Surplus 303 success story

[450 Martini]

I was very lucky a few weeks ago as i was able to aquire a case of Vintage World war 2 303 MK VII SAA.
The story behind this stuff is that a old cadet armoury was been cleared out and in a old locker several black painted metal tins were found all were stamped 1945. inside the soldered lid were celophane covered boxes of 303 dated between 1943-1945. Eventully they were sold to a RFD friend of mine and i found out through the grapevine and managed to get myself a case of just over 200 rounds for around £80. This was my deal of the year. Considering the length of time since production ceased at Radway green this may well be the last batch of Surplus 303 to be found in the UK. This will be "special occasion" ammunition.
Anybody else had any good luck finding any good milsurp recently?

[Ovenpaa]

That is quite a find, it will be interesting to hear how it shoots, probably awful but that is not the point...

[DanTheMan]

Anybody else had any good luck finding any good milsurp recently?

Nice !

I was lucky enough to get the heads up on someones personal stash of HXP when they heard I needed food for my SMLE

[1066]

That photo takes me right back to the very first time I shot at Bisley (1963). We arrived at about 08.00 after a three hour drive and went to sign in. In one of the long wooden huts were trestle tables loaded with individual boxes of .303 rounds, just as in the picture. Each box was sitting on a pair of scoring cards with your name and entry number on it. I felt really grownup with my box of 24 shiny new rounds and score cards for 900 and 1000yds and the clubs P14, I was just 13 at the time.

[Watcher]

Usually its unbelievably smoky. We had a load of 1941 Winchester 'Not for Use in Aircraft' .303 and I got fed up with all the jokers who came up to ask if we were firing black powder.

[froggy]

Salut,

Well done on your brilliant find
In original box etc ... seems to me like nice collector WW2 stuff to preserve than to shot if I may say ?

[Watcher]

Also, not surprisingly, most of the cases cracked on first use. Usually a small longitudinal crack on the shoulder. Maybe why it wasn't for use in aircraft!

[450 Martini]

Arguably this stuff is better than the stuff i had when i started shooting 10 years ago, it was that loose green coloured 303, with head stamps from all over the globe from 1918-1945, it was pure luck if it worked some days, But with a few friends on a warm spring day at the 100 yard range down the bog with my then new No4 it was a lot of fun.
this batch of ww2 stuff is quite good, another chap who also had a batch reported about 3" gropus with his scoped no4 at 100 yards and not one misfire. he then sells the inert loaded cases as collecters items for re enacting types at arms fairs for more than he paid for the loaded ammo.

[pe4king]

I also found some of this stuff a few years ago 32 rd boxes (for the Bren gun) I paid £6 a box fired it put the empty cases back in the box and selling it on fleabay for £14 a box, right result.

[Gaz]

I acquired five rounds of postwar RG .303" a while ago.

I don't intend firing them. :)