opinions on lee enfields as a hunting rifle?

[Pekan]

I recently picked up a no4 mk1.
Basically got it because I shot them lots as a kid (army cadets).
I told aguy who is a pt moose guide that I was going to hunt with it. His reaction was less than positive. You would havethought I was saying that I was going hunting with a musket!

Anyhow, his main issue is he says they tumble bullets and hes seen scar tissue in moose from tumbling bullets.

Anyone want to add their 2 cents?

Ive ran 50 round thru it and seen no evidence of this.

[6.5 shooter]

Lee Enfields, probably my least favorite rifle is very capable of taking any game in North America and has probably killed nearly if not all species on the African content.... feed it a good bullet and practice and you will not have any problems. Plus 10 round in the mag doesn't hurt either..lol

[MagnumMachine]

Originally Posted by Pekan

I recently picked up a no4 mk1.
Basically got it because I shot them lots as a kid (army cadets).
I told aguy who is a pt moose guide that I was going to hunt with it. His reaction was less than positive. You would havethought I was saying that I was going hunting with a musket!

Anyhow, his main issue is he says they tumble bullets and hes seen scar tissue in moose from tumbling bullets.

Anyone want to add their 2 cents?

Ive ran 50 round thru it and seen no evidence of this.

Your PT moose guide is full time full of moose droppings.
I would think that the Lee Enfields in 303 have taken more game than all other modern cartridges combined.
Although I am not either a 303 Brit , nor an Enfield fan personally there is no denying the fact that both the caliber and the rifle is very capable of killing anything we can hunt on this continent.
As with all rifles and calibers, bullet placement and bullet design are the real determining factor.
You might want to suggest to this clown that not THAT long before the 303 came on the scene millions of bison, moose and elk were killed with crappy pieces of bent wood that employed a string to send a wooden projectile into these very same animals with rather good effect.

Moose in general die if you yell at them, so YES your 303 will certainly do the job.

[calgarychef]

It's not the best cartridge, but you've got a rifle that's a joy to carry, carries 10 in the clip, and if you get a decent one should shoot ok. In my hands the open sights are a 100 yard proposition but I'm also a sneaky little guy.

[BANG]

Google walter d.m bell and Arthur neumann if you have any concerns useing a 303 to hunt our measly little moose.
I often bring one as a back up/camp gun and have used it on a few deer with good results.

[elkdump]

any .303 Lee Enfield in good condition will kill any big game you can find in Canada with authority !, if you place the bullet in the proper place at reasonable distances,

your moose guide is full of moose droppings ! and with that said ? you may want to check more on his uninformed ramblings before you pay for and regret it later !

[bpk1982]

My first hunting rifle was a lee enfield. Took several moose, deer and black bear no problem. Mine wasn't all that accurate, but definitely accurate enough out to 250 yards or so.

[catnthehat]

I hunt with Enfields regularly, and my main rifle for hunting is chambered in 303 British.
Your guide is spouting off old wives here say and legends from older rifles that were either worn out or had bores too large for the bullets.
The. 303 British is more than powerful enough for anything and in a good rifle will shoot right along side any other hunting cartridge out to normal hunting distances .
Cat

[Pekan]

Thanks for the responses.

I figured that since the name lee enfield has been around since the 1890's, theres bound to be many worn out rifles out there. I read somewhere online that a no4 mk1 barrel is done after 250k rounds. Which is a huge number. Even in combat.
Judging by the rifling in the barrel,
Mine doesnt appear to be one of them.

You know when you meet someone who seems to have strong opinions about everything.....I start to smell bs!

[Buckhead]

It has a barrel. Bullets fly out of the end. No problems.

[fordtruckin]

While I don't really care for the 303, I'd have no problem hunting moose with it if that is all I had. It will do what you want if you do your part! The round wouldn't have survived this long if it wasn't effective.

[Grizzly Adams]

Probably has killed more game up to and including elephants than any other rifle ever made. Went wherever the British Empire had influence , which was a very good portion of the world and still hanging in there. Can't beat that.

Grizz

[Slash8]

I have a No4 MK1, I like it. I don't use it all the time but its a good gun. It was re-barreled following military service and I have sporterized it. I think they were basically designed to hit an 18" x 18" square out to 300 meters for military service. I try to keep my shots under 200 meters for deer sized game. It shoots about 2" to 2.5" MOA at 100 meters with 180gr pills which I think is about average if the barrel is in good shape, some shoot well and others, well you may as well throw rocks. I also cut the magazine down so it only holds 4 rounds.

[BANG]

Trouble ?
For your target maybe.

[CptnBlues63]

Originally Posted by Pekan

Anyhow, his main issue is he says they tumble bullets and hes seen scar tissue in moose from tumbling bullets.

I find this particular bit of nonsense quite amusing.

