Reloading .303 British : Just scrap.

Author: muffett.2008
Subject: Just scrap.
Posted: 13 February 2014 at 1:17am

If you batch your rounds for a particular rifle, then neck sizing will get a few more reloads. The trick is to keep your rounds seperate, not an easy job if you are like me with about 30 in 303.
 

  Where I often come unstuck is when I need rounds to test a customers or Club members rifle.
This is when I pull the odd different load from a box to try. I usually mark the cases with texta to ensure I resize if needed, but first I try it in it's original rifle, as often the chamber of the rifle I used it in is close or tighter than the original.
                                                                                                                                                                
 When my competition cases have done five reloads + intitial firing, I relegate them to practice/test cases, they then usually get full length sizing more often.
 If I am load testing several rifles then my loading gear goes with me to the range and a few cases will get flogged to death, my loading gear is all portable and my FLS 'O' frame press mounts to the tow bar of the car.

 The area of seperation is usually very consistant with the 303, the chamber of Milsurps is slightly larger than the equivalent target grade barrel, this allows  the rear of the case to stretch fractionally more than it normally would with tight chamber and close headspace, we understand the reasoning, as it was a fire and forget situation with thickwalled brass in rather uncontrolled situations, (mud and sand) reloading wasn't an issue.

 All we can do if reloading is ensure our headspace is within parameters,  loads are not excessive and monitor our brass religiously for signs of failure.
 Use soft brass in tight chambers and Milspec in others and always have a case extractor in your box.