Why not a 303 - Page 3

Clark · April 16, 2013, 12:30 PM

I am shooting 303 brass, not ammo.
The rim dia, rim thickness, base dia, and length or 303 Brit and 30/40 Krag are close enough.

I have a number of 303 Enfield No 4 rifles.
I have been soldering shims on the bolt faces to get the headspace to match rim thickness.
I am not the only one who figured that out and started doing that.

Nevmavrick · April 16, 2013, 04:00 PM

Clark- Now THAT makes sense. The cases are cheaper and easier to get, especially if you use surplus. All that happens is the cases are some shorter.
Have fun,
Gene

BoomieMCT · April 17, 2013, 11:06 AM

My first deer rifle was my Dad's #4 Enfield. That being said, once I got hooked and started hunting more I switched to a 30-06. Every Walmart has 30-06. .303 can be hard to come by.

Both rounds are fine for all hunting in Eastern Hardwoods.

SaxonPig · April 20, 2013, 08:17 AM

IMNEO (In My Non-Expert Opinion) there's nothing wrong with the 303 British except the slightly odd bore size makes bullets for reloading a bit of a bother. The performance of the cartridge isn't in question, just its ease of maintenance.

I like my 303 just fine. But then the 303 Savage uses the .308" bullet and not the .312" the British round uses.

Rumpelhardt · April 20, 2013, 10:11 AM

Bullet selection is in deed limited for the .303 British but I haven't found them particularly hard to find. Hornady and Sierra both make very good bullets for it and they are readily available .The round is no harder to load than any other rifle cartridge. I guess I don't understand the "ease of maintenance" comment.

JerryM · April 20, 2013, 02:29 PM

I do not see any good reason to use a .303. Other common cartridges do as well or better with a wider availability of ammo here in the US.
So I would wonder, "Why a .303?
Jerry

JD0x0 · April 20, 2013, 03:35 PM

because the .303 has ballistics very similar to the 7.62x54R, 8mm mauser and .308 (and 30-06) and there are better choices that are more popular in the US.

Flakbait · April 22, 2013, 08:26 PM

The excessively large chambers of the SMLE Lee Enfield .303 No. 1 Mk. III or No. 4 rifle make reloading for the .303 a little more technically difficulty (neck sizing is a necessary or case life will be very short due to significant case expansion upon firing a factory round) compared to reloading for other rifle cartridges.

Really it comes down to a lack of good inexpensive ammunition choices for the .303 vs the abundance of very ugly but economical modern hunting rifles in 30'06.

When you can buy a Savage Axis or Ruger American rifle and achieve MOA to 1.5 MOA accuracy with factory ammunition for less than $400, why search for a beatup WWII relic or sporterized Enfield that will probably only get groups approaching 3 MOA on a good day (with handloads). For a collector or fan of WWII, the Enfield will always be treasured but as a practical hunting or plinking rifle, there are much better and cheaper choices available in the US.

csmsss · April 23, 2013, 01:28 PM

Good point. If you already have a rifle chambered in .303 British, of course you want to keep the ammo supply flowing and as a result you'd encourage others to buy rifles that use this cartridge. But the fact remains for folks looking to buy a rifle, there's little reason to seek out anything in .303 British, since there are so many alternatives which do the same thing, and are not encumbered by dwindling (if not thoroughly depleted) stocks of surplus ammo and a shrinking decision pool of newly manufactured ammo and ammo components.

Love your SMLE - but don't be surprised if the ammo gods abandon you.

April 16, 2013, 12:30 PM	#51
Clark Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 1999 Location: WA, the ever blue state Posts: 4,678	I am shooting 303 brass, not ammo. The rim dia, rim thickness, base dia, and length or 303 Brit and 30/40 Krag are close enough. I have a number of 303 Enfield No 4 rifles. I have been soldering shims on the bolt faces to get the headspace to match rim thickness. I am not the only one who figured that out and started doing that. __________________ The word 'forum" does not mean "not criticizing books." "Ad hominem fallacy" is not the same as point by point criticism of books. If you bought the book, and believe it all, it may FEEL like an ad hominem attack, but you might strive to accept other points of view may exist. Are we a nation of competing ideas, or a nation of forced conformity of thought?

