Anyone use a 303 Enfield as their MAIN hunting rifle? - Page 2

mrcrossbow · #31 12-09-2021, 07:58 AM

i hunted for years with a long branch mk4 as my main rifle, ( was also my first rifle ) then switched to a mosin ( 7.62x54r ) then discovered my love of single shots haven't looked back since. but that 303 brit droped every i hit with it. great round. and a great action on those enfields. did end up likeing the 7.62x54r round more in the end, 220 grain bullets just hit harder. and i liked the mosin action alot. also have a soft spot for ugly rifles.

Bushleague · #32 12-09-2021, 08:42 AM

I've used various LE's as my main rifle, on and off over the years. I generally tend to revert back to other favorites eventually, so maybe its not fair to say the LE's are my main rifles, more like a periodic fancy... but I can think of quite a few seasons where I was packing a .303 on more days than anything else.

When I feel like hunting with irons, a Lee Enfield generally works about as well as any other option.

58thecat · #33 12-09-2021, 10:43 AM

carried my Dads 1917 Enfield 303 all through my teens and into my late 20's...shot some nice critters with it then along cam Layne Simpson and his wildcat 7mm STW....so yup I just had to get one built....sold off items including the 303...idiot

after ten years of using the STW I realized the rifle doesn't make the hunter

FellSwoop · #34 12-13-2021, 08:42 PM

I did until 2001 when I could afford a better rifle. I still have the old beast with 1919 stamped on it. Last time I hunted with it (2013), it bought down a moose.

Bushleague · #35 12-14-2021, 01:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrcrossbow

i hunted for years with a long branch mk4 as my main rifle, ( was also my first rifle ) then switched to a mosin ( 7.62x54r ) then discovered my love of single shots haven't looked back since. but that 303 brit droped every i hit with it. great round. and a great action on those enfields. did end up likeing the 7.62x54r round more in the end, 220 grain bullets just hit harder. and i liked the mosin action alot. also have a soft spot for ugly rifles.

I'm sorta the same... I've owned a couple really nice LE's. One was a Parker Hale, the other was a custom sporter. Those both got sold relatively quickly though, I just prefer my LE's cheap and ugly.

calgarychef · #36 12-14-2021, 01:37 AM

I don’t anymore but my old Lee enfield .303 was one of the nicest carrying rifles.

Pioneer2 · #37 12-14-2021, 05:46 AM

Win 95

Flight01 · #38 12-14-2021, 08:42 AM

My pop always used 303

Many moose and bear he got with the 303 over the course of 60 years

last moose with the 303 was when he was 76 I believe

haywarje · #39 12-14-2021, 09:11 AM

I've got an old .303 was handed down to me from my pops like 20 years ago. Been in the family for decades. Well i did some research on it and discovered it was built in 1917. So i figured i would hunt with it on it's 100th birthday. Took it out to sight it in fall of 2017. Wow! I could not hit the broad side of a barn with that thing. Not sure if they used it to pry tanks out of the mud or what, but holy moly! Only way i'd hunt with that thing is with the bayonet!

Bushleague · #40 12-14-2021, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haywarje

I've got an old .303 was handed down to me from my pops like 20 years ago. Been in the family for decades. Well i did some research on it and discovered it was built in 1917. So i figured i would hunt with it on it's 100th birthday. Took it out to sight it in fall of 2017. Wow! I could not hit the broad side of a barn with that thing. Not sure if they used it to pry tanks out of the mud or what, but holy moly! Only way i'd hunt with that thing is with the bayonet!

I personally have yet to see one that I could not get get to shoot at least 2-3" groups with the irons, and one of mine has a bore that looks like a rusted out sewer pipe. Perhaps I've just been lucky, but usually a good cleaning, bedding the forestock, and a bit of experimentation with factory 180 grain loads has them hitting minute of deer lungs as far out as I have any buisness shooting with irons in the field.

303 Hunter · #41 12-14-2021, 05:08 PM

I do, a Savage No.4 mkI*.
I bought it as my first rifle just after I got my PAL because I knew I would buy one eventually and at the time I could only afford one rifle. So after finding out that they were both cheaper and powerful enough for any North America animal I bought one for myself and my brother. Since then I have rebarreled and restock it, taken five deer with it and have added three other rifles chambered in .303 Brit. For 95% of my hunting it will do just fine. I plan to take it on my late season elk hunt here after Christmas.

Bushleague · #42 12-15-2021, 02:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 303 Hunter

I do, a Savage No.4 mkI*.
I bought it as my first rifle just after I got my PAL because I knew I would buy one eventually and at the time I could only afford one rifle. So after finding out that they were both cheaper and powerful enough for any North America animal I bought one for myself and my brother. Since then I have rebarreled and restock it, taken five deer with it and have added three other rifles chambered in .303 Brit. For 95% of my hunting it will do just fine. I plan to take it on my late season elk hunt here after Christmas.

