Uberti "Stalking Rifle" in .303 British,,,

aarondhgraham · September 2, 2020, 04:06 PM

I was perusing the Uberti website looking for possible retirement rifle,,,
I noticed their new Courtney Stalking Rifle.

I said to myself "Self, that's a nice looking rifle."

Then I saw that it was chambered in .303 British.

My question on this is,,,
Why?

Is the cartridge popular somewhere I don't know about?

Does it have some special ballistic quality I've never read about?

I had an surplus British .303 rifle as a kid,,,
I mean, back in the early 60's,,,
What kid didn't?

I never hunted anything with mine,,,
But it did as good a job on rats as my K98 Mauser did.

Anyways, I'm just curious as to why they only make it for that one cartridge.

Oh, while I'm here,,,
I remember pulling one cartridge apart.

It didn't have powder,,,
It had something that looked like 2" of very thin pasta.

Was that what they called Cordite?

Aarond

.

mikejonestkd · September 2, 2020, 04:35 PM

Aarond, that is a dandy of a rifle.
.303 brit chambering must be an homage to the rifle's namesake.
Its an excellent round- pretty much between .30-30 win and .308 win.
it is still quite popular in Canada and the European continent.
yes, original rounds were loaded with Cordite, a stringy mass of nitrocellulose.

aarondhgraham · September 2, 2020, 04:47 PM

"it is still quite popular in Canada and the European continent."

Canada, of course,,,
Why didn't I think of Canada.

I've known of many a deer being taken with the .303 British,,,
It was a very popular mil-surp when I was a kid.

I just hadn't heard of a modern rifle chambered for it.

Thanks again.

Aarond

.

COSteve · September 2, 2020, 05:03 PM

Only downside of the 303 British is that it uses a .312" dia bullet rather than a .308" dia. First developed in 1888 as a black powder cartridge, it was adapted to smokeless powder in 1891 and remained Great Briton's standard rifle cartridge until the 1950s.

It's the reason that many of the Russian calibers are .311/.312" as they copied the 303 British cartridge and used it for many of their designs.

Tony Z · September 2, 2020, 05:38 PM

Lovely rifle! Gorgeous!

mikejonestkd · September 2, 2020, 05:49 PM

Aarond, do you reload your own ammo?

If so, there is a wide variety of .311/ .312" bullets available for the .303 Brit. i load for .303 brit, 7.7 Jap, and 7.62 x 54R all with the same bullets.

If not, the ammo is still fairly available from several manufacturers. It may not be as common as buying a box of corelocts for a thurty-thurty, but its not a relic cartridge by any scale.

hammie · September 2, 2020, 07:26 PM

If I hadn't used up (and then some) my gun budget for this year, I would seriously consider getting one of those .303 uberti's. You could pretend you're Denys Finch-Hatton, romancing Isak Dinesen on her coffee farm in 1920's Kenya.

As for modern production rifles, in 2010, Ruger manufactured a run of #1-A's, chambered for .303 British. Some went to Canada, and some stayed here. I have one. I have always wondered why no one has made a modern production bolt action rifle, chambered for .303 British. I think it would sell in Canada like hotcakes.

@mikejonestkd: What weight and brand of bullets do you use in the .303 brit? Have you ever tried woodleigh bullets? I've been tempted to go totally nostalgic and load some 215 grain woodleigh's in my .303, but the price of nearly 1 $ per bullet has held me off.

44caliberkid · September 2, 2020, 07:32 PM

Cool looking rifle. 303 British is still very popular in Africa for medium, deer size game, even lions. The styling of that rifle reminds me of the British rifles that were so popular for African hunting 1870 - 1920's.

