Shooting old ammo?

chem

I have got my hands on some old .303 rounds, most dated to the 1940`s. Some are copper jackets but most are nickel alloy jackets. I was just wondering if its a good idea to feed them into my SMLE?

All seem to be in good condition on the outside. No corrosion to jackets or heads. So anyone know if it might be dangerous to use these?

Cheers

It wasn't me!

As far as I know, old primers have a habit of failing to detonate, so aside from anything else, a lot of the rounds may be useless. It got discussed somewhat in this thread.

foxshooter243

chem wrote: »

I have got my hands on some old .303 rounds, most dated to the 1940`s. Some are copper jackets but most are nickel alloy jackets. I was just wondering if its a good idea to feed them into my SMLE?

All seem to be in good condition on the outside. No corrosion to jackets or heads. So anyone know if it might be dangerous to use these?

Cheers

old ammo should still be seviceable if it was stored well, and as long as its in its original box/case and shows no signs of corrosion or being badly handled , through dents etc , then i would give it a go, the pakistani army are using old ammo at the minute in their 303s, be aware that you may get a squib load where the bullet doesnt clear the barrel and that the primers will be corrosive, but as long as your keeping an eye and clean properly i dont see a problem...if its old pakistani ammo it will tend to leave the rifle dirtier than normal but it will clean up again, they used a tar
like substance to seal in the bullet, if it were me and the ammo looked okay then i would try it ,but thats me:D

harmoniums

If its pakistani, it'll be marked POF and your get a lot of hang fires.
ie click ....... bang
leave the rounds in a dry sunny place primer side up to dry them out a bit if your not getting ignition
Also clean thoroughly with boiling water and then windex to get out the corrosive salts the same day after use.
The FCA guys used to actually pour water down the barrel

chem

Cheers lads. the rounds seem to have different makers, from the head stamps.

EG: DC16, R 16 L, R2, MF, R (crow foot)L, KF, CP, J17, K60, K58, K2, two I have found so far have GII stamped on the bottom. I have found a web site that said these are tracer out to 1000yards:D must hand them into the local station:(

Im going to give them a go this weekend so I`ll post results here;)

Just as a way of saying thanks, for all the help. If anyone is looking to try afew of these (dated) rounds drop me a PM

rrpc

chem wrote: »

Just as a way of saying thanks, for all the help. If anyone is looking to try afew of these (dated) rounds drop me a PM

Thanks chem, but I don't think I'lll be able to get them into my .22

foxshooter243

rrpc wrote: »

Thanks chem, but I don't think I'lll be able to get them into my .22

love to have a go with them chem but your too far away..thanks all the same

chem

foxshooter243 wrote: »

love to have a go with them chem but your too far away..thanks all the same

I could pop them in the post? I`d say as long as I don`t post them anywhere near government buildings it would be OK:D

foxshooter243

chem wrote: »

I could pop them in the post? I`d say as long as I don`t post them anywhere near government buildings it would be OK:D

pop your smle in the post along with them..its a long time since i used one of those..:D

chem

foxshooter243 wrote: »

pop your smle in the post along with them..its a long time since i used one of those..:D

If your ever in the Louth area give me a call;) Maybe you can arrange the family holiday this year to the north east:pac:

foxshooter243

chem wrote: »

If your ever in the Louth area give me a call;) Maybe you can arrange the family holiday this year to the north east:pac:

thanks;)

It wasn't me!

I'd love to get my mitts on an old Enfield at some point. How much does .303 ammo set you back? Can't imagine it's especially cheap, and don't I recall a thread where you were saying you couldn't get it in quantities smaller than a thousand or something like that? Yowch! It'd be a fantastic rifle to have I imagine.

foxshooter243

It wasn't me! wrote: »

I'd love to get my mitts on an old Enfield at some point. How much does .303 ammo set you back? Can't imagine it's especially cheap, and don't I recall a thread where you were saying you couldn't get it in quantities smaller than a thousand or something like that? Yowch! It'd be a fantastic rifle to have I imagine.

IWM i brought up the subject of 303 ammo with a dealer i know, he had plenty on hand, but ill get more details the next time im talking too him and post it on this thread..

It wasn't me!

Cheers. It's purely a hypothetical thing because, well, I have no money, but someday I'd love to try out an SMLE.

foxshooter243

It wasn't me! wrote: »

Cheers. It's purely a hypothetical thing because, well, I have no money, but someday I'd love to try out an SMLE.

sellier and bellot 303 ammo -50 stg per 100 , any amount;)

chem

If anyone wants. PM me for the name and details of a dealer in the north. SMLE`s, No.4`s, K98`s etc and lots of new and old ammo:)