Info needed on 25-303/my collection

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colin456

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I'm 18 and only got really into shooting about a year ago, but I've been hunting since I was 12. This is my collection with my latest addition of my sx3 today.

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BAR-300wm
Sx3-12ga 3 1/2
traditions .50
Savage 24-22lr/20ga
BLR-.308
?-25-303
Marlin supergoose-10ga
This is my 25-303. I don't know much about it, I was told its a Lee Enfeild action and thats about it. I'd like to know basically anything you could tell me about it, and a possible price. Thanks
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Your 25-303 is gorgeous! The lumber is really nice.

The 25-303 is a wildcat. [reloader's only] that will require the correct dies
to neck those 303 cases down to 25 cal.
Think of it as a 260 Remington with a bit smaller bore, but similar powder capacity.

It would make a great rifle for game up to the size of Caribou, and even a moose with the correct bullet,
and proper bullet placement.
It looks like someone did a very nice job of making that Lee-Enfield into a decent sporter.

Keep us informed. You may want to engage the services of a seasoned reloader/wildcatter to lead
you through the process of making that wildcat useful.
[Wish I was closer, lol]

Regards, Eagleye
 
Indeed I would keep it too. As I understand it the .25-303 gained a lot of popularity in Australia. Yours appears to be much nicer than average. Prices for them are generally very low, due to better actions made today, however it is still an excellent rifle and all the more reason to keep it. Lots of class.
 
I traded a savage 24 22/410 that wasn't in the greatest shape (I got it for $340)for the 25-303 that came with 250 round of ammo(85 and 100gr bullets) the dies and the scope to another CGN member. Couldn't say no when I saw the stock on it. Good deal for me? And I'm hoping my uncle who reloads 308 and 300 for me will also help me out with this one. And thanks for the info guys.
 
colin456 said:
I'm 18 and only got really into shooting about a year ago, but I've been hunting since I was 12. This is my collection with my latest addition of my sx3 today.

View attachment 6449
BAR-300wm
Sx3-12ga 3 1/2
traditions .50
Savage 24-22lr/20ga
BLR-.308
?-25-303
Marlin supergoose-10ga
This is my 25-303. I don't know much about it, I was told its a Lee Enfeild action and thats about it. I'd like to know basically anything you could tell me about it, and a possible price. Thanks
View attachment 6456
View attachment 6457
Click to expand...

Quality pieces congrats
 
Good trade and a nice rifle! Make sure you update this thread with some range results. I'm curious as to how well it shoots.

Congrats on a cool rifle in a classy chambering!
 
I have a 25-303A1 improved on a P14 action, I load my to equivalent to 257 improved and it is a sweet shootin rifle, It was also Epps barrel, dies were ordered from RCBS after sending them a fired case, start necking down with 7mm and then go to 25 and fireform, and all I use are 100-117 gr. bullet, It was built in the 60s and my brother restocked it for me in the 70s. You will have a great shooting gun but if standard it will be same as a 257.
 
Someone has gone to a great deal of work with that old Enfield, it is a big job converting them to a one piece stock and getting rid of the wrist band. I looked at one done exactly the same way a month or so ago but yours has a nicer piece of wood. I spoke at length with the guy who did the conversion and it was a lot of work. There used to be data in one of the old manuals but I can't put my finger on which one right now, or maybe Cart of the World. You could quite nicely get by with either 250 Sav or 257 Rob dies for now and really you wouldn't have to get the custom dies. I've done this a lot over the years and sometimes you may have to use 2 or even 3 sets of regular dies but they work just fine and are much less than custom ones. I'm sure RCBS lists the 25-303 dies but with wildcats you never know if the run-of-the mill wildcat dies are going to match your chamber. NICE SNAG by the way, very well done and quite a unique chambering.
 
In Australia they call it a 303/25 for some reason. I know a fellow who used to have one. He said he had a kind of "Lee loading tool" and he would take old 303 military shells and pull the bullet, pull the cordite and work the shell with the tool to bring it down to .25. Then he would snip off some of the cordite and put it back in the shell and load a .25 bullet on top.

A popular kangaroo and dingo gun back in the day, it is not so common now. I reckon it would be a nice coyote/deer/pronghorn cartridge if that fancy looking rifle shoots straight.
 
Johnny G1 said:
I have a 25-303A1 improved on a P14 action, I load my to equivalent to 257 improved and it is a sweet shootin rifle, It was also Epps barrel, dies were ordered from RCBS after sending them a fired case, start necking down with 7mm and then go to 25 and fireform, and all I use are 100-117 gr. bullet, It was built in the 60s and my brother restocked it for me in the 70s. You will have a great shooting gun but if standard it will be same as a 257.
Click to expand...

X2, except mine is in a falling block.
 
Joe Gibault and Bill Leahy (sp.??) both from BC did LE one piece stock conversions using good broadleaf maple stocks very much like that one. Your wood looks like broadleaf rather than Eastern maple species. Believe they did most of them during the 50's. It would not surprise me if one of them did that work and you might check in various spots on the rifle to see if the initial JG or WL (possibly BL) are stamped into it any place. I tried for years to talk Ernie Johnson out of one he had but he wasn't in a mood to sell it. They used both cut down magazines to make blind magazines but they also did some with the magazine well made carefully in the wood itself with no steel liner. Their rifles were very light weight probably not much over 5.5 lbs. if that.
 
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