03-10-2012, 06:21 AM
Bambibasher Wrote:The use of boat tail bullets in an infantry calibre rifle goes back to the use of the .303 streamlined for long range match competitions. I have one box of kynoch 1960 dated manufacture .303 SL with the hald black adonised cases still. The ammo was developed in the interwar period and i may have the ICI notes on its development still.
Actually the use of boat-tailed bullets in an infantry calibre goes back to the 8mm Lebel "Balle D", whch was machined from solid brass and was I think the first spitzer as well as boat-tailed bullet in military service. It was adopted by the French army in 1898.
In 1911 the Swiss army adopted the 7.5mm GP11 cartridge which had a more conventional lead-cored FMJ bullet which was also pointed and boat tailed. This is still in service today. It had quite an impact on British thinking throughout the interwar period.
The first official British experiments into boat-tailed .303 bullets commenced in 1922, the starting point for these being some work Vickers were doing with boat-tailed .5 inch bullets, so it was decided to try them in .303 calibre. In parallel with this, Kynoch was developing boat-tailed bullets for commercial sale as match ammunition, so 45,000 rounds of ammunition loaded with their 1927 pattern BT bullet were purchased in 1932 and added to the trials. Another 240,000 rounds were purchased in 1936-7. The ultimate outcome of the trials was the .303 Ball Mk VIII adopted for Vickers MGs in 1938. This was the first British service cartridge with a boat-tailed bullet.