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Posted: 2/1/2025 11:56:40 AM EDT
 I opened a couple boxes and it looks to be in good condition. I assume it's cordite sticks for the propellant, which probably means shooting it = click... wait... wait... bang. Still safe to use in old Enfields? |
“The difference between treason and patriotism is only a matter of dates.”
"And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his Gods."
"And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his Gods."
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More than you ever wanted to know about SA .303 https://cartridgecollector.net/south_african_refere/303-british-south-africa/ |
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The label says Cordite right on it. So I'd expect cordite? By itself, cordite doesn't mean it will be dead or click-bang. Storage is an important factor. I've read (and experienced to some extent) that old cordite ammo can be cold-insensitive so leaving it to warm up before shooting can help (in the sun or in a warm car or home). rob |
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Click bang has more to do with primers than propellant in my experience My brother, the ultimate scrounge and bargain hunter, once got a huge amount of old 303 that we tried shooting and misfired - complete duds and hang fires a plenty. He got the ammo for less than the cost of loose 303 projectiles so we pulled the bullets, pulled out the cordite and counted the average number of sticks per cartridge then reloaded the cordite and pulled bullet into a modern case with fresh primer and they shot fine no click boom issues |
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Originally Posted By captain127: Click bang has more to do with primers than propellant in my experience My brother, the ultimate scrounge and bargain hunter, once got a huge amount of old 303 that we tried shooting and misfired - complete duds and hang fires a plenty. He got the ammo for less than the cost of loose 303 projectiles so we pulled the bullets, pulled out the cordite and counted the average number of sticks per cartridge then reloaded the cordite and pulled bullet into a modern case with fresh primer and they shot fine no click boom issues I didn’t think it was possible to remove cordite sticks. I thought the cordite was added before the case neck was formed which then locked the cordite in the case. I’ve never been able to get it out anyway |
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Originally Posted By Alaska-Shooter: I didn’t think it was possible to remove cordite sticks. I thought the cordite was added before the case neck was formed which then locked the cordite in the case. I’ve never been able to get it out anyway I've torn down some .303 Cordite rounds. Remove the bullet and dump the Cordite out. Looks like loose spaghetti noodles packed together in the case. I believe the propellant is added after the case is fully-formed, but I'm not the most familiar. |
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I appreciate everyone's comments and input here. I will definitely shoot this ammo. I decided to pull a bullet from a round to see what was in it. It appears to have stick-type cordite propellant. On top of that, between the propellant and the bullet was a thick paper disc. The cordite sticks are all about 1.5" in length and bend a little bit before breaking - similar to very thin uncooked spaghetti noodles. The cordite was stuck together, so I used some tweezers to pull one out, which came out easily, without breaking. I pulled 4 more out that way and after that, was able to just turn the case over and dump the remainder out.     |
“The difference between treason and patriotism is only a matter of dates.”
"And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his Gods."
"And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his Gods."
|
Originally Posted By Alaska-Shooter: I didn’t think it was possible to remove cordite sticks. I thought the cordite was added before the case neck was formed which then locked the cordite in the case. I’ve never been able to get it out anyway You are correct, the original loading was put the cordite in the case then form the neck around it. But where there is a will there is a way. |
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In addition to the coolness of having some actual cordite (thank you for the pix!), there's also the coolness of having Mk VII ball bullets. They are intentionally made to destabilize quickly, thereby creating wounds more akin to a softpoint bullet, while still satisfying Hague Accords. The nose is taken up by an aluminum (occasionally some other lightweight material) cone inside the jacket, thus moving the center of mass sharply backward. Attached File |
| My buddy has a bunch of old 303 that's loaded with cordite. When you shoot it, you sometimes get hangfires, while other times you get what looks like burning confetti. lol. |
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Originally Posted By mannyCA: so. did you shoot any yet? 
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“The difference between treason and patriotism is only a matter of dates.”
"And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his Gods."
"And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his Gods."
|
It’s been over 2 months, did you shoot it yet? Just finished watching Seige at Jadotville and 1917, so I’ve been messing around with my .303 |
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Make it "Idiot Proof", along comes a better idiot.
Official Site Nickname, given by NorCal - "Smack"
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I had a couple of bandoleers of POF mk VII and I pulled a few rounds to divk around with the cordite and I cut a few of the bullets in half with dremel to see how they were put together. Fiber fisk glued to the base of the bullet with a black tarry substance. Cut the projectile open and the tip under the jacket looked like kapok or sisal fibers. I had about a 50% hang fire or FTF It even with the hang fire they shot pretty accurate through my Lithgow SMLE. |
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Originally Posted By jtb33: I appreciate everyone's comments and input here. I will definitely shoot this ammo. I decided to pull a bullet from a round to see what was in it. It appears to have stick-type cordite propellant. On top of that, between the propellant and the bullet was a thick paper disc. The cordite sticks are all about 1.5" in length and bend a little bit before breaking - similar to very thin uncooked spaghetti noodles. The cordite was stuck together, so I used some tweezers to pull one out, which came out easily, without breaking. I pulled 4 more out that way and after that, was able to just turn the case over and dump the remainder out. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54304334342_dd995c900d_k.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54305457363_518c5011a4_k.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54305444409_8d111e35aa_k.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54305444534_6fb1b74c6e_k.jpg That wad will crack the screen on your chrony chronograph. 
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