Who will be hunting with an Enfield this fall?

gitrdun said:
Firstly, I'll begin with an apology to the mkonecny for having redirected his thread to this barage of insults.

As far as my statement concerning the rifle and caliber, it isn't derived from an imaginary friend. Speer Reloading Manual number 11, page 254. "The .303 cartridge has probably killed more game in Africa than any other cartridge, and also wounded more.
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It's not the calibre used there but the bullet type.
Military surplus 303 brit with FULL Metal Jacket bullets,you would get the same wounding using a 30-06 with fmj ammo too.Unless your going to do head shots but i will let BIG RED comment on that bit.
 
Hunt With an Enfield?

Probably not... but my choices in the 'inventory' are both #4 target rifles with PH-5 sites. One's in .303 Brit and the other is 7.62 Nato...

Think I'd take one of my non-Enfield sporters if I was to go afield...
 
P-14

My Centurion 300 Winchester Magnum was a P-14 Enfield once.

It's my go-to rifle for moose and elk.
 
I always take a lee enfield sporter as a back up for those realy ugly days. A very capable rifle that will take anything nature can throw at it.
 
My nephew will for sure. He thinks quite highly of his original "Jungle Carbine". He dropped a nice Muley Buck year before last with it, ioriginal iron sights and all.

Rod
 
I've a 1940 ishy SMLE, sporterised with a 4x scope. I use it year round whenever i feel like a trip out to shoot something. It's nice having no seasons or tags :D

As to the FMJ debate. Yes the old RN and SP .303s Mk5 projectiles and before were far more effective, having been made to kill wogs and fuzzy wuzzies rather than conform to some treaty, but the Mk7 was designed to tumble, with a aluminium nose and lead base under the jacket, wheras the .30-06 is solid lead under the jacket and drills straight though, I'll take a Mk7 over a .30-06 any day if i need to kill things, a tumling projectile through the boiler room will kill a lot faster than a stable spinner.
 
gitrdun said:
Firstly, I'll begin with an apology to the mkonecny for having redirected his thread to this barage of insults.

As far as my statement concerning the rifle and caliber, it isn't derived from an imaginary friend. Speer Reloading Manual number 11, page 254. "The .303 cartridge has probably killed more game in Africa than any other cartridge, and also wounded more." also, "Many surplus SMLE arrived in the US in poor or questionable condition." I haven't the time nor the inclination to search for the source which made a very similar statement concerning the wounding of animals in Canada.

As far as letting by-gones be by-gones ... for sure. ;)
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That's not the only stupid thing I've read in a loading manual, but it sure is one of the dumbest. Only dumber thing maybe is quoting a stupid statement and attempting to pass it off as fact to people that know better...

Interestingly, by Speer #12 someone clearly got a good talking to, and omited that ridiculous statement, replacing it with a caution to check for excessive headspace, which is a valid enough comment.

I don't hunt with a SMLE, but I've owned them, and I have hunted with them. Like most other rifles, if you do your part, they will do thiers. They are certainly accurate enough to hunt with.

If the SMLE malfunctions, that is because it is BROKEN. If your Remington malfunctions, that is because it too is BROKEN.

To blame a battle proven rifle design- using a cartridge of the power level of the .303 British -of being a crippler is nonsense. Sounds to me that someone can't shoot and/or hasn't taken enough practice shots to understand how your rifle works.
 
enfield in the fall

I will be hunting with my 1918 Enfield SMLE this fall, unless something interesting catches my eye. The terrain where I hunt deer offers field and bush hunting. I usually bring my Wingmaster with me, for the bush hunting (buckshot), and use my Enfield in the fields.
Brent
 
Gatehouse said:
That's not the only stupid thing I've read in a loading manual, but it sure is one of the dumbest. Only dumber thing maybe is quoting a stupid statement and attempting to pass it off as fact to people that know better...

Interestingly, by Speer #12 someone clearly got a good talking to, and omited that ridiculous statement, replacing it with a caution to check for excessive headspace, which is a valid enough comment.

I don't hunt with a SMLE, but I've owned them, and I have hunted with them. Like most other rifles, if you do your part, they will do thiers. They are certainly accurate enough to hunt with.

