.

303 British
The .303 British (designated as the 303 British
.303 British
by the C.I.P.[2] and SAAMI[3]) or 7.7×56mmR,
is a .303-inch (7.7 mm) calibre rimmed tapered
bottleneck centerfire 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.

It was first manufactured in Britain as a stop-

gap black powder round put into service in
December 1888 for the Lee–Metford rifle.
From 1891 the cartridge used smokeless
powder which had been the intention from the
outset, but the decision on which smokeless
powder to adopt had been delayed.[4] It was the
standard British and Commonwealth military
cartridge for rifles and machine guns from
1889 until it was replaced by the 7.62×51mm
NATO[2] in the 1950s.
Left to right: .303 British, 6.5×50mmSR Arisaka and
.30-06 Springfield ballistic tip ammunition

Cartridge specifications Type Rifle

Place of origin United Kingdom
The .303 British has a 3.64 mL (56 gr H2O) Service history
cartridge case capacity. The pronounced In service 1889–present
tapering exterior shape of the case was
Used by United Kingdom and many
designed to promote reliable case feeding and
other countries
extraction in bolt-action rifles and machine
Wars Second Boer War
guns alike, under challenging conditions.
Boxer Rebellion
World War I
Various Colonial conflicts
Irish War of Independence
Irish Civil War
World War II
Indonesian National
Revolution
Indo-Pakistani Wars
 Greek Civil War
Malayan Emergency
French Indochina War
Korean War
Arab–Israeli War
Suez Crisis
Mau Mau Uprising
Portuguese Colonial War
Sino-Indian War
Vietnam War
Bangladesh Liberation War
Soviet invasion of
Afghanistan
Nepalese Civil War
Afghanistan conflict
Production history
Produced 1889–present
Specifications
Case type Rimmed, tapered,
bottleneck
Bullet diameter 7.92 mm (0.312 in)
Land diameter 7.70 mm (0.303 in)
Neck diameter 8.64 mm (0.340 in)
Shoulder diameter 10.19 mm (0.401 in)
Base diameter 11.68 mm (0.460 in)
Rim diameter 13.72 mm (0.540 in)
Rim thickness 1.63 mm (0.064 in)
Case length 56.44 mm (2.222 in)
Overall length 78.11 mm (3.075 in)
Case capacity 3.64 cm3 (56.2 gr H2O)
Rifling twist 254 mm (1-10 in)
Primer type Large rifle
Maximum pressure 365.00 MPa (52,939 psi)
(C.I.P.)
Maximum pressure 337.84 MPa (49,000 psi)
(SAAMI)
Maximum CUP 45,000 CUP
Ballistic performance

Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy

150 gr (10 g) SP 844 m/s (2,770 ft/s) 3,463 J (2,554 ft⋅lbf)
 174 gr (11 g) HPBT 761 m/s (2,500 ft/s) 3,265 J (2,408 ft⋅lbf)
180 gr (12 g) SP 783 m/s (2,570 ft/s) 3,574 J (2,636 ft⋅lbf)

Test barrel length: 24 in (610 mm)

Source(s): Accurate Powder[1]

.303 British maximum C.I.P. cartridge dimensions. All sizes in

millimeters (mm).

Americans would define the shoulder angle at alpha/2 ≈ 17 degrees. The common rifling twist rate for
this cartridge is 254 mm (10.0 in), 5 grooves, Ø lands = 7.70 millimetres (0.303 in), Ø grooves = 7.92
millimetres (0.312 in), land width = 2.12 millimetres (0.083 in) and the primer type is Berdan or Boxer
(in large rifle size).

According to official rulings of the Commission internationale permanente pour l'épreuve des armes à feu
portatives (CIP), the .303 British can handle up to 3,650 bars (365.0 MPa; 52,940 psi) Pmax piezo
pressure.[5] In CIP-regulated countries every rifle cartridge combo has to be proofed at 125% of this
maximum CIP pressure to certify for sale to consumers.[2] This means that .303 British chambered arms
in CIP-regulated countries are, as of 2023, proof tested at 4,562 bars (456.2 MPa; 66,170 psi) PE piezo
pressure.

