I want to shoot my next deer with a Milsurp??

gth

gth

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Close to North Bay, Ontario
Before anyone freaks out I dont want to bubba rifle if thats what you think. I will explain a little bit about where i'm heading with this.

We are allowed quite a few deer tags per year around here so I thought to take advantage and try to bag a deer with some types of firearms I havent taken game with before. I have never taken game with a milsurp, I have never owned a milsurp. So this is my goal, to shoot a deer this coming fall with a fine Canadian collectable.

I want a rifle that would have been issued to a Canadian soldier, I'm not really interested in anything other than that so I guess pretty much narrows it down to Enfields.

Keep in mind I dont know what the difference between a mk1 or mk4 is. I have zero milsurp knowlegde. I want one as close to the original configuration as possible with out going in search of some rare gem. Something with useable, accurate adjustable sights and something I could get comfortable shooting out to 200m. Availability of brass and bullets for reloading is also a consideration


What would you reccomend for me? Keeping the rifle choice ballanced between practicality and nastalgia.


Thanks to all who reply. Speak slowly, I have no idea about milsurp history.:D
 
should have no problem with a Nice No4 enfield

303 will take a deer no problem at the ranges your looking at and a full wood example can usually be forund in the EE section for $300-$500

Ammo is easy to find and lots of reloaders here to give you help
 
A number 4 has a peep sight, which most shooters find advantageous. I've been using a Ross for a few years. Its been sported, with its 20 in barrel it makes a great bush gun.
On that note a #5 Jungle Carbine would fit the bill very nicely, but I dont know if it was ever used my Canadian soldiers - perhaps Korea...
 
Jean Plamondon at P&S Guns & Militaria has some nice and reasonably priced No.4s right now.

FWIW the No.5 was never issued to Canadian soldiers except on a single trials exercise.
 
I agree a no4 is a great hunting rifle, but a mkIII is IMHO a bit nicer to carry and the right one can be down right beautiful. Also if you shoot with both eyes open like you should the tangent sight is hard to beat.

On the historic side the mkIII simpley has a longer run in the armourys and woods so that is also nice.

The price of a cut down mkIII with very good bore makes getting one a case of beer affair!

Another vote on the Ross as a hunting rifle too much good to say about it. You wont find a stronger more accurate rifle.

As for the cut down verses OEM dilema as you are looking for historical nostalgia in the the hunting field I say get a cut wood sporter with excellent bore (unless you want to spend more money). We Canucks have been hunting with cut wood SMLEs for at least as long as we have been soldiering with OEM ones and I think the "bubba" SMLE is as legitimate a piece of canadiana as a SMLE with war expediated short cuts in manufacturering. My self I love full wood milsurps and feel they steady easier in my shakey hands but I also like the clean, light sporters.
 
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There are also others out there that you may find suitable, such as the pattern 14 and 17 rifles. Some though not very many Canadian soldiers were also issued M1 Garands and a few provincial volunteer units such as the Rocky Mtn Rangers were issued 30-30 model 94 Winchesters. If you're just looking for a milsurp to shoot deer with, and you don't want to spend a lot of money on a decent milsurp with a VG or better bore (accuracy issues) why not buy a sporter that has minimal alterations to the sights and bbl. There will only be about 1/2 kilo difference in weight and the sight pictures will be about the same. By the way, I don't know if Canadians were issued Martinis or not, Iknow that some were issued Sniders, but now we're talking a lot more dollars. Lightly sporterised No 1 and No 4 rifles can be had anywhere from $75 and up. bearhunter
 
bearhunter said:
If you're just looking for a milsurp to shoot deer with, and you don't want to spend a lot of money on a decent milsurp with a VG or better bore (accuracy issues) why not buy a sporter that has minimal alterations to the sights and bbl. There will only be about 1/2 kilo difference in weight and the sight pictures will be about the same.
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I had thought about a 'sporter' but I'm as much looking to add some history to my collection as anything. Something as close to original is what I'm gonna look for but still usable as a hunting rifle. I will likely hunt out of a stand with this rifle so the weight is not a concern. The bore/accuracy potential is probably more important than the looks.

I have checked out some no4's due to the above replies. They look like they will do the trick.

