[F-117A]

Thanks for the link - great information!

While the 7mm was the standard weapon, I suspect that the Boers used plenty of British weapons and ammunition.

[SBprone]

If the Boers doctored their bullets it was probably to try to match the horrendous wound profile created by the .303 bullet. The .303 has a hard jacket and does not expand, but it has a hollow cavity near the front of the bullet that makes it butt-heavy and prone to upsetting upon impact. In other words they go in straight and come out sideways or backwards. They tear up a lot of meat!

If the Boers really cut crosses in the tips of their 7mm mauser bullets like in Breaker Morant they would have been sacrificing precious accuracy in what was about the most accurate and flat-shooting cartridge of its day. The Boers are so rifle-savvy that I really doubt many of them would choose to mess up their ammo this way.

[CWRWinger]

While the 7mm was the standard weapon, I suspect that the Boers used plenty of British weapons and ammunition.

I have read two books and many article on the Boer Wars. All accounts have the Boers preferring the 7mm X 57 Mauser over anything British because the Mauser was far superior in range and accuracy. The Mausers turned a Boer into a sniper.

One of their favorite war cries was, "God and Mauser".

They also had no love for British anything, especially the British tatic of using bayonets. The Boers refused to use the bayonet.

I don't doubt the Boers used dum-dums in their Mausers. I have seen British medical photos taken in the field after battles showing where the 7mm consistently over-penetrated a Brit, causing only a relatively minor wound. The lead round nosed 7mm bullet did not mushroom at all. The Boers wanted the casualty to stay down so they may have switched to dum-dums.