.303 British
.303 British | ||||||||||||||||
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ballistic tip ammunition | ||||||||||||||||
Type | Rifle | |||||||||||||||
Place of origin | United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||
Service history | ||||||||||||||||
In service | 1889–present | |||||||||||||||
Used by | United Kingdom and many other countries | |||||||||||||||
Wars |
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Production history | ||||||||||||||||
Produced | 1889–present | |||||||||||||||
Specifications | ||||||||||||||||
Case type | Rimmed, tapered, bottleneck | |||||||||||||||
Bullet diameter | 7.92 mm (0.312 in) | |||||||||||||||
Land diameter | 7.70 mm (0.303 in) | |||||||||||||||
Neck diameter | 8.64 mm (0.340 in) | |||||||||||||||
Shoulder diameter | 10.19 mm (0.401 in) | |||||||||||||||
Base diameter | 11.68 mm (0.460 in) | |||||||||||||||
Rim diameter | 13.72 mm (0.540 in) | |||||||||||||||
Rim thickness | 1.63 mm (0.064 in) | |||||||||||||||
Case length | 56.44 mm (2.222 in) | |||||||||||||||
Overall length | 78.11 mm (3.075 in) | |||||||||||||||
Case capacity | 3.64 cm3 (56.2 gr H2O) | |||||||||||||||
Rifling twist | 254 mm (1-10 in) | |||||||||||||||
Primer type | Large rifle | |||||||||||||||
Maximum pressure (C.I.P.) | 365.00 MPa (52,939 psi) | |||||||||||||||
Maximum pressure (SAAMI) | 337.84 MPa (49,000 psi) | |||||||||||||||
Maximum CUP | 45,000 CUP | |||||||||||||||
Ballistic performance | ||||||||||||||||
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Test barrel length: 24 in (610 mm) Source(s): Accurate Powder[1][failed verification] |
The .303 British (designated as the 303 British by the
It was first manufactured in
Cartridge specifications
The .303 British has 3.64
.303 British maximum C.I.P. cartridge dimensions. All sizes in millimeters (mm).
Americans would define the shoulder angle at alpha/2 ≈ 17 degrees. The common
According to official rulings of the
The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI) maximum average pressure (MAP) for this cartridge is 49,000 psi (338 MPa) piezo pressure (45,000 CUP).[6]
The measurement .303 inches (7.7 mm) is the nominal size of the bore measured between the lands which follows the older black powder nomenclature. Measured between the grooves, the nominal size of the bore is .311 inches (7.9 mm). Bores for many .303 military surplus rifles are often found ranging from around .309 to .318 inches (7.8–8.1 mm). Recommended bullet diameter for standard .303 British cartridges is .312 inches (7.9 mm).[7]
Military use
History and development
During a service life of over 70 years with the British Commonwealth armed forces the .303-inch (7.7 mm) cartridge in its ball pattern progressed through ten marks which eventually extended to a total of about 26 variations.[8] The bolt thrust of the .303 British is relatively low compared to many other service rounds used in the early 20th century.[citation needed]
Propellant
The original .303 British service cartridge employed black powder as a propellant, and was adopted for the Lee–Metford rifle, which had
The Lee–Metford was used as a trial platform by the British Committee on Explosives to experiment with many different smokeless powders then coming to market, including
Projectile
The initial .303 Mark I and Mk II service cartridges used a 215-grain (13.9 g), round-nosed, copper-nickel full metal jacketed bullet with a lead core. After tests determined that the service bullet had too thin a jacket when used with cordite, the Mk II bullet was introduced, with a flat base and thicker copper-nickel jacket.[12]
Mark II – Mark VI
The Mk II round-nosed bullet was found to be unsatisfactory when used in combat, particularly when compared to the "dum-dum"
He had a bullet wound of the left leg above the knee. The wound entrance was clean cut and very small. The projectile had struck the Femur, just above the internal condyle; the whole of the lower end of this bone, and upper end of the Tibia, were shattered to pieces, the knee joint being completely disorganised.
He had also been wounded in the right shoulder... The whole of the shoulder joint and scapular were shattered to pieces. In neither case was there any sign of a wound of exit.
