# .303 British...



## arcticow (Oct 8, 2006)

I've been looking at .303'where and there... Kinda thinking maybe, for a medium to short range deer gun, and just in case of... Then I look at Savage or Remington in .30/06 or .270... I want to hear from folks who use/have used an Enfield for a good while... Come and pros, not just the usual "forget it" folks... Thanks.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

I have been there old vs new 

so here are some pros and cons 

pros 
it is piece of history
decent iron sights
fun to shoot 
fun to learn about and research




cons 
blued steel lots of small parts screws and barrel bands stock metal pieces 
a lot of the parts need fitting almost nothing is drop in 
you can expect to break a spring at some point they are 70-120 years old 
ammo availability 
the barrels are notorious for being oversize .313 to .316 are common groove depths 
muzzles are often worn from years of cleaning with a steel rod 
heavy
hard to add optics 


not a con but they are cock on close if you have never tried this it just feels all wrong but you can get used to it 

while I can find a lot more cons than pros I should say I have my eye on a SMLE jungle carbine at a local shop and it will probably follow me home if it is still there when I get the cash saved 

If my goal was a hunting gun I would so just buy a savage 110 , a ruger all american , a marlin x7 , or a howa 1500 maybe a Remington 700 but their trigger recall has left a sour taste , I would probably get it in stainless with a composite stock and put a Nikon prostaf scope on it and go hunting , and one of these days I plan to buy one probably the Savage, ruger or Marlin , but these old guns they call me from the rack 

Canada did just discontinue the 303 rifles they issued to Rangers about 3 years ago, these are agents who patrol remote territory in harsh conditions and need a good rifle , apparently a ranger would through ruff use basically need a new enfield every year or 2 and the Canadian government just simply ran out of parts and guns to keep building and rebuilding serviceable rifles 


like I said I keep thinking one of these days I am going to buy one of these new rifles that shoots great out of the box has drop in parts the savage has the best parts availability so that is probably what I will go with , but for now my old collectors are a lot of fun and honestly I have a 30-06 and a 12ga that I can take hunting if the weather is bad that clean much easier than some of the old ones m they are not new but not too old 

If your not going to reload for the 303 I think you will likely not enjoy the rifle as much


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## Roadking (Oct 8, 2009)

Enfields?...At one point, 1 had about 10 of them in 303 and 4 in 308.
To me, an almost perfect mil surp rifle.
Pros:
Ammo availability (granted, pricier now, so reloading would be ideal).
10 round box magazines.
Accurate.
Of them all, and this is just me, never had an issue on the line.
Weight absorbs the recoil.
You own a piece of history that is meant to be used.

Cons;
Cosmoline. Granted, mine were all mil surp, wrapped in paper and pumped full of cosmo. Bugger to clean out, but kept everything in working order.
Mounting a scope...only one of mine has one due to the work needed.
Weight. If you are trudging thru the woods, it's almost like carrying a Garand. Heavy.
Ammo $ as mentioned in pros.

Over the years, I have parted with several, treaded from MKI to MKIV to SMLE, etc. but always kept at least 2 in case I needed a part...until FIL passed away, and I wound up with his parts assortment (He was a C&R FFL, and had the same affinity for Enfields I do...not to mention M1 Carbines and Garands).

Matt


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## 358156hp (Jan 19, 2015)

I'd get something simpler to feed than a 303. While ammo is available, it's not like living in Canada where the 303 is as common as the 30-06 is here. The ammos the weak spot, as are replacement parts, and people who know how to work on them. I'd lean towards the 30-06 since you're mainly concerned with meat harvesting. In some areas of my state, you can buy 30-06 ammo in drug stores and gas stations. That's the kind of versatility I look for. I'd buy modern guns because they are much more convenient to make updates to, such as adding a scope. Simple is good, simple is wise, YMMV.


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## moonwolf (Sep 20, 2004)

The part of Canada I live, the .303 British isnt
as common as one might believe. Sure, ammo
is readily available, but for big game hunting deer,
moose, or bear around here the .308 and .30-06 is
much more common.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

a compromise might be an already sporterized 1903 or Mauser that has been re-barreled in 30-06 or 308 and have lost collector value a lot of beautiful hunting rifles have been built on both actions 

but it is easy to get a bunch of money tied up in a build if a rifle isn't "ready to hunt" so if your trying to accomplish a budget hunter , a ready to hunt savage marlin or Ruger is going to be a better investment


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

A cousin had a surplus 303 british rifle he picked up for deer hunting. All the reloading manuals say to slug the barrel to find the true bore size as you don't want it to shot like a bb rolling down a culvert. 
When he got older and wanted a scope it cost a bunch to get it drilled and tapped.
My self I would start looking at used guns and get a old American made Winchester, Remington, Ruger, Savage, Marlin or some thing from a small company.
My friend Eric got a well used Remington 742 in 308 that looked awful for less than $200.00 a year ago last spring. Never shot the thing to see how the barrel was cause he was going to rebarrel it any way. the new barrel was about 125.00 that he got.

 Al


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## Dutch 106 (Feb 12, 2008)

I have a no.4 mk 2 a no. mk3 and a 2a in 308. like em shoot em, reload 303 with the 100 rounds of boxer primed brass. and for the 3am house sweeps you an mount 3 foot of bayonet to ruin bad guys mornings.
Dutch


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## palm farmer (Jan 3, 2014)

I used to shoot Nilgai with one my grandad left me, like the 308 way better


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

My Dh loves his 303 British , but I do not know what it is,he just call it "the 303" . I do know that he kills whatever he aims at and always takes a neck shot in deer.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Asked dh, his 303 is a Royal Enfield.


