FN 51 .303 'Bren' ammo

[drweiler]

Available at our Crossroads Gun Show tomorrow in Phoenix, 20 round boxs, no chargers, $5 (25 cents a round) a box. Assume corrosive/berdan, but good ammo/price? Comments? Thanks, Don

[krinko]

It is corrosive and if you can get it to go off, then you might worry about that. I have had 1950 and 1951 lots and none of it would fire, no matter how clean it seemed. Pulled bullets and powder to reload my own cases and this worked well enough---the powder was still good.
The bullet is .310" above the cannelure and .313" below the cannelure, for some reason---this is similar to French Balle N, as opposed to the regular MoD pattern, a nominal .310" overall.
I have some FNB .303 of the same pattern but later date (1986), which is not corrosive and reliably primed...the bullet performs well out of every type of barrel I have tried.
-----krinko

[drweiler]

Thanks for the input Krinko, your experience worse than click-bang POF! Anybody out there had a better experience? Cheers, Don

[Art]

the FN I've shot (60's vintage) has been reliable. Of course I haven't shot all of it. Originally the difference between machine gun ammo and rifle ammo was the powder but I doubt that's an issue with the FN stuff.

[C5M1]

Still have 5 bandoleers of FN 51, The best ammo ever run thru my no 4's bar none. Berdan primed, not sure if corrosive or not, always cleaned as corosive when not sure. Mine came in bando's and stripper clips. Haven't shot any of it for several yrs, should try a few rounds to make sure its still good. Guess it all depends on storage conditions.

Let us know how it works if'n ya get some.


regards, dennis

[John Sukey]

Actualy the only difference between machine gun ammo and rifle ammo is the bullet, not the powder. Mk7 has a flat based bullet and Mk8 has a boat tail. MV is about the same, but the boat tail results in longer range. Either round can be used in a rifle, and MK8z was authorized for use in a rifle when muzzle flash was something to condsider.
Mk7 was cordite, Mk7z was flake powder.

[NuJudge]

I still have a lot of 1950 FN .303, with the boxes marked that it was for Bren guns. Mine shoots just fine. I've always guessed it was corrosive and water cleaned. If you have Berdan primers, the cases reload nicely.

CDD

[Art]

Actualy the only difference between machine gun ammo and rifle ammo is the bullet, not the powder. Mk7 has a flat based bullet and Mk8 has a boat tail. MV is about the same, but the boat tail results in longer range. Either round can be used in a rifle, and MK8z was authorized for use in a rifle when muzzle flash was something to condsider.
Mk7 was cordite, Mk7z was flake powder.

It was my understanding that MK VIIIz machine gun ammo was loaded with nitrocellulose powder instead of cordite sticks, is this incorrect? I have shot some Mk VIIIz and the stuff has some real snap to it too.

I also understand that eventually all .303 military ammo was loaded with nitro cellulose but that the change didn't occur until well after World War II.

[John Sukey]

Yes, but Mk7z was also loaded with nitrocellulose powder.

[John Sukey]

Just a bit of an add, you can change a machine gun barrel in less than a minute, but a rifle barrel is quite another matter.