PocketCamera · September 3, 2020, 12:06 AM

the gun companies are scared at the idea of making a rifle using a rimmed cartridge that doesnt work with existing cartridge rim diameters based upon the x57 mauser or .223 remington head

Scorch · September 3, 2020, 01:32 AM

Hey, I like it! My favorite single shot action (High Wall), a traditional English stalking rifle design, a good English cartridge (I probably would have shosen something a little different, but it works). OK, Uberti finally did something I like!

mehavey · September 3, 2020, 07:12 AM

Quote:

My favorite single shot action ([Browning] High Wall)

^^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^^
(and that's all "this" is.....)

postscript:
I like the High Wall too....

325gr/Accurate Molds (another one ordered on Saturday/Arrived in Thursday/Cast on Friday/Shot on Saturday)
MVA mid-range tang sight

eastbank · September 3, 2020, 08:24 AM

as a youth in the hayday of milsurp rifles, i used a ex condition .303 british longbranch(14.00 dollars) ww-2 rifle that i took about 2 pounds of weight off and killed many deer with remington factory heavy round nose bullets. today it would be a sin to treat a ex milsurp like i did. but as 15 year old hunter who had to use a single barrel shotgun with slugs, it was like dieing and going to heaven. a friend has a unfired ruger #1 in 303 B that i,m trying to buy. i do have a winchester high wall carbine made in japan in 30-40 krag, but have not fired it as i have the set in 30-40 krag-38-55 and 45-70.

CockNBama · September 3, 2020, 08:38 AM

Would someone please go ahead and invoke "Rule 303" so I won't have to?

Jim Watson · September 3, 2020, 08:54 AM

Quote:

I remember pulling one cartridge apart.

It didn't have powder,,,
It had something that looked like 2" of very thin pasta.

Was that what they called Cordite?

Yes, that is Cordite. Propellant in the form of a cord, right?

It came out of the powder mill in the form of a rope wound on a reel.
The ammo plant would feed it off the reel and cut it to length - powder charge given in the number of strands in the rope and cut length to the 1/20th inch instead of grain weight.

The section of rope would be inserted into the partly formed case, which was necked down after the Cordite went in.

aarondhgraham · September 3, 2020, 08:55 AM

Okay,,, I give up,,,

Whatinnaheck is "Rule 303"?

Aarond

.

aarondhgraham · September 3, 2020, 10:07 AM

"Aarond, do you reload your own ammo?"

No, I mostly shoot .22 rimfire,,,
In fact the only centerfire rifles I own are,,,
A K98 8mm Mauser that my grandfather gave me when I was eleven,,,
And an H&R Handi-Rifle in .357 that I bought on a whim to match my H&R .22 Sportster.

I have a few handguns in .38 special, .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, and 9mm,,,
But again, I don't shoot enough of any of those cartridges to make reloading worthwhile.

I usually just gather and leave my empty cases at the range for those who do reload.

"...there is a wide variety of .311/ .312" bullets available for the .303 Brit. i load for .303 brit, 7.7 Jap, and 7.62 x 54R all with the same bullets."

That's a very interesting factoid to read,,,
I would never have thought they could use the same size bullet.

Aarond

.

aarondhgraham · September 3, 2020, 10:13 AM

"Yes, that is Cordite. Propellant in the form of a cord, right?

It came out of the powder mill in the form of a rope wound on a reel.
The ammo plant would feed it off the reel and cut it to length - powder charge given in the number of strands in the rope and cut length to the 1/20th inch instead of grain weight.

The section of rope would be inserted into the partly formed case, which was necked down after the Cordite went in."

Thank you for posting this very informative factoid,,,

I always like to read an interesting piece of fiery-arm knowledge.

Aarond

.

Jim Watson · September 3, 2020, 12:55 PM

I understand the .303 to go along with the British stock style, but I could have hoped for a .30-40 Krag to gain the superior rimmed cartridge and shoot the same .308" bullets I keep for .30-30, .30-06 and .308.

