Powder for .303

[Gerry939]

Thanks again guys, I will try N140 with a 174g head
thanks.

[TomH]

41 grains of N140 works for me behind a 174grain flat base bullet.

What flat based bullets are you using, the only FMJ ones I have seen are Hornady which are quite pricey?

[ColinR]

For what it is worth I have found that 41 grains of N140 and a 174 grain PPU bullet crimped into the cannelure matches the sight graduations on an SMLE out to approx 600 yards after which the BT bullet is more efficient than the flat based 174 grain bullet used in military cartridges.

[Maggot]

Speer used to list the 4350s in 303 with its 180gn bullets years ago. I found that the case wouldn't hold the starting load never mind anything heavier.

N140 is probably the most widely used 303 powder here. Reload Swiss RS50, H4895, IMR-3031 / 4064 / 4895, Lovex SO62, Ramshot Tac are all suitable.

Laurie, what are your feelings on RS52 for 303? Going back to my F days (you might remember sharing a firing point in the euros a few years back) it gave more for less of a spike. It certainly does well in my AR15. My one concern was throat erosion though. I also found RS50 did well. I currently use 174ppu over 39 N140 crimped which shoots very well. I don't worry about matching the ranges, preferring to note the elevation and preserve the rifle.....she's getting on you know

[Laurie]

I regard RS52 as the 'Swiss VarGet' - whatever the Hodgdon powder suits, RS52 does likewise. Charges aren't even that far part, but the Swiss propellant gives higher MVs at lower or same pressures thanks to the patented 'EI' deterrents infusion technology.

It's not a powder I'd use in 303 though, or any other historic arm. Single-based jobs in grades that give minimum pressures and heat would be my choice to preserve barrels and avoid rough throat erosion. (You can live with massive throat erosion in many lower pressure rifles with chrome-moly steel barrels - they erode, but leave the eroded area smooth unlike stainless match barrels + very high pressure / temperature loads.)

I've recently loaded up a number of test batches for my 7X57mm DWM Chilean Mauser M1895 including 175s plus Lovex SO71 (the old Accurate-3100) a case-filling load which according to QuickLOAD will see around 38,000 psi in my top charge weight but produce the old 19th / early 20th Century 2,300 fps MV. We'll see how it works! But the point is that SO71 is a low specific energy, single-based number (Viht N165 is a good equivalent) compared to VarGet / H4831 / H4350 which are all ~500J / Kg higher rated despite being single-based and the EI Reload Swiss grades (RS40, 52, 60, 70) which are high-energy with infused nitroglycerin.

It may not work, but the principle is sound IME for old rifles. So for 303, I'd stick to my old N140 loading if I were ever to get another Enfield, or the more recently available RS50.

(Which 'Euros' was that we shot together? I'm trying to put names and faces together in my mind. Happy days. People keep asking if I'm entering the event, but I just do club matches - 26 in a year! - at Diggle these days, plus odd ones elsewhere in Northern England.)

[Maggot]

Hi Laurie, thanks for that. N140 it is then as it seems to work. I don't hold with slavishly trying to match elevation on the singer sight. Zeroing is a faf and elevation usually needs tweaking so get good windage and note your settings. Particularly if you use different holds against different targets. We shared a firing point late pm about 4 years ago in the euros. I went on at 1000 with 10 on and the gusts got progressively stronger. I had an amazing shoot and came off with 15 on. You promptly legged it to check scores as you thought I may have been in with a chance. The next detail were not so lucky and those that did not get kicked off the firing point found the black, coming off circa 18-20moa.....it was as rough as hell. On reflection it (and a shoot at Diggle) were really the only times I truly enjoyed F/TR. Otherwise it left me skint and frustrated. But fair play to them that do.

[Laurie]

I think I remember that match now. The good (????) old days of the F-Class Euros at Bisley in November where you spent endless time looking at weather forecasts worrying about bad light, rain, fog and heavens knows what other about to arrive pitfalls.

I do remember coming off that match feeling vaguely depressed thinking my score was dreadful, then discovering that most of the top FTR shooters had done considerably worse, so cheered up a lot. You'd done much better though, so a great effort.

(I only ever seemed to do well at 800 in the Euros. 900 was always jinxed, and 1,000 so-so at best.)