good ol .303 brit still gettin the job done
- Thread starter 45ACPKING
- Start date
I've been using the 303 Brit to take game for almost 40 yrs. My father taught us to hunt, not just shoot at game. The 303 is fully capable of taking any big game in Canada cleanly and humanely. Granted , it wouldn't be my first choice in a fight with a Grizzly , but that can be said of most commonly used calibers. I've managed to scrounge up 150 215 gr Norma 303 cal bullets. I've got an excellent load using RL 15 that duplicates the old IVI factory ammo and shoots into groups that I can't believe ( niether would a lot of you, so I'll keep it to myself rather than be called a liar) I can't wait to try it out on moose this October. My father took a lot of moose with the old 215 gr Kling Kore CIL 303 bullets. The Old Man's gone, but I still carry his rifle and the memories that go with it. If I'm lucky enough to collect a bull this fall, I'm sure the old man will be with me and would approve.
A2
A2
The .303 is quite flexible with powders when reloading. All of IMR 4064, IMR 4895, IMR 4320, IMR4350, RL 15, Varget, W760 and H414 are worth a try. the 180gr Speer and 174gr Hornady round nose are great in the bush. The Sierra 180gr spitzer is a good choice for shooting at longer ranges.
My hunting buddy carries a No.4 that his dad built a custom stock for. I've got a barrelled 1917 SMLE action that I plan to get some nice woodwork for, it'll make a far better up close gun than my Weatherby. A No. 4 sporter was also the first rifle I ever carried into the woods when I was 14.
The 303 and the 30-30 have likely killed more deer, moose, elk and bear in this country than any other cartridges will EVER account for. And they continue to increase their number every year, judging from the availability of ammo at the local gas stations.
*forgot I've got a P14 sporter behind the furnace too. The new bush gun is gonna depend on who comes out on top in the accuracy department. It's pretty close from my open sights factory ammo testing so far. Both around 1 1/2" at 100. The SMLE sights are a foot high with the new factory stuff though. Someone's tweaked the P14 already.
When reloading for more than one rifle in the same caliber most experienced reloaders keep their fired brass is a separate container which is identified to the individual rifle. This is especially important with the .303 Brit as there can be a quite a variation in chamber depths. Many who reload for the .303 choose to neck size in the interests of longer case life. It is also important to keep brass segregated by the number of firing cycles. I've reloaded for 7-8 different .303s, at the same time, and this works just fine. I suppose a person could also earmark a particular make of brass for each rifle to keep things sorted out. I've got .303 brass by all of, Dominion, Norma, Rem, WRA, Fed, IVI, Sako, military DIZ and IVI, so that makes it easy to match a particular brand to a particular rifle.
Nice deer and the old .303 British is one of my favourites and deadly out of proportion with it's paper ballistics. An old fellow up the road who has shot one pile of moose over his life says it is THE moose rifle and cannot be told otherwise. He told me a lot of these fellas who lug the big magnums can't shoot because they are scared of their rifles. Not sure he isn't right, I have seen some pretty dismal shooting from guys who were overgunned. He used the old CIL 215 grain loads for moose as well.
Winchester30-30
Regular
- Location
- Fraserwood, MB
Very nice! i just finished staing my Parker Hale NO4MK1 sporter, that will be my deer gun this year, or my NO4MK2, or if all else fails ill pull out my LSA NO1MK3, or i can pull out my full wood NO4MK1,if none of those will work ill pull out my 1905 ross MK2*** dam i own a few 303, got rid of my Savage 111 in 7MM rem mag, was to big for deer, Nice to reach out to 400+ yards witha scope, but i want a challange now, open sights, most of my shots are within 50-80 yards, if i do start shooting farther, i like the feel of my 1889 swiss, the 53" OAL is quite nice for reaching out
This is a very good point. People should shoot their hunting rifles often and should be totally comfortable with them before going hunting. You do see many who have bought into the marketing hype about the latest magnum this or that. They show up at the range with their big scopes, muzzle breaks, etc. before the season opens and get a few downrange to check their zero. I've seen a few that flinched so badly from all that sound and fury in their hands that they could not hit a pie plate @ 50 yds.
The woodleighs are great pills.
I've never fed mine anything bigger than a 180gr.
How does the no 1 mk3 action handle those 200+ gr bullets?
Also... My "bush rifle" has an 18.5" BSA enfield barrel so am trying to find some data to approximate my velocities. Gotta buy a chronograph one of these days LOL
How does the no 1 mk3 action handle those 200+ gr bullets?
Also... My "bush rifle" has an 18.5" BSA enfield barrel so am trying to find some data to approximate my velocities. Gotta buy a chronograph one of these days LOL
The Lee action was designed for 215 grain bullets - no issues. Also note that for those looking for better accuracy from guns in which Cordite was used Hornady is producing a 174 grain soft point flat base.
Speaking of hunting with .303 Brit...
In the center is my old Winchester '95 which I take along as my back up to my scoped Savage 99 'go to' deer gun.
It hasn't taken any deer yet but only because of me... nothing to do with the gun; eyes need a scope these days.
In the center is my old Winchester '95 which I take along as my back up to my scoped Savage 99 'go to' deer gun.
It hasn't taken any deer yet but only because of me... nothing to do with the gun; eyes need a scope these days.
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The best tasting deer I've ever shot was a mountain mulie from the East Kootenays. He was fat like that too; had about 1.5" of fat under the hide all over his back.
I expected him to taste more strongly due to mountain forage in his diet, but that wasn't the case at all.
As to the OP, my first and last thought to the question of using a 303 for hunting just about anything shy of bloodthirsty grizzly would be "Yup."
I've hunted with Lee Enfields (not exclusively though) for about 40 years and I still love them. I load mine down to 150 gr. for whitetail and 174 or 180 gr. for larger game. I picked up an English "Sussex" sporter and modified it for my use. I know it looks awkward but it gives me a great cheek weld and my head isn't waving trying to acquire a good sight picture. I fabricated a scope mount that sits close to the bore, but I had to buy higher rings than I like to accommodate the Vortex scope I've got on it now. This thing shoots 3/4" to 1" groups at 100 yds. with my handloads. I know the calibre is obsolete and is "pooh-pooh'ed" by a lot of those looking for the newest and shiniest toys, but it's still a go-to rifle for thousands of hunters throughout this country. It has a proven track record of reliability and it's never failed me yet. When I've done my part like sighting in and keeping up my shooting skills, I've never missed a shot and most of what I've taken has been a one shot drop. Here's my critter gitter.
