.303 Magnum

Last updated
.303 british
TypeRifle
Place of originEngland
Production history
Designer W.J. Jeffery & Co
Designed1919
Produced1919–1932
Specifications
Parent case .276 Enfield
Case type Semi-rimmed or rimless, bottleneck
Bullet diameter.312 in (7.9 mm)
Neck diameter.345 in (8.8 mm)
Shoulder diameter.462 in (11.7 mm)
Base diameter.530 in (13.5 mm)
Rim diameter.557 in (14.1 mm)
Case length2.35 in (60 mm)
Overall length3.35 in (85 mm)
Case capacity73.6  gr H2O (4.77 cm3)
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/typeVelocityEnergy
174 gr (11 g) 2,850 ft/s (870 m/s)3,050 ft⋅lbf (4,140 J)
Source(s): Cartridges of the World. [1]

The .303 is an arguably obsolete but capable medium bore rifle cartridge.

Contents

Overview

The .303 Magnum was a bottlenecked centerfire rifle cartridge that was produced in both semi-rimmed and rimless versions. The cartridge fired a projectile of 174 grains (11.3 g) at 2,850 feet per second (870 m/s). The cartridge's case capacity was the same as the .30-06 Springfield, although performance was considered to favour the .303 Magnum. [1] [2] [3]

The .303 Magnum was developed by W.J. Jeffery & Co by necking up the experimental .276 Enfield to .312 inches (7.9 mm), it was introduced in 1919 for target shooting and was used for some time by the British Match Rifle Committee. The cartridge had a brief life, only appearing in the Kynoch catalogue until 1930 and it appears to have become obsolete by 1932. [1] [2] [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.303 British</span> British military rifle cartridge

The .303 British or 7.7×56mmR, is a .303-inch (7.7 mm) calibre rimmed rifle cartridge. The .303 inch bore diameter is measured between rifling lands as is the common practice in Europe which follows the traditional black powder convention.

A rim is an external flange that is machined, cast, molded, stamped, or pressed around the bottom of a firearms cartridge. Thus, rimmed cartridges are sometimes called "flanged" cartridges. Almost all cartridges feature an extractor or headspacing rim, in spite of the fact that some cartridges are known as "rimless cartridges". The rim may serve a number of purposes, including providing a lip for the extractor to engage, and sometimes serving to headspace the cartridge.

The .577 Nitro Express is a large-bore centerfire rifle cartridge designed for the purpose of hunting large game such as elephant. This cartridge is used almost exclusively in single-shot and double express rifles for hunting in the Tropics or hot climates in general and is a cartridge associated with the golden age of African safaris and Indian shikars.

The .240 Magnum Rimless Holland & Holland is a centrefire sporting rifle cartridge developed in English gunmakers Holland & Holland no later than 1919, primarily for use in hunting deer and plains game.

The .333 Jeffery and .333 Jeffery Flanged are medium-bore rifle cartridges developed by W.J. Jeffery & Co and introduced in 1908.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.318 Westley Richards</span> UK centerfire rifle cartridge

The .318 Westley Richards, also known as the .318 Rimless Nitro Express and the .318 Accelerated Express, is a proprietary medium bore centerfire rifle cartridge developed by Westley Richards.

The .350 Rigby and .350 Rigby No 2 are proprietary medium bore rifle cartridges developed by developed by John Rigby & Company.

The .400/350 Nitro Express, also known at the .400/350 Nitro Rigby, is a medium bore rifle cartridge developed by John Rigby & Company.

The .369 Nitro Express, also known as the .369 Purdey Nitro Express, is a centerfire, rifle cartridge developed by James Purdey & Sons and introduced in 1922.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.450/400 Black Powder Express</span>

The .450/400 Black Powder Express cartridges were black powder rifle cartridges introduced in the United Kingdom in the 1880s.

The .275 No 2 Magnum, also known as the 7mm Rigby Magnum Flanged and the .275 No 2 Rigby, is an obsolete centerfire rifle cartridge developed by John Rigby & Company in 1927.

The .400 Purdey, also known as the .400 3-inch Straight and .400 Purdey Light Express 3-inch, is an obsolete rifle cartridge developed by James Purdey & Sons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.300 Rook</span>

The .300 Rook, also known as the .295 Rook, is an obsolete centerfire rifle cartridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.297/250 Rook</span>

The .297/250 Rook is an obsolete centerfire rifle cartridge developed by Holland & Holland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.360 No 5 Rook</span>

The .360 No 5 Rook is an obsolete centerfire rifle cartridge.

The .400/360 Nitro Express cartridges are a number of very similar, but not interchangeable, centerfire rifle cartridges developed by James Purdey & Sons, William Evans, Westley Richards and Fraser of Edinburgh, all at the beginning of the 20th century.

The .256 Gibbs Magnum is an obsolete rimless bottleneck centerfire rifle cartridge developed by George Gibbs of Bristol and introduced in 1913.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.297/230 Morris</span>

The .297/230 Morris Short and .297/230 Morris Long are two obsolete centerfire firearm cartridges developed as sub-caliber training rounds for the British Martini–Henry rifle.

The .375/303 Westley Richards Accelerated Express, also known as the .375/303 Axite, is an obsolete medium bore rifle cartridge.

The 6.5×57mm Mauser is a smokeless powder rimless bottlenecked centerfire rifle cartridge developed by Paul Mauser and introduced in 1893–94.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Frank C. Barnes, Cartridges of the World, 13th ed, Gun Digest Books, Iola, 2012, ISBN   978-1-4402-3059-2.
  2. 1 2 Don Davie, "The other .303 cartridges", acant.org.au, retrieved 25 January 2015.
  3. 1 2 Imperial War Museums, "7.7 x 59.4Sr: Kynoch; .303 Magnum", iwm.org.uk, retrieved 10 November 2017.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.