good ol .303 brit still gettin the job done

4

45ACPKING

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so I see lots of guys every year ask if their old 303 enfield is worth using as a hunting rifle.........
well... this one is a receiver up build, 18.5" barrel , assembled on my bench from parts scrounged here in the EE :) the stock is from a sportered no 4 modified and bedded for this rifle, picatinny scope mount made on my bench as well.
this interior BC fat mulie buck was taken today at 1:05pm , 85 yards up hill shot
my wife filled her tag last night at dusk with the same rifle , dropping a nice 3x4 mulie (no pics due to being dark by the time we crossed the fields and got it hooked up to the quad)
here's todays deer


so, anyone else putting meat in the freezer with their century old enfields this year?
 
Great you and your wife did this with a Lee Enfield. They are still a great rifle and far more capable than many will ever admit. Wish I could have a quarter for every animal taken with a LE as I would be a wealthy man.

Again congrats.
 
But...but... a Lee Enfield?? :eek: Aren't they wildly inaccurate and only barely fit for the job??:p

Congrats on the success! Looks like a nice rifle. :)
 
45ACPKING said:
I'm not a bone hunter if that's what yer asking.
I certainly and gladly eat what I kill ;)
Season in my region of BC is only open for 4 point or better (one antler) untill months end.
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I was just wondering because people have told me that mule deer are stinky and extra gamy? I don't hunt but that's what I was told. But what do they know.

Where did you plug that beast? It's 4 pointer in the kootenays. Is that where you are too?
 
It's all in how you handle the animal once it's down. I've killed a lot of mulies and blacktails in my day and haven't served it once where it wasn't gobbled down ;)

I'm a little ways out of 100 mile house in the Cariboo, region 5.
 
45ACPKING said:
It's all in how you handle the animal once it's down. I've killed a lot of mulies and blacktails in my day and haven't served it once where it wasn't gobbled down ;)

I'm a little ways out of 100 mile house in the Cariboo, region 5.
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Nice Mule! I'm out your way, in 100 mile house, too. My brother in law killed many deer with his 303, and before that his father with the same gun. The 303 is a good hunter!

Regards
Der Hauptgefreite
 
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But...But...But...Don't you know that you HAVE to use one of the latest, up to date, stainless steel, plastic stocked MAGNUM rifles to shoot a Deer. And, especially a MULE DEER as they are much larger than those Whitetails!:rolleyes:

And your story, it needs a major overhaul. 85 yards? Did you forget the Zero at the end and it really was 850 yards? No self respecting Deer Hunter, while telling a story, would admit to shooting a Deer at 85 yards! ;)

However, I think there must be something wrong with my hunting technique too. It seems that over close to the last 60 years, all across Canada, about 85% of the Game animals I have shot have been under 200 yards, and most of them closer to the 100 yard mark. I guess I will have to fess up and admit that the last Deer I shot was with a 1905 Ross factory Sporter in .303 Ross Calibre. The .303 Ross cartridge is exactly the same dimensions in ALL respects to the .303 British and the rounds are interchangeable. (It would appear that Sir Charles did not have the disadvantage of truth-in-advertising laws back then.)

Nice Mule Deer and a very practical rifle for the purpose.
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buffdog said:
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But...But...But...Don't you know that you HAVE to use one of the latest, up to date, stainless steel, plastic stocked MAGNUM rifles to shoot a Deer. And, especially a MULE DEER as they are much larger than those Whitetails!:rolleyes:

And your story, it needs a major overhaul. 85 yards? Did you forget the Zero at the end and it really was 850 yards? No self respecting Deer Hunter, while telling a story, would admit to shooting a Deer at 85 yards! ;)

However, I think there must be something wrong with my hunting technique too. It seems that over close to the last 60 years, all across Canada, about 85% of the Game animals I have shot have been under 200 yards, and most of them closer to the 100 yard mark. I guess I will have to fess up and admit that the last Deer I shot was with a 1905 Ross factory Sporter in .303 Ross Calibre. The .303 Ross cartridge is exactly the same dimensions in ALL respects to the .303 British and the rounds are interchangeable. (It would appear that Sir Charles did not have the disadvantage of truth-in-advertising laws back then.)

