Poton or Panthershooter..

[Pondoro]

Did you guys use this ammo in India..? If so, how did it work..?
These are made october 1953..

 

[Major Khan]

Did you guys use this ammo in India..? If so, how did it work..?
These are made october 1953..

View attachment 343924

The .303 British calibre was a prohibited bore in India , ever since the British colonial era ... prior to 1947 , Pondoro. Civilians were not allowed to own it. Both Panther Shooter and I , however... were issued .303 British calibre Lee Enfield bolt rifles as our service rifles , during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 .
I eventually upgraded to the Sterling sub machine gun ... by the time I got posted in Rajshahi. Panther Shooter , however kept using his 1 ... because he was a Marks Man during the War . We were issued 174 grain spitzer style solid metal covered cartridges ( " Military Ball " ) during the war . I also used mine for hunting a few cheetal deer ... when I was posted in the Sundarbans in 1971 . I used it to shoot 2 royal Bengal tigers in the Sundarban man grove forests in 1971... when they had attacked my men . I was not hunting them , at the time . Our unit was passing through the Sundarban forest belt of the Khulna Division ... in order to reach Rangamatti . On 2 separate occasions , royal Bengal tigers had attempted to ambush members of our unit . While I was stationed in the Sundarban man grove forests ... the forest department officers there gave us a great portion of their stocks of .303 British calibre sporting ammunition. Among them , were Remington 215 grain soft point cartridges , vintage ICI Kynoch 215 grain soft point cartridges AND vintage ICI Kynoch 215 grain soft point hollow point cartridges , as well.
I distinctly remember using these cartridges for hunting a few cheetal deer and wild boars ( for our non Muslim soldiers to eat ) in 1971 , Pondoro .I also used them once ... to shoot a royal Bengal tiger in the region , right between the 2 eyes .

This kind of ammunition is ( to some degree ) acceptable for broad side heart shots on cheetal deer. However , it makes for an extremely poor choice on anything larger . I lost every single wild boar ... which I had ever shot at , with these cartridges . Or if I did manage to finally dispatch the wild boar ... I did so , by shooting them with either my " Old Belgian " or by using different ammunition in my standard issue Lee Enfield bolt rifle .
When I had attempted to shoot the royal Bengal tiger with 1 of these ICI Kynoch .303 British 215 grain hollow point cartridges .... the bullet fragmented upon striking the fore head of the royal Bengal tiger . It's only effect was to take off a patch of the brute's skin , and make it even more angry . My next cartridge ( a 215 grain Remington soft point cartridge , which I also had loaded in the magazine ) struck the brute , right behind the shoulder . He was able to run 56 yards ... before collapsing . The 215 grain Remington soft point bullet had perfectly opened up ... inside the royal Bengal tiger's heart .

I do not recommend these ICI Kynoch .303 British calibre hollow point cartridges .... at all , Pondoro.
For soft skinned game animals , the 215 grain Remington soft point cartridges were infinitely superior .

If you ever read my dearly deceased friend , the late Pachabdi Gazi's book , " The Man Eaters Of The Sundarbans " ...
then you shall be most interested in Chapter 7 . Pachabdi writes about how he experimented with various brands and designs of .303 British calibre ammunition for his department issued Lee Enfield bolt rifle . He dedicated half a page to the vintage ICI Kynoch 215 grain hollow point cartridges ... and he shares the exact same views as I . He does not recommend them for game animals , at all . He voices a strong preference for 215 grain Remington brand soft point cartridges.
Bear in mind ... that Pachabdi Gazi was the gentle man who has the highest confirmed kill count of man eating royal Bengal tigers in Bangladesh ( 61) . During his 56 year career as a forest department officer , in the Sundarban man grove forests of Bangladesh ... he had killed most of these man eaters ( almost all of them , weighing in excess of 500 pounds ) by using his department issued .303 British calibre Lee Enfield bolt rifle.

 

[gesch]

Thanks for another great history lesson! Your friend, Brian

 

[Major Khan]

Thanks for another great history lesson! Your friend, Brian

Thank you so much for your kind words , Brian .

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

The .303 British calibre was a prohibited bore in India , ever since the British colonial era ... prior to 1947 , Pondoro. Civilians were not allowed to own it. Both Panther Shooter and I , however... were issued .303 British calibre Lee Enfield bolt rifles as our service rifles , during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 .
I eventually upgraded to the Sterling sub machine gun ... by the time I got posted in Rajshahi. Panther Shooter , however kept using his 1 ... because he was a Marks Man during the War . We were issued 174 grain spitzer style solid metal covered cartridges ( " Military Ball " ) during the war . I also used mine for hunting a few cheetal deer ... when I was posted in the Sundarbans in 1971 . I used it to shoot 2 royal Bengal tigers in the Sundarban man grove forests in 1971... when they had attacked my men . I was not hunting them , at the time . Our unit was passing through the Sundarban forest belt of the Khulna Division ... in order to reach Rangamatti . On 2 separate occasions , royal Bengal tigers had attempted to ambush members of our unit . While I was stationed in the Sundarban man grove forests ... the forest department officers there gave us a great portion of their stocks of .303 British calibre sporting ammunition. Among them , were Remington 215 grain soft point cartridges , vintage ICI Kynoch 215 grain soft point cartridges AND vintage ICI Kynoch 215 grain soft point hollow point cartridges , as well.
I distinctly remember using these cartridges for hunting a few cheetal deer and wild boars ( for our non Muslim soldiers to eat ) in 1971 , Pondoro .I also used them once ... to shoot a royal Bengal tiger in the region , right between the 2 eyes .

