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280/30"

280/30

Hi,
Do any of you know what the markings mean on the side of the cases please? I have had them for some time and was told that they are experimental,

FN 51 280/30

RG 49 280/30

RG 49 280/30

This is the first time of using this site, so I hope I'm not stepping on any body toes or braking too many rules.

Thanks Jim

P.S. I do have some spare Pinks, Head stamp K49 280/30 with out markings on the case.
 

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TonyE said:
Two more pictures of British .280/30s and the third is of FN manufactured examples.
Click to expand...
Tony, I've seen the FN rounds described as 7x44 (rather than 7x43) and discussed as if they were different from the British rounds. Is that the case? If so, how did they differ and were they interchangeable in the guns?
 
grapeshot said:
Hi,
Do any of you know what the markings mean on the side of the cases please? I have had them for some time and was told that they are experimental,

FN 51 280/30

RG 49 280/30

RG 49 280/30

This is the first time of using this site, so I hope I'm not stepping on any body toes or braking too many rules.

Thanks Jim

P.S. I do have some spare Pinks, Head stamp K49 280/30 with out markings on the case.
Click to expand...

The markings on the side of the case refer to the bullet type.

.280/30 Bullet tip colours:

Ball:
Blue tip 130 grain Lead core Type A
Plain/no tip 130 grain Mild Steel core Type A
Yellow tip 140 grain Lead core Type B
Green tip 140 grain Mild Steel core Type B
Salmon Pink tip 140 grain Mild Steel core Type C
Chocolate* Brown tip 140 grain Mild Steel core Type AA
Brown Tip 140 grain Mild Steel core Type AA (modified)

*The Chocolate tip was originally used on Inert Tracers but later allocated to Ball.

Tracer: White Tip

Inert Tracer: White over Blue tip replaced with Chocolate tip

Armour Piercing: Eggshell Blue tip

Armour Piercing Incendiary: Black tip

Observing: Red tip

Inert Observing: Red over Blue tip, later replaced with Grey tip

280_30copy.jpg
 
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Tony Williams said:
Tony, I've seen the FN rounds described as 7x44 (rather than 7x43) and discussed as if they were different from the British rounds. Is that the case? If so, how did they differ and were they interchangeable in the guns?
Click to expand...

I have never measured the FN cases relative to the British made ones, but the ammo was certainly meant to be fully interchangeable. After all, the FN made is still headstamped "280/30".

I will get the digital vernier out!

Regartds
TonyE
 
Tony Williams said:
Tony, I've seen the FN rounds described as 7x44 (rather than 7x43) and discussed as if they were different from the British rounds. Is that the case? If so, how did they differ and were they interchangeable in the guns?
Click to expand...

I've just measured (quickly) the case length of 3 Brit rds and 3 FN rds.

The Brit rds came in at 43.35mm and the FN came in at 43.43mm
 
Not sure if I posted this before, but I was thinking of Tony and was looking up some old, interesting posts. These are my .280s and .280/30s.
Just remembered I also have a Proof with red bands on the bullet. Very pretty round.

my280s001.jpg


tony.jpg
 
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Splendid collection and a very nice likeness - happy days.
 
smle2009 said:
Hi all,
got this little gem through the post today,a 280/30" experimental round for the EM-2 assault rifle,the info that came with it states that it has a fibre tip.
I have been unable to find out any more info re the fibre tip,so can anyone help with info as to what use or why a fibre tip?
Heastamp is RG 50 280/30.
Cheers
Tony
Click to expand...

As was already pointed out, the lighter nose moved the center of gravity back and gave the bullet better accuracy at long range, pretty much the same effect as current "Open Tip Match" or hollowpoint bullets like the Sierra MatchKing or Lapua Scenar..

I don't have any experience with the .280 British, but in Mk VII.303 ball, the fibre filled tips cause the bullets to destabilize very quickly after hitting tissue, creating massive wound channels in the hogs I've shot with them. Both Radway Green and Pakistani Ordinance Factory (when it goes off :tinysmile_hmm_t:) made Mk VII are some of the quickest killing FMJ ammunition I've ever used, far more effective than the more powerful US 30-06, M2 ball ammo.

I recently purchased some Greek made HXP .303 that was supposedly Mk VII ball made for use by British cadets in 1976. It came packed on BP (British Pens?) marked stripper clips, it's fairly accurate and far more reliable than the POF stuff.

Unfortunately the bullets don't have the light fibre or aluminium (did I spell that right ;) ) tip, so they don't work worth a damn on pigs.

I've read in the past that British made Mk VII ball with the fibre, cardboard or paper filled tips had the filler material sterilized before it was put into the bullet. Can anyone confirm or deny this information? I'd really appreciate it if someone could provide a reputable source for their answer.

Just imagine if the American Generals that shoved the 7.62x51 round down our NATO allies throats had been able to grasp the concept that modern selective fire assault rifle cartridges aren't intended for 800 yard slow fire matches.

The original British cartridge, the .270 (with the smaller head size), would have been a truly awesome military round with a little more development.

Not too much, like the 7.62x51.

Not too little, like the 5.56x45.

It was basically what the 6.8 SPC would have been if they hadn't had to sacrifice performance to shoehorn it into an M-16 size magazine.

AND WE COULD HAVE HAD IT IN TIME FOR THE KOREAN WAR!
 
Swampman said:
The original British cartridge, the .270 (with the smaller head size), would have been a truly awesome military round with a little more development.

Not too much, like the 7.62x51.

Not too little, like the 5.56x45.

It was basically what the 6.8 SPC would have been if they hadn't had to sacrifice performance to shoehorn it into an M-16 size magazine.

AND WE COULD HAVE HAD IT IN TIME FOR THE KOREAN WAR!
Click to expand...

Exactly. In my view, the cartridge case design was as good as you're ever going to get for a general-purpose rifle and MG round; the only problem being the light 100 grain bullet load, only intended to be effective at up to 600 yards. However, in the 1947 UK Small Arms Calibre Panel (Beeching) Report, they did list a 120 grain boat-tailed bullet at 2,590 fps as an alternative, and that would have been just about perfect.

The pic below (from the article Assault Rifles and their Ammunition on my website) shows (from left to right):
.276 Pedersen, .270 British, 7x43 British (.280/30), 7.62x51 NATO, 7x46 UIAC, and 6.5x38 Grendel

P1030277w.jpg
 
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