How you could tell from scar tissue that the bullet was a .303 (as compared to any other .30 cal) is simply freaking amazing!

If I'm not mistaken, most, if not all, bullets "tumble" once they hit their target. I suppose armor piercing wouldn't but my understanding of ballistics and from what I've seen of people shooting into ballistic gel, they all do.

[Slash8]

Originally Posted by BANG

Trouble ?
For your target maybe.

Correct

[6.5 shooter]

The .303 battle rifle was designed as a volley rifle (think muskets) and not as a precision sniper rifle.
All bullets do tend to tumble.. simply because when one end gets bigger it want to act like a big anchor.
If your rifle will shoot groups of about 2 moa, 2" @ 100yds, 4" @200yds etc. your good to go to about 400 yards. That is about where trajectory becomes your problem, not bullet performance.
As for your guide well..........?

[TomCanuck]

Originally Posted by 6.5 shooter

The .303 battle rifle was designed as a volley rifle (think muskets) and not as a precision sniper rifle.
All bullets do tend to tumble.. simply because when one end gets bigger it want to act like a big anchor.
If your rifle will shoot groups of about 2 moa, 2" @ 100yds, 4" @200yds etc. your good to go to about 400 yards. That is about where trajectory becomes your problem, not bullet performance.
As for your guide well..........?

I don't think you can compare a rifle to a musket. Also, exeptional lee enfields were used as sniper rifles. It was a battle rifle. If you google "mad minute", you'll see what an effective rifle it could be. The tumbling bullet was a result of terminal balistics, not external.

[bat119]

In 1899 expanding bullets were outlawed for war (full metal jacketed only). The Brits devolped a round that would tumble end over end for volley shooting hoping to increase wounding in battle. By the start of WW1 battle tactics evolved from volley shooting to more accurate aiming so the tumbling bullets were eliminated.
The only Lee Enfield problem I remember is; even with the sights set low as possible it would always shoot my 150 gr. high because the rifles were calibrated for the standard 215 gr. rounds

[TomCanuck]

http://www.ballisticstudies.com/Know...3+British.html

[6.5 shooter]

Originally Posted by TomCanuck

I don't think you can compare a rifle to a musket. Also, exeptional lee enfields were used as sniper rifles. It was a battle rifle. If you google "mad minute", you'll see what an effective rifle it could be. The tumbling bullet was a result of terminal balistics, not external.

You failed to see my point ............next!

Don't remember mentioning anything about external ballistics?

Didn't say that the rifles could not shoot!

[Texican]

Last fall in the Yukon the largest moose ever taken (number one Boone and Crockett) was shot with a.303

[elkdump]

and besides all the hunters input here ???

ALL the guys and gurls on " North of 60' " used Tree-oh-Trees to hunt or shoot at each other !

cept for Jo Goombahh, he used a Tirty-Tirty !

[PartTimeHunter]

Originally Posted by CptnBlues63

I find this particular bit of nonsense quite amusing.

How you could tell from scar tissue that the bullet was a .303 (as compared to any other .30 cal) is simply freaking amazing!

If I'm not mistaken, most, if not all, bullets "tumble" once they hit their target. I suppose armor piercing wouldn't but my understanding of ballistics and from what I've seen of people shooting into ballistic gel, they all do.

~well obviously from the bullet channel. The 303 is .311 diameter and any other thirty cal is .308 That's a .003 difference!~

[Skytop B]

Everyone took their first deer with a 303 didn't they?

[PartTimeHunter]

I've taken deer with it, and my Dad took more deer and moose than I remember with it, and my Grandpa before him took countless deer, moose, caribou and variety of other game small and large with it. A 303 will be sufficient for most anything here as always with the disclaimer of proper shot placement and bullet selection.

[Stumpjumper]

Maybe don't worry about how good your gun is and start worryin bout how good that guide is.

Nuthin wrong with 303.
Just is not found in fancy rifles.
I hunted grizzly with 303.
Killed em dead to.

[elkdump]

Originally Posted by Stumpjumper

Maybe don't worry about how good your gun is and start worryin bout how good that guide is.

Nuthin wrong with 303.
Just is not found in fancy rifles.
I hunted grizzly with 303.
Killed em dead to.

the .303Brit is chambered in Fancy NEW Rifles,

available in a very popular and sought after RUGER NO 1 in .303 British for about a $1000 dollars !

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Stumpjumper

Maybe don't worry about how good your gun is and start worryin bout how good that guide is.

Nuthin wrong with 303.
Just is not found in fancy rifles.
I hunted grizzly with 303.
Killed em dead to.

Well, every now and then someone builds a very nice custom gun and chambers it in .303 Brit!
Cat

[elkdump]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

well, every now and then someone builds a very nice custom gun and chambers it in .303 brit!:sha_shakeshout:
Cat

yup !