Changing .303 projectiles

[JohnB-40]

I'm hoping you guys who reload can help me with a question. I occasionally like to shoot my collection of old Enfields. I have used all my good surplus .303 and purchased a fair bit of PPU 174gr as a replacement.The problem is two of the said Enfields keyhole these rounds at 100 yards,which never happened with the military mk7 rounds. I measured the PPU projectiles and they measure out at .308,the Enfield bore needs .312 + non boat tail bullets . Here is my question .... If I buy one of the Lee hand presses,dies,312 bullets,IMR 3031 powder and bullet puller,can I safely pull the under size bullet,remove the powder leaving the primer in place and reload the round with the new powder and .312 flat based bullets. I have a good stock of factory ammo for my other firearms so initially I just want to take care of the 303 problem
Thanks for any advise

 

[Snyper]

That would work fine.
Just remember to remove the decapping pin from the die.

I'd try a few just neck sizing since they haven't been fired and there's no need to set the shoulders back

 

[FROGO207]

I bet when it is over you will wish you had purchased an inexpensive bench mounted press instead. Even if you have to mount the bench press to a 2X6 and clamp it to a table or saw horse.

To remove the bullets run the round up through the hole in the top of the press and grip the bullet with pliers or vise grips. Lower the ram and the bullet will pull out of the brass without spilling the propellant. If the bullet is sealed, seat the bullet in a bit with the seating die to break it free first. If you get a bullet that is the same weight or even plus a couple more grains as your pulled ones but slightly larger diameter you could use the same propellant charge in the brass and just change the bullets after resizing the necks with the decapping rod pulled out of the sizing die. You might be able to just put in the new bullet as it will be that much bigger than the .308 one. If you do change the propellant be sure to weigh the amounts you use to assure you are safe.

See where this is going with a handheld press not working as well. FWIW I do the exact same thing with my 303 BRIT ammo and own a hand press as well. I would never attempt to use the handheld press for this if I had a functioning bench mounted press at my disposal.

 

[GooseGestapo]

I use the PPU .311" 150gr Soft points as sold by Grafs. They shoot great in my #4mk1. It does have a like new bore.
For accuracy, match type loads, I suggest you use the Hornady 174gr .312" BTHP. My rifle approaches 2moa. It'll hold the 10ring on a CMP/NRA SR-2 at 200yds.

For pulling bullets from centerfire, I use a fender washer placed over a press and a cheap wire crimper tool. The wire stripper cuts nicely "bite" into the bullet and makes pulling the bullets with minimal damage to the cannelure easy.
I suggest starting with the Lee Jr. press to start with. I've got one just for bullet sizing. I broke one doing some case reforming. So, for that you'll want a cast iron press.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I bet when it is over you will wish you had purchased an inexpensive bench mounted press instead. Even if you have to mount the bench press to a 2X6 and clamp it to a table or saw horse.

To remove the bullets run the round up through the hole in the top of the press and grip the bullet with pliers or vise grips. Lower the ram and the bullet will pull out of the brass without spilling the propellant. If the bullet is sealed, seat the bullet in a bit with the seating die to break it free first. If you get a bullet that is the same weight or even plus a couple more grains as your pulled ones but slightly larger diameter you could use the same propellant charge in the brass and just change the bullets after resizing the necks with the decapping rod pulled out of the sizing die. You might be able to just put in the new bullet as it will be that much bigger than the .308 one. If you do change the propellant be sure to weigh the amounts you use to assure you are safe.

See where this is going with a handheld press not working as well. FWIW I do the exact same thing with my 303 BRIT ammo and own a hand press as well. I would never attempt to use the handheld press for this if I had a functioning bench mounted press at my disposal.

I agree completely.

This very basic Lee single stage press is on sale for $33.99 and a much better choice than a Lee Loader.
https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/0000690045/breech-lock-reloader-single-stage-press

Like said above, if you pull the bullets you only need to neck size the brass without the decapping rod.
This Lee Neck Sizing die set comes with the shell holder included for $31.99
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/801209/lee-collet-2-die-neck-sizer-set-303-british
I think the Lee collect dies are very good.

I you use a bullet of the same weight you won't need to buy a scale either and you will breeze through those rounds. How many rounds do you need to process?

 

[JohnB-40]

Thank you all for the advise,I really appreciate the replies.
I will order the Lee single stage press instead of the hand held one as suggested. I have around 260 Rounds I would like to change just the bullets in. I also have 150 or so fires cases that if I get the hang of this,I will reload later. Would you recommend I order the Lee ram priming unit for single stage presses?

