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The .303 British Round

Mk. VII .303 round, Pakistan Ordnance Factory, 1964

The .303 round was first adopted in 1889 as ammunition for the Lee Metford Rifle. This was black powder cartridge. In 1892 a Cordite propelled round was first issued. This more powerful cartridge exposed some flaws in the Lee-Metford, and was one of the factors that spurred the development of the Lee Enfield.

Early bullets of the Mk. I and Mk. III were 215 grain round nosed. In 1897 some soft point rounds from the "Dum Dum" ammunition factory in India appeared. These were quite potent, and as such were adopted with hollow points as the Mk. III round. The Hauge convention declared these illegal, so the round was phased out of service. The Mk. VI round was similar to the Mk. II, only with a thinner jacket.

The 174 grain Mk. VII bullet, adopted in 1910, featured a pointed bullet. Changing from a round nosed bullet to a pointed bullet was the trend in military ammunition at this time. The Mk. VII round was the final evolution of the .303 cartridge and remained in service until the 1970s.