Blooded the .303 Pygmy. Just got back from the annual wallaby hunt. I successfully took 5 wallabies with my .303 Pygmy wildcat using the CBE 316 175 bullet in oven heat treated clip on WW over 25gr of Benchmark for just shy of 2000fps. 
Made a couple of really pleasing off hand 100m shots downing the “wobblies” rather well. Great times!!
Cheers from New Zealand
Attached Files
Jeff nice rifle, great shooting, could you show a close up of the cartridge haven't heard of that wild cat before and it's not in any of my books NORM
Attached Files
Great hunting Jeff! Thanks for the photos of the hunt and NZ. Good job with those open sights. Looks like you have you a really efficient round with the 303 Pygmy. I like sporter milsurps and that's a neat conversion, wood and bluing. I like Schnabel forearms :) ...................Dan
Attached Files
Norm: It's a .303 x 1.5 of which I know of only two; mine and one in AU cut with my reamers.
Cheers from New Zealand
Attached Files
Jeff no on the reamers , but I'd like maybe 2 or 3 sized cases , to see if I couldn't a local guy I know to turn me a barrel for it and put it on one of my No 1's MK III actions, I think you really got something there , especially for cast bullets NORM
Attached Files
JeffinNZ
Nice pic's tell me a little about what you did to the magazine of the rifle, it's now flush. Oh by the way nice looking case and bullet.
Scott
Attached Files
JeffinNZ
Nice pic's tell me a little about what you did to the magazine of the rifle, it's now flush. Oh by the way nice looking case and bullet.
Scott Thanks. I can't take the credit for it though. The magazine well has been blanked off so it is single shot only as the original owner only wanted it for target purposes. I was musing whilst hunting how I could cut down a Lee Enfield mag to made hold 3-5 rounds though. Winter project? HHHMMM.
Cheers from New Zealand
Attached Files
Some of the military rifle shooters here make up a straight stack mag which is riveted intot existing mag, uses the standard mag spring and a custom made follower. This is used for 7.62 and 223 conversions. Might work for you, if it doesn't drill out the rivets, remove insert and follower (retaining the mag spring), paint the offending items green (or yellow if in the dry parts of Australia) and throw them in the grass. :D
Four Fingers.
PS, they didn't ask about the thermals on this site!
Attached Files
Love the rifle, love the cartridge, but especially love those purple drawers!!!!!!!!!! :)
Attached Files
Attached Files
"Purple drawers” indeed! Pat, don't you know Kiwi Camo when you see it?
Attached Files
I always thought if it was camo you shouldn't see it? Those babies there glow like a neon sign.
All this is in fun Jeff so please don't Pygmyize me if we ever meet. I really do like the rifle and think the short .303 is great.
Attached Files
Those longjohns have become something of a trademark for me! Can't go hunting without them now. And then there is my paper patched bullets using pink paper. I didn't ask for pink but that's what arrived and it works so........
SFO, here I come!!!!!!!!!!
Cheers from New Zealand
Attached Files
A lot of Aussies werar them when hunting in the Victorian Alps (well they aren't high enough to really be Alps, but we like to call them that, The Kiwis reckon our highest 'Mountain' Mt Kosciusko is just a paddock with it's back up).
They are excellent when you have to wade rivers in cold weather, they dry off quick and you stay warm(ish).
Attached Files
Jeff
no on the reamers , but I'd like maybe 2 or 3 sized cases , to see if I couldn't a local guy I know to turn me a barrel for it and put it on one of my No 1's MK III actions, I think you really got something there , especially for cast bullets
NORM
Using cast it would be such a low pressure item an insert into a standard 303 Bbl work work ok wouldn't it?
Mick, aka Four Fingers.
Attached Files
This gets my vote for POTY (Post of the Year). It has everything, high fashion, very cool rifle, happy hunter, and bloody dead animal. Thanks Jeff!
Attached Files
Mick, aka Four Fingers I don't see why an insert wouldn't work , you might have a great idea there NORM
Attached Files
It's a good looking rifle but, why shorten the cartridge?
Attached Files
It's a good looking rifle but, why shorten the cartridge?
Attached Files
I believe the originator did it to produce a mild, economical round while maintaining 100% load density and Lee Enfields are two a penny here so it wa logical to do the .303 Brit.
Cheers from New Zealand
Attached Files
I believe the originator did it to produce a mild, economical round while maintaining 100% load density and Lee Enfields are two a penny here so it wa logical to do the .303 Brit.