If the SMLE malfunctions, that is because it is BROKEN. If your Remington malfunctions, that is because it too is BROKEN. Oh, make no mistake about it bud, I get plenty of shooting practise.

To blame a battle proven rifle design- using a cartridge of the power level of the .303 British -of being a crippler is nonsense. Sounds to me that someone can't shoot and/or hasn't taken enough practice shots to understand how your rifle works.
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Stupid? Dumb?... so how did you come about picking your .375 Ruger as the allmighty new king of the .375 cartridges? By the stupid and dumb bulls**t that you read in either of the Ruger propaganda or Hornady ballistics specifications. Seems to me that you pick bulls**t from fact depending on what seems to suit you best at the time.

Fuch that Gatehouse, I'm not going to let you drag me back into this mud slinging warfare about my opinion on the .303 or the Enfields....no, not in this thread. The original question was "who's going to hunt with them". I more than clearly stated my stand. If you want to get at it, start another thread about "why" then, I'll jump in time permitting. :) And if anyone gets offended about their pet caliber or rifle make, then go suck a soother...:D

Make no mistake about it Gate, I get plenty of shooting practise. And I still think they should all be melted down and be made into Toyotas. :D:D:D:D:D:D

I'm done here.
 
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gitrdun said:
Stupid? Dumb?... so how did you come about picking your .375 Ruger as the allmighty new king of the .375 cartridges? By the stupid and dumb bulls**t that you read in either of the Ruger propaganda or Hornady ballistics specifications.
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I decided to purchase a 375 Ruger rifle based on research from multiple , credible sources. Chief among my reasons for picking that cartridge was that it appeared to have similar to 375 H&H performance levels, and was housed in a package I wanted.

You seem to have decided that the 303 was a wounder based on one source, which was not repeated the next printing.

The "New King" stuff is just intraweb BS ####. I woudl have thought you were more intelligent than that to put much stock in it. Heck, Even SuperCub eventually figured out the fun of it.:rolleyes


Seems to me that you pick bulls**t from fact depending on what seems to suit you best at the time
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My BS may be your fact, and your BS may be my fact, but my opinion is my opinion. I can and have changed my mind, I can and have been corrected, but to suggest that I fabricate things is just untrue.

However, it seems to me that you post BS without any first hand knowledge. At least when I dont' have any first hand knowledge I will add a disclaimer saying "I've not used it, but I suspect the results would be this, based on other expereinces"

Fuch that Gatehouse, I'm not going to let you drag me back into this mud slinging warfare about my opinion on the .303 or the Enfields....no, not in this thread. The original question was "who's going to hunt with them". I more than clearly stated my stand. If you want to get at it, start another thread about "why" then, I'll jump in time permitting. :) And if anyone gets offended about their pet caliber or rifle make, then go suck a soother...:D
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Why did you start it then? You cleaqry stated your stand, but you have given pretty much zero evidence to back your stand up. The SMLE sure isn't my pet rifle and the 303 British sure isn't my pet cartridge, but at least i tell it like it is, based on personal observation, and personal use. Your argument appears to be "Someone in the Speer Manual said so":rolleyes:

Make no mistake about it Gate, I get plenty of shooting practise. And I still think they should all be melted down and be made into Toyotas
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.

You are entitled to your opinion, of course. Even if it is based on completely flawed information.

The SMLE is a battle proven rifle design.

Therefore:

It is reliable
It is accurate enough for battle situations
It has been sucessfully used to cleanly kill countless amounts of game, all over the world, so it's pretty clear that it is hunting accurate.
It has decent iron sights, far better than many lever action rifles that are not accused of being "wounders"
It is chambered in the .303 British cartridge, which has more than enough power to bowl over a moose, evidenced countless times.

A man that gets lots of shooting practice will understand this group, made with iron sights, at 100 yards, from a SMLE.

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Using a scope on a #5 , this isnt to bad for factory ammo:

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A handload works okay, too:

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Factory loads !!:

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This rifle hasnt' been rebarreled, blueprinted, trigger job or anything else. It was shot with iron and telescopic sights.

