Rifle · Proprietary
.318 Westley Richards
British medium-bore dangerous game cartridge.
- Caliber
- 0.3299″ · 8.38 mm
- Introduced
- 1910
- Case
- Rimless
- Primary use
- Hunting
- Status
- Obsolete
- Introduced
- 1910
- Type
- Rifle
- Origin
- United Kingdom
- Inventor
- Leslie Taylor
- Manufacturer
- Westley Richards
- Standard
- Proprietary
- Status
- Obsolete
- Availability
- Collector Only
- Case capacity
- 74 gr H₂O
- Twist (typical)
- 1:12
- Primer
- Large Rifle
- Case type
- Rimless
- Max pressure
- 50,000 psi
- Eff. range
- 300 yd
- Max range
- 3800 yd
- Recoil
- 12–18 ft·lb
Introduced by Westley Richards
Ballistics
Published velocity/energy data isn't available for .318 Westley Richards — an obsolete/collector cartridge.
Performance
Dimensionscase measurements · scale drawing · size vs familiar rounds
Case dimensions — the scale drawing at the top of the page is built from these.
CIP TDCC · approximate| Measure | mm | in | ✓ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bullet ⌀ | 8.38 | 0.330 | ✓ |
| Neck ⌀ | 9.14 | 0.360 | ✓ |
| Shoulder ⌀ | 11.23 | 0.442 | ✓ |
| Shoulder angle | 25° | — | ✓ |
| Base ⌀ | 11.89 | 0.468 | ✓ |
| Rim ⌀ | 11.89 | 0.468 | ✓ |
| Belt ⌀ | n/a | ||
| Rim thickness | 1.27 | 0.050 | ✓ |
| Neck length | 9.09 | 0.358 | ≈ |
| Case length | 60.96 | 2.400 | ~ |
| Overall length | 89.66 | 3.530 | ~ |
Size vs familiar rounds
Drawn at true 1:1 — every case is accurate relative to the others. Absolute size depends on your screen's pixel density, so measuring one against a real ruler may be off. .318 Westley Richards is highlighted below.
Factory loads
Being verified
Advertised FPS, energy, and BC are withheld until loads clear verification.
Suitable powders
1 reloading powder listed for .318 Westley Richards, fastest to slowest. Cross-reference in the finder →
Reloading costestimate cost per round vs factory
Estimate your cost per round and how it compares to factory. Inputs are yours — nothing is stored.
Cost estimate only — not load data. Charge weight is your input; follow published manuals for safe charges.
Firearms chambered in .318 Westley Richards
1 model in the database chamber .318 Westley Richards. Browse all →
Connected reference
History
Introduced by Westley Richards in 1910 as a medium-bore dangerous game round. Very popular with professional hunters and ivory traders from 1910-1930s. Used extensively by legendary hunter John 'Pondoro' Taylor who wrote extensively about its effectiveness. Faded after .375 H&H became the standard. The unusual .330 caliber made it somewhat proprietary.
FAQs
- What twist rate does .318 Westley Richards use?
- .318 Westley Richards typically uses a 1:12 twist rate.
- What bullet diameter is .318 Westley Richards?
- .318 Westley Richards uses a 0.3299″ (8.38 mm) diameter bullet.
- Is .318 Westley Richards still in production?
- .318 Westley Richards is obsolete; typical availability is collector only.
- What is .318 Westley Richards used for?
- .318 Westley Richards is primarily used for hunting.
- What are the best powders for .318 Westley Richards?
- Reloading powders commonly listed for .318 Westley Richards include Reloader 19.
Sources & provenance
Data & sources. Specs compiled from the Lindcott Armory reference; availability counted from 18 live factory loads; the trajectory is modeled (point-mass), not measured. See methodology. Spotted an error? Report it →