The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI) maximum average pressure
(MAP) for this cartridge is 49,000 psi (338 MPa) piezo pressure (45,000 CUP).[6]

The measurement .303 inches (7.7 mm) is the nominal size of the bore measured between the lands which
follows the older black powder nomenclature. Measured between the grooves, the nominal size of the
bore is .311 inches (7.9 mm). Bores for many .303 military surplus rifles are often found ranging from
around .309 to .318 inches (7.8–8.1 mm). Recommended bullet diameter for standard .303 British
cartridges is .312 inches (7.9 mm).[7]

Military use

History and development

During a service life of over 70 years with the British Commonwealth armed forces, the .303-inch
(7.7 mm) cartridge in its ball pattern progressed through ten marks, eventually extending to about 26
variations.[8] The bolt thrust of the .303 British is relatively low compared to many other service rounds
used in the early 20th century.

Propellant
The original .303 British service cartridge employed black powder as a propellant, and was adopted for
the Lee–Metford rifle, which had rifling designed to lessen fouling from this propellant, which replaced
the Martini-Henry rifle in 1888. Some Martini-Henrys were rebarrelled to use the new .303 as the
"Martini–Metford".

The Lee–Metford was used as a trial platform by the British Committee on Explosives to experiment with
many different smokeless powders then coming to market, including Ballistite, Cordite, and
Rifleite.[9][10][11] Ballistite was a stick-type smokeless powder composed of soluble nitrocellulose and
nitroglycerine.[11] Cordite was a stick-type or 'chopped' smokeless gunpowder composed of
nitroglycerine, gun-cotton, and mineral jelly, while Rifleite was a true nitrocellulose powder, composed of
soluble and insoluble nitrocellulose, phenyl amidazobense, and volatiles similar to French smokeless
powders.[10][11] Unlike Cordite, Rifleite was a flake powder, and contained no nitroglycerine.[11]
Excessive wear of the shallow Metford rifling with all smokeless powders then available caused ordnance
authorities to institute a new type of barrel rifling designed by the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield,
to increase barrel life; the redesigned rifle introduced in 1895 as the Lee–Enfield.[9] After extensive
testing, the Committee on Explosives selected Cordite for use in the Mark II .303 British service
cartridge.[9]

Projectile
The initial .303 Mark I and Mk II service cartridges used a 215-grain (13.9 g), round-nosed, copper-
nickel full metal jacketed bullet with a lead core. After tests determined that the service bullet had too
thin a jacket when used with cordite, the Mk II bullet was introduced, with a flat base and thicker copper-
nickel jacket.[12]

Mark II – Mark VI
The Mk II round-nosed bullet was found to be unsatisfactory when used in combat, particularly when
compared to the "dum-dum" expanding bullet rounds issued in limited numbers in 1897 during the
Chitral and Tirah expeditions of 1897–98 on the North West Frontier of India.[12] This led to the 1898
introduction of the Cartridge S.A. ball .303 inch Cordite Mark III, basically the original 215-grain (13.9
g) bullet with the jacketing cut back to expose the lead in the nose.[12][13] The Mk III load, however, was
almost immediately withdrawn as a result of production issues leading to the introduction of the similar
Mk IV hollow-point loading in February of the next year, which was put into mass production in Britain,
Canada and New Zealand.[13] Following the pivotal Battle of Omdurman of the Mahdist War, Major
Mathias of the Royal Army Medical Corps observed a young man who had been struck twice by Mark IV
bullets:
 He had a bullet wound of the left leg above the knee. The
wound entrance was clean cut and very small. The projectile had
struck the Femur, just above the internal condyle; the whole of
the lower end of this bone, and upper end of the Tibia, were
shattered to pieces, the knee joint being completely
disorganised.

