Thread: Resurgence of interest in the old "Three Oh"?

Originally Posted by omark

It's the variation in velocity. Much care must be taken when using these faster pistol powders and jacketed bullets (cast bullets are different again) It can result in massive pressure spikes. Much better to spend 30 cents a round on the correct rifle powders is 2206h or 2208 than have a bolt come back through your head!!!
I would not recommend using the powder listed with jacketed projectiles and my strong advice is to never except any load data you see anywhere unless you verify it.

And I forgot to add that I have had good results from the X.39 bullets out to 300 . They don't like to be driven to hard though

Originally Posted by erniec

Have thought of picking up a Ruger #1 in .303 if one came up for sale.
The test reports indicated they were not that accurate.
Has anybody got one and what is their experience of it?.

There is something to do about the barrel. They were apparently way too big from factory-like 314-315" something like that. Only read about it recently on an aussie forum. Ruger went off some spec that said that was the way to go instead of doing some proper homework

Originally Posted by csmiffy

There is something to do about the barrel. They were apparently way too big from factory-like 314-315" something like that. Only read about it recently on an Aussie forum. Ruger went off some spec that said that was the way to go instead of doing some proper homework

Maybe Ruger mixed up American convention with European convention. The Americans measure caliber groove to groove whereas the self-confident Europeans with nothing to prove duly measure calibre land to land and end up with a lower measure of the same barrel.

Thus .303 Brit is actually a bigger calibre than .308 Win and 7.62 (.30") Soviet is also larger (Russians are Europeans).

.303 barrels land to land are .303" and grove to groove more like .315 with variation in the latter.

.308 is .30" land to land and .308 groove to groove.

The Ruger Mini-30 in 7.62 Soviet(European) was originally shipped with a .30 (American) barrel causing some accuracy issues.

Originally Posted by csmiffy

In the last couple of years I seem to be accumulating various 303's.
Not getting out to use them, just accumulating them lol
have to change that-get out and about with some of the forum members I reckon

I had one tucked away in the safe for years, never used it so sold it several months ago, kind of wish I had kept it now.

@ROKTOY the way i'm going I will probably have a spare one for you.
@Cordite some seem to get theirs to shoot fine and the bores were OK. Maybe later models or just tighter?
here is a cut/paste from Nitroexpress forum-about halfway down. Must've been a kiwi on there that mentioned NZguns and hunting magazine and a review on one. The throats were way long and more suited 215grs as well. The pic is from the same nitro forum thread from another owner and his one in particular had a good sized bore but still a very deeply cut throat. he was happy with how it shot but not with the woodleighs. they shot crap in his rifle

"just thought I'd give an update of what has transpired in regard to my No 1 in 303 Brit. I started this thread after picking up my 303 and found the more the rifle was looked at, the more disappointed with its quality I became. I must admit that I really don't know how well it shoots because since I picked it up last November, I've fired only 5 shots with it. This is due to the completely "pissed off " effect and seeing how many were turning up for sale, I knew that being able to sell it and recover my money won't happen.
Then there was a little ray of hope when I saw that RULE303 had sent his back because the bore in his measured .315". Out to the safe I go and after doing a cast at muzzle and breech, mine turns out to be 315' too. So with high hopes mine is sent back to the importer here in Oz but in just a few weeks the gunshop rings and informs me it is back and I can pick it up. The importer says the bore is "within spec". A note at the bottom of the same letter states that "Ruger designed these rifles based on the the original 303 rifles which had a bore diameter of between 0.314 & 0.316 ".
So not only do I own a new rifle with poor fitting timber, finger prints in the stock finish and metal parts that should fit better, but also with a bore that is at least 3 thou. over any jacketed projectiles I can buy over the counter. I find it hard to believe that Ruger would dimension their barrels based on "original 303 rifles" when all the ammo available uses 0.312" pills ! As we all know these rifle were made in 2010. All modern 303 ammo uses 0.312 or even 0.311 projectiles so for the life of me I can't figure out, if its true, why that would make barrels at 0.315 or maybe even 0.316" !! To me a barrel this much over size is 3/4 worn out to start with. I don't mind playing around with oversize bullets to get a vintage rifle to shoot, thats part of the game, but its a bit rich to have to do it with a factory new one.
Anyway thats were I am at the moment, paid the money in good faith and ended up with a very suspect product that I believe will sit at the back of the safe for quite some time."

Originally Posted by csmiffy

@ROKTOY the way i'm going I will probably have a spare one for you.
@Cordite some seem to get theirs to shoot fine and the bores were OK. Maybe later models or just tighter?
here is a cut/paste from Nitroexpress forum-about halfway down. Must've been a kiwi on there that mentioned NZguns and hunting magazine and a review on one. The throats were way long and more suited 215grs as well. The pic is from the same nitro forum thread from another owner and his one in particular had a good sized bore but still a very deeply cut throat. he was happy with how it shot but not with the woodleighs. they shot crap in his rifle

