.303

tom

Well-Known Member
Hi there ,what is a .303 like on deer please ? I have shot deer with .308,,30-06, and .243 .
just interested as a second rifle ? Bit of fun ?
Many thanks
Tom
 
Until recently I used a BSA Lee-Enfield on reds . It just makes the velocity requirement with 174 gr bullets and is more than adequate with 150gr Hornady sps. My rifle had a slightly large bore @.312 and the .313 Hornadys were perfect. 40 grs v v 140 and I was well pleased , grouping was adequate at around 2" and nothing I shot walked away.

:old:
 
I once had a lovely Lee Speed retailed by Westley Richards, it was a true classic. I had a scope fitted, but this was superbly done by an Old School Gun maker. He obtained a spare bolt so the original shroud would not be damaged, as the shroud fixing lug had to be worked on. The mounts were silver soldered on so the Lee Speed could easily be returned to original spec and only need be re blacked.
I used 150 grn Hornady heads and it shot like a .308 and sometimes used the heavier 180grn Hornady R/N heads in woodland stalking.
A great and very classic rifle and once again one that I wish I still had.
 
All these military cartridges are always very good on deer. Why? Because a lot of money was spent on researching a calibre and weight and velocity combination that could kill a man out to maybe 1,000 yards. So as a deer weighs as much as a man they work very well.

I have a friend who shot not only deer but bear with a .303. He actually preferred the earlier loading with the 215 grain bullet but used latterly the 174 grain bullet. Under the velocity requirements that 215 grain load is now illegal and the 174 grain is marginal. That 2,450fps is in fact the velocity of that 174 grain load in a twenty-five inch barrel. So some shorter barrel sporters MAY be illegal by ten or so feet per second.

But the round is a good killer and you'd not at all be handicapped by it. I guess the ultimate .303 sporter would be not a converted Lee Enfiled, or even a Lee Speed sporter but the few MAUSER .303 rifles that Rigby produced.
 
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I've used the 303 British to take quite a few deer , whitetails and mulies , moose and the odd black bear . I've mostly used 180 gr bullets , sierra's for the most part , but as Enfield spares mentioned , the old 215 gr bullet had a large following here for yrs. Unfortunately , the 215's are hard to find these days so the 180's are the most popular . The 303 British is a very capable deer cartridge and I'm sure you wouldn't be disappointed with it's performance , plus I love Lee Enfield in all their guises.

As to the Rigby built mausers in 303 , I'd love to have one. Unfortunately , I've only seen one out here and it wasn't for sale , but a man can always hope. That being said , I've seen a lot of very nice sporters built on Enfield P-14's . They're inexpensive and , if in decent shape, are an excellent rifle for the money . I wouldn't turn down a good Lee Enfield No 1 or No 4 based sporter if I came across one either . My favorite deer rifle , and I have a few to choose from , is a Parker Hale sporter built on a No4 Mark 2 action. It's accurate , reliable , takes game cleanly and it's British. What more do you need lol

AB
 
That's what my friend had the Parker Hale No4 Deluxe Supreme. With a Nikko Sterling 'scope on that P-Hale mount that replaced the standard No4 backsight.

When he went shooting in Russia in the 1970s, bears, they took him to GUM in Moscow as he needed more ammunition. He thought that it might be a problem. No! When he asked for it the man simply said "Yes sir, 174 grains or 215 grains, what do you prefer?" and pulled out boxes and boxes of the yellow and red Kynoch stuff. He siad he saw more there on the counter than he could ever have hoped to see in one place in England!

Don't be too disappointed about the Rigby 303 Mausers the one I saw, and was at the time friendly with its owner, shooting it at Bisley had a very worn bore that was, when built, quite generous in its dimensions as really only worked well with oversized bespoke (or that awful word "custom") swaged bullets. Or cast lead bullets. I can't remember which was over twenty-five years ago. But with standard 174 grain Mk VII ball it shot like a shot gun and couldn't hit the side of a barn even when standing inside the barn.

In fact I think that the rifling, from memory, was of Metford form. Which of course had eroded quite badly. But will stand to be corrected.
 
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That's what my friend had the Parker Hale No4 Deluxe Supreme. With a Nikko Sterling 'scope on that P-Hale mount that replaced the standard No4 backsight.

When he went shooting in Russia in the 1970s, bears, they took him to GUM in Moscow as he needed more ammunition. He thought that it might be a problem. No! When he asked for it the man simply said "Yes sir, 174 grains or 215 grains, what do you prefer?" and pulled out boxes and boxes of the yellow and red Kynoch stuff. He siad he saw more there on the counter than he could ever have hoped to see in one place in England!