The design of the Mk IV hollow-point bullet shifted bullet weight rearwards, improving stability and accuracy over the regular round-nose bullet.[12] These soft-nosed and hollow-point bullets, while effective against human targets, had a tendency to shed the outer metal jacket upon firing; the latter occasionally stuck in the bore, causing a dangerous obstruction.[12] This was addressed by the introduction of a revised Mk V loading later in October (controversially so, as by August the Hague Convention had already made the military implementation of such expanding bullets illegal) identical to the Mark IV round apart from the addition of 2% antimony to the lead core and an additional 1.3 mm in length.[13]
The concern about expanding bullets was brought up at the
To replace the Mk III, IV, and V, the Mark VI round was introduced in 1904, using a round nose bullet similar to the Mk II, but with a thinner jacket designed to produce some expansion, though this proved not to be the case.[15][16]
Mark VII
In 1898, Atelier de Construction de Puteaux (APX), with their "Balle D" design for the 8×50mmR Lebel cartridge, revolutionised bullet design with the introduction of pointed "spitzer" rounds. In addition to being pointed, the bullet was also much lighter in order to deliver a higher muzzle velocity. It was found that as velocity increased the bullets suddenly became much more deadly.[17]
In 1910, the British took the opportunity to replace their Mk VI cartridge with a more modern design. The Mark VII loading used a 174 gr (11.28 g) pointed bullet with a flat-base. The .303 British Mark VII cartridge was loaded with 37 gr (2.40 g) of Cordite MDT 5-2 (cordite MD pressed into tubes) and had a muzzle velocity of 2,440 ft/s (744 m/s) and a maximum range of approximately 3,000 yd (2,700 m).
The Mk VIIz (and later Mk VIIIz) rounds have versions utilizing 41 gr (2.66 g) Dupont No. 16 single-base smokeless powder based on nitrocellulose flake shaped propellants. The nitrocellulose versions—first introduced in World War I—were designated with a "z" postfix indicated after the type (e.g. Mark VIIz, with a bullet weight of 175 gr (11.34 g)) and in headstamps.[25]
.276 Enfield
.303 British cartridges, along with the
Mark VIIIz
In 1938 the Mark VIIIz "streamline ammunition" round was approved to obtain greater range from the
Tracer, armour-piercing and incendiary
Tracer and armour-piercing cartridges were introduced during 1915, with explosive Pomeroy bullets introduced as the Mark VII.Y in 1916.
Several incendiaries were privately developed from 1914 to counter the
These rounds were extensively developed over the years and saw several Mark numbers. The last tracer round introduced into British service was the G Mark 8 in 1945, the last armour-piercing round was the W Mark 1Z in 1945 and the last incendiary round was the B Mark 7 in 1942. Explosive bullets were not produced in the UK after 1933 due to the relatively small amount of explosive that could be contained in the bullet, limiting their effectiveness, their role being taken by the use of Mark 6 and 7 incendiary bullets.
In 1935, the .303 O Mark 1 Observing round was introduced for use in machine guns. The bullet to this round was designed to break up with a puff of smoke on impact. The later Mark 6 and 7 incendiary rounds could also be used in this role.
During World War I British factories alone produced 7,000,000,000 rounds of .303 ammunition. Factories in other countries added greatly to this total.[35]
Pencils
Spent .303 cartridges were used to make cases of the bullet pencils included in some of the Princess Mary Christmas gift boxs given to troops in World War 1.[36]
Headstamps and colour-coding
Headstamp ID | Primer annulus colour | Bullet tip colour | Other features | Functional type |
---|---|---|---|---|
VII or VIIZ | Purple | None | None | Ball |
VIIIZ | Purple | None | None | Ball |
G1, G2, G3, G7 or G8 | Red | None | None | Tracer |
G4, G4Z, G6 or G6Z | Red | White | None | Tracer |
G5 or G5Z | Red | Grey | None | Tracer |
W1 or W1Z | Green | None | None | Armour-piercing |
VIIF or VIIFZ | None | None | None | Semi-armour piercing (1916–1918) |
F1 | Green | None | None | Semi-armour piercing (1941) |
B4 or B4Z | Blue | None | Step in bullet jacket | Incendiary |
B6 or B6Z | Blue | None | None | Incendiary |
B7 or B7Z | Blue | Blue | None | Incendiary |
O.1 | Black | Black | None | Observing |
PG1 or PG1Z | Red | None | Blue band on case base | Practice-tracer |
H1Z | None | None | Front half of case blackened | Grenade discharger |
H2 | None | None | Entire case blackened | Grenade discharger |
H4 | None | None | Case blackened 3⁄4 in (19 mm) from each end | Grenade discharger |
H7Z | None | None | Rear half of case blackened | Grenade discharger (v.powerful load) |
Japanese 7.7 mm ammunition
- Ball: 174 grains (11.3 g). Cupro-nickel jacket with a composite aluminium/lead core. Black primer.
