.303 British

dadsbuckshot · 10-19-2008, 01:19 PM

Has anyone ever hunted with a .303 British?

I have a Enfield #4 Mark 1 that I am considering hunting with for deer, black bear and hog here in Georgia.Its a nice old military round that I got a good buy in.It is fitted with a nice aftermarket synthetic stock, detatchable magazine and scope.

Does anyone have experience with the caliber? If so give your thoughts....

Thanks.......

James B · 10-19-2008, 04:31 PM

The 303 has been used widely in Canada for elk, moose and bears. It is close to the 308 but not quite there. It has also been used for over a century in Africa. I have three of them.

KonaBoy · 10-19-2008, 05:16 PM

I haven't personally used one, but I know a lot of guys you use them every year for moose, and they usually don't have a lot of problems (just poor shot placement). I wouldn't hesitate to use it on any of the mentioned game.

eldeguello · 10-19-2008, 06:31 PM

The 303 British is quite a cartridge! With the right bullets, it will kill anything in North America. I have seen a couple of cruddy old Smellys (Short, Magazine, Lee-Enfield) turn in sub-MOA groups at 100 yards using handloads containing .308" bullets. Never sell those rifles short!

vaslugger · 10-19-2008, 08:08 PM

Great caliber as I used to hunt with them shooting Remington core lokt bullets and it was fantastic on deer and more than enough for bear! Mike

bob roberts · 10-20-2008, 04:58 AM

when i was a kid i traded an old double barrel shotgun to a fellow for a 303 smle. i killed a few deer with the old gun and it performed just fine. as mentioned, there is no telling how many elk, bear, etc. have fallen to the 303 in canada. put the bullet where it is supposed to go and you won't have a problem.

rbduck · 10-20-2008, 06:40 AM

Most hunters/shooters in Canada(including myself) have been brought up on them the same way Americans are brought up on the Mod94 in 30/30. They are excellent rifles for moose(shot my first moose with one at age 16), deer, bear, elk, and caribou.
My Dad has shot sheep at 400yds with his. You can buy factory cartridges with bullets weighingup to 220grs in size. I highly recommend them. Remember bullet placement. Good luck.

Ron

Whitehorn · 10-21-2008, 08:57 AM

My three brothers who still live in Ontario and hunt in Northern Ontario still use 303s even though they have a variety of rifles..

Barnes now offers a 150 grain TSX if you consider reloading..

Mojotex · 10-21-2008, 05:43 PM

My uncle Bob, who passed away 3 years ago at the ripe old age of 83, used an Enfield #4 - 303 Brit. He told me he gave something like $15 for it way back when at J.C. Penny's in Little Rock, Ark. and had the kids in the local HS shop "sport" the stock for him for free. I guess he hunted with this rifle for nearly40 years, taking dozens and dozens of deer and several feral hogs.When he turned about 55, he had a gunsmith drill and tap it for scope mounting. His eldest son has the rifle now and it is a real family treasure. Beat to heck and back, but still shoots fine. A special thing to those of us that hunted with Bob, for what seemed like forever, is that he was hunting with us only a week or so before he died. And he killed a 10 pt. buck that weekend that we have since named "Bull Winkle" because it had a thick, stubby, palmated "moose" looking rack.Even set sort of flat.

MO-KS_hunter · 10-22-2008, 08:09 PM

Quote:

ORIGINAL: dadsbuckshot
It is fitted with a nice aftermarket synthetic stock, detatchable magazine and scope.

Where did you get your aftermarket stuff for your .303 enfield? My father-in-law gave me one a few years ago but the stock is cracked and I need to replace it.