He had also been wounded in the right shoulder... The whole of

the shoulder joint and scapular [sic] were shattered to pieces. In
neither case was there any sign of a wound of exit.

The design of the Mk IV hollow-point bullet shifted bullet weight

rearwards, improving stability and accuracy over the regular round-nose
bullet.[12] These soft-nosed and hollow-point bullets, while effective
Longitudinal section of Mk against human targets, had a tendency to shed the outer metal jacket upon
VI ammunition 1904, firing; the latter occasionally stuck in the bore, causing a dangerous
showing the round nose
obstruction.[12] This was addressed by the introduction of a revised Mk V
bullet
loading later in October (controversially so, as by August the Hague
Convention had already made the military implementation of such
expanding bullets illegal) identical to the Mark IV round apart from the addition of 2% antimony to the
lead core and an additional 1.3 mm in length.[13]

The concern about expanding bullets was brought up at the Hague Convention of 1899 by Swiss and
Dutch representatives. The Swiss were concerned about small arms ammunition that "increased
suffering", and the Dutch focused on the British Mark III .303 loading in response to their treatment of
Boer settlers in South Africa. The British and American defence was that they should not focus on
specific bullet designs, like hollow-points, but instead on rounds that caused "superfluous injury". The
parties in the end agreed to abstain from using expanding bullets.[12] With the use of expanding bullets
against signatories of the convention deemed inhumane, the Mk III, Mk IV, and Mk V were withdrawn
from active service. The remaining stocks (over 45 million rounds) were used for target practice. The
Mark III and other expanding versions of the .303 were not issued during the Second Boer War (1899–
1902). Boer guerrillas allegedly used expanding hunting ammunition against the British during the war,
and New Zealand Commonwealth troops may have brought Mark III rounds with them privately after the
Hague Convention without authorization.[14]

To replace the Mk III, IV, and V, the Mark VI round was introduced in 1904, using a round nose bullet
similar to the Mk II, but with a thinner jacket designed to produce some expansion, though this proved
not to be the case.[15][16]

Mark VII
In 1898, Atelier de Construction de Puteaux (APX), with their "Balle D" design for the 8×50mmR Lebel
cartridge, revolutionised bullet design with the introduction of pointed "spitzer" rounds. In addition to
being pointed, the bullet was also much lighter in order to deliver a higher muzzle velocity. It was found
that as velocity increased the bullets suddenly became much more deadly.[17]
In 1910, the British took the opportunity to replace their Mk VI cartridge
with a more modern design. The Mark VII loading used a 174 gr (11.28 g)
pointed bullet with a flat-base. The .303 British Mark VII cartridge was
loaded with 37 gr (2.40 g) of Cordite MDT 5-2 (cordite MD pressed into
tubes) and had a muzzle velocity of 2,440 ft/s (744 m/s) and a maximum
range of approximately 3,000 yd (2,700 m).[4][18][19] The Mk VII was
different from earlier .303 bullet designs or spitzer projectiles in general.
Although it appears to be a conventional spitzer-shape full metal jacket
bullet, this appearance is deceptive: its designers made the front third of
the interior of the Mk 7 bullets out of aluminium (from Canada) or tenite
(cellulosic plastic), wood pulp or compressed paper, instead of lead and
they were autoclaved to prevent wound infection. This lighter nose shifted
the centre of gravity of the bullet towards the rear, making it tail heavy.
Although the bullet was stable in flight due to the gyroscopic forces
imposed on it by the rifling of the barrel, it behaved very differently upon Longitudinal section of Mk
hitting the target. As soon as the bullet hit the target and decelerated, its VII ammunition circa 1915,
heavier lead base caused it to pitch violently and deform, thereby showing the "tail heavy"
inflicting more severe gunshot wounds than a standard single-core spitzer design
design. [20] The Mk VII bullet was considered to be in compliance of the
Hague Convention as its metal jacket completely covered the cores. The
convention only prohibited "the use of bullets which can easily expand or change their form inside the
human body such as bullets with a hard covering which does not completely cover the core...".[21] It was
noted by German Professor K. Stargardt in December 1914 that the Mk VII bullet would routinely
"...disintegrate on the lightest contact with a firm body, such as a bone," resulting in an "explosive effect,"
and leaving artillery-like fragmentation in the body.[22][a]