- Armour-piercing.: Brass jacket with a steel core. White primer.
- Tracer: 130 grains (8.4 g). Cupro-nickel jacket with a lead core. Red primer.
- Incendiary: 133 grains (8.6 g). Brass jacket with white phosphorus and lead core. Green primer.
- PETNand lead core. Purple primer.
Note: standard Japanese ball ammunition was very similar to the British Mk 7 cartridge. The two had identical bullet weights and a "tail-heavy" design, as can be seen in the cut-away diagram.
Civilian use
The .303 cartridge has seen much sporting use with surplus military rifles, especially in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and to a lesser extent in the United States and South Africa. In Canada, it was found to be adequate for any game. In Australia, it was common for military rifles to be re-barrelled in
Commercial ammunition
The .303 British is one of the few (along with the
Hunting use
The .303 British cartridge is suitable for all medium-sized game and is an excellent choice for
Rounds developed from .303
Pre-WWI sporting rounds
During the 1890s, Scottish gunsmith Daniel Fraser developed a rimless version of the cartridge known as ".303 Fraser Velox" or ".303 Fraser Rimless", loaded with a bullet of his own oblique ratchet design to enhance expansion which was patented in 1897[40][41][42] The bullet was also used in a proprietary loading of .303 British marketed as ".303 Fraser Flanged".[43]
Proprietary loadings of .303 British include the ".303 Marksman" by
In 1899, the British service round was lengthened and necked-out to create the .375 Flanged Nitro Express hunting cartridge for single-shot and double rifles. Around 1905, it was necked down back to create .375/303 Westley Richards Accelerated Express.[citation needed]
Post-1917 military experiments
In 1917, design work started on a more powerful military cartridge of the same calibre and overall length.[citation needed] In 1918 it was planned that the new round, also retaining the old rim diameter, would be used in rechambered P14 rifles with AP rounds to defeat German targets on the battlefield of WWI as well as in the RAF in modified Lewis gun. The cartridge was "produced in quantity" but not adopted formally. The case was 62mm long with the bullet (a Ball Mark VII or Mark VIIW) set deep within to keep overall length down. The ordinary round was designated "Cartridge S.A. ball .303 inch Rimless" despite the fact that it retained headspacing on its rim and was semi-rimmed.[46] It's better known[citation needed] today under names like ".303 Lewis Semi-Rimmed".
