Considering the power of this rifle?

Question

I know that the British army Lee Enfield 303 is no longer made, but with the 500+ still in circulation, and considering that it is a bolt action rifle, unlike its American counterpart the M1 Garand, which was spring loaded (and was, in affect, the worlds first SLR,) and considering the power behind it and its stopping power, and not forgetting the 10 round cartridge, would you peronally, use it for hunting purposes? and if not, which would you use?

I would use the Enfiled 303 and the Magnum Bolt Action 300 (both for stopping power alone)

This question is open to all nationalities and both males and females

Add a scope and a couple of extra bits and instead of the original 250ft range, you can neatly bring down targets that are at least a mile away

Answer 1

I HAVE used a mark 4 Enfield for hunting and have killed more deer with it than my other "sporting rifles". The peep sights on the original rifles are adequate for most situations under 200 yards. The peep centers your aiming automatically and works really well in a quick shot situation. Ammo is readily available and is powerful enough for virtually any game in North America. The Canadians have been using it for years...

Answer 2

The .303Brit is a fine hunting round. In the old Commonwealth countries like Canada and Australia/NZ etc, it's the most popular by far. It's also pretty popular in the US since a large percentage of those old Commonwealth rifles made their way here.

Scoping them, contrary to what one fellow suggested, is no prob. A #4 can be found for around $100, new plastic stock (if you want) is $50, scope and mount another $50. Ammo is cheap and plentiful.

It won't hit anything at a mile range, though. Not many rifles will. It's just a hair under a .308 Winchester in power and range.

Just make sure you keep all the stuff you remove if you plan to restock it. Most folks tend to want to restore their rifles at one point or another.

As to semiauto rifles, there were quite a few before the M1. Freddie Mannlicher is usually credited with the first successful design back in 1885.

All those old mil surplus rifles are great hunters, though. Those were from the time when a guy shot a full strength bullet, not the assault rifle crap today. The Brit .303, the US .30-06, the Russian 7.62x54 etc are still terrific hunting rounds. All are accurate, powerful, and cheap.

In response to Jesster below, ALL gunshops stock .303brit. Every Kmart, every Walmart, every Sears etc. You can buy the ammo at any gunshow by the pallet if you want. It's cheap! If you think .303brit is rare, you need to get out more.

Answer 3

The mile away thing is 50 bmg territory. If you would settle for a realistic 400 - 500 yards the 303 is out, 30-06 is stretching it, and 300 win mag needs the right glass on top and shooter behind it. By the time and money spent to get a 303 not only accurate and scoped you will be far ahead with a good solid modern $400 bolt gun. Remember all the ammo ya can carry doesn't mean anything without hitting the target!

Answer 4

I have no idea why the hell that guys is talking about camera stuff in a hunting forum.
(obviously SLR is Self Loading Rifle duh)
But anyhow, I'd definately go with the Garand, I know even though it is semiautomatic and that does tend to take away accuracy. But If you shut off the gas flow and manually load the round, you have a 30-06 5x's more accurate than any 303 on the market.
Plus 303 rounds aren't just something you go to your local gun shop hunting for. You will more than likely have to purchase them online, so they're not cheap.
Personally I would go with a modified Garand...
Luck bro

Answer 5

Well the .303 British round is perfectly acceptable for hunting most game up to maybe elk or black bear, It is certainly fine on whitetail deer or smaller targets.

As far as the Enfield rifle goes sure, why not.

As long as you can regularly hit a 4" circle at 100 yards you should get acceptable hunting performance from your Enfield.

Both the #1 Mk3 and #4 Mk1 Rifles are plentiful, relatively cheap to purchase and shoot and reliable weapons.

There were several million produced and I would say hundreds of thousands are still used as target and hunting rifles, collectibles and even in combat.
My friend an Afghanistan war veteran regularly captured Enfields alongside AK-47s and RPGs.

As with any rifle of its age have an experienced gunsmith check it out before you shoot it.
And practice extensively before you hunt with it in the field.

If you can do your part this rifle will certainly uphold it's end of the bargain.

Use recently manufactured soft-points or hollow-points not surplus military ammo for hunting.

Hope this helps

Answer 6

I have several Enfields in .303 and would not hesitate to hunt with it. You really don't need 10 rounds to hunt ....OK, I really hope you don't need 10 rounds....but with Jerry coming over their trenches and right at you 10 rounds was real, real good!

I have a few No1 Mk3s and a few No 4Mk1s. They are fine, well made accurate rifles HOWEVER they are way too heavy for most people to tak in the field in military configuration. Scope mounts and polymer stocks are available and quite a few people use them for hunting.

I can routinely (OK....65% of the time) hit an 18 steel disc at 425 yards with fmj milsurp ammo from the bench front rest only and IRON sights as issued. I'd say that's close to the limit without a scope. Scoped 700 to 800 yards/meters.

Answer 7

Well, the proper operating term for a Garand is GAS-OPERATED SEMI-AUTOMATIC...spring loaded is for those airsoft/BB guns they have at Walmart.. I have no idea what an SLR is in firearms (Single Lens Reflex in cameras)... (edit: thanks for the vocabulary addition - never used SLR as an abbreviation for these before!)

The .303 is an alright cartridge.. You're limited to 5 rounds for hunting, so the 10 round box mag is meaningless. However, I would go for a 30 ought 6 or .308 in a bolt action simply because its more widely available and cheaper to shoot and the '06 and 08's knock down power is plenty good enough.

However, if you were intent on using a .303 British, use Remington Core-Lokt rounds of course - FMJ mil-surplus is not legal for hunting.

Answer 8

Assault rifles are military firearms capable of fully automatic firing. You cannot own one for the price you're willing to spend. If by assault rifle you actually meant semi automatic sporter rifle then look at Bushmaster AR-15 in .223. If you can't afford optics get one with the "A2" receiver. The "A3" handle is too small to fit an adult hand.

Answer 9

The SMLE was a great battle rifle. Mil Surp ammo is fmj,but you can get hunting ammo in .303 British. Close to 30-06 in ballistics,should do fine for game hunting.

Answer 10

For DTYSCW89ACE an SLR is a self loading rifle mate.
How about the Remington 7600 it's the only pump around I think but it's not bad.
I just found this one it's a beautiful looking rifle:
H.G.C. Custom Winchester 70.