Stalking with a .303

Hi team
Just a question out of interest.
I usually bush stalk with my husqvarna 1600 but some times I hunt with my Lee Enfield or m96. When I hunt with these cock on closing rifles I have a round in the chamber and my hand over the bolt ready to close once I am ready to fire. I have lost a few rounds due to falling over/sliding down banks etc. how do you do it?
Loaded with safety on? Bolt closed with cocking piece pulled back one click? Hold on to open bolt with round in spout?
Or bolt closed on empty?

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Nice looking no4

Please,please do NOT do the one notch thing. Decent bash on striker and it will fire. The smile safety catch is notoriously unreliable which is why old farts like me learnt to carry with round held on bolt and bolt not fully shut.cant ever recall loosing a round via that. But then again I've never had a unintentional discharge either.carry on as you are is my vote.

Bolt half closed always seemed to hold alright for me, there was enough friction to hold it. I did used to sometimes the striker on half cock as well depending.

Is this where the expression “going off half cocked” came from?

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Originally Posted by AMac

Is this where the expression “going off half cocked” came from?

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No, along with "flash in the pan", going off half cocked marks back to flintlocks.
To carry a flintlock in a semi ready state you need to put powder in the pan, close the frizzen and pull the hammer back to half cock. It shouldn't fall from half cock, so to go off half cocked is analogous to doing something before you should.
Flash in the pan means the priming powder fired, but the main charge didn't- an inadequate performance.

I was shown bolt half closed with safety on, as a friction device to stop bolt moving.

Chamber the round, bolt forwards and halfway back, and you have the round held nicely by the extractor claw. Unlikely to lose it.

Consider removing the magazine, it's clacky noisy (and if you are honest you are probably too slow on follow up shots to make it worthwhile having it in).

With practice you can get very quick, a couple of "mad minutes" practice and he should be right

we had a new woodsman start with us culling down in the Te Hoe river came fully equipped with his Grandads 303 he asked me if the safety was a safe way to carry it hunting well said I only one way to find out pass it here I loaded it put safety on pointed at a clay bank and pulled the trigger kaboom nah thats not safe

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Originally Posted by goatcommander

Hi team
Just a question out of interest.
I usually bush stalk with my husqvarna 1600 but some times I hunt with my Lee Enfield or m96. When I hunt with these cock on closing rifles I have a round in the chamber and my hand over the bolt ready to close once I am ready to fire. I have lost a few rounds due to falling over/sliding down banks etc. how do you do it?
Loaded with safety on? Bolt closed with cocking piece pulled back one click? Hold on to open bolt with round in spout?
Or bolt closed on empty?

Attachment 263585

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Greetings,
You got it right. Bolt part way forward so you can still see the base of the cartridge case. You still have to push the bolt handle forward and then down to be ready to fire. Not ideal but the only safe way with a Lee Enfield.
GPM.

Met a guy who thought having pulled the trigger as he closed the bolt on the round up the breech was safe - “see, if you pull the trigger it can’t go off, I’ve got to pull the striker back before I can fire” was his rationale.

Told him to empty his mag and give me the rounds.

I showed him several rounds and told him they were the ones that had been in the chamber at some stage.

“How can you tell” he said - so I showed where the firing pin had been resting on the primers of these rounds.

He did go to the half open bolt system after that..

Mate up north dropped his 8mm Mauser down bank as he fell.striker was rested on primer,hit rock n fired.he got lucky,it took half a hand,entered chest,hit collar bone and deflected outwards. I was shown the scars. Yeah nah not something I desire.

When I bush hunt with my L E 303 its bolt half closed with around half way up the chamber. So you can see the base half of the brass. You need to finish pushing the bolt forward and down in order to chamber and fire. I always found the friction there was pretty good for holding in place.

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Originally Posted by stagstalker

When I bush hunt with my L E 303 its bolt half closed with around half way up the chamber. So you can see the base half of the brass. You need to finish pushing the bolt forward and down in order to chamber and fire. I always found the friction there was pretty good for holding in place.

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Awesome exactly how I do it

Well thanks everyone for taking part in the discussion, a great discussion on a very relevant topic. it sounds like we have reached a general consensus

I shot my first deer a red spiker with my 303 target rifle parker hale aperture rear sights tunnel foresight with a blade had shot the previous weekend at 200 and 300 yards at a club shoot so knew it was zeroed - goat shooting with it I knew where 500-600 was on the aperture sight and mates were always very impressed I could drop goats at some range - heavy hell I was young and fit did not worry me - club secretary would sell me 75 round packet of 1958 ammo for the princely sum of $4 no bloody wonder deaf today as more often than not a good day lowering the neighbors goat population shot of the lot -and yes the army ammo did the job the goats did not like it up them

Hi GC , if your in slippery country I'd suggest empty chamber , otherwise half bolt as suggested.
I'm another that's never lost a round yet.
But usually carry empty if the goings suspect.
Lost a few but also had a few stand and watch as I try to sneak one up the spout.
Probably wondering what the hell ?
Pennyless

40 odd yrs ago remember a demo by a DOL inspector on .303 safety (or lack thereof) trusty old military issue blank ammo chambered and brass butt dropped heavily onto gravel whoa whats that noise.
anther blank round chambered action uncocked and he produces a crescent taps the striker end same result!
never forgotten it .if i am using my .303 c(alas these days rarely) a round is never chambered until target is sighted and verified beyond all doubt.
BTW180gn softnoseis a weeee bit heavy on jackos and hares (dont ask) but is fine for composting them.

Bush stalking goats with my no.1 mk3 and I don't even move with one up the spout, instead I close the bolt on an empty chamber with the rounds in the mag ready to go, I find the enfield action so slick and fast that the millisecond it takes to fully cycle the bolt is not detrimental to the hunt. Good reason to practice your mad minute drills with dummy rounds I reckon.
With deer I do the half closed bolt method as you say just due to worry of noise.

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Originally Posted by Marty Henry

With practice you can get very quick, a couple of "mad minutes" practice and he should be right

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Sorry @Marty Henry, forgot about you. :-D

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Originally Posted by kotuku

40 odd yrs ago remember a demo by a DOL inspector on .303 safety (or lack thereof) trusty old military issue blank ammo chambered and brass butt dropped heavily onto gravel whoa whats that noise.
anther blank round chambered action uncocked and he produces a crescent taps the striker end same result!
never forgotten it .if i am using my .303 c(alas these days rarely) a round is never chambered until target is sighted and verified beyond all doubt.
BTW180gn softnoseis a weeee bit heavy on jackos and hares (dont ask) but is fine for composting them.

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The demos shown you were done with the bolt handle down. Lift the .303 bolt handle and the firing pin is not able to touch the primer.

Thats what the grooves on the rear underside of the bolt body do.

The .303 bolt will not close accidentally, nor will the handle go down accidentally, because ... cock on close.

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Originally Posted by Micky Duck

Mate up north dropped his 8mm Mauser down bank as he fell.striker was rested on primer,hit rock n fired.he got lucky,it took half a hand,entered chest,hit collar bone and deflected outwards. I was shown the scars. Yeah nah not something I desire.

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Peter Paul Mauser should have stuck with cock-on-close. So many begin well but lose their way...