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BAMM Rifle 303 British


Scarlett

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@Artemus Von Schutze it took FOREVER… Tommy bought a 303 British Enfield at Wisconsin match. I didn’t even know he was looking! And, honestly, he didn’t either.  :P  It’s magazine fed, not the super cool stripper clips … I’m in need of magazines (haven’t even looked but know I can find them) and also lead projectiles/SASS legal ammo.

 

Hugs!

Scarlett

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Great rifles! Yes you can use stripper clips, but you must load them carefully so the rims don't hang up.

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Why not the super cool stripper clips? I have a #1 Mk 3 for BAMM matches and use stripper clips to reload. I remember reading somewhere that troops were instructed not to remove the magazine unless it was damaged, and to reload with stripper clips. Mine all needed a little polishing so the rounds stripped smoothly into the action.

SMLEstripperclips.jpg

Edited by Three Foot Johnson
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Even though they have magazines, they are meant to be reloaded with stripper clips. Magazine changes were not usually recommended in the British military.

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3 hours ago, Scarlett said:

@Artemus Von Schutze it took FOREVER… Tommy bought a 303 British Enfield at Wisconsin match. I didn’t even know he was looking! And, honestly, he didn’t either.  :P  It’s magazine fed, not the super cool stripper clips … I’m in need of magazines (haven’t even looked but know I can find them) and also lead projectiles/SASS legal ammo.

 

Hugs!

Scarlett

 

I've owned a Lee–Enfield No. 4 Mk 2 for a long time now.

 

As already mentioned the magazine is meant to stay in the gun and the rifle should be reloaded with stripper clips.   Trying to a magazine change with an Enfield is not quick.  It is VERY important that the rim is in front of the rim of the cartridge below it in the stripper clip or if you load the gun manually.  If this is not done, you get "rim lock" and the gun won't feed the rounds.

 

The Lee Enfield is a faster bolt action than most of the other BAMM rifles (Gamer :P)

 

Stripper clips:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=british+303+clips&_sop=12

https://www.victory-arms.com/303-British-Enfield-Stripper-Clips

https://www.amazon.com/British-Enfield-Charger-Stripper-Clips/dp/B08GHHSGPH?th=1

 

Projectiles: (It uses the same bullet diameter as 7.62x54R and 7.7mm Japanese)

http://www.westernbullet.com/316oversize30.html

https://quality-cast.com/gas-checked/rifle-bullets/

https://www.montanabulletworks.com/product-category/rifle/page/2/

 

Brass:

https://www.grafs.com/catalog/product/productId/75912   I am a long time Graf's customer, good company.  Prvi Partizan is good brass

 

 

 

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I cast my .303 and 7.65 Argentine bullets with a Lyman #314299 mold. It's a gas check design weighing around 200 grains, depending on the alloy.

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From fastest to slowest bolt action rifles....

1.  US Krag

2.  Mk I SMLE tied with US M1917 Enfield.   

3.  M1903A3 Springfield tied with K98 Mauser in 8mm. 

The above 4 are so close to each other in handling and performance that it could easily be a 4 way tie.   I just find the cock on closing a hair faster than the cock on opening.   But that could just be me.

4.   G98 Mauser 7mm.  Only the non turned down bolt keeps this untied with the above.

5.  M1903 Springfield as it tends to jam on the 3rd or 4th round almost every time.  (Been a while since I fired it, I forget which one usually hangs up)

 

Note, this assumes 5 shots.   The Krag would drop down to last place if a reload is needed.  And, depending on how many reloads, and what the rules of the event say, the SMLE does hold 10, so that may give it an advantage in some scenarios.

 

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#6 Mosin Nagant. Actually has excellent sights and a brilliant feeding method that eliminates jams from mis-feeding the rimmed cartridges. Many have horribly rough action and chambers that can greatly benefit from polishing.

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My favorite BAM rifle is a Swedish 6.5X55mm Mauser.  It is cock on close, uses the same stripper clips as a 30-06 (easy to find) and is very accurate. As far as lead bullets, Missouri Bullet Co sells one they call the Russian, made for Mosins.  It is 167gr, groove less Hy-Tec 2 coated bullet with a brinell of 20.  It is sized at .312 so it should work in the .303

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Posted (edited)
7 hours ago, DeaconKC said:

Great rifles! Yes you can use stripper clips, but you must load them carefully so the rims don't hang up.

I’m gonna use the stripper clips! 

Edited by Scarlett
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7 hours ago, Three Foot Johnson said:

Why not the super cool stripper clips? I have a #1 Mk 3 for BAMM matches and use stripper clips to reload. I remember reading somewhere that troops were instructed not to remove the magazine unless it was damaged, and to reload with stripper clips. Mine all needed a little polishing so the rounds stripped smoothly into the action.

SMLEstripperclips.jpg

Ok!! Yay!! I love the stripper clips!! Now I get it. I’m definitely using the stripper clips!!

