A deal may not be a deal...
Printed From: Enfield-Rifles.com
Category: Enfields
Forum Name: Hunting with the .303 British cartridge.
Forum Description: Share your hunting stories with the rest of us.
URL: http://www.enfield-rifles.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=9004
Printed Date: March 26 2026 at 8:17pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.07 - https://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: A deal may not be a deal...
Posted By: Honkytonk
Subject: A deal may not be a deal...
Date Posted: June 01 2018 at 3:16pm
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I previously mentioned that a buddy gave me 8 boxes of 303 bullets. Mostly Winchester brass, but Dominion etc. Sprinkled in. 95% looked reloaded. I've been shooting them out of several Enfield with mixed success. The other day, I had my PH Lee Enfield out shooting a box of these 180 unknowns. While on paper, "minute of berm" comes to mind. I switched to some 150's I had reloaded and was much impressed. An older gentleman shooting beside me (he had 4 rifles he was tuning, in, a '70's PH he had mated with a 257 Weatherby barrel, it was a tack driver!). When I told him I was shooting the unknown cartridges to get the brass, he said if I was shooting MOA of berm, stop. Use an inertia hammer, remove and save the bullets, toss the powder, anneal the shoulders with primers still in. Pull the de-priming pin and resize then load powder of my choice.
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Replies:
Posted By: A square 10
Date Posted: June 01 2018 at 7:35pm
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wish i had looked closer at your thread - i would have recomended that as well - i never shoot unknown reloads or even 'factory' if i dont knpow it to be true - you can damage your rifle and yourself with some unknown POS
always best to go to the work to pull the bullets , discard the unknown powder -kids love throwing it in a campfire , and starting from scratch with your reloads - i generally reprime because i like to know my recipes are consistent ,
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Posted By: Pukka Bundook
Date Posted: June 02 2018 at 5:50am
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Odd, I replied yesterday agreeing with the old bloke, Honks. Wonder where it went?....
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Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: June 02 2018 at 5:53am
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Here maybe? There are 3 threads on this scattered about. http://www.enfield-rifles.com/reloaded_topic8993.html" rel="nofollow - http://www.enfield-rifles.com/reloaded_topic8993.html
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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
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Posted By: Honkytonk
Date Posted: June 02 2018 at 7:02am
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Pukka. This gentleman was great to listen to. He has been reloading forever and has a wealth of knowledge. You could tell by the conditions of his rifles, the precision shooting and the orderliness of his ammunition he was a serious shooter. Gave me lots to think about.
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Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: June 02 2018 at 8:39am
Sounds like a plan bit I 'm a bit nervous of annealing with primers in.
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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
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Posted By: Honkytonk
Date Posted: June 02 2018 at 12:04pm
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As am I. The gentleman said to anneal the shoulder, then quench. After quenching, put in a she!! holder tray upside down. He said he had never had a primer go off doing this with all calibre's. As luck would have it, I recovered 75 primed brass. As I went to anneal, my propane hand torch failed. A sign?? Anyway, I was also able to recover 24 180gr ProHunters and 18 150gr Sabre Tips which I fully loaded into some brass I already had prepped and primed. I'll fix the torch later as on Monday me and two buddy's are heading up to Lake Dauphin for our annual spring walleye slaughter for a week!!
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Posted By: Honkytonk
Date Posted: June 02 2018 at 12:16pm
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Shamu (and other more knowledgeable members), as mentioned above, after talking to, in my mind, a very wise reloader, can you deprime primed brass with a regular depriming die? Seems a bit sketchy. I would go this way if safe as then I could use new primers, resize, trim, etc.
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Posted By: Honkytonk
Date Posted: June 02 2018 at 1:09pm
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Done deal! 75 deprimed! No issues. Wore safety glasses, ear plugs and wrapped a heavy towel around the die. All good.
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Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: June 02 2018 at 2:03pm
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Yes you can, the trick is to slowly push the primer out don't strike it. I have a universal depriming die, which I use as my progressive doesn't allow primer pocket cleaning if I deprime at station 1. If a primer does go off it discharges into the die body. It will get your attention but wont harm. You do have a lot of cleanup to do though.
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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
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Posted By: britrifles
Date Posted: June 02 2018 at 3:10pm
Yes, I have also deprimed live primers this way, raise the ram slowly. I used to snap the primers in the rifle chamber, but found this method works just fine.
I’ve not tried to reuse the primers.
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Posted By: Honkytonk
Date Posted: June 02 2018 at 3:37pm
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Thanks people! As mentioned, 75 deprimed without incident!
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Posted By: Honkytonk
Date Posted: June 02 2018 at 3:38pm
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P.S. Old primers are disposed of, as with roughly 300 grs of unknown powder.
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Posted By: 42rocker
Date Posted: October 07 2018 at 5:15pm
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But but really it only had a little extra powder really. A friend of mine goes a little off the wall on this one.
Several folks that own Full Auto MG34 or MG42's use old surplus ammo. He asks them if they also go to the junk yard to drain off the left over gas in the wrecked cars to run in their BMW's or whatever. The only thing that he will shoot in his Full Auto MG42 is his carefully reloaded ammo. Should note while a good bolt action rifle can handle different ammo ok, a Full Auto MG42 can do a real nice out of battery. Note some Full Auto guns can handle stuff.
Later 42rocker
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