.303 FNB 81 ammo good find?

[drweiler]

Picked up 450 rounds with that head stamp at the Phoenix Cross Roads Show today. Beautiful condition in paper boxes marked: 100 CART. .303 BALL-ORDIN. One internet search says it is 174 GR. MK V11? Berdan? Corrosive? Thanks for any comment, hoping the blind squirrel got lucky again. Cheers, Don

[Sunray]

FNB is Fabrique Nationale Herstal, Herstal, Belgium. Berdan primed, but not corrosive.

[Art]

I shot a good bit of the older version of this ammo. Very good stuff.

[drweiler]

Thank you gentlemen. I assume '81' was year of manufacture. Seems very late for .303 service unless perhaps for Brens still in service? Cheers, Don

[Art]

Thank you gentlemen. I assume '81' was year of manufacture. Seems very late for .303 service unless perhaps for Brens still in service? Cheers, Don

I still have some 1980s Winchester .303 ball in plain white boxes. I assume that it and your FN was made for those countries in the "third world" that still had rifles in that caliber in use at least in reserve. I still see occassional pictures and videos from Africa where some local constable or game warden still has some variety of Lee Enfield and I assume the ammo you have was originally destined for them.

[drweiler]

Good assumption Art. I worked in Kenya for 14 years. Right up till I left in 99, the Kenyan Wildlife Service (park rangers) were armed with No.4's and 5's, certainly left over from colonial times when it was British East Africa. Cheers, Don

[Sunray]

"...assume '81' was year of manufacture..." Yep. Saw some 1985 FNB ammo for sale when I was rummaging around. Isn't unusual. The CF was buying IVI .303 Ball for Army Cadet use. Reliable stuff, but not very accurate. The 1944 vintage DA we got in the early 80's was far better.