The Mk VIIz (and later Mk VIIIz) rounds have versions utilizing 41 gr (2.66 g) Dupont No. 16 single-base
smokeless powder based on nitrocellulose flake shaped propellants. The nitrocellulose versions—first
introduced in World War I—were designated with a "z" postfix indicated after the type (e.g. Mark VIIz,
with a bullet weight of 175 gr (11.34 g)) and in headstamps.[25]

.276 Enfield
.303 British cartridges, along with the Lee–Enfield rifle, were heavily criticized after the Second Boer
War. Their heavy round-nosed bullets had low muzzle velocities and suffered compared to the 7×57mm
rounds fired from the Mauser Model 1895. The high-velocity 7×57mm had a flatter trajectory and longer
range that excelled on the open country of the South African plains. In 1910, work began on a long-range
replacement cartridge, which emerged in 1912 as the .276 Enfield. The British also sought to replace the
Lee–Enfield rifle with the Pattern 1913 Enfield rifle, based on the Mauser M98 bolt action design.
Although the round had better ballistics, troop trials in 1913 revealed problems including excessive
recoil, muzzle flash, barrel wear and overheating. Attempts were made to find a cooler-burning
propellant, but further trials were halted in 1914 by the onset of World War I. As a result, the Lee–Enfield
rifle was retained, and the .303 British cartridge (with the improved Mark VII loading) was kept in
service.[26]

Mark VIIIz
In 1938 the Mark VIIIz "streamline ammunition" round was approved to obtain greater range from the
Vickers machine gun.[27] The streamlined bullet was based on the 7.5×55mm Swiss GP11 projectiles and
slightly longer and heavier than the Mk VII bullet at 175 gr (11.34 g), the primary difference was the
addition of a boat tail at the end of the bullet and using 37 to 41 gr (2.40 to 2.66 g) of nitrocellulose
smokeless powder as propellant in the case of the Mk VIIIz, giving a muzzle velocity of 2,525 ft/s
(770 m/s). As a result, the chamber pressure was higher, at 40,000 to 42,000 psi (275.8 to 289.6 MPa),
depending upon loading, compared to the 39,000 psi (268.9 MPa) of the Mark VII(z) round.[28][29] The
Mark VIIIz streamline ammunition had a maximum range of approximately 4,500 yd (4,115 m).[30] Mk
VIIIz ammunition was described as being for "All suitably-sighted .303-inch small arms and machine
guns" – rifles and Bren guns were proofed at 50,000 psi (344.7 MPa) – but caused significant bore
erosion in weapons formerly using Mk VII ammunition, ascribed to the channelling effect of the boat-tail
projectile. As a result, it was prohibited from general use with rifles and light machine guns except when
low flash was important and in emergencies.[31] As a consequence of the official prohibition, ordnance
personnel reported that every man who could get his hands on Mk VIIIz ammunition promptly used it in
his own rifle.[27]

Tracer, armour-piercing and incendiary

Tracer and armour-piercing cartridges were introduced during 1915, with explosive Pomeroy bullets
introduced as the Mark VII.Y in 1916.

