Course:HIST104/Winchester .303 Ammunition

From UBC Wiki
Winchester .303 British Ammunition
Winchester Super-X .303 British Ammunition
Specifications
Caliber .303 British
Bullet Weight 180 Grains
Muzzle Velocity 2460 fps

The Winchester .303 British ammunition is a cartridge produced by the Winchester Company. This object is the result of many years of historical cultures in contact. The first canon was fired in 1260 by Muslims[1] who made that possible by adapting the 11th century Chinese discovery of black powder.[2] This would eventually be modified and combined with the 4th century B.C.E. Athens invention of bullets[3] to make small arms rifles and handguns. Developments continued, and in 1866 the Winchester Company was founded by Oliver Winchester in New Haven, Connecticut to produce weapons and ammunition for American soldiers and settlers to aid in the battles against Native Americans.[4]

The .303 British ammunition was developed in 1887 and adopted by Britain and other commonwealth countries in 1888.[5] The .303 British ammunition was used in many wars including both Boer Wars, the First World War, the Second World War, and the Korean War. It has been used by over 65 different countries,[6][7][8] and as a result, many firearms and ammunition manufacturers have produced it, including the Winchester Company. It was phased out of use with the British military in favour of the 7.62x51mm NATO round,[5] and today the .303 British ammunition is mainly used by hunters, but it is also used by the Canadian Rangers and militias in third world countries.[9]

The History of Bullets

The earliest bullet in recorded history dates back to Athens in the 4th century BCE. These bullets had inscriptions such as "Athens", "Take that", winged thunderbolts, or famous commanders such as "Philips generals" on them which were used with slings. These cast lead bullets weighed between 30 and 100 grams.[3]

In the 15th century bullets were starting to be produced by casting metal into balls using molds. To fire these bullets, the operator would measure out an amount of gun powder and pour that powder down the barrel of the gun. They would then put a fabric wad in the barrel along with the bullet and use a rod to push it all the way down to the powder. Lastly, they would load the primer under the hammer and fire the weapon.[10]

The modern bullet can be manufactured through casting, swaging, milling, plating, stamping or compression processes. Bullets are usually made of a single metal alloy or a layered combination of various materials to include lead, copper, brass, bronze, steel, and aluminum. These layered bullets are referred to as jacketed bullets. The materials used in the manufacture of a bullet effect its performance both in flight and when they reach their target.[11]

Firearms with rifled barrels (spiral grooves inside of the firearm barrel that impart a stabilizing spinning motion to the bullet) led to the familiar conical bullet. More powerful smokeless powders replaced gunpowder (also called black powder) in the late nineteenth century, but they also required tougher firearm and bullet materials to withstand the higher pressures. Lead bullets also left lead residue in the barrel, making the gun harder to clean. Jacketed bullets were developed to withstand the higher pressures of smokeless powders and the cleaner metal from these bullets made gun cleaning easier. [12]

The method using three components (projectile, powder, and charge) to fire projectiles changed at the 19th century when the first firearm “cartridge” was introduced. Those three components were all contained in one metal cartridge for faster reloading and firing. They are often incorrectly referred to as a “bullet” because the bullet is actually only the projectile. The familiar metal ammunition cartridge (containing a bullet, a case, a primer, and a volume of propellant) was common by World War I. [12]

The History of Gunpowder

Before ammunitions proliferated, the first step in its development started with the invention of a substance later known as gunpowder. The invention of gunpowder was a stereotypical story of endeavour and serendipity. Out of the yearning for longevity, many Chinese emperors commissioned alchemists to search for the “medicine of eternal life”. According to Robert Norton’s “The Gunner”, one of these futile projects stumbled upon the fruit of gunpowder in its earliest form. Though the exact time of invention is a contentious issue, the record of a precise and functional formula of gunpowder can be found in “武经总要(WuJingZongYao)” from 11th century Song Dynasty.[2] It is believed, in earlier periods, the main ingredients of gunpowder, sulfur and saltpetre were mainly used as incendiaries.