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## Jamesconn (Dec 19, 2014)

I have an enfield in great condition and I love it. It blows the Mosin nagant out of the water. They both have metal butt plates but the enfield is more plesant to shoot. Most ammo is brass cased so you can reload, if it matters. I am much more accurate with it over the mosin which I have shot more by about x2.

I will not sporterize it and drill it for a scope. In the south thats fine most shots are less than 100yds, up here its a couple hundred. For hog hunts where you need more than one or two rounds at a time its perfect (10rd magazine) and it has more than enough power for em. 

I got it because I love surplus guns and I will never let it go. However I am getting a 30-06 next its not because the enfield is a safe queen, none of my guns are. Ammo is difficult to find unless you order on the internet which you get ripped on shipping unless you buy 500rds or something and thats a couple hundred bucks. Bass pro had 2 boxes, academy had none, nor any other store ive been too. 

If there was a modern production enfield in 30-06 id be first in line to buy it.

30-06 is the most versatile game cartridge thats most commonly available in America. Reloading components are available and you have a huge selection. Most hunters have one. If you dont reload you could go 308 too. 

For a deer gun id go 30-06.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

Jamesconn said:


> I have an enfield in great condition and I love it. It blows the Mosin nagant out of the water. They both have metal butt plates but the enfield is more plesant to shoot. Most ammo is brass cased so you can reload, if it matters. I am much more accurate with it over the mosin which I have shot more by about x2.
> 
> I will not sporterize it and drill it for a scope. In the south thats fine most shots are less than 100yds, up here its a couple hundred. For hog hunts where you need more than one or two rounds at a time its perfect (10rd magazine) and it has more than enough power for em.
> 
> ...


if you love surplus keep your eye out for an already sporterized 1903 or p14 enfield chambered in 30-06 or a re-barreled Mauser in 308
or even a 7mm or 8mm Mauser in good shape , if you reload you can cut down and reform 30-06 brass into either 
just keep away from the Spanish mausers and spanish 308 rifles they are soft steel


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## willbuck1 (Apr 4, 2010)

Power is in the same range as other .30 calibers. I loved the sights on my Dad's. I could put 3 rounds in a 5 inch circle at 250 yards.


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## JackAubrey (Feb 20, 2010)

I love the SMLE and No4Mk1 in .303. Took my first deer with it, 183 yards with iron sights. If you get a really nice one thats good. Hunting ammo seems to be loaded a tad hotter than the service round. The only issue I ever had was a headspace problem with an old 1918 BSA SMLE. Ammo has become difficult to find and VERY expensive when you do. Reloading is a little tricky since the chamber was intentionally larger to allow for battlefield conditions. Resizing is the fly in the ointment. 

Now that I am in Florida, they don't allow anything over a 5 round magazine on a hunting rifle. I'm considering a Mosin Nagant, and just keeping my enfields because I love them.JA


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

A high power 30 cal rifle done as well as anyones with an action you'll either love, put up with, or hate. Probably easier to love as a Canadian with the history and general usage than an American but don't let that stop you. As a match rifle the Lee Enfield #4 mk1* held it's own against all comers. As a hunting rifle it puts deer in the freezer. For fun.... well it's funner with the full military wood than a stripped sporterized huntin gun. If you're me at least! You can't beat a Panzer to death with a better rifle. I'm sure the Russians tried with their Nagants with no better results at least! Prices are getting stupid for them here!


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

Oh and the Rangers are still using them. Last I heard there was an issue with Winchester building the preferred replacement?


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

I'm going to have to agree with everyone that is saying Mauser... I've got a 7mm Brazilian, and a 6.5mm Swiss... Both excellent deer guns... Not too much punch on the shoulder, and not too much meat loss for short ranges... 

I've got a 308 Winchester Model 88, that I did take two deer with last year, but I much prefer hunting with the Mausers.


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## Jolly (Jan 8, 2004)

Parts, value, ergonomics, trigger, versatility - hard to beat a Savage in 30-06.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

Ross said:


> Oh and the Rangers are still using them. Last I heard there was an issue with Winchester building the preferred replacement?


the best laid plans,,,,,, I had heard in 2012 if I recall correctly they were to be phased out for lack of parts 

then again at some point I heard that they had essentially been giving each ranger a rebuilt 303 and 400 rounds each year , if that's the case many rangers may have some parts of their own to keep going if they haven't been required to turn a complete rifle in each year.

I can't be the only person who tries to order 2 of every part within reason when I find the need to order I keep a small parts bin with parts that I keep labeled what they are If I get many more I am going to have to go to a box for each gun especially as I move to standardize and parts are the same between 20 or more guns.


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

Parts is the issue. Never mind the rifle is still made in India and Australia.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

Ross said:


> Parts is the issue. Never mind the rifle is still made in India and Australia.



I would have figured that the Ranger rifles were war left overs but it appears they were new Canadian manufacture . 



"In the early 1950s Essential Agencies Ltd. (E.A.L.), of Toronto, Ontario, produced a run of several thousand No.4 Enfield rifles chambered in .303 British. Serial numbers below 6000 were for civilian sale, serial numbers 6000 and higher were built under contract to the Canadian government. Most of these were destined for service with the Canadian Rangers for the next sixty-five plus years. The C.A.F also used these as a survival rifle in the remote parts of Canada."


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