Several incendiaries were privately developed from 1914 to counter the Zeppelin threat but none were
approved until the Brock design late in 1916 as BIK Mark VII.K[32] Wing Commander Frank Brock
RNVR, its inventor, was a member of the Brock fireworks-making family. Anti-zeppelin missions
typically used machine guns loaded with a mixture of Brock bullets containing potassium chlorate,
Pomeroy bullets containing dynamite, and Buckingham bullets containing pyrophoric yellow
phosphorus.[33] A later incendiary was known as the de Wilde, which had the advantage of leaving no
visible trail when fired. The de Wilde was later used in some numbers in fighter guns during the 1940
Battle of Britain.[34]

These rounds were extensively developed over the years and saw several Mark numbers. The last tracer
round introduced into British service was the G Mark 8 in 1945, the last armour-piercing round was the
W Mark 1Z in 1945 and the last incendiary round was the B Mark 7 in 1942. Explosive bullets were not
produced in the UK after 1933 due to the relatively small amount of explosive that could be contained in
the bullet, limiting their effectiveness, their role being taken by the use of Mark 6 and 7 incendiary
bullets.

In 1935, the .303 O Mark 1 Observing round was introduced for use in machine guns. The bullet to this
round was designed to break up with a puff of smoke on impact. The later Mark 6 and 7 incendiary
rounds could also be used in this role.

During World War I British factories alone produced 7,000,000,000 rounds of .303 ammunition. Factories
in other countries added greatly to this total.[35]

Pencils
Spent .303 cartridges were used to make cases of the bullet pencils included in some of the Princess Mary
Christmas gift boxes given to troops in World War 1.[36]
Headstamps and colour-coding

.303 British Cartridge (Mk VII),

manufactured by CAC in 1945

Five-round charger ready to be loaded in a Lee–

Enfield No. 4 Mk 2 rifle

Primer annulus Bullet tip

Headstamp ID Other features Functional type
colour colour

VII or VIIZ Purple None None Ball

VIIIZ Purple None None Ball

G1, G2, G3, G7
Red None None Tracer
or G8

G4, G4Z, G6 or
Red White None Tracer
G6Z

G5 or G5Z Red Grey None Tracer

W1 or W1Z Green None None Armour-piercing

Semi-armour piercing
VIIF or VIIFZ None None None
(1916–1918)

Semi-armour piercing
F1 Green None None
(1941)
B4 or B4Z Blue None Step in bullet jacket Incendiary

B6 or B6Z Blue None None Incendiary

B7 or B7Z Blue Blue None Incendiary

O.1 Black Black None Observing

PG1 or PG1Z Red None Blue band on case base Practice-tracer

H1Z None None Front half of case blackened Grenade discharger

 H2 None None Entire case blackened Grenade discharger
Case blackened 3⁄4 in
H4 None None Grenade discharger
(19 mm) from each end

Grenade discharger
H7Z None None Rear half of case blackened
(v.powerful load)

Japanese 7.7 mm ammunition

Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service adopted Ro-Go Ko-gata
seaplane armed with a .303 MG in 1918, and the calibre was
common on surplus Entente aircraft acquired by the Imperial
Japanese Army Air Service after WWI, so its usage continued
during the Interbellum, and on naval aircraft even throughout
WWII. Japan produced a number of machine guns that were direct
copies of the British Lewis (Japanese Type 92 machine gun) and
Vickers machine guns as well as ammunition for them. The
7.7 mm cartridge used by the Japanese versions of the British guns
is a direct copy of the .303 British (7.7×56mmR) rimmed cartridge
and is distinctly different from the 7.7×58mm Arisaka rimless and
7.7×58mm Type 92 semi-rimmed cartridges used in other
Japanese machine guns and rifles.[37]

Ball: 174 grains (11.3 g). Cupro-nickel jacket with a

composite aluminium/lead core. Black primer. Cutaways of the five types of
ammunition produced in Japan
Armour-piercing.: Brass jacket with a steel core. White
primer.
Tracer: 130 grains (8.4 g). Cupro-nickel jacket with a lead core. Red primer.
Incendiary: 133 grains (8.6 g). Brass jacket with white phosphorus and lead core. Green
primer.
H.E.: Copper jacket with a PETN and lead core. Purple primer.
Note: standard Japanese ball ammunition was very similar to the British Mk 7 cartridge. The two had
identical bullet weights and a "tail-heavy" design, as can be seen in the cut-away diagram.

