30-30 out of a lee enfield?

[Carl N. Brown]

I own both a .303 Brit and a .30-30 and reload for both.
The .30-30 case is way, WAY too small to safely fire in a .303 chamber. There is just no support in the .303 chamber for the .30-30 case.

And I have fired close-but-mix-matched ammo and guns as survival research, and I don't recommend it as a common practice either, but .30-30 in .303 is nowhere close, it is gross miss-matching.

.303 Base diameter 0.460 in (11.7 mm)
.30-30 Base diameter 0.422 in (10.7 mm)
Difference 0.038 in (1 mm).

That is a lot of stretch for brass at ~40,000 psi.

 

[otcconan]

I have a '95 Chilean Mauser rechambered for 30'06 that has taken many deer.

 

[Gunnerboy]

Seems like i stirred a hornets nest here. 1. I never said that i was going to shoot one out of an enfield, i was wondering if any of you knew any idiots that have. 2. Thank you Curator for actually understanding the question and replying with what i was wondering and 3. gcburner i have never asked about a 444 out of a judge and dont remember ever asking about any other interchanging wrong calibers so PISS OFF.

 

[bigedp51]

Below is a .303 British loaded with a reloaded .303 cartridge that is going to have a case head separation when fired. The action has been wrapped with tablet paper to show the results of this case separation and the gas venting system on the Enfield rifle.



The results after firing, the cartridge case suffered a complete separation and the gas venting system worked as was designed. Please note the paper only has scorch marks and the paper was not shredded or blown apart from the escaping gas.

The gas vent relief hole and the extractor cut are where the venting gases were designed to vent and are 180 degrees apart.



Below is a drill purpose rifle that "HAD" (past tense) been deactivated and had two half inch holes drilled in the chamber and the firing pin welded to the bolt head, it was sold by Century Arms as a "non-firing wall hanger".









The buyer had a gunsmith restore the bolt to firing condition and took this Enfield to a friends gun shop to sell for him. The young man who bought the rifle blew his thumb off the first time he fired this rifle.

45,000 cup or 49,000 psi vented directly out of the half inch hole drilled in the side of the chamber, the "small" hole to the rear is the gas vent hole and is flush with the bolt face.



If you fire a 30-30 cartridge in a British .303 the cartridge case will not seal in the chamber when it is fired due to the almost .040 difference in base diameter of the cartridge. When the trigger is pulled on this 30-30 cartridge 38,000 cup or 42,000 psi will escape at high velocity from the chamber and severely maim or kill the shooter who is stupid enough to pull the trigger.

Any other dumb stupid questions?

 

[bigedp51]

Then there was the person who bought cheap Pakistani surplus (click...................bang) .303 ammunition, and was firing it during a mad minute exercise. The Enfield rifle went "click" and after he started to open the bolt the cartridge went "bang".



The lucky shooter was unharmed other than a few scratches and a pair of soiled underwear, the Enfield rifle was dead on arrival and was given a proper military funeral. The fore stock was shattered at the magazine opening and the magazine driven into the ground, receiver was warped and distorted but luckily the majority of escaping gasses vented straight downward into the magazine.

 

[Sam Cade]

*shudder*

Where did the bolt end up?

 

[El Mariachi]

It probably hasn't landed yet.....

 

[bigedp51]

How much pressure can build up inside a brass cartridge case before it ruptures, note his right hand was holding and pulling the bolt to the rear when the case let loose. The pressure actually built up inside the magazine and then launched it downward. Look at the photo closely, the case actually gripped the chamber walls in front of the case rupture, the bullet lodged in the barrel and the front of the case was sucked inward and collapsed from the escaping gas. The fast burning cordite powder was not contained very long inside the cartridge case and everything blew downward and not upward into his face.

Note the bolt was not blown backwards, and the shooter was still pulling the bolt to the rear when the case ruptured. The shooter was laying prone and was hit by flying dirt, grass and splintered wood from the stock on the left arm. His shooting jacket protected his left arm and luckily he only ate a little dirt and grass. He soiled his underwear when he look down and saw the smoking magazine in the ground and remaining "smoking" cordite cartridges.