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2022) |
Post-1945 Australian wildcats
After WWII, Australians founds themselves with quite a few .303" service rifles but at the same time new
]This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2022) |
Post-1945 South African developments
In parallel to Australia, the same wildcatting was happening in other countries of the Commonwealth, and in 1969
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2022) |
.303 Epps
Canadian Ellwood Epps, founder of Epps Sporting Goods, created an improved version of the .303 British.[when?] It has better ballistic performance than the standard .303 British cartridge. This is accomplished by increasing the shoulder angle from 16 to 35 degrees, and reducing the case taper from .062 inches (1.6 mm) to .009 inches (0.23 mm). These changes increase the case's internal volume by approximately 9%. The increased shoulder angle and reduced case taper eliminate the drooping shoulders of the original .303 British case, which, combined with reaming the chamber to .303 Epps, improves case life.[49] The .303 British case was also used as a parent case for the South African designed 6mm Musgrave cartridge that was billed as a cheap surplus alternative to the popular .243 (6.2 mm) Winchester.[citation needed]
Firearms chambered in .303 British
- 1885 Courteney Stalking Rifle
- Bren light machine gun
- Browning Model 1919 machine gun aircraft version
- BSA Autorifle
- Canadian Ross Rifle Mk I through III
- Caldwell machine gun
- Charlton Automatic Rifle
- Darne machine gun
- Farquharson rifle
- Hotchkiss .303 Mk I & I*
- Huot automatic rifle
- Jungle Carbine
- Lee–Enfield rifle
- Lee–Metford rifle
- Lewis gun
- McCrudden light machine rifle
- Martini–Enfield rifle
- P14 rifle
- Parker HaleSporter Rifle
- Ruger No. 1
- Thorneycroft carbine
- Vickers-Berthierlight machine gun
- Vickers machine gun
- Vickers K machine gun
- Winchester Model 1895
See also
- 7 mm caliber (overview of cartridges)
- 7.65×53mm Mauser
- 8×59mm Rb Breda
- British military rifles
- List of rifle cartridges
- Table of handgun and rifle cartridges
- .303 Magnum
- .303 Savage
Notes
- ^ This performance is very similar to many more modern military bullet designs, such as the 5.56mm M193 bullet, the 5.56mm M855 bullet, the 5.56mm M855A1 bullet, the 7.62mm DM111 bullet, and the 7.62mm M80A1 bullet, which are designed to break apart at the crimp cannelure and fragment.[23][original research?][24] The M855A1 and M80A1 bullet designs have a dual core construction.[24]
References
- ^ ".303 British" (PDF). Accurate Powder. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 December 2008.
- ^ a b c C.I.P. TDCC datasheet 303 British
- ^ "SAAMI Drawing 303 British" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 December 2014. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
- ^ a b David Cushman. "History of the .303 British Calibre Service Ammunition Round".
- ^ "CIP - 303 British" (PDF). bobp.cip-bobp.org. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ ANSI/SAAMI Velocity & Pressure Data: Centerfire Rifle Archived 2 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Hornady Handbook of Cartridge Reloading, Rifle-Pistol, Third Edition, Hornady Manufacturing Company, 1980, 1985, pp. 253–254.
- ISBN 0-9596677-2-5
- ^ a b c Chisholm, Hugh, Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.), New York: The Encyclopædia Britannica Co., Vol. 23, (1911) p. 327
- ^ a b Sanford, Percy Gerald, Nitro-explosives: a Practical treatise Concerning the Properties, Manufacture, and Analysis of Nitrated Substances, London: Crosby Lockwood & Son (1896) pp. 166-173, 179
- ^ a b c d Walke, Willoughby (Lt.), Lectures on Explosives: A Course of Lectures Prepared Especially as a Manual and Guide in the Laboratory of the U.S. Artillery School, J. Wiley & Sons (1897) pp. 336-343
- ^ a b c d e f Ommundsen, Harcourt, and Robinson, Ernest H., Rifles and Ammunition Shooting, New York: Funk & Wagnalls Co. (1915), pp. 117–119
- ^ a b c "MISSILE INJURIES – Over a century of service: the .303 projectile and its wounding capabilities- a historical profile 1". jmvh.org. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ A Way Forward in Contemporary Understanding of the 1899 Hague Declaration on Expanding Bullets - SAdefensejournal.com, 7 October 2013
- ^ "Rejected Mark IV. Bullets", Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), vol. 91, 21 March 1901
- ^ "Dum Dums". Archived from the original on 25 September 2008. Retrieved 21 August 2008.
- ^ 8x50R Lebel (8mm Lebel)
- ^ "Rifle, Short Magazine Lee–Enfield". The Lee–Enfield Rifle Website. Retrieved 13 May 2010.
- ^ The Vickers Machine Gun Range Tables
- ^ "The Box O' Truth #37 - the Deadly .303 British and the Box O' Truth". 13 June 2014.
- ^ Zaken, Ministerie van Buitenlandse. "Declaration concerning the prohibition of the use of bullets which can easily expand or change their form inside the human body such as bullets with a hard covering which does not completely cover the core, or containing indentations". www.minbuza.nl. Archived from the original on 9 December 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ Stargardt, K (1915). "The English Infantry Bullets and Their Action". BMJ Military Health. 24: 601–604.