Civilian use
The .303 cartridge has seen much sporting use with surplus military rifles, especially in Australia,
Canada, New Zealand, and to a lesser extent in the United States and South Africa. In Canada, it was
found to be adequate for any game. In Australia, it was common for military rifles to be re-barrelled in
.303/25 and .303/22. However the .303 round still retains a considerable following as a game cartridge for
all game species, especially Sambar deer in wooded country. A change.org petition asking Lithgow Arms
to chamber the LA102 centrefire rifle in .303 as a special edition release has attracted considerable
attention both in Australia and worldwide. In South Africa, .303 Lee–Enfield rifles captured by the Boers
during the Boer War were adapted for sporting purposes and became popular with many hunters of non-
dangerous game, being regarded as adequate for anything from the relatively small impala to the massive
eland and kudu.[38]
Commercial ammunition
The .303 British is one of the few (along with the .22 Hornet, .30-
30 Winchester, and 7.62×54mmR) bottlenecked rimmed centrefire
rifle cartridges still in common use today. Most of the bottleneck
rimmed cartridges of the late 1880s and 1890s fell into disuse by
the end of the First World War. Commercial ammunition for
weapons chambered in .303 British is readily available, as the
cartridge is still manufactured by major producers such as
Remington, Federal, Winchester, Sellier & Bellot, Denel-PMP,
Commercial soft point .303 British
Prvi Partizan and Wolf. Commercially produced ammunition is
loaded in a Lee–Enfield five-round
widely available in various full metal jacket bullet, soft point, charger.
hollow point, flat-based and boat tail designs, both spitzer and
round-nosed.

Hunting use
The .303 British cartridge is suitable for all medium-sized game and is an
excellent choice for whitetail deer and black bear hunting. In Canada it was a
popular moose and deer cartridge when military surplus rifles were available and
cheap; it is still used. The .303 British can offer very good penetrating ability
due to a fast twist rate that enables it to fire long, heavy bullets with a high
sectional density. Canadian Rangers use it for survival and polar bear protection.
In 2015, the Canadian Rangers began the process to evaluate rifles chambered
for .308 Winchester. The Canadian Department of National Defence has since
replaced the previously issued Lee–Enfield No. 4 rifles with the Colt Canada
C19 chambered as evaluated in 7.62×51mm NATO/.308 Winchester.[39]
Civilian soft point
.303 ammunition,
Rounds developed from .303 suitable for hunting
purposes.

Pre-WWI sporting rounds

During the 1890s, Scottish gunsmith Daniel Fraser developed a rimless version of the cartridge known as
".303 Fraser Velox" or ".303 Fraser Rimless", loaded with a bullet of his own oblique ratchet design to
enhance expansion which was patented in 1897[40][41][42] The bullet was also used in a proprietary
loading of .303 British marketed as ".303 Fraser Flanged".[43]

Proprietary loadings of .303 British include the ".303 Marksman" by Eley Brothers from before 1908.[44]
and ".303 Swift" from before 1911.[45]

In 1899, the British service round was lengthened and necked-out to create the .375 Flanged Nitro
Express hunting cartridge for single-shot and double rifles. Around 1905, it was necked down back to
create .375/303 Westley Richards Accelerated Express.

Post-1917 military experiments

In 1917, design work started on a more powerful military cartridge of the same calibre and overall length.
In 1918 it was planned that the new round, also retaining the old rim diameter, would be used in
rechambered P14 rifles with AP rounds to defeat German targets on the battlefield of WWI as well as in
the RAF in modified Lewis gun. The cartridge was "produced in quantity" but not adopted formally. The
case was 62mm long with the bullet (a Ball Mark VII or Mark VIIW) set deep within to keep overall
length down. The ordinary round was designated "Cartridge S.A. ball .303 inch Rimless" despite the fact
that it retained headspacing on its rim and was semi-rimmed.[46] It is better known today under names
like ".303 Lewis Semi-Rimmed".