Cheers from New Zealand
Attached Files
Nice work Jeff. about equivalent to the American wildcat 308x1.5” that some guys use in short action Savage Model 10s here in the states. You just adapted a better rifle for it! Love those enfields. And I am purposely not mentioning the purple knickers...
Bruce
Attached Files
G'day Jeff. I didn't realize your Pigmy had a two-groove barrel. And your getting those torpedoes to 2000fps! Not too shabby!
There's a very good and logical reason for shortening the 303 Brit case and shortening it that much and that is the Lee Enfield throat likes a goodly long boolit seated right out and that doesn't fit the magazine. Shortening it to that length means the barrel shank is fully removed for a new one to be cut. (One could then lathe turn the chamber, retaining the original neck and throat - if one didn't have a reamer). Personall, I like the long neck. I want to fit a chamber insert into one of my Lee Enfields so as to lengthen the neck only.
Maybe one day./images/emoticons/134.gif
Attached Files
Hey Pete! You finally found us!
Yes, a generous 2 groover. Seems to work OK though. You can borrow the reamers if you so desire.
Cheers from New Zealand
Attached Files
:dude:Thank you kindly. I might just take you up on it! How hard (or easy) is it to make the cases?
I suspect the two-groove is capable of fine accuracy. Mine is pretty good with j-words. Just gotta get it to shoot paper patched!
Cheers
303Guy
Attached Files
Cases are dead easy to make. I have a forming die. Lube them, run them up in maybe 3 progressive strokes and you get a looong neck .303. Trim to length. Outside neck turn to correct thickness. Bingo!
Cheers from New Zealand
Attached Files
Amazing how those 2-groove barrels shoot! had a buddy that had a “jungle carbine” (the only 2-groove one I've ever seen). Bloody thing would shoot factory loads or any good handload into 1.25” @100 yards. There are wallabies in NZ? I thought they were Australian critters? C'orse what do I know? I'me only a dumb Canuk,
Attached Files
Wobblies were introduced here late 1800's for sport. Strangely enough the smaller variety in the North Island is now endangered in native AU and we are SENDING them back!!!
Cheers from New Zealand
Attached Files
Jeff - that is a very interesting ctg.
I made up a similar round, almost identical, back in about 1983, except that mine uses a 1.6” case & a .308” barrel. I used the top 1.5” of a standard .30/06 reamer, so it has a .448” base and .441” shoulder with the attendent long .30/06 neck length. Yours looks quite similar, however the water capacity of mine is 33.0gr. to the bottom of the neck of a shortened and fire formed Fed .303 case.
The reason I built mine was to use the 22” end section of my Palma Trophy Match M70 barrel that was badly worn out after 15,000 rounds. After I cut the barrel, re-threaded and chambered it to a Mauser action, the lands of the 4 groove barrel were starting to be visible ahead of the new chamber. I also found I could use .35 Remington brass iwith a standard 8 Mauser bolt, or .303 brass with a magnum bolt as I had both bolts for that action with identical headspace measurements.
With jacketed bullets, ie: 165gr. Sierra HP, I got 2,465fps, an excellent deer load, my primary goal for the barrel. With light bullets of 110gr. I achieved 2,900fps for shooting rats, while 130gr. ran to 2,650fps & actually shot the best, so far. The heavier 180gr. at just over 2,000fps was a moderate load, not max, but I expect around 2,250fps would be. This is just preliminary load development. Accuracy has been .4” to 1 1/4” depending on bullet and load.
I had just started experimenting with cast bullets, when I needed the action for my Daughter's first rifle. I now have a short, small ring 98 action, probably Mexican that will get that barrel, when I get around to it.
I called my version the .30/03.
I should note there, that the easiest method of making cases, is to shorten a .30/06 die & chamfer the base. I then lube a .303 case and run it into the die, without a neck expander. Trim to length then turn necks and size again with the expander in place & they are ready to load.
This is a 1 step operation without any case loss if new of once fired brass is used.
This thread now has me interested in my .30/03 again. Thanks Jeff. I've a number of .30 cal moulds - just wish it wasn't -30C outside. Bit chilly for casting today.
The 125gr. TNT's haven't been tested yet, but they looks so good, they MUST shoot.
Attached Files
jeff houck
20
Aaron
17
Wilderness
14
Tom Acheson
14
John Carlson
13
sghart3578
10
Spindrift
5
alphabrass
5
SkinnerD
5
cfp4570
5