Nice Mule Deer and a very practical rifle for the purpose.
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I was thinking the same thing!! Every deer hunter I know always tells me breath taking tales of marksmanship, speaking of 300 yard running deer shots!!

Then they tell me that I couldn't do a shot like that because I don't have the latest and greats short magnum round!!

OP, good for you!!! It's refreshing to see someone hunt with a good old .303 which most if know is plenty gun for just about anything that walks or crawls on this continent!!
 
buffdog said:
.
But...But...But...Don't you know that you HAVE to use one of the latest, up to date, stainless steel, plastic stocked MAGNUM rifles to shoot a Deer. And, especially a MULE DEER as they are much larger than those Whitetails!:rolleyes:

And your story, it needs a major overhaul. 85 yards? Did you forget the Zero at the end and it really was 850 yards? No self respecting Deer Hunter, while telling a story, would admit to shooting a Deer at 85 yards! ;)

However, I think there must be something wrong with my hunting technique too. It seems that over close to the last 60 years, all across Canada, about 85% of the Game animals I have shot have been under 200 yards, and most of them closer to the 100 yard mark. I guess I will have to fess up and admit that the last Deer I shot was with a 1905 Ross factory Sporter in .303 Ross Calibre. The .303 Ross cartridge is exactly the same dimensions in ALL respects to the .303 British and the rounds are interchangeable. (It would appear that Sir Charles did not have the disadvantage of truth-in-advertising laws back then.)

Nice Mule Deer and a very practical rifle for the purpose.
.
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Hear, hear. The man is a hunter, who makes the effort to get with the animal at close range, rather than driving around in a truck and then bailing out to at strafe away at running deer at extended ranges with a 7mm whatchamacallit magnum fitted with a 12-18x scope. Call me biased, but after hunting for more than 50 yrs I've never seen the need for a magnum and never will.

MILSURP ctgs work supremely well for big game with proper bullets and shot placement at reasonable ranges. I've shot deer, moose and bear with all of the 7x57, .308, .30-06, and .303 as well as some commercial derivatives incl the .25-06, .270 and .280. If a person makes the effort to actually hunt deer, rather than just going out and shooting at them, they are excellent. I've gotten my best whitetail, moose and bear with a sportered No5 JC that I bought back in 1962. It will hold a 2.5 inch group at best, but I've never shot anything over 100 yds with it. It was just the ticket in the heavy timber in NB where shots came as close as 15 yds. I actually loaded my ammo down to .30-30 velocities using 180gr Speer bullets. Most of the fun of hunting is being on your feet and being able to get close to animals with proper attention to the wind, moving or sitting stock still and wearing a face mask. The most alarming and visible part of the human anatomy to game, next to a bare backside (ask a helicopter pilot about this), is the face.
 
Thanx for the comments ;)
I taught myself to hunt in my late 20's. Back then, living in the city and with no "mentors", it took me 5 years to harvest my first deer. Used my dad's old no1 mk3 sporter he bought in the early 60's from sears.
I've taken 2 bears and 17 deer with that rifle but retired her a few years ago.
My biggest Mulie to date was a 170 plus, typical 4 point , taken back in 05 , rememberance day, with a poppy on my camo, dad's enfield, solo hunting on foot. Was a magical day let me tell ya ;)

The 303 put's em down hard if ya hit em where it counts. I won't say it's the best cartridge out there... But for walkin and stalkin , it's certainly my favorite.
 
But but if you don't hunt with an uber modern rig, will yer #### fall off? :evil:

Sorry I could not resist !!! I am surrounded by too many hunters who focus on the hardware and not practicing enough in different positions or shooting away from their benches.

Cheers and great shooting with the .303

Barney
 
klaus enuff said:
Nice buck Thomas!

I will be heading up your way in a couple weeks to hopefully bag one too.
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Message me when yer heading up. I may have some good intel for you. Friday morning I passed up a shot a monster 6x5 mulie I've seen a few times. Lot's of young bucks around ;)
 
I Know alot of people who use 303brits to hunt almost everything . They are cheap to buy ammo is plentiful
My uncle hunted with one for 54 years then bought a m77 hawk eye target in stainless used it once the. Went back to a lee enfield
 
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