Nice rifle, hard to tell but it almost looks like you've put some kind of cheek piece on it? Care to elaborate?

KegRiver · #43 12-15-2021, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haywarje

I've got an old .303 was handed down to me from my pops like 20 years ago. Been in the family for decades. Well i did some research on it and discovered it was built in 1917. So i figured i would hunt with it on it's 100th birthday. Took it out to sight it in fall of 2017. Wow! I could not hit the broad side of a barn with that thing. Not sure if they used it to pry tanks out of the mud or what, but holy moly! Only way i'd hunt with that thing is with the bayonet!

Might be shot out, or maybe wasn't cleaned often enough.

Some older ammo used corrosive primers that could toast a barrel pretty quickly.

Some military ammo still uses corrosive primers. I've seen it in 7.62x39 ammo.

I may even have some in my ammo display, I have some real old ammo in that display.
I have some ammo head stamped DCC, that stands for Dominion Cartridge company.
I believe DCC was formed in the late 1800s and renamed to CIL around about 1910.
I also know that noncorrosive primers were introduced around 1920 but most military ammo used corrosive primers at least until the mid 1950s. And as I said some still do.

obsessed1 · #44 12-15-2021, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bushleague

Nice rifle, hard to tell but it almost looks like you've put some kind of cheek piece on it? Care to elaborate?

I installed one on my mk4 no1. I made it myself based on the original risers often found on the sniper models. Much nicer cheek weld. It's a simple peice of wood shaped to fit the radius of the stock and held on with 2 screws.

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303 Hunter · #45 12-16-2021, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bushleague

Nice rifle, hard to tell but it almost looks like you've put some kind of cheek piece on it? Care to elaborate?

Yes it has a cheek piece. Only unlike obsessed1’s it’s made of plastic. The stock was actually made for the 7.62x51 converted Lee Enfields called the L42 A1 sniper rifles. I like the look of them so when I had it rebarreled the gunsmith who did it also had one of those stocks on hand. So I had him put it on.

Bushleague · #46 12-18-2021, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 303 Hunter

Yes it has a cheek piece. Only unlike obsessed1’s it’s made of plastic. The stock was actually made for the 7.62x51 converted Lee Enfields called the L42 A1 sniper rifles. I like the look of them so when I had it rebarreled the gunsmith who did it also had one of those stocks on hand. So I had him put it on.

Very cool.

So I just got a buttstock on my free No4, and realised that I need a front sight blade for it. Just wondering if anyone could give me a ballpark guess at what size blade I would need to get it zeroed a tad high at 100 yards?

Funny, because I got a blonde butstock to match the sporterized forestock... then I realized that I actually have an NOS full length forestock I aquired in a trade once uppon a time. If I'd have gotten a wallnut butstock I'd just need the two hand guards to put it back to original... still might end up doing but first I need to get a blade and see how it shoots. The bore looks really good so I'm hopefull it will shoot well.

obsessed1 · #47 12-18-2021, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bushleague

Very cool.

So I just go a butstock on my free No4, and realised that I need a front sight blade for it. Just wondering if anyone could give me a balpark guess at what size blade I would need to get it zeroed about an inch or two high at 100 yards?

Funny, because I got a blonde butstock to match the sporterized forestock... then I realized that I actually have an NOS full length forestock that somebody also gave me. If I'd have gotten a wallnut butstock I'd just need the two hand guards to put it back to original... still might end up doing but first I need to get a blade and see how it shoots. The bore looks really good so I'm hopefull it will shoot well.

Are you replacing the original front sight? I think I still have my old original front sight out in the parts bin. It's the winged front sight from a mk1no4*.

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Bushleague · #48 12-18-2021, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by obsessed1

Are you replacing the original front sight? I think I still have my old original front sight out in the parts bin. It's the winged front sight from a mk1no4*.

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The front sight does not have the wings, it looks original though and I have no intentions of changing it... just need a blade to get me on the paper. Once I can get it on paper at 100 I can probably calculate what size of blade I need.

obsessed1 · #49 12-18-2021, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bushleague

The front sight does not have the wings, it looks original though and I have no intentions of changing it... just need a blade to get me on the paper. Once I can get it on paper at 100 I can probably calculate what size of blade I need.

The original sight had the part that holds the blade plus the sight protector. I think I have the whole assembly if you want it.

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obsessed1 · #50 12-18-2021, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by obsessed1

Are you replacing the original front sight? I think I still have my old original front sight out in the parts bin. It's the winged front sight from a mk1no4*.

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I always get that wrong it's a no4 mk1* lol

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