General Purpose or Practical Rifles?

The Lee Enfield can be shot faster, shot prone with the 10 round mag and has a better safety. All these things matter.

As a left handed shooter I shoot a LH Ruger faster than I’ll ever shoot a No.5 lol, I can shoot prone, the 3 position safety of the Ruger is great. Once you learn to cycle a Mauser style action it’s smooth as it gets, CRF is nice and AIC mags are plentiful and reliable. No worries about fitting a Enfield mag to a new rifle as can be the case.

So yeah, I’ll still take the Ruger in the pro/con dept for a general purpose rifle.
 
I’d still take a .308 Ruger scout over a No.5, with the exception of striper clips it’s essentially a better modern version with better options available. A real recoil pad, better optic mounting, 3,5,10 rd mag availability, multiple stock options of synthetic/laminate/hardwood, better peep sights, stainless or blued.

I love an Enfield and the .303brit but the Ruger is a better rifle and in a cartridge you can find pretty much everywhere in more bullet weights, easier to load for and plenty effective within the 400m range.

Should be able to mod the receiver for stripper clips, I've seen Win 70's and Rem 700's done that way. Some even came that way from the factory. - dan
 
The Lee Enfield can be shot faster, shot prone with the 10 round mag and has a better safety. All these things matter.

How much experience do you have shooting it " fast"? I own a mk1 no4 that i cut down to 19" it will do 1.5 moa with the factory peeps and easily hits deer sized target at 300 yds. I have spent hundreds of rounds trying to get good mad minute results and while yes i can shoot it fast getting good hits on a reasonable target at 100 yds while shooting it " fast" is actually no " faster" than shooting my 308 w 5 rounds in the mag and low powered scope unless a guy spends a ton of time practicing and hundreds of rounds doing it the speed argument is absolutely reduntant. In a situation where speed is absolutely needed accuracy is also absolutely needed and one without the other is pointless. You can only be as fast as you can make accurate hits and pretty much any bolt gun will achieve that. Ps sending enough 303 brit rounds down range often enough to get proficient and capable with it is likely very cost prohibited to most let alone actual trigger time.
Id choose a crf bolt action in 308 over a lee enfield every day but if a 303 is what i had...id not be undergunned either.
 
The Lee Enfield can be shot faster, shot prone with the 10 round mag and has a better safety. All these things matter.

Please explain how the LE safety is better than the ruger MKII 3-pos that both blocks the trigger and physically blocks/catches the cocking piece/striker in the rear position.
 
As a left handed shooter I shoot a LH Ruger faster than I’ll ever shoot a No.5 lol, I can shoot prone, the 3 position safety of the Ruger is great. Once you learn to cycle a Mauser style action it’s smooth as it gets, CRF is nice and AIC mags are plentiful and reliable. No worries about fitting a Enfield mag to a new rifle as can be the case.

So yeah, I’ll still take the Ruger in the pro/con dept for a general purpose rifle.

I'm with you BB, the Ruger GSR in Stainless is the SMLE No.5 modernized and improved in both function and ballistics, if I had to leave the house in a hurry and could take only one it would be the GSR as it can do most all the heavy lifting required of a a general purpose rifle with aplomb.
 
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Same.

Its a better mousetrap.

Not using 70 year old parts is a big win by default, imo. But its a better rifle just about all around.
 
Same.

Its a better mousetrap.

Not using 70 year old parts is a big win by default, imo. But its a better rifle just about all around.

While my personal experiences with well-used Enfields have been mostly negative, their reputation as a solid designed battle rifle I wouldn't dare dispute for fear of being dragged from my keyboard and beaten senseless by those folks who love tinkering with them!
 
You guys live in fantasy land, the LE has a 1/2" shorter bolt stroke than the Ruger and a 60° bolt lift vs 90°.

The Ruger safety is also in an awkward place compared to the LE.
 
You guys live in fantasy land, the LE has a 1/2" shorter bolt stroke than the Ruger and a 60° bolt lift vs 90°.

The Ruger safety is also in an awkward place compared to the LE.

So you're saying you can miss the barn door with your LE a fraction of a second less than I can hit it with my Ruger?

:p
 
I know which one I'd want if there was a Grizzly in my Camp.

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While my personal experiences with well-used Enfields have been mostly negative, their reputation as a solid designed battle rifle I wouldn't dare dispute for fear of being dragged from my keyboard and beaten senseless by those folks who love tinkering with them!

LOL downright unpatriotic even.

And if that fraction of an inch kills I wonder how anyone ever survived with those mile long 375 H&H actions when they had something big and toothy or stompy or stabby in THEIR camp.

The fools!
 
Fair enough, your choice is a 375 H&H. I've always wanted a 602, bit heavy for general use though.

Could say the same with the 70 I had, one of the newer CRFs. Bet the 602 is really nice tho!

Ardent's stainless Classic looks like a doozie of rifle tho, and lighter.
 
I like it. Straight pull for speed, 7lbs, takedown. M Lok forend. If you can't do it with 7 rounds of 8x57 or 9.3x62 there's a big problem. It's even available in 308 for the MSM types.

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I want one of those Strasser solos with the straight bolt handle (not the one pictured) and the funky plastic stock in 8x57 something fierce..
 
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