The .303 Brit & barrel cleaning when using black powder

[kombi1976]

I'm thinking of picking up a Martini Enfield in .303 around the end of the year and apart from using standard smokeless powder & jacketted bullets I'd like to have a go using 215gn .312 cal lead bullets and black powder, the way the .303 Brit was originally loaded when it was introduced around the time of the Boer War.

What sort of experience have people had loading the .303 with black powder & lead bullets?

Also, what exactly will be entailed in the barrel cleaning should I use black powder?

A number of guys have encouraged me to try black powder and I eventually would like to buy a 45-70 and toy with it but I think the Martini and .303 is a good place to start as the cases are cheap and the round is familiar to me already.

[cooper]

kombi, this exact thing is also very high on my list of things to do!  Good luck with it - and let us know how things turn out.

With regard to that 215 gr, round nose  -  did you know that the 220 gr round nose (developed for the 30/40 Krag) is the 30 caliber version of the famous 500 gr Government round nose for the 45/70?  Your 215 gr bullet should be very similar, and that's the bullet I would use for loading the 303 with BP.

As far as cleaning the bore - water is the key.  Solvents developed  for somkeless won't work.  BP fouling is water soluble, and that's all you need.  I use a mix of 50% water, and 50% Prestone antifreeze, with a little Murphy's oil soap  -  just enough to act as a surfactant.  

The antifreeze is, in essence, a water-soluble oil, and I feel that if you miss some spots when finishing up your cleaning, the antifreeze will help protect the bore (this formula comes from one of Paul Matthews' books).  I don't even bother oiling the bore after cleaning, but here in Montana it is very dry and rust is almost a non-problem.  In a humid climate I would definitely oil the bore after cleaning.

I have not heard much from people shooting BP in the 30 cal cartridges.  It seems to be somewhat unknown territory.  Good luck, and please keep us informed!

[Ray Newman]

A word of CAUTION when using anti-freeze.

From what I was told by a veterinarian, Anti-freeze is a POISON & it will KILL pets or other animals & if a pet or other animal ingests it, 'it's all over' & a slow way to die....

[KING]

Ref. Anti-Freeze.  Yes.......... it is a poison and will act on any mammal,including humans.  A huge quantity need not be injested to cause serious harm or death in any animal...............an amount as small as a 1/10th of a teaspoon is plenty .I would not use it but instead use the alcohol and Murphys oil soap formula...works very well and it is safe also.........stay safe.....King

[EDG]

About 1970 my grandfather drained the water out of his tractor before a norther to make sure it didn't freeze. He left the bucket sitting on top of the draw bar. The next morning he found a dying cow about 30 yards from the tractor and fresh cow tracks in the mud at the back of the tractor.
The cow had slurped a couple of inches of the water out of the bucket.
Even though the antifreeze was diluted and the cow weighed about 1000 lbs she died in about 8 hours.  The vet verified she had been posioned and there was nothing he could do. Big dea huh? That cow was worth about a $1 lb. A lot of money when a new Corvette cost about $3300.
By the way ethylene glycol is sweet.
Ed

[BillinOregon]

Tried this a while back with a Martini artillery carbine. I think  the Brits used some sort of compressed BP charge in their original service round, but I believe they used jacketed bullets from the start. I could be wrong. I only fire a handful of loads, and cleaned the bore with a wet patch before "scouring" with a few smokeless loads. I may have load and chrono data somewhere, but can't seem to find it just now. With smallbores like the .303 -- and a bottlenecked case --the issues of lubrication and blowtubing to keep fouling soft become very important.

[w30wcf]

Here's a thread that describes the original .303 B.P. cartridge. It used a compressed b.p. log with a hole in the middle to help ignition.  The case was formed and the b.p. log put into place before the neck was formed.

 http://website.lineone.net/~dave.cushman/303hist.html

If I were to load the .303 with b.p. I would definitely use SWISS.  It is higher in energy and fouls less than other b.p.'s.

Good luck!
w30wcf

[savageT]

I prefer to use Windex to clean my black powder muzzle loader.  Now some will say that Windex w/ammonia isn't a good idea, but it cleans well, and it has the water, alcohol & wetting agent all mixed up in a handy spray bottle.  If you don't want the ammonia, just use automobile window-washer fluid instead.  I finish up by using Ballistol to do final cleaning and lubrication.  Good Luck with B/P in your .303.
Jim