- ^ "Reading Gunshot Patterns". National Institute of Health. Archived from the original on 24 August 2010. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ a b LIBERTY AMMUNITION, INC., v UNITED STATES, 11-84c (2011) ("Similar to the M855A1, the projectile of the M80A1 EPR employs a steel penetrator, copper slug, and reverse copper jacket that ruptures upon striking a soft target.").
- ^ "The .303 British Cartridge". Lee-Enfield Rifle Website. Archived from the original on 29 April 2007. Retrieved 13 May 2007.
- ^ Williams, Anthony G (25 September 2010), The .256 Inch British: A Lost Opportunity, archived from the original on 6 June 2013
- ^ ISBN 978-1-884849-09-1
- ^ .303 inch Ball Mark VI to VIIIz & L1A1
- ISBN 978-1-884849-09-1 p. 40: There appear to have been two distinct loadings of the Mark VIII cartridge: one small arms expert serving with the Royal Army Ordnance Corps at Dekheilanoted who Mk VIIIz ammunition he examined had a claimed muzzle velocity of 2,900 ft/s (884 m/s), furthermore, primers on MK VIIIz fired cases he examined looked "painted on", normally indicating a pressure of around 60,000 psi (413.7 MPa).
- ^ The Vickers Machine Gun 1939 Range Tables
- ^ Temple, B.A. Identification Manual on the .303 British Service Cartridge No.1 - Ball Ammunition.
- ^
Labbett, P.; Mead, P.J.F (1988). "Chapter 5, .303 inch Incendiary, Explosive and Observing Ammunition". .303 inch: a history of the .303 cartridge in British Service. authors. ISBN 978-0-9512922-0-4.
- ^ "The Brock Bullet Claim" (PDF), Flight, 1919, retrieved 12 August 2018 – via flightglobal.com
- ^ The Battle of Britain - Excerpts from an Historic Despatch by Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding,Flight, 19 September 1946, p323
- ^ Featherstone-Haugh, JJ. (1973). "Appendix VII, page IV, "British Military Output WWI"". Home Front - Untold Tales of British Workers during the Great Wars. OUP.
- ^ Barry, Martin N (September 2022). "Bullet Pencil". 'A Box of Conflict Memories' - Materiality, Memory and Princess Mary's Gift Box 1914-2020 (PDF) (PhD). University of Bristol. pp. 69–72. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ Walter H.B. Smith, Small Arms of the World, Stackpole Publications.
- ^ Hawks, Chuck. "Matching the Gun to the Game". ChuckHawks.com. Archived from the original on 20 August 2010. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
- ^ Here it is – the new Sako rifle for the Canadian Rangers
- ^ McCaa, L.D. (27 December 2016). "Down Goes Fraser". sportingclassicsdaily.com.
- ^ Montgomery, Hubert (November–December 2021). "Undisputed-Daniel Fraser of Edinburgh". sajagterhunter.com.
- ^ GB 189704971A
- ^ "303 Fraser Flanged". Cartridgecollector.net.
- ^ "The Other .303 Cartridges".
- ^ "303 Swift". Cartridgecollector.net.
- ^ ".303 inch Rimless". British Military Small Arms Ammo.
- ^ "Cartridges based on the .303 British". Cartridgecollector.net.
- ^ "6mm Musgrave". Cartridgecollector.net.
- ^ "303 Epps - Notes on Improved Cases". 303British.com. Archived from the original on 2 July 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
External links
- "Photos of the contents of different .303 British cartridges". Box of Truth website. 13 June 2014. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2007.
- "Photo of Sellier & Bellot 150 gr (9.7 g) .303 British soft-point fired into ballistic gelatin (bullet travelled right to left)". Archived from the original on 19 December 2008. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
- "Photos of various different types of .303 ammunition". Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2007.
- "Africa". Sniper Central. Archived from the original on 14 March 2006.
- ".303 British". 303british.com.
- David Cushman. "Headstamps of various .303 ammunition producers".
- 7,7 x 56 R Tipo 89 Giapponese
- C.I.P. TDCC datasheet .303 British (PDF)
- SAAMI Drawing 303 British (PDF)
- .303 Rimless
- THE OTHER .303 CARTRIDGES