This kind of ammunition is ( to some degree ) acceptable for broad side heart shots on cheetal deer. However , it makes for an extremely poor choice on anything larger . I lost every single wild boar ... which I had ever shot at , with these cartridges . Or if I did manage to finally dispatch the wild boar ... I did so , by shooting them with either my " Old Belgian " or by using different ammunition in my standard issue Lee Enfield bolt rifle .
When I had attempted to shoot the royal Bengal tiger with 1 of these ICI Kynoch .303 British 215 grain hollow point cartridges .... the bullet fragmented upon striking the fore head of the royal Bengal tiger . It's only effect was to take off a patch of the brute's skin , and make it even more angry . My next cartridge ( a 215 grain Remington soft point cartridge , which I also had loaded in the magazine ) struck the brute , right behind the shoulder . He was able to run 56 yards ... before collapsing . The 215 grain Remington soft point bullet had perfectly opened up ... inside the royal Bengal tiger's heart .

I do not recommend these ICI Kynoch .303 British calibre hollow point cartridges .... at all , Pondoro.
For soft skinned game animals , the 215 grain Remington soft point cartridges were infinitely superior .

If you ever read my dearly deceased friend , the late Pachabdi Gazi's book , " The Man Eaters Of The Sundarbans " ...
then you shall be most interested in Chapter 7 . Pachabdi writes about how he experimented with various brands and designs of .303 British calibre ammunition for his department issued Lee Enfield bolt rifle . He dedicated half a page to the vintage ICI Kynoch 215 grain hollow point cartridges ... and he shares the exact same views as I . He does not recommend them for game animals , at all . He voices a strong preference for 215 grain Remington brand soft point cartridges.
Bear in mind ... that Pachabdi Gazi was the gentle man who has the highest confirmed kill count of man eating royal Bengal tigers in Bangladesh ( 61) . During his 56 year career as a forest department officer , in the Sundarban man grove forests of Bangladesh ... he had killed most of these man eaters ( almost all of them , weighing in excess of 500 pounds ) by using his department issued .303 British calibre Lee Enfield bolt rifle.
View attachment 343985

Friend Ponton
I have an acquaintance that uses a 303 British on sambar deer loaded with 215 grain Woodleigh RNSP. He finds them very effective from any angle and on a broad side shoulder shot the usually leave a big hole on the other side.
Keep safe and well my friend
Bob

 

[Major Khan]

Friend Ponton
I have an acquaintance that uses a 303 British on sambar deer loaded with 215 grain Woodleigh RNSP. He finds them very effective from any angle and on a broad side shoulder shot the usually leave a big hole on the other side.
Keep safe and well my friend
Bob

Yes ... exactly, Bob. Soft point bullets are far better than the old ICI Kynoch hollow point bullets ... especially for big game.

 

[Art Lambart II]

Great Stuff but what I found more remarkable is the you and your friends fought a war in the 70's with the Lee Enfield and the Sterling sub machine gun.

 

[gizmo]

Another wonderful and informative post @Major Khan thank you.

 

[Major Khan]

Great Stuff but what I found more remarkable is the you and your friends fought a war in the 70's with the Lee Enfield and the Sterling sub machine gun.

We used to be a former British colony , Mr. Lambart . We used what ever we could get our hands on ... in order to drive those Shariah Law enforcing rapists out of our land .
We had the largest access to .303 British calibre Lee Enfield bolt rifles . We also had 7.62x39 mm calibre Soviet Kolashnikov AK 47 automatic rifles and Soviet semi automatic SKS rifles . We had a few 7.62x51 mm NATO calibre FN FAL battle rifles and 9 mm Parabellum calibre Sterling sub machine guns .
We had 7.62 mm calibre Soviet PKM LMGs ( Light Machine Guns ) and a few captured .50 calibre Browning Model 2 HMGs ( Heavy Machine Guns ) during the last few months of the war ...after we had overrun the West Pakistani fortifications at Rajshahi and Borguna . Our officers were issued 7.62 mm calibre Tokarev TT 33 semi automatic service pistols . We were instructed by our military trainers to keep the pistol on an empty chamber prior to firing . However , none of us , Freedom Fighters actually obeyed this instruction . We would rather risk accidentally shooting ourselves in the foot ... than take time to open fire when the enemy was upon us .

 

[GildaLopez]

que genial este tema, muchas gracias

 

[Major Khan]

Another wonderful and informative post @Major Khan thank you.

Thank you so much for your kind words , Gizmo !

 

[Major Khan]

que genial este tema, muchas gracias

Gracias , Senorita.

 

[CBH Australia]

Cool packaging and great reading.