 

[ArchAngelCD]

The Ram Prime is alright but a hand held primer is more useful and I feel a better tool. You can feel the primers bottom. I like the RCBS best but Lee makes a fairly good one too at a lesser price.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/329291/rcbs-hand-priming-tool
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/413473/lee-new-auto-prime-xr-hand-priming-tool

If you are going to load fired brass in the future you will want a full length sizing die too. The one I suggested was neck sizing only. You will need different dies to do both. If you add these dies from Lee for only $19.99 more you will get the full length sizing die and a second bullet seating die. Even though you don't needed two it's cheaper than buying a single die. The Lee RGB die sets don't come with a dipped, shell holder or load data but you won't need that since you get that with the other set. That's why it's so much cheaper.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/776884/lee-rgb-2-die-set-303-british

If price isn't that important I would recommend a set of full length sizing dies from RCBS along with the Lee neck sizing die.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/333024/rcbs-2-die-set-303-british

When full length sizing you will need to lube the cases or they will stick in the die. No lube needed with neck sizing. I like Imperial Sizing Wax best, a little goes a long way.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/519525/imperial-case-sizing-wax-2-oz

 

[mstreddy]

OP, I'd also suggest a bullet puller - a Kinetic puller. That way you can save those pulled bullets without any damage, and have them for any other 308 you may have. Or, trade them to someone here.

 

[JohnB-40]

I have another question I'm hoping someone can answer. I was going through my 303 ammo box getting things sorted out waiting for Midway to deliver my order. I noticed 60 or so rounds are S&B 180gr FMJ and not PPU 174gr. Can I pull these bullets and replace them with the Hornady #3130 174gr with the existing powder charge like the PPU rounds,or will this need to be altered to suit the lighter bullet?
Thanks,John

 

[Swampman]

Lots of good advice here.

I would advise that you get a bullet puller, preferably a press mounted collet type. It'll make pulling bullets easier and unlike a kinetic type, all your powder will stay in the case where it belongs. It will also avoid scarring up your pulled bullets like pliers tend to do, which will give you a much better chance of selling or trading them.

Speaking of bullets, unless someone at Prvi screwed up, your bullets should measure .311".
Did you measure the bullet in front of the cannalure where it sticks out of the case? If so, you probably didn't get an accurate reading.

It's really not particularly relevant to your current issues since the boattail itself is most likely causing 99 percent of your accuracy problems, I just wouldn't want you to mistakenly load or trade them as .308 bullets if they're actually .311's.

In my experience, once a .303 starts to wear in the throat, it's hard to get decent accuracy with boat tails.

As for replacing the S&B 180 grain fmj boat tails with Hornady 174 grain round nose soft points? My guess is that you'd probably be fine. The round nose will have a longer bearing surface, but that's probably offset by its lighter weight and the fact that it'll take up less room in the case.

If shooting an SMLE, I personally wouldn't make that swap without reducing the charge by 10 percent and working it up.

The price seems higher than a cat's back to me, but just in case you're interested...
https://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/27998

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I have another question I'm hoping someone can answer. I was going through my 303 ammo box getting things sorted out waiting for Midway to deliver my order. I noticed 60 or so rounds are S&B 180gr FMJ and not PPU 174gr. Can I pull these bullets and replace them with the Hornady #3130 174gr with the existing powder charge like the PPU rounds,or will this need to be altered to suit the lighter bullet?
Thanks,John

You can use the powder charge from the 180gr ammo as is. Heavier bullets use a lighter charge so replacing the 180gr bullet with a slightly lighter 174gr bullet is perfectly safe.

 

[JohnB-40]

Thanks again for the advise given.
Swampman..You are right,that is where I measured the bullet diameter with a micrometer.Live and learn.
Once I have had the practice of using the press I hope to go on and load the empty cases I have.
My local BiMart has a good selection of powders and primers which I think I will buy before the election,just to have on hand. No hazmat or shipping involved.
I have been searching for the best powder and it seems 4895 and 3031 seem to be a common choice. Any personal reviews on powder and primers would be appreciated.
I am a retired mechanic and I find it weird that reloading seems a bit scary to me,not having done it before......Visions of a #5 Rifle bolt in my forehead!

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I have not been loading for the 303 long so I haven't tried many powders. I gave BL-C2 a try and liked the results. I have been using CCI LR primers. 4895 seems to work well with most cartridges and the 303 is no exception although velocities are low. That won't matter on the range but might be a problem if hunting with that ammo. I heard Varget is also a good choice but I have not tried it yet.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I almost forgot, when setting up the dies don't set them up the usual way of turning down to the shell holder. If you want your brass to last more that a few loads set up the dies to just barely bump the shoulder back. With the .303 British that works best for me and everyone who advised me before I started reloading the 303.

 

[Sunray]

Far more likely to be a barrel groove diameter thing with those two rifles.
"...said Enfields keyhole..." Slug your barrel. Not all Lee-Enfields have .312" barrels. They can measure from .311" to .315" and be considered ok. Issue is that the major reloading bullet/ammo makers only make .311" or .312" diameter bullets. Montana Bullets makes cast bullets up to .314" diameter though. Not stupid expensive either.
However, one of the other causes of key holing is velocity. Assuming you're talking about loaded ammo from Prvi, their 174's run at 750 M/S(2460 fps) MV. So that's not your issue either.
Prvi uses .311" bullets not .308" in the .303 Brit ammo. If you got .308" bullets, take 'em back it's the wrong thing.
Anyway, what you're thinking will work, but like FROGO207 says, it'll make you crazy.

 

[GooseGestapo]

ArchAngel, My match loads with 174gr use BLC2. Check the Hodgdons manual. Nothing else gives higher velocities with lower pressures.
Best .303 powder I've found, though I'm fond of RL15 and H4895.