.303 British

True..but in real world "effects" it may be a "tad" weaker (numbers wise) than the other calibers but it's certainly capable "performance" wise....

The .303 British is in the same power class as the .308 Win. & 7.62x54Rmm(Mosin Nagant) I do believe it slightly weaker than the two above mentioned, and all three are not quite as powerful as a .30-06 Spfld. Make no mistake they are all powerful, in Col. Patterson's book "The Man Eaters of Tsavo"(movie:"The Ghost in the Darkness") claimed he used the .303 to kill one of the lions.( He did however have to shoot it more than once, but killed it never the less.)

The 303 was and maybe still is one of the best all around hunting cartridges for modest size game on the planet. It has been used to take down elephants (brain shots) with solids, but it's certainly not a big/dangerous game cartridge. It's been taking game and men for about 100 years or so and I don't see that stopping any time soon. There are millions of 303 rifles out there. It's the common cartridge all over the old British Commonwealth and every country that neighbors a former Colony.

The 303 and the 7.7 Jap were on par with other military rounds in the 1930s. There was a lot of development on bullet designs and it's still readily available here in the US in 150 gr and 180 gr soft point from a number of manufacturers. Woodleigh still makes solids for it up to 200 gr if you need to hit something really tough.

No, it's not an 06. But most other countries in the two world wars did not make cartridges as powerful as the 06. That was a uniquely American approach to a battle cartridge. Does not mean that the guys shooting back could not hit you or kill you. In battle the ballistic advantage of the 06 was not the killer ray gun some wanted. The 303 in Afghanistan from old Enfields is, in part, what has made the US troops start to re-issue 308s to squads so they have enough reach to get back to the opposition.

Ain't nuthin wrong with a 303, the right bullet and shot placement. It'll get the job done

if you think your going to need 1000 foot-pounds of energy at 500 yards, then its a good round, but a 7.62x54r will do the same for half the cost per bullet, maybe even cheaper then that

I like mine a Lee Enfield No 4 . The 180 gr SP hits with a good smackdown , the recoil is also very pleasant.

The .303 Brit is in the same general class.... Bullet selection is somewhat limited due to the .311 bore.. There is a LOT of surplus ammo floating around for it.. A few weeks ago I found a 340 round deal for about $150..

The .303 British was THE African round for many years, as most of Africa was a British Colony at one point.. It has taken every specie in Africa.. at least that is what I read some years ago but one of the Big Game gurus... (Note: not recommended, but I guess if it is all you have and you live in the bush with a loincloth wardrobe, you do what you gotta do..)

My first center fire was a MKII Enfield, still have it... fun gun to shoot.. still drag it out once in a while... Not much of a tack driver, but it will definitely put game on the table..

It is comparable to most .30 cal Mil Cartridges of that era.. The Aussies use the heck out of them as well, some pretty interesting wildcats were developed around that cartridge down under..

Guess I ought to address the question, they are pretty comparable, in early military loads. However due to the all the cartridges built around the .308 bore diameter, the bullet development in .308 bores took off and there is a by far larger bullet selection available for the .308, and 30-06.. For the reloader, the U.S. Military 30 cals, are much more versatile.

If there is alot of surplus 303 around, please point me to it. I have seen very little the past few years. I would equate the 303 to the 30-40 Krag. The 762x54r is an equal to the 3006. The 308 falls between the 303 and 3006. All are fine calibers and can be used for all north American game. You just have to be aware of the specifics of each caliber.....chris3

There is a LOT of surplus ammo floating around

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Indeed please share any links , the last surplus I bought was click ..........wait.....hopefully...........bang.

The .303 was orginally designed to shoot a 215 grain bullet at about 1800 fps. It was loaded with a compressed pellet of blackpowder, which explains its shape. The tapered body is to allow extraction from blackpowder-fouled chambers and the sloping shoulder allowed the shoulder to be formed after the blackpowder pellet was loaded.