April 20, 2013, 02:29 PM	#56
JerryM Senior Member Join Date: April 4, 1999 Location: New Mexico Posts: 1,889	I do not see any good reason to use a .303. Other common cartridges do as well or better with a wider availability of ammo here in the US. So I would wonder, "Why a .303? Jerry __________________ Ecclesiastes 12:13 ¶Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

April 22, 2013, 08:26 PM	#58
Flakbait Senior Member Join Date: August 16, 2010 Location: TEXAS Posts: 124	The excessively large chambers of the SMLE Lee Enfield .303 No. 1 Mk. III or No. 4 rifle make reloading for the .303 a little more technically difficulty (neck sizing is a necessary or case life will be very short due to significant case expansion upon firing a factory round) compared to reloading for other rifle cartridges. Really it comes down to a lack of good inexpensive ammunition choices for the .303 vs the abundance of very ugly but economical modern hunting rifles in 30'06. When you can buy a Savage Axis or Ruger American rifle and achieve MOA to 1.5 MOA accuracy with factory ammunition for less than $400, why search for a beatup WWII relic or sporterized Enfield that will probably only get groups approaching 3 MOA on a good day (with handloads). For a collector or fan of WWII, the Enfield will always be treasured but as a practical hunting or plinking rifle, there are much better and cheaper choices available in the US. Last edited by Flakbait; April 23, 2013 at 04:18 AM.

April 16, 2013, 04:00 PM	#52
Nevmavrick Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2010 Location: Sparks, Nevada, near Reno Posts: 183	Clark- Now THAT makes sense. The cases are cheaper and easier to get, especially if you use surplus. All that happens is the cases are some shorter. Have fun, Gene

April 17, 2013, 11:06 AM	#53
BoomieMCT Senior Member Join Date: August 5, 2010 Posts: 212	My first deer rifle was my Dad's #4 Enfield. That being said, once I got hooked and started hunting more I switched to a 30-06. Every Walmart has 30-06. .303 can be hard to come by. Both rounds are fine for all hunting in Eastern Hardwoods.

April 20, 2013, 08:17 AM	#54
SaxonPig Senior Member Join Date: April 24, 2006 Posts: 1,900	IMNEO (In My Non-Expert Opinion) there's nothing wrong with the 303 British except the slightly odd bore size makes bullets for reloading a bit of a bother. The performance of the cartridge isn't in question, just its ease of maintenance. I like my 303 just fine. But then the 303 Savage uses the .308" bullet and not the .312" the British round uses.

April 20, 2013, 10:11 AM	#55
Rumpelhardt Member Join Date: April 29, 2010 Location: Maine Posts: 31	Bullet selection is in deed limited for the .303 British but I haven't found them particularly hard to find. Hornady and Sierra both make very good bullets for it and they are readily available .The round is no harder to load than any other rifle cartridge. I guess I don't understand the "ease of maintenance" comment.

April 20, 2013, 03:35 PM	#57
JD0x0 Senior Member Join Date: January 30, 2013 Posts: 1,037	because the .303 has ballistics very similar to the 7.62x54R, 8mm mauser and .308 (and 30-06) and there are better choices that are more popular in the US.

April 23, 2013, 01:28 PM	#59
csmsss Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2008 Location: Orange, TX Posts: 3,078	Good point. If you already have a rifle chambered in .303 British, of course you want to keep the ammo supply flowing and as a result you'd encourage others to buy rifles that use this cartridge. But the fact remains for folks looking to buy a rifle, there's little reason to seek out anything in .303 British, since there are so many alternatives which do the same thing, and are not encumbered by dwindling (if not thoroughly depleted) stocks of surplus ammo and a shrinking decision pool of newly manufactured ammo and ammo components. Love your SMLE - but don't be surprised if the ammo gods abandon you.