That I’m no longer able to carry on any more testing or firearms projects which I had lined up.
My health conditions have got the better of me and I’ve decided to stop trading as a registered firearm dealer and also to dispose of my firearms on my licenses.
I have had a rough five or so years fighting cancer and despite being in the clear I have a serious neurological condition that’s left me with a compromised immune system.
Life goes on and I’m hoping that my fellow 280/30 owners will take up the cudgels and see how well this cartridge really can shoot.
Although I’m sad at giving up I know that it’s ethical for what I shoot to be able to do so safely and cleanly.
With luck we should be able to update as soon as possible
Thanks for your patience and attention to our work and have a happy new year
We haven't been too busy since the last round of testing loads last summer. I have however not been completely idle. My brain is functioning even if my body feels the passage of time more harshly.
I have been looking at even heavier projectiles in 7mm and I have enough 158 grain Grom projectiles from Privi Partisan to make it worth continuing.
This is for this summer along with the continuing 150 grain testing.
In the mid 1960's the advent of the 5.56 round and the AR 15 adoption by UK forces for special in theatre use along with Nato testing of helmet penetration testing showed that a high velocity projectile of 4 to 5 mm driven at sufficient achievable velocity was far superior to existing 7.62 x 51 ammunition.
As part of this testing an EM2 and a rifle No4 were rebarrelled to a 6mm projectile using a cartridge which was made using existing .280/30 cases necked down to accept a 6.25mm projectile.
Research requests have turned up information courtesy of one of Peter Labbett's publications that the bullets used were in fact what we would know to be .243:
One form of rifling considered for the 6.25 round had a minimum land diameter of 6.06mm and a groove diameter tolerance of 6.24-6.27mm - but I do not know if this was the form used for the barrels of the 2 EM2 auto rifles converted to 6.25mm
6.25 mm with several weight variations. Only ball, dummies and proof known. Case headstamp was RG date 6.25mm
Regarding your enquiry. Please see attached pdf – scanned page taken from ‘Assault Rifle Ammunition 5.6mm to 11mm Calibre’ by Peter Labbett, published March 2000, where he states that ‘various bullet designs existed with this cartridge with weights varying between 5.9 grams and 7 grams (91 grains and 109 grains).’
The ECRA database on this cartridge gives Bullet diameter data on 7 specimens as: 6.30, 6.23, 6.25, 6.23, 6.22, 6.26, 6.15.
To look at the developing of this round it means that I need to get some dies, a reamer, headspace gauge and a barrel for testing. I am on the case but in the meantime I have ordered in some existing dies to carry n the work.
I have recently received another set of .280/30 dies as mine are now on long term loan and a set of 25 Souper to work on a .25-08 using a .243 case as a parent. Why? Because I need something to keep me busy whilst waiting for other things to be done. That and the original .25-06 is a good round and I'm looking to see if that can be matched or improved using a shorter case. I know its another rabbit hole.
I am not as yet for some strange reason interested in recreating the 4.85 for reasons I have yet to elucidate but its somewhere in the future. I am however interested in the alternative theory that the .280/30 case could have been considered as a parent case for a sub 6mm projectile. This would in effect have made a 43mm cased version of the .22-250. Whether or not I lose my marbles on the way remains to be seen but this means that I will hopefully be using a single receiver (a Sako L691) and three barrels one in .25, one in .243 and one in .22 to get these loads looking like something of possible use.
So, the above rifle was purchased by myself back in 2016. After I got it back home my life became hectic with the arrival of a new daughter. Then, the packing up a house for a move to France. So I never got the chance to re-size brass as you can not buy .280 British brass cases. So much to my annoyance I was not able to shot it before leaving England. The plan was then to take it to France (a country with a great shooting culture). However the wifes employers had other ideas, seeing as they rented our accommodation, they banned my keeping a firearm in the house.
So I was forced to leave them in the uk with my great friend and RFD, Tim. Fast forward from 2016 to 2022.
I was able to make twenty rnds at a friends house using his press and scales, mine are again packed as we are off again with the wifes’ job. Same employer as before so no chance of taking anything shooting related with me.
I decided on loading the rnds with CFE223 with a 139gr Sierra matchking projectile. The amount of powder varied between 36.5 to 38grn. I used an original .280 Brit for the col so I didn’t record the col. I was unable to record the speed as my chronograph is located in another location.
My rifle break in procedure is very simple, clean the barrel then just shoot. I fired 4x5rnd grps. The following pics show these group.
Pic 1
First five are lower left, second five are on the black.
Pic 2
Third grp
Pic3
Final grp unfortunately blew the patch off the second 5rnd grp, so it is essentially a 2x5 rnd grps.
Hopefully with the better weather the other rifles will be tested and reported on here!
I’m apologising for not posting anything for a long time.
I’ve been unwell and the road to a full recovery is sadly very long and difficult to do so I may find a happy medium where I can still indulge myself with shooting sports although I may not be able to fully participate as I did before!
The good news is (especially if you are my insurance broker) that I am still alive and haven’t lost any more marbles than before. I will endeavour to post about the cartridge revival as we go
I have been busy since the Muntjac stalk. Busy developing a 150 grain load. Sadly due to a lack of suitable powders it hasn't gone anywhere yet. I did however continue to give the cartridge some rigorous field trials.
On one of my first post Pheasant season trips around the farm on the quad I disturbed a Roe Doe stood alone on one of the crop field. She stood still and looked at me.
A quick mental check (yup still in season) and I killed the quad, slid off and promptly killed the Doe.
For those that dont know Roe Does tend to be pregnant at the end of their hunting season, this one was an exception meaning I had shot a yearling or she was barren. Only looking inside would reveal.
As it happened she was a yearling, not pregnant and had been forced away from the family group to start out on her own. The clip below is footage from the farm, its the same field but at an earlier time and maybe is even the doe that I shot.
The doe on the stubble
Quite an exit wound
Cold enough to butcher outdoors
Back to the house and a quick look inside to see if we can see the entry and exit wound
The damage is fairly clear
All in all a bit gory but informative none the less, no recovered bullets as yet, I suspect that will happen eventually.
A little later on in the year I had the opportunity to stalk a buck. I finished my night shift early enough to be on the farm at dawn. I parked up and went for an armed ramble;
This was a magnificent looking Buck. I had followed him for about half a mile when something spooked him, he darted off about 200 yards but luckily stopped to see what was behind him. Fatally for him I was using a gatepost as a rest and I had almost given up, in fact I think I had consciously given up when the deer presented enough of a target area for my subconscious brain to make my trigger finger work. The shot was as almost as much a surprise for me as it was him. Down he went.
The subsequent investigation and hanging in the chiller revealed him to be a good quality buck that I had taken whilst quartering away, the shot entering the heart and lungs from behind the left shoulder and exiting cleanly through the lower throat;
The shot Buck
The salute
The Buck looked excellent and was hung for a week in the chiller before butchering, a mature Buck just starting to go back. I posted some picks online and was advised to get the head scored.
This was him boiled and dried out, I haven't attempted to stain the antlers or bleach the skull and I also have the lower jaw too. He certainly looked impressive and a good buck to take after his career of fathering was possibly coming to an end.
This was the clincher so at the next Game Fair I resolved to get him measured proffessionally
It was worth it indeed
I spent the week with a real grin across my kyke!
I have been out and taken more since, some good cull bucks with switch antlers but thats for another day!
