Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing SMLE 303 Brit

My Enfields like the Remington 180-gr CoreLokt RN bullets and the Sellier & Bellot 174-gr FMJ. Shoot both to the same spot.
My No.4 Mk II sights track right on the money with these factory loads.

I�m a huge Enfield fan, but going to an .303 Brit based wildcat may prove to be a very expensive option. Reamers are very hard to find on this side of he Atlantic and reloading dies, if available are very pricey. The .45-70/.444 Marlin conversions are common and if you ask me, make for one heck of a good rifle. But then again, I find absolutely nothing wrong with the .303.

To me, a .303-based wildcat only makes sense if you are a died-in-the-wool Brit, building a nice custom hunting rifle. When I see one of these .27-303s or .275-303s in a rifle built by Westley Richards, it makes sense.

As Gibson pointed out, it makes no economic sense to put that kind of effort and money into a $150.00 surplus military SMLE. It's kind of like putting a Porsche 911 engine and transaction into a VW Squareback just because it all bolts up.

ive got a Savage made No. 4 thats semi sporterized(stock cut down more or less nicely and refinished, "recoil pad" put pn but its very hard rubber). i love the gun. it puts most 180ish grain loads into the same area which is all i care about since its iron sights.....also the rear sight is fixed and the front sight doesnt move easily either so witht he front sight protectors on it shouldnt ever move.....so what ive got is a rifle that POI doesnt change if i stick with 180's....sights cant move....when im headed out the door quick and cant decide which gun to grab when im just going out to drive the hills i usually grab it cause i know where the bullets going to go for as far as i care to use it(120ish yards)...dont have to sit and think if i played musical scopes or all that. that and ive only got $75 into it so far so it makes the perfect truck gun

The original military Lee Enfield is indeed an ugly if not adorable sumbitch. But the best ever action and cartridge and makes one fine looking and handling hunting rifle. (I'm not being biased am I)? Barrels are available 'off the shelf' from Tru-Flite and a few other manufactures. But for some reason, Tru-Flite make theirs in 1 in 12 twist. Musgrave of South Africa make a 6mm-303 barrel (Called the 6mm Musgrave). Mine has a Musgrave walnut stock. I have seen 270-303 and 25-303 barrels on sale. (I was looking for a 6.5-303 barrel). No bolt face changes need to be made for any re-chambering although the ejector system is designed for a rimmed cartridge. The Brits had a 45 ACP chambering which seemed to work just fine so as long as the case head is big enough, it should eject OK. The 308 cartridge works just fine too. Those actions are not weak. Just very flexible and a bad one with a hot load can let the bolt unhook itself from the receiver ring and flip out backwards into the shooters face. But you don't hear of that 'too' often. (Never, in fact - but I was told by a WWII armourer that it could happen).
Personally, I would re-barrel if the barrel were not in mint condition. The Lee Enfield is just too good an action to be wasted on a bad barrel.

P.S. The Lee Enfield can be re-chambered to the 7.62x74R Russian for 308 performance.

Just bear in mind that when selecting a new chambering, the bolt face thrust must not be greater than the MkVII cartridge would produce. (ie. the larger the case base diameter the lower must be the chamber pressure. The 45-70 would be just fine).

303Guy

I loved your mention of the Lee-Enfield ejector �system.� I have never heard of a screw being referred to as a �system� before.

I built a rifle for a friend using a new SMLE barrel (on a SMLE action) and a fibreglass stock (made by me). It shot all kinds of loadings to the same POI. (174gr to 180gr). It was light and comfortable to shoot, with its full-bodied butt-piece.

303Guy

Yeah, I know. But you have to admire the simplicity and functionality of it.

303Guy

I do!

My comment was only meant as a joke, and to point out exactly what you said...Simplicity at it�s finest.

I got the joke all right RickB - I had a good chuckle! I find the L.E. a very interesting action because of its clever simplicity and yet smooth and easy to operate qualities. Mine is a 1903 LMLE action. I replaced the original single stage trigger. It has this huge safety arrangement on the back of the bolt. Unfortunately, the trigger sear has a dent worn in it, making the trigger less than crisp. But it is a very nice rifle to shoot with and pretty accurate too. It does have a new No.4 barrel fitted with a tighter than normal chamber - achieved by skimming the two faces to get the thread start in the right place. Mine headspaces on the case shoulder from unfired. I have a long stock on it with a full, heavy fore-end, in oiled African walnut and a high scope. It doesn't 'kick' - it 'pushes'.

303Guy

heres mine....a No. 4 Mk 1* keep thinking i need to get a chunk of wood and make a fore end tip. didnt take a a pic of the end of the barrel but its got the military sight protectors on it. oh and its got a 7 shot mag instead of a 10.....should pick up a 10 rounder

That's a nice looking rifle, Rattler. The for-end seems just fine fron the pictures. Nicely ended at the barrel/sling band. I wouldn't mind having a No.4 action for my next rifle - which could be a 6.5-303.

303Guy

well lets just say it doesnt look bad from the side but looking at it dead on its hideous ill get a pic tonight. its a hell of a rifle for the $75 ive got into it. that and the blueing on the metal looks MUCH better than most my newly manufactured rifles.......

Thanks for all the input. The original barrel is damaged (hole drilled through it)so it will have to be rebarreled anyway. 95% of the work will be done by the owner or by 2 local 'smiths that work on a "barter" system. The only outlay of $$$ will be for a reamer and barrel. The owner is not a fan of the 303 and will probably go with a bigger bore, rather than a smaller one.
I'll keep ya posted.

The Lee Enfield rifle and the 303 cartridge have probably killed more moose and bears in Canada than the 30-06 or any other round for that matter.That rifle is very rugged

Hey Guys, I just went on a two-day deer hunt with my Lee Enfield. (Didn't get any deer but that's beside the point). The Lee Enfield action is just great in the field and doesn't even look bad! I find the carrying with a round in the chamber and bolt open to be an ideal safe yet quick and quiet carry mode. (No way the bolt can accidentally cock and close). The bolt does not slide back by itself, loosing cartridges, and cocking an closing is quieter than releasing the safety catch (which is very reliable on the MkI).

P.S. Mine is a 1902 - not a 1903. As if anyone cares .

303Guy

Apart from the typo there - the number 4 is not an SMLE - why would one want a hotter than 303 factory load? Just a rhetorical question . I find the 303 Brit to be plenty powerful. (Apparently, so did/do countless hunters the world over)!

303Guy

I've thought about this one. I'm not so sure. If that action would clean up good .... Mind you, I do prefer the pre-clip charger Lee Enfield (or the No.4). Mine still has a dust cover. My scope mount straddles the cover.

303Guy

Lee24, If I may I ask. When you say 7mm, which one is that? I have this urge to build a new rifle on a Lee Enfield action. I have a leaning toward 6.5 but cannot find any 6.5/303 references. The 6.5 Epps has bean mentioned here (I had never heard of it before) but I want a standard 303 case form. I have a strong liking for the 7x57. I think it is a well balanced round that looks good and fits the 303 mag. And the original loadings have acceptable pressures but too easy to go modern pressures, perhaps? There is nothing wrong with the 303 round but I just don't like recoil anymore. (And I want a lighter rifle - my arms hurt these days). I want to watch my bullet strike.

Regards
303Guy

You can rebarrel to a 7X57R and it will function perfectly, AND factory loads are fine in the Lee-Enfields.

I make brass out of 444 Marlin cases and never miss a beat.

Ted