Milsurp After Hours

I've just started shooting Mil competion. I've a Swede but the sights on the Lee fit my 48yr eyesight better and the Lee is an old friend. I'm holding my own in the offhand with it but from the bench is another story. 5 shot 4" groups. Thank you for any advice.

Gudday Flatlander,

welcome to the forum. While I'm sure everyone has their own ideas on what makes for accuracy in the No1 there do seem to be a couple of common themes. I won't go into powders due to us being in different countries.

One is if reloading use flat tailed rather than boat tailed bullets.

On general fettling the recomendation is to keep everything tight, particularly the king screw.

If you want to get into bedding the rifle books might be the way to go.

I'm sure others will chime in with their thoughts.

Cheers

Please excuse my ignorance but wheres the King screw.

Powder is getting expensive here and Accurate arms is or was common. Our big name companys import some powder so its no telling whats USA H4895 or Mongolian nitro.

Thank you.

Welcome Flatlands, from another new guy.

The king screw is the big one just forward of the magazine.

I've read some good things about Reloder 15 combined with the Sierra 180gr spitzer. I've got a couple of boxes loaded up, but haven't gotten out to test them yet. I'll see if I can dig up the recipe.

Steve Redgwell's excellent site also has a lot of .303 load data and general info on it. http://www3.sympatico.ca/shooters/303Page.htm

Start by checking the headspace. Then slug the bore. Hammer a cast .30 calibre bullet through the barrel and measure it with a micrometer. Enfield barrels can measure from .311" to .315" and still be considered ok. Then use a bullet that's as close to the bore diameter as possible. IMR3031 produces good accuracy, but the bullet needs to fit the bore properly.

Go to http://www.303british.com/ for load data. Steve is also making high quality 200 grain bullets for bore diameters of .314". Mind you, he's out of stock at the moment and won't be making any until the winter.

A slip on recoil pad will help on the bench too. Pachmayr makes one that won't cost you a fortune.

This is what I've tried. I've sanded the barrel chanel from the rear sight forward. Tighten the king screw as per instructed. Using UMC 174 FMJ I got 4 shots in 2'' with the 5th dropping 3'' from center[operator error]. One article I read talked about a major free floating of the barrel and removing the inner band screw placing rubber O rings around the barrel on either side of the band.I haven't tried it and I'm not sure if thats allowed at my club matches. I had to learn the hard way on full length sizing luckly the SMLE has a excellent gas escape design. The bore miked 312 and I felt like a moron driving a bullet down the barrel lucky me the wife didn't see that and the rod didn't break. My bud says your suppose to do that from the breach to check for throat wear. Not happening sounds like a major screw up if done wrong.

Due to the cost of jacketed bullets I am going to try some 200gr cast w/gas check in my 1918 Lithgow. It was rebarelled in 1953 and still in cosmoline when I got it.

Any load suggestions?

Oneshooter

Livin in Texas

Welcome fellow Texan. The more I learn the less I know. The links people have left are good starting places. I'll repeat what I've read, cast size should be .001 to .003 oversized than the bore you hammered a SOFT lead bullet thru. At the club everyone I asked shoots SR4759 with vel in the 1800 fps, accuracy in the 2 moa.

To the Britsh Common Wealth thanks for the gun,advice and especially for not calling us Texan '' yanks" we lost to the yankees almost a 150yrs ago and still can't get over it and you all provided us with some really nice .577 Enfields.

Flatlands wrote:This is what I've tried. I've sanded the barrel chanel from the rear sight forward. Tighten the king screw as per instructed. Using UMC 174 FMJ I got 4 shots in 2'' with the 5th dropping 3'' from center[operator error]. One article I read talked about a major free floating of the barrel and removing the inner band screw placing rubber O rings around the barrel on either side of the band.I haven't tried it and I'm not sure if thats allowed at my club matches. I had to learn the hard way on full length sizing luckly the SMLE has a excellent gas escape design. The bore miked 312 and I felt like a moron driving a bullet down the barrel lucky me the wife didn't see that and the rod didn't break. My bud says your suppose to do that from the breach to check for throat wear. Not happening sounds like a major screw up if done wrong.

Don't use a bullet to slug your bore. Use a piece of #0 buckshot. If you don't have any lying around, a 5 round box of 12 ga. buck isn't too terrible expensive and you'll have enough buckshot to slug dozens of .30 caliber rifles. You might need to tap the buckshot with a hammer to flatten it somewhat so it'll fit tight in the bore. Then, lube it with a good oil like CLP, tap it into the muzzle with a brass faced hammer, tap it a little ways down the muzzle with a brass punch or piece of brass rod, then if it's like most, you'll be able to push it the rest of the way with a close fitting wooden rod. This is how I slug ALL my bores.

If you plan to cast bullets, the Lyman 314299 mould is perfect for the 303 and very accurate in my Enfields. Size it .001" over groove diameter and you're in business.

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35W

Great shooting 35 Whelen,

Well I hate to admit it but its come to my attention that my SMLE is a 5 groove barrel. Rather hard to get an accurate reading with the old caliper when one jaw is on the lands and the other is on the groove. So whats the trick. I guess my .312 is more like a .315 or worse.