Jim Gordon Posted 10 December , 2003 Share Posted 10 December , 2003 It has always seemed odd to me that the calibre of British SAA in WW1 (and for that matter in WW2) was .303". Why such a calibre and taken to the third decimal place to boot ? What was the tolerance on this dimension (I know that normal standard tolerance on any machined part is +/- 0.005") ? If the latter applied then a Rifle with a barrel of diameter .298 " could be faced with a round of diameter .308" Regards Jim Gordon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David E I Jones Posted 10 December , 2003 Share Posted 10 December , 2003 Jim No really answering your question but from memory as I’m stuck at work away from my books: The .303 cartridge was introduced in 1888 originally with a black powder charge. Cordite came in by the 1890’s I think. The .303 replaced the .450 Martini-Henry. There was a push to produce smaller calibre, higher velocity rounds throughout Europe at this time. The advantage being flatter trajectory and better rounds to weight ratio. The same rational was used when we went from 7.62 to .223 NATO, oh and something about standardisation! Why .303 I’m not 100% sure sat here but I think it was an existing known diameter. Will check that. As for size tolerances I need my reloading data book, will check later. That’s all my poor brain can pull out for now. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now