Don't be too disappointed about the Rigby 303 Mausers the one I saw, and was at the time friendly with its owner, shooting it at Bisley had a very worn bore that was, when built, quite generous in its dimensions as really only worked well with oversized bespoke (or that awful word "custom") swaged bullets. Or cast lead bullets. I can't remember which was over twenty-five years ago. But with standard 174 grain Mk VII ball it shot like a shot gun and couldn't hit the side of a barn even when standing inside the barn.

In fact I think that the rifling, from memory, was of Metford form. Which of course had eroded quite badly. But will stand to be corrected.

Who would have thought that you'd find Kynoch ammunition in Russia , I can't remember the last time I saw a box . My father used Kynoch 215 's in his Lee Enfield when I was a boy , he swore by them .

It's funny you mentioned the Rigby with the eroded bore . I remember an article that Ken Waters of Handloader magazine did on one . If memory serves , he had the original barrel re-bored to 375 Waters , basically a 444 Marlin necked down to 375 cal . Apparently it fed perfectly in the slanted magazine of the Rigby .Ballistically , it was pretty much a 9.5X57 Mannlicher-Schoenauer, about 2100 to 2200 fps with a 270 gr bullet . I always thought that it would make a perfect short to medium range large game rifle . I thought about building one , but I bought a Husqvarna Model 46 in 9.3X57 instead , way cheaper and the animals I've taken with it couldn't tell the difference lol.

AB
 
A B you do need another Parker hale sporter. "JUST SO YOU CAN SAY YOU HAVE ONE" lol !!

Never a truer word said , I've never met a PH I didn't like lol . As a matter of fact , there's a PH sporter on Canadian gun nuts for sale right now . It's built on a Lithgow No. 1 action, bit of a coincidence eh Aus , and has a really nice piece of walnut on it . I believe he wants about $ 350 for it , hmmmmm .

AB
 
Up until very recently I have been using a .303 for deer stalking and culling with quite good results. It is only because of an ongoing illness that I am quitting stalking and culling and have decided to sell my .303, which I am about to put up for sale on the Guns For Sale Section. If you are interested in a GOOD Lee Enfield Number 4 Mk1 that has beed "Sporterised" professionally by Parker Hale it might well be worth your while having a look at this one which is going to be a real bargain for someone.
 
The 180-gr RN Remington Core Lokt hits very hard, and lots of penetration at the low speed of the .303. It works like the 140-gr from a 6.5x55 Swede.

I find the Rem 180 gr and 174-gr S&B FMJ shoot to the sights on both my No.1 MkIIIs and my No. 4s, and they shoot to the same spot, out to 250 yards, and shoot small groups.
 
I shoot a 215 grain cast bullet in almost all of my 303's. The driving bands are .315" diameter and the nose .305 inches. It is a copy of the Lyman 314-299 and it shoots marvelously in all my 303's. Kills deer very well when heat treated and loaded to high velocity.~Muir
 
I shoot a 215 grain cast bullet in almost all of my 303's. The driving bands are .315" diameter and the nose .305 inches. It is a copy of the Lyman 314-299 and it shoots marvelously in all my 303's. Kills deer very well when heat treated and loaded to high velocity.~Muir

Hi Muir
Do you fit gas checks to these cast bullets & how do you heat treat them? Also what velocity do you drive them at?

Ian
 
I shoot a 215 grain cast bullet in almost all of my 303's. The driving bands are .315" diameter and the nose .305 inches. It is a copy of the Lyman 314-299 and it shoots marvelously in all my 303's. Kills deer very well when heat treated and loaded to high velocity.~Muir
Strange coincidence. I've just cast 1000 x 316299 boolits for a 303. To be sized, lubed and gas checked tomorrow.
These are a lovely boolit for the 303 and I shoot at anything from 2000fps to 2400fps depending on the range to be shot.
 
303 016.jpg

Here is a picture if my old lady. Got it given to me by an American client some years back, still in the grease and never been fired :D.

I put a light beech sportarised stock on her and a tube Burris scope. Have still kept the original stock and sights. It even came with the original bayonet and scabbard.

I have used it in Africa, taking Blesbok and Impala with it. Now it only comes out on dry warm days, much like a vintage car :lol:
 
I have all manner of rifles, actions, calibers & chamberings, yet my long standing desire is to have a very nice custom 303 rifle built on an old martini action, just for "ME". Good open sights, QR mounts & scope, nice timber, deep blued steel.
The venerable 303 is part of my "dreaming".

Cheers Sharkey
 
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