Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots Shot the .303 today...

As always GD, whatever you want to think is fine with me. I often find you full of hogwash.

WRT rebarreling to 308, it's a sensible thing to do if the barrel is shot out. Being able to choose from a larger number of weights is nice. Besides, try and find a .311 barrel these days. It can prove difficult.

I don't believe that there's any advantage pushing the bullets faster than 2400-2500 fps. My belief has always been that if you want more horsepower, it's best to move up to a 300 WM or similar.

I'm glad to hear that the bullets arrived safely, Randy. Good luck this fall.

I feel if you have a pet rifle it should be performing at it's optimum. There's a 10% velocity increase to be had, at about an increase of 20% in chamber pressure, in this 303 brit #1. I fully intend to find it, while achieving quality accuracy.
But evan, if your interested in just throwing stones, why not try a sling shot.

Well, I, for one, intend to enjoy my #1 in .303 for exactly what it is. I have no need for anything more. If I did, I'd just use my .30-06, or my 8x57, or my .300 Win Mag, or my 325 WSM, or my .338 Ultra, or my.... etc... on up to my .416 Rem Mag, et.al.

My point being: I don't have to hot rod ANYTHING I have because I ALWAYS have something else more powerful. And one day I intend to have a .470 NE. (Just because I have dies and brass...) Should I ever need it...

If one continues to "Hot Rod", eventually one will stray a bit too far... Oft times at a price he may not want to pay... (Don't laugh, it's happened before...) Mistakes can and do happen... I prefer to retain the saftey margin that the factory ballisticians recommend... For the same reasons, I don't remove the kickback guard from my chain saw... or the safety guards from my table saw... However, YMMV...

GH

I'm firmly in the same camp as Steve and Grasshopper on this. If I want a bit more out of my 30-06, I take my 300 Win Mag, and if I need more than that, I take my 405. A 303 is a good chambering as is. I have come close to book loads in the 30-06, but any more, I find that an extra 100 ft/sec is undiscernable by the average deer or moose. YMMV

I have 4 #1's that cover most everything.25/06-7x57-300 H&H and 405 Winchester.I would like to have more but can not afford it.

Steve,
I am only trying to get you to quit making erroneous statements. While an extra hundred fps doesn't do much for us in the field, it also does no harm. The point here is; the shoulder angle doen't cause case stretch. Neither do heavier loads since there is very little stretch to the Number One action. Now, if the rifle is chambered with generous headspace and sizing is excessive, cases will certainly stretch. GD

At the range today. 150gr Tsx with Varget powder. Ladder load using 41 to 46.5 gr 46.5gr is over max suggested by the Hodgdon manual, but velocities were normal and no pressure signs.

first 6 shots made pairs next to each other but each pair is 3 inches apart from the next one!!

Last 3 shots made a 2 inch group. Very weird. Maybe I will have to play with the forend or something. And maybe I will try 4895 podwder. Wish I brouht my loading gear with me.

Here is the target from today. I think the powder (Varget) is not going to work...The pressure seems pretty erratic, especially as on 2 occasions the powder charge was increased and I saw a decrease in velocity. Going ot try H4895 tomorrow. The rifle shot 1.75" group with 174gr FMJ factory ammo, so I htink the rifle is not diseased, and I've never ever had TSX bullets shoot so erratically, so I'm thinking it's a powder problem.

I ran into much the same thing with Varget in the 35 Whelen and it also didn't work all that well in the 303 Match rifle. FWIW, 4895 was far and away the most accurate powder with 174's and 150's. 4320 was also very good and gave higher velocities. 2800 fps with 150's should be perfectly fine. Number Ones do have a tendency to shoot vertical groups. Forend tip pressure should be about seven or eight pounds. GD

This is my first #1, so thanks for the tip. I assume you mean tighten the forend screw to 7-8 ft/lbs?

No, I mean it should take about seven or eight pounds of effort to pull the forend away from the barrel. Often, the forend comes with way too much pressure. This can be adjusted with the screw but, ultimately, should be set permanently with epoxy. In addition, the forend shouldn't be sloppy, side to side. Number ones can really shoot well and the 1A is the perfect rifle to carry. GD

Okay, I will pull on the forestock and see. I tend to be a bit ham fisted so I will try not to rip the stock off

Going to go see how H4895 does today. The factory ammo I shot was decent, but always 2 bullets together and 1 bullet 1.75" out... So some form of bedding or voodoo to the rifle may be in order, but I knwo this rifle will shoot better than my Varget test. I know there are some #1 accurizing articles and methods out there, but I haven't looked into it just yet. Any help is appreciated.

Sierra lod work up, 42- 45.5 H4895



TSX work up

40-45.5 H4895



Forend screw was really tight, so I loosened it off and just snugged it up a bit.

Maybe your gun would shoot better if you stayed within the max loads listed in your manuals. Just a thought.

I don't think that there is any manual listing data for a .303 in a Ruger #1....

Probably right, but it can't hurt to try near max from the manuals, but you are a shooter with some experience, so I assume you already knew that.

I'd think those "max loads" would be reduced for safe shooting in the Lee Enfield. I'd have no problem trying heavier loads in a modern #1 Ruger.


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I have loaded 200 gr 303 at 2200 and 2300 and will try them this afternoon. Need to sight in scope.

So, how did they shoot?

Randy, are those the ones you just got from me? They are .314s and will be three thou oversize for the Ruger.

Steve

Are you sure the ruger is .311? I have not slugged it. I will shoot them in the #4mk1 and mk2 that I have in that case. Thanks for the heads up. The 46 gr of 4350 fills up the case and needs a severe crimp to keep oal of 3.00". I have decided on 38 gr of AA2460 as it is about 2200 and lots of room for seating bullets.

Randy