The most popular use of gunpowder, as it was invented, was as firecrackers. To date, firecrackers and the dreadful loud noise they make are still an essential part of Chinese New Year celebrations. Behind this practice is a popular Chinese lore, passed down by word of mouth, of a beast called Nian. The lore goes, once every spring Nian (literally translated to mean year) would come down from mountains and terrorize people in the villages. The one thing this beast feared was loud noises. Thus, one spring, the village people created firecrackers and successfully frightened off the beast Nian. From there on, people would defend against Nian and celebrate the New Year in the spring by lighting firecrackers. The Chinese Lion Dance, performed during New Year celebrations, is said to be a portrait of the story. [13]

The other more bizarre story attributed to gunpowder relates to rockets. Above its incendiary and explosive properties, gunpowder was eventually also utilized to create propulsion. Thus, the device called a rocket was created. During 16th century Ming dynasty, rockets were created as weapons and more predominantly used as fireworks.[14] However, one man named Wan-Hoo had a different idea in mind. By Wan-Hoo’s time in 16th century, Chinese had a long history of fascinations, traditions and numerous legends involving the moon. Wan-Hoo as an inventor and mandarin of the Ming government had some success in inventing and improving weaponries. After working with rockets, he came upon the insanely daring idea of using rockets to travel to the moon. “He had forty-seven gunpowder rockets attached to his sedan chair, which he ordered his servants to light with torches. The testimony in the chronicle is unambiguous and laconic: “Smoke, an explosion, and Wan-Hoo was no more.”[15] Though the story is somewhat macabre, Wan-Hoo was, in the modern era of space travel, praised and commemorated for his daring dream. In 1970, a moon crater was given an eponym by the International Astronomical Union in Wan-Hoo’s honour.[16] [17]

Much more than a serendipitous discovery, its fleeting brilliance, destructive might and thunderous roar resounded across histories and continents. After being introduced to the rest of the world, the ingenuities of many other cultures have been blended into this ancient invention. One of these ingenuities was the first cannon, fired by Muslims in 1260,[1] which would eventually lead to modern firearm ammunitions.

The Winchester Company History

The Winchester Company's famous Horse and Rider logo

The Winchester Company was founded in 1866 in New Haven, Connecticut by Oliver Winchester. In 1873, Winchester developed the Model 1873 lever-action rifle, commonly known as “The Gun that Won the West” for its use by many Western settlers in their battles against Native Americans.[4] To match the demand for the new Model 1873, the Winchester company increased its ammunition production rate to 250,000 rounds per day, and by 1875 it was increased again to one million rounds per day. With the introduction of smokeless powders in the 1890s, the Winchester Company began developing smokeless cartridges, while still maintaining a constant supply of black powder cartridges. The Winchester Company continued to grow, and it gained exposure from many famous Americans including Buffalo Bill, Annie Oakley, and Theodore Roosevelt. Through its use with Western settlers, and by such famous images as Buffalo Bill, the Winchester Company was soon called “The American Legend”, and its famous horse and rider logo symbolizes that legacy.[18]

During the First World War, the Winchester Company was a major producer of the .303 Pattern 1914 Enfield rifle and the associated .303 British bullets. The company was financially hit hard during the great depression after the war, and in 1931 it was purchased by the Western Cartridge Company, which was run by John Olin. Olin, who was a great inventor with his name on more than 20 patents, invented the Super-X ammunition, which is still being developed and used even today. In 1940, a contract was signed with the United States government to build a small arms plant in St. Louis. That plant turned out its first finished ammunition the day after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and forced the United States into World War II. During the Second World War, the small arms plants owned by Olin would produce over 15.25 billion rounds of ammunition. Of that, more than 6.7 billion rounds were produced from the St. Louis plant, more than all of the rounds produced by all of the small arms ammunitions plants during World War I. [19] In 1981, the gun producing portion of the Winchester Company was sold to the U.S. Repeating Arms Company and was renamed the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, producing Winchester brand rifles and shotguns under license from Olin Corporation. The ammunition production still remains with the original Winchester Company under the control of the Olin Corporation, and is a popular brand with hunters and sport shooters.[20]

The .303 British Ammunition History

The .303 British cartridges were first produced using black powder and lead bullets in 1887 and they were quickly adopted by the British in 1888.[5] In 1891, the .303 became the first cartridge to use cordite, a new form of smokeless powder.[21] With cordite's more explosive power, the .303 had to switch to a more durable bullet known as the full metal jacket, but military personnel found that these caused less damage. This led to the world's first jacketed hollow point bullet in 1897, called the Dumdum. It was capable of withstanding high firing pressures, but expanded on impact to inflict more serious wounds than the full metal jacket.[22]

