mybigredford

i may have a chance to buy a 303 of my uncles in the near future. but i am not really familiar with the caliber. right now i use a 30-06, but i will buy the 303 if the chance comes up, so can any of you give me some info on what you think about it and what differences there are between my 06 and it.

i looked at ballistics and the 303 doesnt seem too bad. anyways interested in your opinions!!

Red Lion

I have a sporterized Lee Enfield #4 carbine that is .303 british caliber. It is a solid shooter and is a decent caliberfor hunting deer and similiar size game. Ammo does not tend to be pletiful, but is available at places like Gander Mountain, Sportmans Warehouse and Cabelas. Depending what model andcondition of the 303 (I assume it is a Lee Enfield)you refer to, you should be able to get it fairly cheap, almost certainly under 2 bills.
Comparing performance of the .303 to the .30-06, the .30-06 isbetter.

KonaBoy

Red Lion, I'll assume you're from the States because you say ammo isn't plentiful It's everywhere in Ontario, and it's dropped it's fair share of moose and deer. My friends (2 of them, and their dads) use'em for moose and deer every year, and if they hit'em, they're usually toast. However, I would rather use a 30-06. The only reason I would use a 303 is because of less recoil.

48thguns

The actions were great....their ballistics pretty dismal as compared to a '06 270 etc. Generally around 200'/sec slower than a same bullet weight '06. Not aweful, however, they were never that popular in the States cause the '06 was clearly a better caliber. I would say this is a fine 200 yard anything rifle , however, at 250 it drops like a rock. A 180 gr bullet at 2450'/sec zeroed at 150 yards is 1.2 inches high at 100, -3 inches at 200 and -15.4 inches at 300. Regards, Rick.

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Californiadoctor

I inherited a Savage model 1899 rifle from my grandfather that was chambered in .303 Savage. I keep the gun as an heirloom but rarely shoot it since ammunition is extremely hard to find for this "obsolete" round.

Caldoc

Hairtrigger

A 303 Savage 99 would be a great round in a GREAT rifle.
You would need to reload to enjoy it

Californiadoctor

It is a very nice gun and its unique rotary magazine was considered advanced for its time. I think the .303 Savage cartridge was introduced around the same time as,and is balistically almost identical to, the 30-30 Winchester. I can only surmise that Winchester was more savvy at marketing their products than Savage was,and that is why the 30-30 Win and the guns chambered forit still thrive while the .303 Savage and the Savage model 99 are no longer in production.

I do not handload now but am considering it and having a reliable source of ammunition for this rifle is one reason to get into handloading.

Caldoc

DANTHEHUNTER

I had a enfield sportized when I was a kid around 14,15 & 16 thay old thing would flat put a whitetail down. I think it was around 75.00 when I bought it. I shot aleast 5 deer with it and they just fell in thier tracks.All were around 100 yards. I did trade it for a .270 now I wish I kept it for a hand me down.

James B

Having both joined the Military at about the same time, the 303 Brit is about a balistic clone of the 30-40 Krag. The 303 British has killed every species of animal on earth and because it was a British round, it has been used accross Africa on all African Game as well. It is not up to the task as a DG rifle and has wounded more African critters than all other calibers combined. With good bullets and within its range, it is up to taking all the Non Dangerous NA game. I have one which was chambered in the P-14 by the U.S. for the british during the war years. I also have a couple in the British Enfield. It ain't no 06 but its a fair hunting rifle.