"just thought I'd give an update of what has transpired in regard to my No 1 in 303 Brit. I started this thread after picking up my 303 and found the more the rifle was looked at, the more disappointed with its quality I became. I must admit that I really don't know how well it shoots because since I picked it up last November, I've fired only 5 shots with it. This is due to the completely "pissed off " effect and seeing how many were turning up for sale, I knew that being able to sell it and recover my money won't happen.
Then there was a little ray of hope when I saw that RULE303 had sent his back because the bore in his measured .315". Out to the safe I go and after doing a cast at muzzle and breech, mine turns out to be 315' too. So with high hopes mine is sent back to the importer here in Oz but in just a few weeks the gunshop rings and informs me it is back and I can pick it up. The importer says the bore is "within spec". A note at the bottom of the same letter states that "Ruger designed these rifles based on the the original 303 rifles which had a bore diameter of between 0.314 & 0.316 ".
So not only do I own a new rifle with poor fitting timber, finger prints in the stock finish and metal parts that should fit better, but also with a bore that is at least 3 thou. over any jacketed projectiles I can buy over the counter. I find it hard to believe that Ruger would dimension their barrels based on "original 303 rifles" when all the ammo available uses 0.312" pills ! As we all know these rifle were made in 2010. All modern 303 ammo uses 0.312 or even 0.311 projectiles so for the life of me I can't figure out, if its true, why that would make barrels at 0.315 or maybe even 0.316" !! To me a barrel this much over size is 3/4 worn out to start with. I don't mind playing around with oversize bullets to get a vintage rifle to shoot, thats part of the game, but its a bit rich to have to do it with a factory new one.
Anyway thats were I am at the moment, paid the money in good faith and ended up with a very suspect product that I believe will sit at the back of the safe for quite some time."

Attachment 137736

Greetings Csmiffy,
There are likely plenty of .303 Lee Enfields out there with groove diameter's that large that shoot quite well, especially the two groove barrels. I think where Ruger may have gone wrong is copying the groove diameter and using the narrow US style of rifling. Enfield style .303 barrels can shoot pretty well with .308 diameter projectiles. I tried 150 grain .308 projectiles in my no 4 two groove and they arrived point on but strung vertically with my light load. I will try a bit more coal and see if that helps. Other reports I have heard have found the later Ruger no 1 .303 rifles shot well so maybe there was a change.
Regards Grandpamac.
PS This is a great thread. No mention of the latest whizo cartridges, super television scopes or 0.5 MoA groups at 1,000 yards. Excellent.

Just checked with Hatcher's notebook. He gave the .303 bore as that with the grooves 0.0058 deep so the grooves would have been .314 to .315 inch as noted. The lands and grooves were equal width rather than the very narrow US style lands. Hatcher would certainly been aware of the reason for the wide lands (erosive cordite propellant) and the oversize groove diameter (providing space for expansion of the projectile as it was forced into the wide lands). It is a pity Ruger was not up to speed.
Grandpamac.

I like so many others started out with a 303, scoped, and couldn't hit shit with it. Missed the first 3-4 deer I shot at then sold it and bought a PH 270 and next hunt got my first deer.
Over the years I have dabbled with a few cut down 30's and shot a few animals but not a lot really. Currently I have two one scoped the other a 1945 Isophore which has been drilled and tapped but I took the scope off and have it set up for open sights. Problem is the eyes don't focus to well on the foresight to well unless I use low powered glasses, then I can see them as well as the target. I need to take it out and put some rounds through it, they are a great caliber and rifle and have sure stood the test of time. My Isophore model has quite a shiny bore and has matching numbers the other has a newish shortened barrel but no matching numbers.
Would be good to have a forum shoot using these old warhorses.

Have literally just purchased one during lock down in anticipation for the unlock down. Can’t wait to get it to the range and see how she fires then hope to knock over some goats. Once I’m confident with the open sights then take her out and chase some deer with it. Can’t wait!

Back in the Day (71) I use to shoot at the Auckland NZDA using borrowed 303's at first till I bought my first one for $60 scoped . Ammo at the club was military stuff and was 5 cents a round. Hell back then I used to think what a canon the old 30 was but compared to rounds of today it is quite mild. I think stock design has a fair bit to do with felt recoil.
Shot plenty of goats with mine when I first got it so it was capable but I think a bit of Buck fever crept in on those early day deer hunts which caused all the misses.

Up until probably the late 1950’s the rifle of choice for a government culler was a cut down SMLE .303 (not that they had any choice!). The cullers generally rated the three ‘oh highly. Being a battle rifle it was rugged and could take a lot of abuse. Cullers operating in alpine regions could use the butt plate to bash steps into icey slopes, and if you went for a slide the foresight could be driven into the ice to arrest your slide. The 10 round mag and fast (for a bolt action) cyclic rate was also just the ticket for big mobs of deer or other game. It was a very effective tool for the job.

In the 1960’s when most cullers and meat hunters had switched to more modern cartridges, a minority stuck with the 303 because it simply got the job done with a minimum of fuss. A prominent helicopter shooter chose a 303 over an FN 308, and achieved the same tallies as other teams with a shitload less ammo

I have a tidy PH with from memory a .314 barrel.Never was a good shooter untill I tried the Woodleigh 215 gr now its sighted for 170 yds and groups 2" at 100yds.

And it will continue to smack deer dead far, far into the future.
Grandpamac.

For left handers the Lee- Enfield bolt is murder on the outside of the left hand during rapid fire, many a blood blister have I had from that.

Originally Posted by Finnwolf

For left handers the Lee- Enfield bolt is murder on the outside of the left hand during rapid fire, many a blood blister have I had from that.

One is allowed to dream. (o:



Question is, IS IT possible? Cut off right side handle and reattach to left side. Would just have to get used to up = locked and down = unlocked. The safety catch would be sacrificed but no one relies on it nowadays, open bolt or not safe. The LE bolt handle does not function as a last ditch locking lug. If you have an old sporter... why not get the dremel out? Or am I insane @gundoc?