Ballard Rifle Co., Rifle Works and Armory, and Wyoming Armory have made rifles of the type, but lots more expensive.

reinert · September 3, 2020, 01:21 PM

Rule "3 - 0 - 3," may have been mentioned by C NB from a movie quote... from "Breaker Morant"

If I'm wrong here, it's still a great movie.

cpt-t · September 3, 2020, 02:25 PM

Aarond: That is a really classy looking rifle that You are thinking about. I sure would like to have one like it. I like the 303 BRITISH and my Son and I have three of them. Two sportized 303 Brit rifles and a stock issued WW11 Jungle Carbine. I belive they call it a Model 4 or 5. I just bought 15 boxes of cheap Herters 150gr SP`s from Cabal's to add to the ammo supply. I hope they shoot well in our rifles. Like I said I like the 303 Brit, and have carried and hunted with one alot over the years. And carried one on all my canoe float trips back when I was young. But I don`t know the 303 Rule either. So I hope some one fills us in on it.
ken

eastbank · September 3, 2020, 03:24 PM

i think it was in africa when the brits were fighting the african bore wars.

aarondhgraham · September 3, 2020, 03:28 PM

I Googled it and it sent me to the trivia page for the movie "Breaker Morant".

Here's the quote from the movie webpage:

"We shot them under Rule 303" is a reference to the.0.303 inch (7.7 millimetre) cartridge used in British Army rifles."

Thanks Reinart,,,

Mystery solved.

Aarond

.

mikejonestkd · September 3, 2020, 03:48 PM

Aarond, my interpretation of the .303 rule is that you need to pull the trigger.

Buy the rifle!!!

aarondhgraham · September 3, 2020, 04:54 PM

You're an "Enabler" mikejonestkd,,,
But that doesn't make you a bad person.

No, that rifle isn't for me,,,
I was just intrigued by the choice of cartridge.

What I was doing on the website,,,
Was looking for a high-end .22 LR single-shot.

Something like one of these:

I love shooting .22 rifles for rest and relaxation,,,
I love single-shot rifles best of all,,,
And I'm retiring January 8th.

I want to gift myself a truly beautiful high dollar rifle,,,
As a reward for over 50 years of honest labor.

It will probably be my last big purchase.

Unfortunately for me,,,
None of the Uberti rifles are in .22 LR.

It's a shame because that rifle caught my eye big time.

Oh well (sigh),,,
It did spark an interesting thread,,,
And I learned a thing or two about one of my childhood guns.

Thanks for participating.

Aarond

.

10-96 · September 3, 2020, 05:50 PM

Aaron- Aren't Taylors and Uberti's squoze out of the same factory?

https://taylorsfirearms.com/catalog/...4/category/64/

https://taylorsfirearms.com/catalog/...4/category/64/

September 2, 2020, 04:35 PM	#2
mikejonestkd Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2006 Location: Brockport, NY Posts: 3,716	Aarond, that is a dandy of a rifle. .303 brit chambering must be an homage to the rifle's namesake. Its an excellent round- pretty much between .30-30 win and .308 win. it is still quite popular in Canada and the European continent. yes, original rounds were loaded with Cordite, a stringy mass of nitrocellulose. __________________ You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

September 2, 2020, 04:47 PM	#3
aarondhgraham Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2009 Location: Stillwater, OKlahoma Posts: 8,638	Hello mikejonestkd,,, "it is still quite popular in Canada and the European continent." Canada, of course,,, Why didn't I think of Canada. I've known of many a deer being taken with the .303 British,,, It was a very popular mil-surp when I was a kid. I just hadn't heard of a modern rifle chambered for it. Thanks again. Aarond . __________________ Never ever give an enemy the advantage of a verbal threat. Caje: The coward dies a thousand times, the brave only once. Kirby: That's about all it takes, ain't it? Aarond is good,,, Aarond is wise,,, Always trust Aarond! (most of the time)

September 2, 2020, 05:49 PM	#6
mikejonestkd Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2006 Location: Brockport, NY Posts: 3,716	Aarond, do you reload your own ammo? If so, there is a wide variety of .311/ .312" bullets available for the .303 Brit. i load for .303 brit, 7.7 Jap, and 7.62 x 54R all with the same bullets. If not, the ammo is still fairly available from several manufacturers. It may not be as common as buying a box of corelocts for a thurty-thurty, but its not a relic cartridge by any scale. __________________ You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

