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Start hunting with the .303
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2 cents

I really appreciate all the information u have given me..today i will go scouting around and see what feels good to me i will let u know what i get

Trubio �

First, welcome! You can learn a lot here � on any kind of hunting you can imagine.

You don�t mention if your Enfield is scoped or not, but the cartridge is more than adequate for almost any hunting you can do. Ammo selection isn�t great but you can buy Privi Partizan hunting ammo for as low as $16.49 at places like www.midwayusa.com. Handloads can reduce costs even further while allowing you to use any bullet you want. That said, your desire for a different rifle is fully understandable.

Others have commented about used rifles and I fully concur � while most of my rifles were once owned by someone else, I challenge anyone to tell which I purchased new or used by the way they look or shoot. Take some time and visit gun shows, gun stores, pawn shops and so on and get a feel for what is available in your area. Don�t be in a hurry to buy � the looking is half the fun.

Do some research, too. Even if you don�t handload, buy a secondhand reloading manual or copy of �Cartridges Of the World� at a gun show and use it as a reference manual for the cartridges and their capabilities. For a reloading manual, I recommend Hornady as one of the more complete in terms of cartridges discussed, although Speer, Nosler or Barnes will all have the more common cartridges that you will likely end up with. There have been a lot of new cartridges in the last decade so you might want to ensure you are no more than one revision back. I currently use Hornady #8, Nosler #6, Speer #14 and Barnes #4. Load data is available online from almost every bullet and powder manufacturer. The two sources I use most often are www.Hodgdon.com and www.nosler.com. Data for loaded ammo is also available online. Here, although there are others, I rarely venture beyond the Federal, Remington and Winchester web sites.

As to rifles, most of mine are �tang safety� Ruger M77 and the newer Ruger MKII models. There are a lot of used MKII rifles available and you won�t have to worry about getting a bad barrel as with the older M77�s. (There was a time before Ruger started making their own barrels when they got some pretty mediocre barrels from their supplier.) That said, all of my M77�s are from 1982 or newer and all shoot great. You may need to float the barrel (something I do to all my rifles regardless of manufacturer) and tune the trigger to get best results, but all my Rugers have original triggers. The M77 triggers are adjustable and all are pretty easy to work on. A Dremel and some fine Cratex wheels will allow you to polish the critical surfaces without changing angles or making the trigger unsafe. A gunsmith will tune a trigger for a reasonable price or you can replace the sear (M77) with a drop-in replacement for under $40 or trigger (MKII) for under $95.

My Remington M700 in .308 Win was made in 1975. First trip to the range it put 6 of 9 into one elongated hole at 100 yards. I purchased it used in 2005. When it came time for me to purchase a rifle for my son-in-law as a wedding present, I wanted something that would last him a lifetime, shoot well and wouldn�t break the bank. I got him a new Savage with a �walnut stained� stock and Accu-trigger in .30-06. Not a beauty but very functional.

When looking at used rifles, look for those that appear to have been well cared for � they probably were and it is doubtful the barrel has been burned out. I�d look for Ruger M77/MKII/Hawkeye, Remington M700, Weatherby Vanguard, Howa, Savage, Winchester, Interarms Mark X. There are other good options out there but some I would stay far away from include Remington M710 and M770 and anything by Mossberg.

For cartridges, the more popular ones will serve you well. Any of these will work well and would be my top recommendations, more or less in this order: .308 Win, .30-06, 7mm-08, .270 Win, .25-06, .280 Rem, .260 Rem, .257 Roberts, .243 Win.

Have fun looking and good luck!

I understand wanting to purchase a new to you rifle. Keep in mind there is absolutely no dust on the 303 British cartridge and it will take moose size critters up to 400 yds without hesitation, The caveat here is shot placement and that comes with practice.

I would humbly suggest to get some euipment to reload as you can shoot more for the money invested, and shooting more improves results more than new rifles not shot much.

Randy

Hard to go wrong with 25-06, 7mm-08 or 270. I think Savage offers a lot for the money with the accutrigger and accustock and all have been very accurate for me. I normally just go with whatever guns feels and looks the best and fits my budget and the purpose. If you don't mind a bit more recoil, the 308 or 30-06 are good options too and factory ammo is easily found and reasonably affordable. As for scopes, there are lots of good scopes in the $200 price range that would work well such as Nikons, Leupolds, Redfields and Weavers among others.

Scrimp on the rifle before scrimping on the scope.

Money spent on practice pays more dividends than money spent on appearance.

Popular calibers are popular for good reason.

Most rifles are sold out of boredom or financial need that because they have a problem.

In other words, find a pawn shop/craigslist .243, .308, .270, or 30-06 for about $300. Spend as much on a good scope. Shoot the hell out of it with factory ammo from Walmart.

Agreed on all but scrimping on the rifle before the scope.

Only two of my scopes were $300 or more and they were both used Leupold Vari-X III/VX-II 3.5-10xAO. You can find used Leupold M8 4x at gun shows for $100 and they will do everything most people need. The scope I�ve purchased most often in the last few years is a new Burris Fullfield II 3-9x with Ballistic Plex reticle, paying about $160 + shipping on eBay. Not sure how many I have but I�m very happy with them.

Scopes are easy to upgrade and the take-off scope can always be the first scope on a new rifle until better glass can be had. I�ve put a used Bushnell 3-9x Sportview on rifles just to shoot them but it never stays long - mostly that scope sits in the safe waiting for it next ... uhh ... victim. That said, a similar scope cost me under $40 in 1982 and it served me well for 20+ years although I never cared much for it.

I agree with not cutting corners on a scope but as Coyote Hunter stated, there are quite a few good scopes for under $200. I have a new Redfield Revolution (2-7), a couple Nikon's (3-9 and 4-12), and a Leupold VX-1 (3-9) that were all purchased new for well under 2 bills.

Nobody above has posted anything wrong. I'll reiterate what many have said.

.270, 7-08, .308, or .30-06 in whatever tickles your fancy in a Remington 700, Winchester 70, or Ruger 77 Hawkeye.

If somebody gave me $700 and said "go buy your one and only deer rifle", I think it'd be a toss-up between a Model 70 Featherweight in .270 or a Ruger Hawkeye in same cartridge.

Then I get hung up really liking my Kimber .308. Then I've got that .257 Roberts that I like a lot, but wish it was in a Hawkeye stock. Then I see SamO's .257 Roberts in a Kimber Classic Select and think I need to upgrade. That's how a looney is born.

Right on bro. Keep us posted. Shoulder a bunch of them and you'll know when you find the right one.

Lots of good info here. I will just chime in that it is true that many of the common calibers form 243 to 30 caliber will easily kill deer and though many of us on the fire are rifle looneys and thus like certain cartridges for various reasons the sensible thing is to pick a popular caliber like the 308, 30-06 , 270 or the 30-30 as the ammo is easily found and usually cheaper to boot. I will also remind you that alot of deer are killed with a muzzle loader so when shopping for you rifle you may want to save a bit of your budget for a decent muzzle loader. If you have $700 I would probably be looking to allocate it $300-$400 for a rifle, $150 for a scope and $150 for a muzzle loader. It may take a little shopping but you should be able to come up with a decent setup for those budgets if you are patient and shop wisely.

So true.