Post-1945 Australian wildcats

After WWII, Australians found themselves with quite a few .303" service rifles but at the same time new
legal restrictions on military ammunition, which led to development of many wildcat rounds,[47] the best-
known of which are .303/25 and .303/22.

Post-1945 South African developments

In parallel to Australia, the same wildcatting was happening in other countries of the Commonwealth, and
in 1969 Pretoria Metal Pressings started factory production of a .303 necked down to 6 mm (.243") under
the name of 6 mm Musgrave.[48]

.303 Epps
Canadian Ellwood Epps, founder of Epps Sporting Goods, created an improved version of the .303
British. It has better ballistic performance than the standard .303 British cartridge. This is accomplished
by increasing the shoulder angle from 16 to 35 degrees, and reducing the case taper from .062 inches
(1.6 mm) to .009 inches (0.23 mm). These changes increase the case's internal volume by approximately
9%. The increased shoulder angle and reduced case taper eliminate the drooping shoulders of the original
.303 British case, which, combined with reaming the chamber to .303 Epps, improves case life.[49]

Firearms chambered in .303 British

1885 Courteney Stalking Rifle
Bren light machine gun
Browning Model 1919 machine gun aircraft version
BSA Autorifle
Canadian Ross Rifle Mk I through III
Caldwell machine gun
Charlton Automatic Rifle
Darne machine gun
Farquharson rifle
Globco Mohawk 555
Hotchkiss .303 Mk I & I*
Huot automatic rifle
Jungle carbine
 Lee–Enfield rifle
Lee–Metford rifle
Lewis gun
McCrudden light machine rifle
Martini–Enfield rifle
P14 rifle
Parker Hale Sporter Rifle
Ruger No. 1
Thorneycroft carbine
Vickers-Berthier light machine gun
Vickers machine gun
Vickers K machine gun
Winchester Model 1895

See also
7 mm caliber (overview of cartridges)
7.65×53mm Mauser
8×59mm Rb Breda
British military rifles
List of rifle cartridges
List of rimmed cartridges
Table of handgun and rifle cartridges
.303 Magnum
.303 Savage

Notes
a. This performance is very similar to many more modern military bullet designs, such as the
5.56mm M193 bullet, the 5.56mm M855 bullet, the 5.56mm M855A1 bullet, the 7.62mm
DM111 bullet, and the 7.62mm M80A1 bullet, which are designed to break apart at the
crimp cannelure and fragment.[23][24] The M855A1 and M80A1 bullet designs have a dual
core construction.[24]