 

Thanks!!

Hugs!

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THANKS SO MUCH!! Y’all know how to make a Cowgirl SMILE!! 
 

HUGS!

Scarlett

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1 hour ago, Missouri Marshal SASS #50682 said:

My favorite BAM rifle is a Swedish 6.5X55mm Mauser.  It is cock on close, uses the same stripper clips as a 30-06 (easy to find) and is very accurate. As far as lead bullets, Missouri Bullet Co sells one they call the Russian, made for Mosins.  It is 167gr, groove less Hy-Tec 2 coated bullet with a brinell of 20.  It is sized at .312 so it should work in the .303

Wouldn't work in mine, would keyhole at 50 yards. Bore size can range up to .315. Mine cast at .314.

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25 minutes ago, SGT. ELI 35882 GUNFIGHTER said:

Wouldn't work in mine, would keyhole at 50 yards. Bore size can range up to .315. Mine cast at .314.

Slug the barrel then?

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My WWI era SMLE has excellent accuracy, and I use .313" bullets.

I have read that the WWII era Mark IV's have a rep for terrible accuracy, with one notable exception; the American made Savage ones.  Apparently Savage found the British spec's for the bore to be unacceptably inaccurate, so they upgraded to their own specs and they became tack drivers.

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8 hours ago, Scarlett said:

@Artemus Von Schutze it took FOREVER… Tommy bought a 303 British Enfield at Wisconsin match. I didn’t even know he was looking! And, honestly, he didn’t either.  :P  It’s magazine fed, not the super cool stripper clips … I’m in need of magazines (haven’t even looked but know I can find them) and also lead projectiles/SASS legal ammo.

 

Hugs!

Scarlett

 

Double what Bogus Deal said, https://quality-cast.com/ and Norm are the way to go for lead rifle bullets. I use the .30 170gr GC in my 1903 and 45-70 350gc in my 1886 and only have great things to say. Looks like they have one just for you... https://quality-cast.com/303-british-200gr-gcsp/ 

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4 hours ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:

From fastest to slowest bolt action rifles....

1.  US Krag

2.  Mk I SMLE tied with US M1917 Enfield.   

3.  M1903A3 Springfield tied with K98 Mauser in 8mm. 

The above 4 are so close to each other in handling and performance that it could easily be a 4 way tie.   I just find the cock on closing a hair faster than the cock on opening.   But that could just be me.

4.   G98 Mauser 7mm.  Only the non turned down bolt keeps this untied with the above.

5.  M1903 Springfield as it tends to jam on the 3rd or 4th round almost every time.  (Been a while since I fired it, I forget which one usually hangs up)

 

Note, this assumes 5 shots.   The Krag would drop down to last place if a reload is needed.  And, depending on how many reloads, and what the rules of the event say, the SMLE does hold 10, so that may give it an advantage in some scenarios.

 

I think you need to look into your rifle and probably the magazine spring. My brother and I both shoot 1903 and have not had this issue. I put it as faster than an A3 since that open sight is faster to get on target. 

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24 minutes ago, Rip Snorter said:

Thanks for that article! It was super neat to read about. I’ve shot BAMM twice and loved it. Now, with a little practice… I’m going for the World Record! :D 38 shots (hits) complete with a sort of “tactical” reload @Artemus Von Schutze LOL! 
 

Appreciate all the help! Stay tuned!

 

Big BAMM Hugs!

Scarlett

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Scarlett, the bores of old milsurp rifles vary widely in diameter.  Be sure to slug the bore of your rifle before ordering any bullets.  Take a .38 caliber pure lead round ball (lube it with Ballistol first), put it in the muzzle, and use a rubber mallet to get it started in the bore.  Then use a brass rod to drive it through the bore and measure the diameter of the bore grooves (that will be the largest part of the ball).  You will want bullets .001 - .002 above the bore diameter.  My Enfield No.4 MK 1 measures .310, and the Enfield No.1 MK III* measures .307, so I use different size bullets in each.  I made my own sizing dies from undersized Lee sizing dies -- I opened them up with a dowel rod wrapped with emery cloth.

 

Shooting the right sized bullets is key to accuracy.  Hope this helps.

 

Good luck!

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The SMLE was made from around 1889 to 1955, in many variants and in about ten factories, in at least four countries.

I had a Savage-made SMLE back in the day and haned about a dozen others.

The mags vary within the generations and manufacturers.

Best option is to use the stripper clips and study on how to prevent rimlock.

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9 minutes ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:

Just out of curiosity.

 

SMLE

 

"Smelly" or "Smile?"


I've  always called it a Smelly.

Smelly

and that is a beautiful custom rifle. But sadly, couldn't use it for BAMM.

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I saw your rifle during my brief visit to Indiana State. Tommy was pretty proud of it! Very nice gun for sure. 

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