Jungle Carbine.

Luck

Luck

Really appreciate all the help......RL-15 is on the short list, too...

When I bought my #1Mk3 I bought a 2 die set of Redding dies and then the Redding NK die when I found how large the headspace was on my gun. I bought a Lyman M die in .311 (neck expander ) and took the primer punch-bell out of the NK die and run the cases into the Lyman die after the NK die. If you uses new brass the first time and then NK size then even with long head space at at 303 or lower pressures there should be no problem. If I was to do it all over now, I would get a Lee collet Neck Sizer (no need for Lyman die). As the Lee collet is actuated by the shell holder, by putting washers over the case and ontop of the shell holder you can fool the die into only sizeing the upper part of the neck and leave the lower part(as fired) to center in the neck of the chamber. I do this on my 22 Hornet cases as I only seat the bullets 1/8" into case.

We shouldn't be calling the problem "headspace" because it isn't...the 303 "headspaces" on the case rim.

We should be refering to it as an OVERLY LONG CHAMBER with "excess SHOULDER space"...a fairly common happening in these and many other rifles, military AND factory or custom.

You're absolutely right Fat_Albert...I do the same thing but in a couple of other rifles...17 Rem and 7.62x39. Lots of ways to skin a coon for sure.

Luck

WoodhicK: I'm back. Can't help you with 180's but these two loads work real fine in my old-burned out - looks like hell #1Mk3. 150gr Speer .311 Sp 41gr IMR 4320 Fed 210LR 3.00"oal @2244FPS and 125gr Rem .3105' SP (7.62x39) 13gr Red Dot Fed 210 LR 2.830" oal @ 1647Fps extream spread 19fps. Also, these people have a lot of info and data.
http://www.303british.com/index.html Foobar: You are totaly right BUT when you firer a rifle and work the bolt and the ass end of the case comes out it turned into a "headspace problem" to me.

UPDATE: Shot it yesterday with 42 gr. of N140 and the .312 174 Hornady...produced a very nice double group two inches apart with both 5 shot clusters in less than an inch....

Switched primers and trying same load along with 43 gr. this morning....maybe there's hope yet?

Hope it works! But I'd seriously suggest going down to 41.5 grains rather than going up to 43 grains.

My old Rigbymauser in .303 shoots way too high with a load of : 44 grain N150 + 174FMJ. WIn brass + CCI 200.
Shooting this load I realized it was an accurate load...even from a thinbarreled sportingrifle of the past.

At 100 meter using the 50 yard standing sight it was 40 cm above POA. I`LL have to use 215grain doing about 2100 Ft/sec in order for the sights to be "right-on".
There is also a guy in Britain now making the 215grain MKLL ball Too bad Taipan doesn`t do the 215grainers SP anymore. Only Woodleigh now that does a 215grain huntingbullet.

Again I'd come down with that load in your Rigby.

Light bullets usually shoot low in any gun sighted for a heavier bullet that that actually being used. Not higher!

If you reduce the load you should get less recoil (along with slower barrel time I'll agree) and it should shoot lower.

Also it MAY be that your Rigby sights are designed for a low in the notch hold (with just the tip of the front sight blade showing) and not with the top of the fropnt sight blade level with the shoulders of the rear sight.

Or maybe someone broke or filed the "ball" off the top of the blade?

But I'm sure that you know if that is the case!

quote:

Originally posted by enfieldspares:
Hope it works! But I'd seriously suggest going down to 41.5 grains rather than going up to 43 grains.

Absolutely no pressure signs @ 42 gr. in the Number One...I put together neck-sized loads with 42 and 43 gr., WLR and W-W cases, bullets seated .005 off the lands...should be just fine, I'm thinking...

My apology for not explaining that it's not an "objection" on possible over-pressure but that for that extra amount of powder above and beyond 41.5 grains that I don't think you'll see any benefit.

Certainly here in UK nobody saw any benefit it going above 42.0 grains or 41.5 grains and that includes in P'14 actions with 26" barrels.

Appreciate the insight...43 gr. and a Fed 215 produced consistent groups in the 1.5" range...

Going to try 41.5 with WLRs and see what goes with them....

Inch and a half is fine; inch is better....

Just back from range.....success is mine! Both 41.5 and 42 gr. of N140 with the .312 174 gr. Hornady RN shoot to same POI and into a sub-inch group....

Never would have thought so but apparently a tight-fitting bullet is not a requirement for hunting-grade accuracy....

BTW, the trigger on this Number One is absolutely great....