The .303 British ammunition's use was widely adopted which led to its eventual use in over 200 aircraft, 40 warships, and 20 tanks and other land vehicles.[23] Possibly most notably of those was the Spitfire. Seen in the video below, there were over 20,000 Spitfires produced[24] which helped the Allied forces win the Battle of Britain, a major turning point that would lead to the defeat of Nazi Germany.[25]

The .303 British ammunition played a large role in both WWI and WWII, as well as many other wars between 1888 and 1957.[5] During WWI alone, more than 7,000,000,000 bullets of this calibre were manufactured in British factories.[26] One of those bullets would kill arguably one of the most famous military figures, Manfred von Richthofen, also known as the "Red Baron",[27] a German fighter pilot with 80 confirmed air combat victories.[28] The Red Baron's success as a fighter pilot was used by the Germans to spread propaganda, and his death damaged German morale.[29]

Overall the .303 British bullet's versatility allowed it to be adopted by over 65 different countries around the world[6][7][8] before eventually being phased out in favour of the 7.62x51mm NATO round in 1957.[5]

Map of the countries whose military have used .303 British ammunition

Modern Winchester .303 British Ammunition Uses

The replacement in 1957 of the .303 ammunition with the 7.62x51mm NATO in British forces[5] changed the purpose of this artifact from a mostly military market into a civilian market. During the post war period, the .303 British ammunition was adapted for commonwealth military snipers and law enforcement officers in the 1960s, and slowly removed itself from this market as weapon advancements created new ammunition with better speed and accuracy. Today, the British .303 ammunition is mostly sold to the civilian market for sporting use, military reserve forces, and military arms collectors.[9] According to the Winchester Company, the .303 British ammunition has a proven accuracy, high velocity, and delivers maximum energy on target, making this cartridge a good choice for those who wish to play in big game thin skin, such as mule deer or antelope, big game thick skin such as moose, brown bear or wild boar.[30] The .303 British is considered a symbol of the Commonwealth community, being mostly purchased by hunters in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It is also a favourite choice for the Canadian Rangers, a 5000 personnel military reserve force located mostly in northern Canada. Due to its specific characteristics, the Canadian Rangers still use the .303 British ammunition with original rifles from the post-war production that are continually serviced. The Canadian reserve forces claim that the .303 British ammunition is still the most reliable cartridge for cold regions, even though they are looking to change this equipment by 2016. This ammunition also became popular with South African farmers and hunters as well as militias in third world countries because of its inexpensive surplus.[9] Today, the .303 ammunition is still manufactured by the major firearms producers in the United States companies such as Remington, Federal, and Winchester[31] at an affordable price that ranges between $1.25 and $1.75 per bullet in boxes of 20.[32]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 al-Hassan, Ahmad Y. Technology Transfer in the Chemical Industries. n.d. http://www.history-science-technology.com/Articles/articles%2072.htm (accessed March 29, 2014).
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Wang Ling. “On the Invention and Use of Gunpowder and Firearms in China”, Isis, Vol. 37, No. 3/4, pp 160-178. The University of Chicago Press. July, 1947.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sabin, Philip A. G., Hans Van. Wees, and Michael Whitby. The Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Warfare. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2007.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Winchester. Company Information. n.d. http://www.winchester.com/companyinfo/Pages/companyinfo.aspx (accessed March 30, 2014).
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Barnes, Frank C. Cartridges of the World: A Complete Illustrated Reference for More Than 1,500 Cartridges. 13th. Edited by Richard A. Mann. Iola, WI: Gun Digest Books, 2012
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Fisher, Richard. .303-inch British Service. n.d. http://www.vickersmachinegun.org.uk/calibres-303.htm (accessed March 23, 2014).
