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

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

Terrible action, pathetic slow lock time, awful trigger creep. Probably the best NZ calibre for pigs matched with a poor rifle.

Agree with all the above. Add clanky noisy magazine and trigger over-travel. It's a battle rifle which only does OK as a hunting rifle. It's ironic that it was often the beginner's rifle when it really should not be.

There are of course certain special features ... like the shorter travel of the rear locker bolt so you don't have to pull your face out of its way, only 60 deg lift so you don't lose your sight picture when cycling the bolt, and the ergonomics of cock-on-close bolt that allows fast follow up shots while maintaining a pinch grip on the bolt.

I habve in my cabintet my 1st cntrefire my beloved No4Mk11943 longbrach .303.interestingly Gundoc once did some work for me on this very rifle!
she doesnt get out myuch these days but i lovingly refer to her as my 18' naval gun if nowt else in my armoury will solve the problem a 180gn softnose trundling out of her suppreesed snout generally means me 1 problem zero.
heavy yep stock mods by me.until very recently she wore a Bentley4x40 scope which was of the same vintage (early 80's and interestingly also one of a pair(other 4x28 for my .22) I had richard wilhems recondition and refit with 30/30 reticles. IIRC$70.00 all up Contrary to the call of experts Mr w said they were a decent budget scope for the time and he didnt see any reason not to do the work.
like GD another craftsman lost to our fraternity.
I now have a 7.63x39 B/A also -from my readings Im suprised the ballistics appears uncannily similar.

Greetings All,
Thoroughly agree with all that supported the Lee Enfield .303. My scoped rifle is all ready to go on some outings once Level 2 has been achieved. 174 grain round nose Hornady projectiles at 2,050 fps should do the job. The same velocity with 215 grain solids did the job for Bell on elephants over 100 years ago. I have some charger clips and a couple of WW1 vintage leather pouches so may even add those to the kit. Can't wait (but will).
Grandpamac.

Even though I have just bought a Howa Lightweight 308 I still love using the old SMLE. I love the fact of taking a 76-year old rifle out hunting and seeing the puzzled looks on the young fulla's faces when you drag the old girl out. I have to sight it in after taking the 2.5x Weaver off it and fitting it with a 2-7 Nikon Prostaff. It shoots well with Highland 150's. 3" at 100. Which is fine because to be honest that says more about my aging eyes than it does the rifle! Should do better with the 2-7. I'll also get a Lee Loader and have a play with some handloads; just for fun

I've had the old girl since I was 18; I'm 57 now. It was my pig gun back then and has walked a lot of miles! Shot pigs, deer and goats with it; not a shitload, but enough. I had the barrel shortened to about 17 1/2 inches when i bought it. It was already sporterised. And sounds silly; but I could never part with it.....

The rifle that has, and still will, keep my freezer full is the Howa Mini 223. As I mostly hunt goats for the freezer. but I am going to do more deer hunting this year. One of my dreams is to take a red stag (anyone with any bone on its head really!) with the three oh......



And back when I was about 20-years old with my dog pighunting with the old girl out the back of Whangamomona...

I think it's one of the nicest bolt actions to use, cock on closing is a bonus IMO, i like 2 stage triggers. There is have a cut down lithgow waiting for me to properly sporterise then it will see some goat action in the forestry blocks around here.

@Marty Henry unless you get the early ones with the little cup on the end. No 2 stage there
@kotuku all good with the smaller weights but you wont be pushing a 180 grainer out of them at the same speed

Greetings Bumblefoot and All,
I've found the Lee Loader is ideal for neck sizing the .303 as it doesn't over size the neck. I prime them with a Lee hand tool. I have, in the interests of science primed the cases in the Lee Loader (wearing a full face mask) but the thought of doing any more terrifies me. Currently I seat the projectiles in the press but the Lee Loader would also do the job and I might start doing that. Retro loading can be just as much fun as taking an old soldier for a walk, for me at least.
Regards Grandpamac.

