Hi Chaps, first time on this forum and need a question answered if possible...

l've had an odd round laying about for years (got it as a one off when l was a kid at a fair)
And finally got round to being curious...so...

Bullet is steel jacket with a lead round nose, weight is 227.5 grains .317"

Case looks not unlike a .303 Enfield but some of the dimensions a slightly larger, the shoulder is larger (.406") outside of neck is .344 (fired case)

Head stamp is.. RG 72 7Z

Could it be Russian, or Swiss

Any ideas??

Dave.
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Dave

I think you have yourself a plain old vanilla 303 British. RG is Radway Green, a well known UK Ordnance Factory.

Ray

Ray.

Many thanks for the reply mate..

l took a further look at the case and must agree. The only thing that still gets me is the bullet (.317??) that came with it, unless it's from somewhere else and was pushed in to the case as it fits snugly in the neck without falling out. A .311 (FMJ 175grn) from a batch of .303 l pulled falls straight through the neck and into the bottom.

Regards.

Dave.
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Dave

Yeah, I was going to mention that the bullet didn't seem 100% appropriate for that case and it may be from something else. Also, the weight is a liitle too much for a 303.

Ray

Ray.

What l failed to point out (sat at home with major back spasm n high on pills) is that although the case has been fired the bullet hasn't (it's clean..no cuts from rifling). Off down to a pals this week hopefully to put up my rifle, so if l remember l'll run it by the gunsmith and make him scratch his head a little.

All the best.

Dave.
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without having roused too many braincells out of their slumber - maybe you have a 7.9 x 57 ( 8mm Mauser ) projectile with your Brit 303 case ?????

Hi Muzza.

l thought the 8mm was .323" the little bugger l've got before me is .317" 8.06mm not 8.20mm bldy quear thing's bound to be something foreign.

On a lighter note how do you reckon your chances are for the one days?? Our lot's too busy down the pub! (l must be gettin' old, l'm becoming more interested in cricket).

Regards.

Dave.
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The 7.9x57 uses a nominal .318 bullet
The 7.92x57 uses a nominal .323 bullet

The 7.9 is rarely seen anymore, while the 7.92 is quite common.

Tailgunner.

"Ahh..l see said the blind man"!!

Yes, that would do it!! many thanks mate!

As you say the 7.9x57 is a bit rare these days and l totaly overlooked it. Henry Krank and a few others over here do import a small number of Mausers, and just on odd dark nights l do think having one would be an awfull lot of fun.

Thanks.

Dave.
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Ray

RG = Radway Green (formerly Royal Ordnance Factory, then Royal Ordnance, now part of British Aerospace Defence Systems PLC) in Cheshire England maker of small arms ammo for the British military : 72 = 1972 yerar of make and 7Z = Mk 7 bullet 174 grain flat based ball round; Z denoting nitrocellulose rather than Cordite propellant

Sorry my mistake, the above post should start Dave, should read before I post

Jonathon.

l knocked the round apart with a bullet puller and found sort of long thin spagetti strings with an over card behind the bullet. So this is what the old Nitro' looks like...l thought it mught have been the Cordite stuff.

Dave.
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Dave

That IS cordite. Save it just the way it is. Adds a little to the value of the case. Not much, but a little.

Ray

Thanks Ray.

Yes l've got it stored in an airtight tube, just got to remember not to boil it up and feed it to the wife or things might go down hill a bit

ATB.

Dave.
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Dave

With a bullet of 227 grains I don't know what you have there, the case is definitely for the MK VLL ball round which used only a 174 grain bullet and as you say .311" would have been the correct diameter, looks like a standard case has either been factory adapted or later by some hand-loading experimenter. The earlier Mk VI bullet was a 215 grain round nosed but that was replaced pre WWI by the Mark VII bullet of 174 grains which I think remained constant until .303 went out of service with the British War Deaprtment.

The propellant you describe is most definitely Cordite which had a sort of orange colour which when brought into contact with skin caused a yellowing of the skin.

During the war the ladies (as most of the men were away fighting) who worked in the munitions factories tended to have yellow skin as a consequence of handling the cordite strands.

Later variations of cordite were tried including flat strip and even granulated.

You have a curiosity!

Jonathan

Jonathan

Yup, it's weird mate..

lf l ever end up down at the Leeds Armoury l'll take it with me, and see if the Bod's down there can shed any light on it...

Regards.

Dave.
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Before you pulled it apart - did the bullet crimp appear "factory" or was the projectile a friction fit in the case?

I still suspect you have a wildcat like a 7.9 x 303 - with apologies for mixing metric and imperial , but wildcatters can call them whatever they like ...

Shes an intrigueing specimen all right .

And you Poms wont get a look in for the cricket - but you know that already...

Hiya Muzza...

l've got an old 1941 next to it here with a 3 (narrow) piece crimp half way down the neck, but the oddball has/had a 4 piece, nearly touching each other crimp right on the edge of the neck??

Just like our bldy lot at cricket mate, may be a hopeless case... So long as they get the beers in for the last teams off the park.

Dave.
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quote:

Originally posted by Dave2431:
Hiya Muzza...

but the oddball has/had a 4 piece, nearly touching each other crimp right on the edge of the neck??

Dave.
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That sounds a lot like something applied by a LEE "factory crimp" die (collet crimp)

Tailgunner.

Yup, looks a lot like the Lee crimp mate. l'm off to pick up my rifle from the gunsmith tomorrow, and l'll take it along just to see if l can draw any thoughts from him..
Cheers.

Dave.
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Roll up, roll up welcome to the great cartridge conundrum finally got to post picture of said bullets. I finally got the answer, but just thought I'd let everyone have one more try now I have posted a picture before I spill the beans. The cartridge on the right is the one in question, the left is a plain .303 enfield with it's bullet pulled. Dave.