If a person can't cleanly kill with accuracy like that, then they can't ####ing shoot. Period.



I'm done here.
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Hey, okay. You still havent' shown us that a 303 cartridge is inaccurate or incapable of killing game, and that the SMLE is less accurate than the shooter...You sure haven't told us how many game animals you have shot and lost while using the SMLE, I'd love to hear you first hand experiences wiht these rifles.;)
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SO I ASK AGAIN:

I am wondering who is taking their enfield on a hunt this fall? Which model, original or sporterized? What will you be hunting with it and so what kind of ammo will you be using? Is your tool scoped or will you be using iron sights?

Thanks


ps. stick to the topic, thanks
 
I won't but when I have hunted wiht Enfields, many years ago....I used 180 gr Power Point factory ammo, or 150gr/180gr Handloads, wiht Speer bullets, IIRC.

Loaded over Varget and IMR 4320, IIRC.

I often had a Enfield as a truck gun, too.
 
I'm loading 174GN Hornadys. Probably over IMR3031, remains to be seen.

I have inconsistent feed troubles with Rem 180 RN bullets and factory cartridges on my No4 and No5 rifles. The bullets lodge against the feed ramp rather than riding up.

Federal SSpitzer work well, but I've got the Hornadys here, and I like the .312 for accuracy. They feed fine as well.

The decision between the No4 and No5 will be decided at the range prior to the hunt. I like carrying the carbine better though, and she generally shoots like a hot damn. Barring something drastic and unexpected, it's be the Jungle Carbine for my caribou.
 
kombi1976 said:
Gatehouse is right.
I think EVERYONE here would love to know exactly how much personal experience you've had with Enfields.
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No problem, I've had personal experience as a former owner and also with those of people that have used them. I didn't post them simply because I realize that personal stories cannot be validated, you just have to take my word for it. Here goes:

My first rifle was a SMLE mk4 that my dad purchased from Sears for $60.00 back in the early 70's. He mounted a scope on it and we took it to the range. We had to use a 4x8 sheet of plywood at 100 yards to even see the bullet impacts. It turns out the bullets were tumbling and keyholing the paper. He took it to a gunsmith in Cranbrook (we lived in Sparwood) who told him to use it for firewood (sounds familiar ?). He did and bought me a 7x57 Winchester. A few years back, I had an exact repeat of that same story with a friend who invited to me hunt on his family's farm in eastern Alberta. I mean, exactly the same thing, 4x8 plywood and tumbling bullets. More recently, a young guy that I hunted with used his grandpa's SMLE to wound a whitetail, took two legs off that poor deer, I finished it off. On our next trip, he shot a cow elk high on the rump, breaking her back.

There you have it. You folks that own these rifles sure do take it personally when someone critizes them. You don't see Remington 710 owners getting all bent outta shape when those rifles are getting their just bashing :D - Crap, I started something,....again. So take it easy eh! - Hey, I own a Tikka M695 with a PLASTIC bolt shroud :eek:....go ahead, take your best shot. I also have a Savage with a big nosed indian medallion on the pistol grip :D To add insult to injury, I just sold a Parker Hale modified Enfield to a fellow here. I never shot it, told him I didn't know anything about it, gave him a good deal and he's happier than a two peckered puppy. ;):D

Oh, and I would like to end this debate here on a happy note. Mkonecny has redirected his question to the original post "who will be hunting with these". As far as I'm concern, I won't so that's all I have to say.

Cheers
 
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Mmmm, interesting....a whole model of rifle that makes bullets tumble and can't print on a 4x8 sheet. :confused:
Can't imagine why it was the standard arm of an entire EMPIRE! :rolleyes:

To return to the point, I've loaded some 180gn Remington RNs and some Taipan 215gn RNSNs although I haven't settled on a load yet.
A lot of my mates use AR2208 powder (Varget) and Taipan 174gn HPBTs but then it's a target bullet and they shoot metallic silhouette and service rifle.
And on a less relevant sidenote, my 303/25 uses 30gr of AR2206 (BLC(2)) behind a 25 cal Sierra GameKing 90gr HPBT.
It is still an Enfield and a 303 case, albeit somewhat modified. ;)
 
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