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Military Factory. Browning M1919 GPMG. June 30, 2013. http://www.militaryfactory.com/smallarms/detail.asp?smallarms_id=59 (accessed March 23, 2014).
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Military Factory. Vickers Machine Gun. October 3, 2013. http://www.militaryfactory.com/smallarms/detail.asp?smallarms_id=62 (accessed March 23, 2014).
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Foster, Nathan. .303 British. Terminal Ballistics Research. http://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledgebase/.303+British.html
  10. ↑ Shea, Mike. Loading/Firing Black Powder Rifle. November 4, 2007. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ELnCF37Kug (accessed March 29, 2014).
  11. ↑ Firearms ID. Bullet Basics 1 - Materials. n.d. http://www.firearmsid.com/bullets/bullet1.htm (accessed March 28, 2014).
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Guns & Ammo. The Bullet Cartridge. n.d. http://www.gunsandammo.info/ammo/ammo-101 (accessed March 28, 2014).
  13. ↑ Transcription of Popular Chinese Oral Mythology, March 30, 2014, by Sheng Wang, Online: http://www.gov.cn/fwxx/wh/2006-01/23/content_168528.htm (accessed March 28, 2014)
  14. ↑ P.J. MacLaughlin. “Rockets Jets and Space Flight”, An Irish Quarterly Review, Vol. 39, No. 155, pp 270-278. Irish Province of the Society of Jesus. Sep., 1950.
  15. ↑ Peter Nilson, Steven Hartman. “Winged Man and Flying Ships: Of Medieval Flying Journeys and Eternal Dreams of Flight”, The Georgia Review, Vol. 50, No. 2, pp 267-296. Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. Summer 1996.
  16. ↑ Cocks, Elijah E.; Cocks, Josiah C. . Who's Who on the Moon: A Biographical Dictionary of Lunar Nomenclature. Tudor Publishers. 1995.
  17. ↑ Menzel, D. H.; Minnaert, M.; Levin, B.; Dollfus, A.; Bell, B. "Report on Lunar Nomenclature by the Working Group of Commission 17 of the IAU". Space Science Reviews 12(2): 136–186. 1971.
  18. ↑ Winchester. The Wild West. n.d. http://www.winchester.com/companyinfo/history/Pages/The-Wild-West.aspx (accessed March 30, 2014).
  19. ↑ Winchester. Into the 21st Century. n.d. http://www.winchester.com/COMPANYINFO/HISTORY/Pages/Into-the-21st-Century.aspx (accessed March 30, 2014).
  20. ↑ Winchester. History. n.d. http://www.winchester.com/companyinfo/history/Pages/history.aspx (accessed March 30, 2014).
  21. ↑ Enfield King. .303 British Service Cartridge. February 11, 2005. http://enfieldking.tripod.com/enfieldking/id9.html (accessed March 23, 2014).
  22. ↑ Watters, Daniel E. The Truth About Dum Dums. October 9, 2008. http://www.thegunzone.com/dum-dum.html (accessed March 3, 2014).
  23. ↑ This information is derived from the many articles cited on the Wikipedia page ".303 British" at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:WhatLinksHere/.303_British (accessed March 22, 2014).
  24. ↑ Aviation Videos. Spitfire - Rare WWII Colour Footage. Victoria, November 9, 2010.
  25. ↑ Belfast Telegraph. Battle of Britain was a World War II turning point. July 10, 2010. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/battle-of-britain-was-a-world-war-ii-turning-point-28546348.html (accessed March 24, 2014).
  26. ↑ Cushman, David A. History of the .303 British Calibre Service Ammunition Round. January 18, 2007. http://www.dave-cushman.net/shot/303hist.html (accessed March 24, 2014).
  27. ↑ Miller, M. Geoffrey. The Death of Manfred von Richthofen: Who fired the fatal shot? September 16, 2001. http://net.lib.byu.edu/~rdh7//wwi/comment/richt.htm (accessed March 24, 2014).
  28. ↑ The Aerodrome. Manfred von Richthofen. March 24, 2014. http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/richthofen2.php (accessed March 24, 2014).
  29. ↑ Rosenberg, Jennifer. The Red Baron. n.d. http://history1900s.about.com/od/1910s/a/redbaron.htm (accessed March 24, 2014).
  30. ↑ X303B1. Winchester. http://www.winchester.com/Products/rifle-ammunition/Performance/Super-X-rifle/Pages/X303B1.aspx
  31. ↑ Cobb, Kenneth. The British 303 is Highly Underrated. News, Sports, Jobs, WV, Community Information. http://theintermountain.com/page/content.detail/id/510615/The-British--303-is-Highly-Underrated.html?nav=22
  32. ↑ Shop for Rifle Ammo. Rifle Ammo & Rifle Ammunition. http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/browse/rifle-ammo-303-british-ammo.aspx?c=96&s=917
Retrieved from "https://wiki.ubc.ca/index.php?title=Course:HIST104/Winchester_.303_Ammunition&oldid=727179"