References
1. ".303 British" (https://web.archive.org/web/20081230110406/http://www.accuratepowder.co
m/data/PerCaliber2Guide/Rifle/Standarddata%28Rifle%29/311Cal%287.90mm%29/303%2
0British%20pages%20282%20and%20283.pdf) (PDF). Accurate Powder. Archived from the
original (http://www.accuratepowder.com/data/PerCaliber2Guide/Rifle/Standarddata(Rifle)/3
11Cal(7.90mm)/303%20British%20pages%20282%20and%20283.pdf) (PDF) on 30
December 2008.
2. C.I.P. TDCC datasheet 303 British (https://bobp.cip-bobp.org/uploads/tdcc/tab-ii/tabiical-en-p
age74.pdf)
 3. "SAAMI Drawing 303 British" (https://web.archive.org/web/20141225231536/http://www.saa
mi.org/PubResources/CC_Drawings/Rifle/303%20British.pdf) (PDF). Archived from the
original (http://www.saami.org/PubResources/CC_Drawings/Rifle/303%20British.pdf) (PDF)
on 25 December 2014. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
4. David Cushman. "History of the .303 British Calibre Service Ammunition Round" (http://www.
dave-cushman.net/shot/303hist.html).
5. "CIP - 303 British" (https://bobp.cip-bobp.org/uploads/tdcc/tab-ii/tabiical-en-page74.pdf)
(PDF). bobp.cip-bobp.org. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
6. ANSI/SAAMI Velocity & Pressure Data: Centerfire Rifle (http://www.saami.org/specifications
_and_information/specifications/Velocity_Pressure_CfR.pdf) Archived (https://web.archive.or
g/web/20130702015600/http://saami.org/specifications_and_information/specifications/Velo
city_Pressure_CfR.pdf) 2 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine
7. Hornady Handbook of Cartridge Reloading, Rifle-Pistol, Third Edition, Hornady
Manufacturing Company, 1980, 1985, pp. 253–254.
8. Temple, B. A., Identification Manual of the .303 British Service Cartridge - No: 1 - BALL
AMMUNITION, Don Finlay (Printer 1986), p. 1. ISBN 0-9596677-2-5
9. Chisholm, Hugh, Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.), New York: The Encyclopædia
Britannica Co., Vol. 23, (1911) p. 327
10. Sanford, Percy Gerald, Nitro-explosives: a Practical treatise Concerning the Properties,
Manufacture, and Analysis of Nitrated Substances, London: Crosby Lockwood & Son (1896)
pp. 166-173, 179
11. Walke, Willoughby (Lt.), Lectures on Explosives: A Course of Lectures Prepared Especially
as a Manual and Guide in the Laboratory of the U.S. Artillery School, J. Wiley & Sons (1897)
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19. The Vickers Machine Gun Range Tables (https://vickersmg.blog/manual/range-tables/)
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uth.com/the-box-o-truth-37-the-deadly-303-british-and-the-box-o-truth/). 13 June 2014.
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1 p. 40: There appear to have been two distinct loadings of the Mark VIII cartridge: one
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External links
"Photos of the contents of different .303 British cartridges" (https://web.archive.org/web/201
40407094702/http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/edu30.htm). Box of Truth website. 13 June
2014. Archived from the original (http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/edu30.htm) on 7 April
2014. Retrieved 13 October 2007.
"Photo of Sellier & Bellot 150 gr (9.7 g) .303 British soft-point fired into ballistic gelatin (bullet
travelled right to left)" (https://web.archive.org/web/20081219112454/http://www.brassfetche
r.com/Sellier%20%26%20Bellot%20150gr%20Soft-point.html). Archived from the original (ht
tp://www.brassfetcher.com/Sellier%20&%20Bellot%20150gr%20Soft-point.html) on 19
December 2008. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
"Photos of various different types of .303 ammunition" (https://web.archive.org/web/2020111
2015356/http://www.conjay.com/Ammunition%20for%20Armor%20Testing%20WW2%2030
3.htm). Archived from the original (http://www.conjay.com/Ammunition%20for%20Armor%20
Testing%20WW2%20303.htm) on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2007.
"Africa" (https://web.archive.org/web/20060314115906/http://www.cybertorpedo.com/african
hunter/firearms/303_british_rifle_01.htm). Sniper Central. Archived from the original (http://w
ww.cybertorpedo.com/africanhunter/firearms/303_british_rifle_01.htm) on 14 March 2006.
".303 British" (http://www.303british.com). 303british.com.
David Cushman. "Headstamps of various .303 ammunition producers" (http://www.dave-cus
hman.net/shot/303headstamps.html).
7,7 x 56 R Tipo 89 Giapponese (http://www.worldwar.it/sito/munizioni/giapponesi/77-x-56-r-ti
po-89-giapponese)
 C.I.P. TDCC datasheet .303 British (http://www.cip-bobp.org/homologation/uploads/tdcc/tab-i
i/tabiical-en-page74.pdf) (PDF)
SAAMI Drawing 303 British (https://web.archive.org/web/20141225231536/http://www.saam
i.org/PubResources/CC_Drawings/Rifle/303%20British.pdf) (PDF)
.303 Rimless (https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30026287)
THE OTHER .303 CARTRIDGES (https://www.acant.org.au/Articles/Other303Cartridges.ht
ml)

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