[huntinfool]

i need some info on this rifle. does anyone know anything bout this type of caliber? wht is the furthest distance of accuratacy does it have.anyone with any personal experience with this rifle would be willing to give some info would be appreciated. from wht i've found out it was made in around 1903. i know they were used in ww1 & ww2 they were more popular in ww2. this one is the smle 3. thanks for info if any.

 

[johnf]

Here's a little info on the ballistics. My dad used to shoot this round back in the late 60's and says it was great. It looks to me that with the bullet drop that it would be effective to around 250 yards. With some practice and a good range finder it would be effective out to 400 yards if you could hit the target.


http://winchester.com/products/catalog/comparerifle.aspx?multiadd=WDMwM0IxLTEtMQ==&action=3&ctype=1&atype=1

 

[ozarkthunder]

Many of Ozark deer have fell to my dads 303 since 1958. Its the only Rifle he has ever owned. He will be 70 this month, and doesen't even use a scope, although he admits he needs one. I have seen some pretty good shots made by him. He claimed to kick dirt right behind a coyote at a measured 600 yards once. His is a mark 4. You can get stocks, scope mounts and other accesories for them. Have your head space checked, or at least make sure your bolt serial # matches your rifle.

 

[John Stiles]

I owned a 303 back in the 70s....it was semi sportsterized....great shooter with non mil. rounds....but way better w/full metal jacket. I killed a crow at about 450yds[full metal round]...my paw in law swore it was over 500 yds, but I walked it many times, and it's still about 450 give or take a few steps! I shot up all the military ammo, and traded it away for something different!:wink:

 

[LGustin]

The ballistics is somewhere between a 30-30 and a 30.06 I think. I have a fair amount of ammo if your interested. I traded into it and I do not have a 303 gun to shoot it in.

 

[possum]

The ballistics is somewhere between a 30-30 and a 30.06 I think.

That's really the best I can tell as well. My dad has one that I've shot a few times but I've never really set down to check it's accuracy with different ammo though. I need to put that on my list of things to do someday although I'm not sure what choices you would have in a factory flavor.

 

[LGustin]

I would think you can buy factory ammo for it somewhere. I know this cartridge is very popular in Canada and Europe. With all the surplus rifles around I would be surprised if no one is making factory ammo, but I have been surprised before.

 

[possum]

I'm sure Remington loads a Core-lokt for it but I'm not sure if you'd find a premium load without doing it yourself.

 

[9 toes]

Yea, got my screen name from a 303! Watch the safety.

 

[possum]

I've never experienced a safety issue with my dads and to the best of my knowledge neither has he.

 

[CR]

I hunt with sporterized 1943 Lee Enfield No 4 Mk1, chambered in .303 British during deer season, and have 4 other Lee No4's in original config that I enjoy shooting at the range. The .303 is a great round. I've shot most of the commercial ammo available, but you will really see the potential of the .303 if you reload. I use the Hornady 150gr, and 174gr bullets, H335 or Reloader 15 powder, & CCI primers. My best 3 shot groups have been 1.5 inches at 100 yards. For deer, the 174-180gr bullets are effective out to 250 yards before they start to drop off. When comparing the .303 to an american caliber the ballistics are very close to that of the 30-.06 if you reload. Most commercial ammo for the .303 is adequate for whitetail, and elk, but really "underloaded" by american ammo manufacturers, probably due to liability issues, as most .303 ammo is shot out of military surplus rifles. If you're looking at commercial soft point ammo look for Prvi Partizan, Wolf Gold, or Miwall (if you can find it). If you want to know more about Lee Enfields, and the .303 British round, check out these 2 sites:

http://www.303british.com/

http://enfieldrifles.profusehost.net/

 

[ECHIV]

If you start reloading that great old cartridge pay close attention. It is a .311 diameter bullet and not your standard .308 caliber. It can make a difference in accuracy. Remington and winchester both make bullets for it and most reloading manuals will cover it.

 

[ronpip]

Looks like everybody has already given you some really good advice.
Do have a qualified gunsmith check it out before you fire it some of them have been abused or worse by amature gunsmiths.

 

[huntinfool]

thanks for all the info. i done some studying on it last night. my wife doesn't know i got it.80 bucks & a case of keystone. not too bad of a deal. again thanks for all the info given.

 

[JH SWAIN JR]

The .303 is a great round. I have a no. 3 Lithgow Australian made rifle, and my brother has a no. 4 BSA he has harvested a nice buck with. Not much to add with CR's excellent post, but the No. 4 is a more modernized and stronger action vs. the No. 3. Savage also made rifles for the Brits during the war and they are a tad more expensive. Although some disagree I stay away from the Indian made Isapore rifles, especially the ones chambered in .308. I never hear of anyone having troubles I just think the action is a little light for .308. On re-loading I like to only load the brass a time or two due to the fact the British made the decision to cut the chambers oversize with the rational that corroded or dirty ammo would still chamber. The down side to this is that the cases tend to cut in half after several loadings, witch could be dangerous although the only negative I have experienced was a Savage rifle that after cutting many shells in half eroded the chamber there so that it cut every case in half every time.

 

[CR]

JH, are you only neck sizing your brass, or the whole case? After I went back to neck sizing only, I was able to get 6 - 10 reloads from my brass, depending on the manufacturer. The Winchester, Wolf, and Prvi brass have all been good for multiple reloads, while Remington, and S&B don't seem to last as long. It sounds like you may have a headspace issue, but I belive it's easily fixed by changing out the bolt head with one slightly longer. The rear of the bolt body may also be worn enough to create a headspace problem. I don't own a No1 MkIII, but one of my No4's was closing on a field gage, and I was able to correct the headspace problem by changing out the bolt body, and stepping up a size with a new bolt head. Check out Springfield Sporters: http://www.ssporters.com/springfield_sporters1.htm
they have lots of parts for both the No1's, and No4's.

 

[JH SWAIN JR]

Excellent suggestion CR, I have long since scrapped that rifle (the Savage), of course they were much less expensive back then. Honestly I have not been re-loading for my .303 in years, I've been playing with 35 calibers recently, and my C&R hobby is suffering due to my bow hunting, arrow making, and the rest. I have an abundance of surplus .303 that I have been using in my Lithgow. On a side note I love those Cordite loads.

 

[flintknapper]

On a side note I love those Cordite loads.

You just gotta love the smell of cordite in the morning, it smells like, uh, surplus ammo!

 

[CR]

I like the recoil of a cordite load also, much more robust than the commercial stuff.

 

[Ike Brown]

The Lee - enfield I think was rated 4th or 5th by the history channel as best all around rifle.

.303 and AK's can be found all over the world.