My first rifle was a sporterised .303 , shot my first deer with it , it was ok up close , but took on my first Thar hunt in 86 , was definitely not ideal , but shit I used to throw the lead at them anyway

A mate took his iron sighted no3 to Stewart Island before the lock down and shot a Whitetail buck.

@grandpamac There was an American YT channel I watched called Leatherwood Outdoors where the guy hunted whitetail with all sorts of old mostly lever action rifles and blackpowder rifles. He was using 1905 32-40's, 32 winchester Specials, Winchester Model 1892 25-20 etc. I really enjoyed seeing those old rifles in action.

And yes; I will be getting the hand priming tool! I used to use one for my old Lee Loader when I had it. Will be looking out for another 303 Lee Loader Classic after lockdown.

I'm probably sounding like a hypocrite because I have a 308 and 223 too, but i do think it's often too easy to over-think hunting rifles.....

My Dads No1 Mk3 holds pride of place in my cabinet, it was one of the BSA sporterised ones sold in the early 1950's. Dad was a "child of the depression" and his family did it very hard, he left school at 12 to work on a farm. He bought the rifle off his brother (who had bought it "new") and was visiting the farm Dad had somehow bought on the Pelorus river halfway between Canvastown and Pelorus Bridge about 1955 - I think maybe with his returned serviceman's status. Said brother must have gotten really hard up too - there was a story about a broken down motorbike needing parts or something, and Dad somehow traded into the 303. Given that Dad was so careful with his money it must have been a very considered transaction.

Anyhoo he proceeded to shoot many hundreds of pigs and goats (goats often with his BSA Sportsman 15, which I also have, as the ammo was cheaper), pigs in particular wreaked havoc with paddocks and lambs.

He gave me the rifle when I was about 20 and he'd moved from the Canvastown farm - to him it was a tool that was no longer needed. BUT he'd looked after it, despite firing at least 4 or 5 of the canisters (each containing several packages of 75 rounds - does anybody recall how many the whole cylinder contained?) of military ball with corrosive primers the bore was bright and shiny. The rifle came with the special funnel to pour a jug of boiling water through it EVERY time it was fired.

So in 1980 I'd just sold a Tikka M55 308 (oh why one asks oneself now) to fund the purchase of Heym 6.5x55 and I got invited to make up the numbers at a big Deerstalkers shoot in Invercargill. Bugger. Got Dads 303 out, got a scope mount on it and put a trusty 4x32 on top, sighted it in with the last of the Mk VII ball he'd also given me. To my surprise it shot pretty well, about 40mm groups as I recall. Off I went to the shoot, albeit with pretty modest expectations. I'd been doing a fair bit of 3 position "field" shooting with the NZSGSA and winning quite a few matches, but I knew that I'd be up against some good shooters with the latest 243's and 222's etc.

Well Invercargill delivered that day, it blew like hell, first from the nor-west, then a horrible Sou-west change. I was lying second or third at lunch, and by the time the 300 yard was cancelled due to weather (we'd shot at 100 and 200) I'd used a shitty old 303 to clean up about 30 blokes, most with dead modern equipment. I think the margin was about 20 points, with Dads old 303 !!

Dad has passed, but I hope to pass his 303 onto one of my boys or maybe a grandson.

@Tentman Great story!

@Micky Duck, I like the idea of a baikal with a chamber reamed to .303. Anyone around here actually done it?

I remember reading in an old Australian Sporting Shooter mag in the late 70's and they were re-barreling/re-chambering 303's to 30-30. Something to do with the regulations there at that time?

Originally Posted by Tentman

My Dads No1 Mk3 holds pride of place in my cabinet,............... (each containing several packages of 75 rounds - does anybody recall how many the whole cylinder contained?) of military ball with corrosive primers the bore was bright and shiny. The rifle came with the special funnel to pour a jug of boiling water through it EVERY time it was fired......

Can't help you with the cylinder's capacity as I have seen them in several lengths, but can comment re the funnel. I still use mine.



and in use. Chap on left holding rifle correctly, chap on right, not, in case of boiling water spillage.