45/70 & 30-30 with BP

Sporting and military

The 30/30 was the first smokeless rifle cartridge. The 30/40 Krag was the first smokless rifle cartridge to be used by the US military.
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Yep. The 30-30 was the first smokeless cartridge for sporting use (as opposed to military use.). The 30-40 Krag, however, was offered for sporting use in 1893 when Winchester chambered its High Wall single shot for the cartridge.
The Germans had the 7X57 Mauser in 1892....another military smokeless use.

Over the years, on this and other fora, a number of shooters have investigated loading the .30-30 with BP, as well as the .30-06 and other cartridges. The results have never been impressive though the process itself is simple enough....fill the case with as much BP as it will hold and still allow a bullet to be seated and the powder compressed slightly. Enjoy.
Pete
 
The Germans had the 7X57 Mauser in 1892....another military smokeless use.
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But not by the Germans. THEY got the 8x57 in 1888, playing catchup with the French 8mm Lebel. Spain and Latin America were the main customers for the 7x57. Turkey and Belgium had been buying 7.65x53 before that.
 
AFAIK the 30-30 was designed from the start as a smokeless powder cartridge, the 32 Winchester Special was designed to be sold as factory reloaded smokeless round that could then be reloaded with black powder.
 
The earliest .303 Brit ammo are WWII ...I knew of or have fired were filled with coordite sticks...anyone know the circa of these sticks with steel jacketed bullets? As the ones I have are marked K 1941 ...
 
I don't have the literature handy, but .303 went from compressed black to Cordite very early on, late 1880s, maybe. It was erosive so they went from Metford to Enfield rifling and to Cordite MD (MoDified or maybe ModifieD) with more nitrocellulose and less nitroglycerine.
The Mk VII spitzer bullet replaced various roundnose and Dervish Stomping hollowpoints before WW I and stayed in use as long as the .303 was on issue, along with AP and some boattail types.
They used Cordite MD for a long long time, too. You will see ammunition with a Z in the headstamp or box label indicating straight nitrocellulose powder, too.
 
Thanks Jim .. wish I could het my hands on more for what I got this for ... that cordite shoots and packs a whollop... Lee Enfield was one of the fastest cycling and accurate bolt action military rifles made ... and mine still is ;O)
 
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