.303 Brit Lee Enfield still issued to Canadian

[nathan]

Rangers .

I was trying to google about the .303 Lee Enfield rifles being used by Canadian hunters for many years and a lot of them swear by its effectiveness in killing big games such as moose, elk and even black and brown bears. As oppose to many modern day American hunters prefer the big magnum calibers , but the .303 Brit caliber has had a long record of being just as effective.

NOw in one article, there was mention of the Lee Enfields still issued to Canadian Rangers in the far frigid northern Canadian rockies due to its action not freezing in extreme cold. Maybe simplicity of the design wins to this day.

http://forums.gunboards.com/showthr...ining-with-Enfields-Still-Use-Them-in-Reserve

 

[Ignition Override]

Thanks very much Nathan.

If you find a National Geographic magazine from '97, in either the Sept or April issue is an article on tribal people in CA's far north.
There is a photo of a guy standing by his snowmobile, as a single bullet hits a huge polar bear. The author states that the monster died from the
Enfield #4's single shot.

Let's count our blessings that they don't appeal to most shooters. Let's encourage them to buy the chic rifles.
Three Enfields are not enough.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

A proven platform for the harsest of conditions with a proven cartridge. What's not to like?

 

[rondog]

Just like an old M1903 Springfield in .30-06 would be good for anything on the planet too.

 

[brianr23]

Love my .303

I have a .303 jungle carbine convert from Santa Fe Arms. I love it. I have shot many of wild hogs with it here in Florida. It is a great rifle and effective. Most impressive was when a hog was shot quartering toward and the bullet (remington 180 grain) was recovered on the offside hip just under the skin. The bullet retained weight was 153 grains with a perfect mushroom expanded to .653".

 

[Shear_stress]

The Gunboards thread has an interesting link to an "Uphere" magazine article about the Canadian Rangers, a 4400-person, mostly Inuit, militia. The Lee Enfield is a perfectly good rifle for those conditions, but the ones they're using aren't in such great shape.

http://uphere.ca/node/613

 

[garyhan]

The Canucks are so satisfied with the SMLE that they will soon be manufacturing new ones in 7.62x51 for issue to the Canadian Rangers. Enfields are now in their third century of service.

gary

 

[Acera]

The Canucks are so satisfied with the SMLE that they will soon be manufacturing new ones in 7.62x51 for issue to the Canadian Rangers. Enfields are now in their third century of service.

Do you have a link to some more information on this? I would like to look into one, gotta be better than the Indian surplus out there right now.

 

[HorseSoldier]

It's a highly effective incentive program -- First Nations types in the Rangers get a free rifle and yearly ammunition allowance to use for subsistence. The Canadian government doesn't have to worry itself about issuing more recent vintage select fire weapons to individuals who are very minimally trained and/or maintaining armories way up in the midle of nowhere.

 

[Robert]

There is nothing wrong with 303 as a hunting caliber. One of my older reloading manuals, Speer from 1979 I think, claims that more African game has been taken by 303 that any other caliber. 303 my not be as powerful as 30-06 but it is more than able to take just about anything in North America. I'd love to have an older, 50's or 60's sporter Enfield for Elk or Deer.

 

[nathan]

thats why I got me some Privi Partizan 180 gr SP for hunting load. The No 4 Mk 1 is like the venerable lever action in .30 30 which can do just about anything in the USA as long as its within the effective distance.
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc127/Dongha_97/th_canucks.jpg?t=1292303665

 

[BrocLuno]

I suspect that more game has been taken by the 303 than almost any other cartridge, except for .22? The "Empire" had them all over the world for decades, and centuries

 

[planetmobius]

Gus,

I think it also says that no other caliber has wounded so much African game.

 

[gunnutery]

Enfield's...the old world AK.

 

[Robert]

I think it also says that no other caliber has wounded so much African game.

Never said I thought it was a good dangerous game round, just quoting the book.

 

[nathan]

Those British lords in their former African colonies must have had a wonderful time hunitng the African Safaris. Well the .303 Brit was their battle cartridge and they got plenty of those back then. I guess they used FMJs as there no such thing as SP back then.

Now on the same token , many have said about the 7 mm mauser as the cartridge that killed more elephiant. That famous big game hunter who has the highest number of elephants killed on record ?

 

[IndianaBoy]

W.D.M. Bell used the 7mm to good effect on pachyderms.