.303 British performance?

[SirPorl]

I am pretty new to the world of rifle shooting. I recently picked up an old enflied no 1 MKIII*. I was wondering how the .303 british round performs in terms of range. Any information will be helpful.


thanks in advance,
SirPorl

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

it's basically a .308 winchester long rimmed. 150 grain bullet loads duplicate .308 winchester velocities. the .303 ball rounds have 174 grain bullets at 2440 FPS, which is about the speed some of the match loadings for .308 are.

 

[.41Dude]

Check out http://www.303British.com Lots of good stuff.
Andrews info is right on.

Steve.

 

[Nightcrawler]

From what I understand, the .303/Enfield combination makes for an exceptionally accurate long ranged shooter.

 

[Jim K]

Hi, SirPorl,

If you mean range in terms of distance rather than performance on the range, the maximum range of the Mk VII ball is a little under 2 miles, with the rifle held at about a 35 degree angle.

Jim

 

[SirPorl]

Excellent

Thanks for the replies. The ammo I ordered up for it should be in tomorrow so I can head out and see how the puppy shoots. Good to hear that it isn't a total dog of a caliber.

SirPorl

 

[Jaeger]

It's far from a dog! I hunt with one regularly and it performs wonderfully on deer. They've never complained that it wasn't a 308 or 30/06!

Just about every game animal (including elephant) on the continent of Africa has been taken with the .303. It may not be the ideal for all those animals but it is capable.

 

[Vic303]

You may not get good accuracy out of factory loads with an old Enfield. It may be due to a big 'jump' to the rifling in the barrel. You may find that bullets heavier than 150gr work better as they wind up closer to the rifling when chambered. I know our 'meat' Mauser wouldn't hit the broad side of a barn until we loaded up 190gr rounds for it. Then it grouped REAL NICE!

So, don't get disappointed in your Enfield if at first it seems to shoot poorly.

 

[Jim Watson]

Performance of a .303?
Kind of like the horsepower of a Rolls Royce.
Adequate, sir, adequate.

 

[SirPorl]

Cool

I figured it must have been decent seeing how it served as the caliber/arm of the Empire for such a long time. It would make sense that it has been used in a lot of big game hunting throughout the world. Thanks again for the info. I have yet to get into reloading, but maybe I will have to take a trip down to the uncles seeing how he has reloading equipment and get myself setup on this.

thanks again
SirPorl

 

[Jaeger]

Reloading for the .303 is pretty easy. When I started out many moons ago I bought the cheapest press that Lee had to offer, a set of their powder scoops a Lee scale and Lee dies.

The press just wore out last year. It still works but has seen better days. The dies are still in service. (Lee dies are just about all I use) Set yourself up with a Lee Challenger press, a set of Lee Collet dies in 303, a scale, a Lee case trimmer for the 303 and a good manual and you'll be good to go. Cash outlay will be minimal and you'l be reloading good ammo in no time at all.

The Collet dies neck size only. This eliminates the need for case lube, usually makes more accurate ammo amd makes your brass last a lot longer. Brass life can be pretty short with the old 303 due to generous chamber sizes. Lyman's reloading manual is the one I recommend for those just starting out. It's easy to follow and quite comprehensive. If you stay with it you'll accumulate more!

Pakastani surplus ammo is about all I see any more. (headstamped POF)It is corrosive and uses cordite, so it burns hot! South Arfrican is good stuff if you can find it. The Greek surplus is outstanding but I haven't seen any for years. Sellier and Bellot makes good new ammo. So does Winchester and Remington and Federal. I recently tried some Bosnian made ammo sold by Century under the name "Hotshot". It is clean, accurate, non corrosive and reloadable. Pretty cheap too!

Have fun with the old SMLE. It's a great rifle.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

I concur with Jaeger regarding the POF .303. That stuff is garbage in my experience. Stay away from it. Unless you can find the Greek or South African .303, your best value in .303 will be Sellier & Bellot.

Welcome to the Lee-Enfield fold. Betcha can't buy just one!

 

[Jaeger]

No rifleman is complete without a Jungle Carbine in the safe! And a #4.

Where in PA are you? I'm in Berks Co..

 

[SirPorl]

In the Middle of Nowhere here

I live in Bradford County. A truely desolate and repressed area. Oh well


SirPorl

 

[No4Mk1*]

With P.O.F. ammo the secret is to pull the trigger and then aim quickly before the round fires. ...If the round fires. Don't buy any unless you just want the clips it comes on. The ammo is junk, but the clips are fine.

 

[goon]

I live in Bradford County. A truely desolate and repressed area. Oh well

Try living in Clearfield.
Well, on the bright side...
We have a gun shop directy across the street from the courthouse, so it ain't all bad.

 

[SirPorl]

HAHA

I did a year of hard time at Slippery Rock University. I have been to and thru Clearfield. I feel your pain, but that gunshop is pretty damn sweet though.

SirPorl

 

[goon]

The word on the street is that there is something screwy with the rifling of an Enfield.
I read somewhere that although they often only shoot around 3 inch groups at 100 yards, the groups tighten up farther away because the bullets don't stabilize completely right away.
That has not been the case with the SMLE I have. It will shoot one-hole, three shot groups at 100 yards with just the open sights.
I was using a Shoot-N-See target and resting on sandbags on the hood of my truck.
I am not normally anywherenear that good, so it was most likely just an accident.
But I like to imply that it was due to my superhuman skill.
I hung that target on the refridgerator.


On Clearfield...
It seems to be mostly a retirement home.
I like living out in the sticks, but it would be nice to have a chance of finding a job.
I am planning on relocating when I get everything lined up.