September 2, 2020, 07:26 PM	#7
hammie Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2009 Location: Temple, TX Posts: 959	If I hadn't used up (and then some) my gun budget for this year, I would seriously consider getting one of those .303 uberti's. You could pretend you're Denys Finch-Hatton, romancing Isak Dinesen on her coffee farm in 1920's Kenya. As for modern production rifles, in 2010, Ruger manufactured a run of #1-A's, chambered for .303 British. Some went to Canada, and some stayed here. I have one. I have always wondered why no one has made a modern production bolt action rifle, chambered for .303 British. I think it would sell in Canada like hotcakes. @mikejonestkd: What weight and brand of bullets do you use in the .303 brit? Have you ever tried woodleigh bullets? I've been tempted to go totally nostalgic and load some 215 grain woodleigh's in my .303, but the price of nearly 1 $ per bullet has held me off. Last edited by hammie; September 2, 2020 at 07:37 PM.

September 3, 2020, 12:06 AM	#9
PocketCamera Junior member Join Date: August 13, 2020 Posts: 85	the gun companies are scared at the idea of making a rifle using a rimmed cartridge that doesnt work with existing cartridge rim diameters based upon the x57 mauser or .223 remington head Last edited by JohnKSa; September 5, 2020 at 06:01 PM. Reason: .

September 2, 2020, 04:06 PM	#1
aarondhgraham Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2009 Location: Stillwater, OKlahoma Posts: 8,638	Uberti "Stalking Rifle" in .303 British,,, I was perusing the Uberti website looking for possible retirement rifle,,, I noticed their new Courtney Stalking Rifle. I said to myself "Self, that's a nice looking rifle." Then I saw that it was chambered in .303 British. My question on this is,,, Why? Is the cartridge popular somewhere I don't know about? Does it have some special ballistic quality I've never read about? I had an surplus British .303 rifle as a kid,,, I mean, back in the early 60's,,, What kid didn't? I never hunted anything with mine,,, But it did as good a job on rats as my K98 Mauser did. Anyways, I'm just curious as to why they only make it for that one cartridge. Oh, while I'm here,,, I remember pulling one cartridge apart. It didn't have powder,,, It had something that looked like 2" of very thin pasta. Was that what they called Cordite? Aarond . __________________ Never ever give an enemy the advantage of a verbal threat. Caje: The coward dies a thousand times, the brave only once. Kirby: That's about all it takes, ain't it? Aarond is good,,, Aarond is wise,,, Always trust Aarond! (most of the time) Last edited by aarondhgraham; September 2, 2020 at 04:48 PM.

September 2, 2020, 05:03 PM	#4
COSteve Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2009 Posts: 1,344	Only downside of the 303 British is that it uses a .312" dia bullet rather than a .308" dia. First developed in 1888 as a black powder cartridge, it was adapted to smokeless powder in 1891 and remained Great Briton's standard rifle cartridge until the 1950s. It's the reason that many of the Russian calibers are .311/.312" as they copied the 303 British cartridge and used it for many of their designs.

September 2, 2020, 05:38 PM	#5
Tony Z Senior Member Join Date: September 29, 2013 Location: North Central Pennsyltucky Posts: 749	Lovely rifle! Gorgeous!

September 2, 2020, 07:32 PM	#8
44caliberkid Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2017 Location: Iowa Posts: 1,098	Cool looking rifle. 303 British is still very popular in Africa for medium, deer size game, even lions. The styling of that rifle reminds me of the British rifles that were so popular for African hunting 1870 - 1920's.