When the British adopted that mess they call Cordite, the muzzle velocity went up to around 2,000 fps. With lighter bullets, it approaches but can't reach .308 muzzle velocities. It's Maximum Allowable Pressure (MAP) is limited because most rifles in .303 are built on the Lee action with its rear-locking lugs.

That said, the .303, like the US .30-40 Krag, has a great reputation as a big game round -- the big bullet penetrates very well and the low velocity allows cup-and-core softpoints to hold together even at close range. It is not a 3,500+ fps long range Magnum round, but most game is shot well within its range limitations and in Canada it has probably killed more moose than any other round.

Great Round and I love Enfields but finding the ammo at a reasonable price is kind of tough if you don't reload.

If you don't reload, you jest ain't right.

if you think your going to need 1000 foot-pounds of energy at 500 yards, then its a good round, but a 7.62x54r will do the same for half the cost per bullet, maybe even cheaper then that

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Are you talking hunting rounds or surplus?

Because cost will be about the same for factory ammo of similar bullet and product line if a company loads for both of them.

I see that 215 grain round nose soft "points" (Duh?) are still available from Woodleigh too. Some say that the rifle does better with round nose? That may be especially true if ranges are less than 150 yards. It's well known that the slightly slower round nose hit pretty hard and usually stay together

HSM offer ammo at a reasonable price: http://store.thehuntingshack.com/hsm303british180grroundnosesoftpoint.aspx

Some interesting stuff here: http://theboxotruth.com/docs/bot37.htm

Speer round nose work well: http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=93255

The .303 British has been in constant use-civilian and military-

for well over 100 years. It is a great hunting cartridge and feared military cartridge. I have owned maybe 10 Enfield rifles and I find the .303 responds very well to handloading. I still have an old .303 Ishy that is my current project. It has been one of my favorite ammo and rifle combinations for about 40 years now.
I'd say it was sort of a mid range .308, slightly less than a .30-06, but not enough to really matter much.

mark

it will kill most anything in the world that needs killing and has taken big game from here to Africa.

I hear its very similar to 308 performance wise

Karamojo Bell used to kill elephants with them.

He shot 200 odd with the .303 and the 215 grain army bullet.
http://www.chuckhawks.com/bell_elephants.htm

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From the numbers I've read in the reloading maunals and elsewhere, it is closer to the .308 than the .30-06. Of course that is all mathematical....

I have this crazy fondness for ye olde rifle cartridges...the .303Brit. is no exception. A great cartridge that, because of that traffic cone taper, affords great extraction and easy feeding in all conditions. IIRC the cartridge was devised sometime around '89 for the Lee-Metford. As others have mentioned, it has seen several changes in powder, projectile, primer, and rifle, but has withstood the test of time and served the British military admirably for many a decade in its service all around the world.

Power is a bit on the anemic side for a cartridge of its caliber and capacity, nevertheless it does quite well with good bullets (round-nose is probably best for GP, and a Mk. VII does decently well for stuff a little bigger than what the rifle should really be used for).

Others have already handled the numbers aspect. I can tell you from a performance aspect that I certainly have no problem getting deer.

To save on cost, I load my own ammunition. Like others have said, I've had some quirky experiences with surplus ammo, so I don't use that for plinking anymore.

I too really like my Enfields in .303. But, I also like my 30.06's a lot too. I would be fine with either in a field situation. I might actually lean toward a #4mk1 or a #5mk1 myself, since I have been reloading for about 8 years now, and I started out on the .303.

I've had some quirky experiences with surplus ammo...

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I have had looooooong hangfires with 50+ year old .303 military ammo. The first I almost assumed was a total misfire, but no it went boom! I also believe that the British cordite (the smokeless powder that looks like uncooked spaghetti) does not store well over long periods of time or extreme weather conditions.

But I have had a sporterized Lee Enfield for thirty years, love shooting it, took it deer hunting at least once, and quit reloading for it (other than practice) once I accepted that factory Remington 180gr Corelokt was more accurate than my handloads.

Its the primer not the cordite that goes bad....