.303 ammo I.D

[rugerdude]

I'm looking at buying some .303 ammo from a guy on Armslist, and he doesn't seem to know much about it.

I found the same box on the internet but very little info.



The numbers on the boxes below the "In Chargers" line are [28][3][36B]

Anyone know if this ammo is even worth buying? The price is lower than the PPU stuff but even then I just can't find .303 period unless I'm at a relatively large gun show.

 

[gunnutery]

Do a search for Mk VII if you haven't already. I'm pretty sure that's the round that the British settled on as the standard round. I believe it's 174gr. Most likely corrosive, I'd buy it though since the surplus stuff is pretty much dried up.

 

[rugerdude]

Oh yes, I'm aware that it's 174 grain, and corrosive, but I've read of issues with hang-fires due to the cordite propellant used in old rounds. It seems to be more or less of a problem depending on who made it, and when, and how the ammo was stored.

Also if anyone could give me a fair market value that would be good. I ended up just ordering some PPU ammo online because I didn't feel like rolling the dice. Anyway, the guy wants $100 bucks for 140 rounds which works out to about 72 cents a round. I'm thinking this is a little steep.

Also, for those interested, sportsman's guide has 174gr. FMJ PPU ammo in stock. 80 cents/round.

 

[gunnutery]

Well I didn't realize it was that little of a price difference. However, I've seen the stripper clips go for $5 each where I am. I guess in this case I'd see if he'd be willing to part with a few boxes and then buy the cheaper PPU if the MkVII isn't up to snuff.

 

[rodinal220]

Yes,its surplus Mk VII ammo,174 gr,cordite and corrosive.I have shot a bunch of it and its dirty and sometimes,yes,a little hang time on ignition.

 

[303tom]

Are there rounds in that box ? If so go by the head stamp, looks like Royal Laboratory, here maybe this will help...................

http://www.dave-cushman.net/shot/303headstamps.html

 

[22250Rem]

I have a box of 1952 production Mk7 .303 with that I.S.S.A. marking on the box. I thought the I.S.S.A. was for Ishapore(?) which may have been in India? The headstamp on them is "RG" with "52" (date) and a "7" (Mk VII). The Dave Cushman web site lists the RG as "Royal Ordnance Factory, Radway Green, Cheshire, U.K.. Curious as to what the headstamp is on those rounds in the box pictured. Used to shoot a lot of that old cordite 303 stuff back in the 1990's when it was really cheap. I can recall getting 1000 rds. for $99.95 DELIVERED in the early to mid 90's. Don't recall ever getting a dud but when I got my first chronograph in 1997 I found that sometimes the velocities were quite uniform and sometimes the extreme spread (difference from fastest to slowest) could be several hundred FPS. But that was usually with the old Iraqi 303 that used to be on the market here in those days. Whenever shooting cordite 303 my routine was to clean the bore of the rifle before leaving the range; and then clean it AGAIN upon arriving home. If shooting corrosive it pays to be diligent about your cleaning.

 

[rugerdude]

Thanks for all the replies. I ended up passing on the deal since I found PPU 174gr at Sportsman's guide for 88 cents a round delivered. I got 17 boxes so I should be good for a while, not to mention no worries of hang fires or barrel corrosion.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

That was made at Ishapore in India and it's definitely corrosive and loaded with Cordite. Might be OK depending on how it was stored. The POF (Pakistani) stuff that I've seen and shot has been garbage, though.

Note, if it was marked "Mk VIIz" then it would be loaded with a conventional nitrocellulose powder, not Cordite (which looks like uncooked spaghetti).

 

[303tom]

Where I circled is the Manufacturer, that is Royal Laboratories, if it was Indian it would have one of these stamps D|, DF, N| or S|