September 3, 2020, 01:32 AM	#10
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 15,248	Hey, I like it! My favorite single shot action (High Wall), a traditional English stalking rifle design, a good English cartridge (I probably would have shosen something a little different, but it works). OK, Uberti finally did something I like! __________________ Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services

September 3, 2020, 08:24 AM	#12
eastbank Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2008 Location: pa. Posts: 2,450	as a youth in the hayday of milsurp rifles, i used a ex condition .303 british longbranch(14.00 dollars) ww-2 rifle that i took about 2 pounds of weight off and killed many deer with remington factory heavy round nose bullets. today it would be a sin to treat a ex milsurp like i did. but as 15 year old hunter who had to use a single barrel shotgun with slugs, it was like dieing and going to heaven. a friend has a unfired ruger #1 in 303 B that i,m trying to buy. i do have a winchester high wall carbine made in japan in 30-40 krag, but have not fired it as i have the set in 30-40 krag-38-55 and 45-70.

September 3, 2020, 08:38 AM	#13
CockNBama Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2014 Location: Huntsville, AL Posts: 206	Would someone please go ahead and invoke "Rule 303" so I won't have to?

September 3, 2020, 08:55 AM	#15
aarondhgraham Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2009 Location: Stillwater, OKlahoma Posts: 8,638	Okay,,, I give up,,, Okay,,, I give up,,, Whatinnaheck is "Rule 303"? Aarond . __________________ Never ever give an enemy the advantage of a verbal threat. Caje: The coward dies a thousand times, the brave only once. Kirby: That's about all it takes, ain't it? Aarond is good,,, Aarond is wise,,, Always trust Aarond! (most of the time)

September 3, 2020, 10:07 AM	#16
aarondhgraham Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2009 Location: Stillwater, OKlahoma Posts: 8,638	Hello mikejonestkd,,, "Aarond, do you reload your own ammo?" No, I mostly shoot .22 rimfire,,, In fact the only centerfire rifles I own are,,, A K98 8mm Mauser that my grandfather gave me when I was eleven,,, And an H&R Handi-Rifle in .357 that I bought on a whim to match my H&R .22 Sportster. I have a few handguns in .38 special, .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, and 9mm,,, But again, I don't shoot enough of any of those cartridges to make reloading worthwhile. I usually just gather and leave my empty cases at the range for those who do reload. "...there is a wide variety of .311/ .312" bullets available for the .303 Brit. i load for .303 brit, 7.7 Jap, and 7.62 x 54R all with the same bullets." That's a very interesting factoid to read,,, I would never have thought they could use the same size bullet. Aarond . __________________ Never ever give an enemy the advantage of a verbal threat. Caje: The coward dies a thousand times, the brave only once. Kirby: That's about all it takes, ain't it? Aarond is good,,, Aarond is wise,,, Always trust Aarond! (most of the time) Last edited by aarondhgraham; September 3, 2020 at 10:15 AM.

September 3, 2020, 10:13 AM	#17
aarondhgraham Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2009 Location: Stillwater, OKlahoma Posts: 8,638	Hello Jim Watson,,, "Yes, that is Cordite. Propellant in the form of a cord, right? It came out of the powder mill in the form of a rope wound on a reel. The ammo plant would feed it off the reel and cut it to length - powder charge given in the number of strands in the rope and cut length to the 1/20th inch instead of grain weight. The section of rope would be inserted into the partly formed case, which was necked down after the Cordite went in." Thank you for posting this very informative factoid,,, I always like to read an interesting piece of fiery-arm knowledge. Aarond . __________________ Never ever give an enemy the advantage of a verbal threat. Caje: The coward dies a thousand times, the brave only once. Kirby: That's about all it takes, ain't it? Aarond is good,,, Aarond is wise,,, Always trust Aarond! (most of the time)

September 3, 2020, 12:55 PM	#18
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,539	I understand the .303 to go along with the British stock style, but I could have hoped for a .30-40 Krag to gain the superior rimmed cartridge and shoot the same .308" bullets I keep for .30-30, .30-06 and .308. Ballard Rifle Co., Rifle Works and Armory, and Wyoming Armory have made rifles of the type, but lots more expensive.

