Reloading the .303 British
WARNING!
The information provided on this page is exactly that for information only and should not be tried at all by anyone, ever!
The information provided on this page is exactly that for information only and should not be tried at all by anyone, ever!
I have been hunting with the .303 since I started hunting and have been reloading for it almost as long. All the larger game I have shot have been with my reloaded rounds. Now living here in Canada getting reloading components is hit and miss, once you find a load that works right for you you can never find the powder/bullets again. My all time favorite was 180 Gr Speer bullets with 40.4 Gr of Alliant Reloader 15, however I haven't been able to find 180 Gr bullets made by anyone and in the past 4 years I haven't been able to locate any Reloader 15. So for the past year I have been reloading 150 Gr Sierra and Speer bullets with 38.5 Gr of Hodgdon H4895. Most of my loads come from Richard Lee's Modern Reloading Manual, which I highly recommend for anyone just starting out. Now when it comes to casings I use what ever I can get my hands on, usually I will buy a box or two when they come on sale to replenish and that have cracked of split while reloading. I also always use Winchester primers, mainly because everyone sells them.
So lets start at the beginning with just a quick list of the equipment I use. When I started reloading I purchased the Lee Anniversary Kit which came with everything needed except dies and case sizing guides. However over the years I have swapped out some of the components of the kit for other brands due to the ease of use.
The Lee Challenger Press. It is a cheap press that isn't fancy. I would strongly suggest getting a turret or progressive press for any serious reloading.
Lee Powder Measure. Looks cheap is cheap but works consistently to withing +-0.3 Gr. Powder Scale. The second most important component of the reloading kit. I used to use a Lee sliding scale but it was a pain in the ass so I upgraded to digital. There are better scales but its all relative to price. The Reloading Manual. The most important part of the reloading kit, it provides almost everything you need to know to reload safely. As you can see all the calibers I reload have been referenced with sticky notes. Case Lube. The Lee stuff is garbage and makes a mess. Case Prep Tools. I use the Lee sizing guides to make sure the case lengths are uniform. The Lyman primer pocket cleaner , the handle is a hand saver when reloading more than 20 cases. Lastly the Lee chamfer tool, it works well but I will try the Lyman one when I replace this one. Lee Priming tool. This works great and is very easy to use. Calipers. A good set is very useful for confirming case sizes and over all length. Hornady Sonic Cleaner. Great for cleaning cases, more on that below. Lyman Case Tumbler. Great for finishing cases and removing any burrs on the case. Chronograph. Mine is old and very temperamental, also I rarely actually use it. |
Now as I mentioned before I use what ever cases I can get my hands on. One of the places I get cases from is gravel pits where people go to sight in their rifles. Now I may only get one use of out of the casing due to the elements that the case was exposed to it was still a free casing.
Here is a photo of a casing I found in a gravel pit in the NWT. It was very weathered but was not crushed so it was a perfect candidate for this little write up.
This is the same case after a 24hr soak in the ultra sonic cleaner. I clean all my brass once in the sonic cleaner before sizing just to make sure there is no dirt that can scratch the dies.
This is the brass after another 24hr soak in the ultra sonic cleaner. I do the second bath after sizing to remove and case prep lube and dirt from the primer pocket.
Once dry and reloaded I run the reloaded cases through the tumbler to remove any burrs and to polish up the brass a little more. Above from left to right: Factory Round, Scavenged case and another scavenged case before reloading. Next stop the range.
I also made up this little test sheet for sighting in my rifles and testing new rounds. I can change the sight picture depending on the scope or sights used.