303 British, how good is it?

6.5x55swm said:
I just received a free .303, how good is this round for hunting?
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Try this new Google thing. Seems to function for answering questions on the interweb.

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brotherjack said:
The Wife (tm) and I both have killed lots of critters with a 303 British -- deer, elk, bear, groundhog, grouse, etc. Works great. For hunting ammo, I like 180 grain grey-box Winchester PowerPoint's. 303's will eat brass too fast to make reloading much use - unlress you already reload, I'd recommend you just stick with store-bought fodder.
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I used to use the 180gr. Silvertip, awesome deer killer! Haven't seen any in years. Not all .303's eat brass. My Winchester 1895 is very kind to brass, and so were both of my No.5's. SMLE's generally destroy brass after three firings with hunting loads, or even less with Remington brass. I no longer reload for .303, since one box of factory ammo lasts several seasons! :D
 
I never have had any qualms about using the 303 British to hunt with here in BC. I have shot 3 moose, and about half a dozen Black bear plus many deer with this fine old chambering. I prefer the P14 rifles,[easier on brass] but they will all work fine. Regards, Eagleye.
 
even reloading is actually quite ok as long as you only neck size the casings....full length sizing will wear em out quicker. You can get about 10 loads out of neck sized brass. As for accuracy, both my Enfield #4 mk. 1's are MOA guns. Great rifles!

Btw, what kind of Enfield is it, Long branch, Savage, etc...?
 
I have shot game with and seen many game shot with other calibers but none of them seem to just drop them like the 303 does....it just seems to have that perfect mix of speed and energy when loaded with 180gr bullets. Great rifle and great round.
 
BLR 81 said:
even reloading is actually quite ok as long as you only neck size the casings....full length sizing will wear em out quicker. You can get about 10 loads out of neck sized brass.
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I agree. Unless your dies are the exact shape of your chamber, the shoulder tends to get moved back and forth between shooting and full length resizing, greatly reducing the life of your brass. Neck size only, once the brass has been fire-formed to the shape of your chamber.
 
That's what I started out with. As I recall it was a Simpon-Sears 'special' that had a heavy sheet metal looking mount and 'inexpensive' scope. I used it on Deer, Moose and Black Bear and I don't recall any getting away. I must still like 'them' as I've recently picked up a pair of Jungle Carbines because, I need them.

I do use a neck sizing die, most of the time, but something else that helps extend the life of the brass is to check the fit and go for a more appropiate sized bolt head. That made a fair amount of difference on one of my JC's.
 
.303 British Factory loaded hunting ammunition is soft point stuff so it should not be recommended for tough shots. By tough I mean shoulder or frontal shots on Large Game. These type of shots require a stoutly constructed bullet, so that it penetrates into the vitals and the soft point bullet may not stand up to this. The velocity of Factory loaded 180 gr. ammo is on par with military ammo, around 2450 fps, so it is a bit slower then similar .308Win loadings. With good shot placement, in the 'Boiler Room', the .303 British should be sufficient to kill Large hooved animals at reasonable ranges. Medium & light framed animals would represent no trouble in my humble opinion. I've hunted with but not shot any game using full wood Lee's so have no real experience with its killing ability.

Have fun with it...get to know it...care for it. A free rifle is too good to not use.

BHC
 
I am going to use my SMLE next year because my .300 win mag is just wrecking the meat at the Point blank ranges I seem to get in my tree stand.

My father laughed, then this xmas started picking my brain for a 25 -06 cause he has the same problem.

enjoy the free gun. :)
 
Rifleman1911 said:
I am going to use my SMLE next year because my .300 win mag is just wrecking the meat at the Point blank ranges I seem to get in my tree stand.

My father laughed, then this xmas started picking my brain for a 25 -06 cause he has the same problem.

enjoy the free gun. :)
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You will find that the high velocity offered by your 300Mag was the cause of much wasted meat. Bullet type is the other.

A 25/06 will ruin just as much meat as your 300Mag, all else being equal. The old timers liked big/heavy bullets going slow for a reason.

.
 
That is what I was trying to tell him but he thinks that the 25-06 the best thing since sliced bread.

when I nail a whitetail next year with my smle I want to see the look on his face as he thinks that the .303 is long gone for any uses.

I think that he just wants me to buy another hunting rifle.

cheers
 
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