I don't know why but there is just some sort of appeal to me about taking game with a piece of Canadian history. Nice memory to have/story to tell I guess. I have almost always switched up my rifles every year, trying to put some blood on a different gun each year. But Every thing we have is scoped and relatively modern, I think think an Enfield might add some fun to the hunt.
 
Not what you are looking at, but I hunt with a Mauser K98 every year. In the semi-dense bush where we hunt, the irons are great. If you condition yourself with them, full wood milsurps aren't bad to carry around all day. Have fun!
 
No 4 LEE enfields are nice,and I have two myself, but they are not inherantley accurate.
If you want a milsurp that is as accurate as any precision rifle and also has character and fondle factor, then get a P14 and have it rebarreled. I have had this one rebarreled and chambered to 7mm Remington Magnum, which is the nearest thing available to the cartridge it was designed for. It has minimal recoil, a fantastic trigger and shoot's 1/2" groups. There is nothing better.


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I use a K98 for hunting. It is a .308, so the advantage of bullet selection is there.
For those liking Mausers, a 96 is unbeatable. A 38 feels sportier, if handling is an issue. 6.5x55 is available from Norma in a very good configuration (if you don't reload)

Another one is the MN 91/30. Is is next on my list for hunting.
 
eltorro said:
I use a K98 for hunting. It is a .308, so the advantage of bullet selection is there.
For those liking Mausers, a 96 is unbeatable. A 38 feels sportier, if handling is an issue. 6.5x55 is available from Norma in a very good configuration (if you don't reload)

Another one is the MN 91/30. Is is next on my list for hunting.
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I have a 98 rebarrelled to .308 and its a fine rifle, but in this case "If it aint Canadian I aint interested".


I could really careless what chambering the rifle is as I can change my hunting location to fit my firearm quite easily.

I have already made one call about a no4 and its sounds like a good deal, plus the guy has a M98 rebarreled to 6x.222mag to get rid of also......:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
 
I've used my Lee Enfield Long Branch a few times. I should take ti to my stand. Never got a deer with it, never shot at one with it though.

I think it scares the deer.

They know how accurate it is... :)
 
John Sukey said:
Funny nobody mentioned the Ross.
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Post number 3 and 5 mention the Ross. :D

My Swedish Mauser is probably going to be my Hunting rifle this year.
Esp' since I have that cool brass catcher for it. :)
 
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gth said:
I have a 98 rebarrelled to .308 and its a fine rifle, but in this case "If it aint Canadian I aint interested"......
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Mine is a real milsurp. It is an Israeli Mauser, so besides fiddling with it's crown I didn't do much,,,,:) With Federal HE fodder kicks more than a 375 H&H:eek:
 
I have two friends that hunt with No.5 jungle carbines, and will not use anything else.
It doesn't matter what it is , elk, moose deer, bear, they hunt it and do so with conmfidence.

Great boat /truck/snowmbile rifles, short, accurate, and you cannot argue the fact that they are tougher than any sporting rifle available today!:D
Cat
 
here's my yardsale $50 "bubba special" .303 enfield hunting rifle, i can drop it, get it dirty, use the butt plate to help break down a moose :rolleyes: and pretty much never worry about scratching up a really nice original wood stock.... yeah it's ugly but it shoot's probably as nice as it did the day the SMLE stamped it in 1941 and the old volley sight has little issue finding it's mark on a whitetail at 150yrd's.... any milsurp you chose will do the job just fine i'm sure :)

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If you want a Canadian original, that you don't want to cut up, and you want it nice and short and still legal (Stens just ain't in it) there is always the Mark III Snider Cavalry Carbine in .577" Service calibre. You can make ammo up from 24-gauge empties and .58 Minie slugs, 65 grains of FFg powder.

Cadet Carbine is very similar and already cut down. Many of these are around with the DC-in-the-diamond stamp. They are about as historical as you can get, too.
 
smellie said:
If you want a Canadian original, that you don't want to cut up, and you want it nice and short and still legal (Stens just ain't in it) there is always the Mark III Snider Cavalry Carbine in .577" Service calibre. You can make ammo up from 24-gauge empties and .58 Minie slugs, 65 grains of FFg powder.

Cadet Carbine is very similar and already cut down. Many of these are around with the DC-in-the-diamond stamp. They are about as historical as you can get, too.
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They have a trajectory like a rainbow.
 
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