September 3, 2020, 01:21 PM	#19
reinert Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2008 Posts: 646	Rule "3 - 0 - 3," may have been mentioned by C NB from a movie quote... from "Breaker Morant" If I'm wrong here, it's still a great movie.

September 3, 2020, 02:25 PM	#20
cpt-t Senior Member Join Date: January 20, 2012 Location: South Central Kansas Posts: 125	303 British Aarond: That is a really classy looking rifle that You are thinking about. I sure would like to have one like it. I like the 303 BRITISH and my Son and I have three of them. Two sportized 303 Brit rifles and a stock issued WW11 Jungle Carbine. I belive they call it a Model 4 or 5. I just bought 15 boxes of cheap Herters 150gr SP`s from Cabal's to add to the ammo supply. I hope they shoot well in our rifles. Like I said I like the 303 Brit, and have carried and hunted with one alot over the years. And carried one on all my canoe float trips back when I was young. But I don`t know the 303 Rule either. So I hope some one fills us in on it. ken __________________ THE PRICE OF FREEDOM IS NOT FREE:

September 3, 2020, 03:24 PM	#21
eastbank Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2008 Location: pa. Posts: 2,450	i think it was in africa when the brits were fighting the african bore wars.

September 3, 2020, 03:28 PM	#22
aarondhgraham Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2009 Location: Stillwater, OKlahoma Posts: 8,638	I Googled it and it sent me to the trivia page for the movie "Breaker Morant". Here's the quote from the movie webpage: "We shot them under Rule 303" is a reference to the.0.303 inch (7.7 millimetre) cartridge used in British Army rifles." Thanks Reinart,,, Mystery solved. Aarond . __________________ Never ever give an enemy the advantage of a verbal threat. Caje: The coward dies a thousand times, the brave only once. Kirby: That's about all it takes, ain't it? Aarond is good,,, Aarond is wise,,, Always trust Aarond! (most of the time)

September 3, 2020, 03:48 PM	#23
mikejonestkd Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2006 Location: Brockport, NY Posts: 3,716	Aarond, my interpretation of the .303 rule is that you need to pull the trigger. Buy the rifle!!! __________________ You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

September 3, 2020, 04:54 PM	#24
aarondhgraham Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2009 Location: Stillwater, OKlahoma Posts: 8,638	You're an "Enabler" mikejonestkd,,, You're an "Enabler" mikejonestkd,,, But that doesn't make you a bad person. No, that rifle isn't for me,,, I was just intrigued by the choice of cartridge. What I was doing on the website,,, Was looking for a high-end .22 LR single-shot. Something like one of these: Model 1885 Rimfire Hunter (Winchester) Sharps Little Betsy (Pedersoli) Little Sharps Rifle (Chiappa) I love shooting .22 rifles for rest and relaxation,,, I love single-shot rifles best of all,,, And I'm retiring January 8th. I want to gift myself a truly beautiful high dollar rifle,,, As a reward for over 50 years of honest labor. It will probably be my last big purchase. Unfortunately for me,,, None of the Uberti rifles are in .22 LR. It's a shame because that rifle caught my eye big time. Oh well (sigh),,, It did spark an interesting thread,,, And I learned a thing or two about one of my childhood guns. Thanks for participating. Aarond . __________________ Never ever give an enemy the advantage of a verbal threat. Caje: The coward dies a thousand times, the brave only once. Kirby: That's about all it takes, ain't it? Aarond is good,,, Aarond is wise,,, Always trust Aarond! (most of the time)

September 3, 2020, 05:50 PM	#25
10-96 Senior Member Join Date: October 19, 2005 Location: Tx Panhandle Territory Posts: 4,159	Aaron- Aren't Taylors and Uberti's squoze out of the same factory? https://taylorsfirearms.com/catalog/...4/category/64/ https://taylorsfirearms.com/catalog/...4/category/64/ __________________ Rednecks... Keeping the woods critter-free since March 2, 1836. (TX Independence Day) I suspect a thing or two... because I've seen a thing or two.