Haha, I'm in Australia, I was given my grandfather's one 32 years ago when I was 8 years old, still have it and used it on pigs about 8 months ago. Time to get it out again maybe. Happy hunting mate.
@@Shoot-all-day well one is a P14 , so maybe it doesn't qualify 😉 the way the world is going we may have to use them for their intended purpose again .... hope not ..... keep well Aussie 😉
More moose taken in Canada by the 303 than any other gun to my knowledge. Bought my first one at 13 years old in Elwood Epps store. $29.95 with no tax.
My Grandma bought one for my Grandfathers wedding present and Moose was all he hunted with it and the occasional ground hog lol! I have been gifted the rifle since then and its an honor to own it 🇨🇦
Back in the the day you could head into your local army and navy store and find a 45 gallon barrel full on lee enfields. Your pick for $25 to $30. And off hunting you went.
2500 fps and 2500 ft lbs of energy. Its a great round, hardly any recoil, accurate, amazing action, and if the ak47 is the least finicky of semi/full autos and been in dozens of wars and conflicts, the lee enfield .303 is the least finicky of all bolt actions and has been equally in dozens of war and conflicts. Overall, just a fantastic rifle and round.
@@kennywolfjr.6413 yeah maybe but still he guy said hardly any recoil. Its subjective i suppose i would say a 22 mag has hardly any recoil not a sporterised 303!
Old Canadian here,, the 303 enfield was my first center fire rifle I bought.. NO4 Mrk2, sporter. I had already used it in 22 cal for target practice with Army Cadets,, and then in 303 on military ranges. Then upgraded to FNC1A1. Enjoyed shooting that old rifle for many years,, smooth action and great hunting rifle out to 300 yards. Took my first deer with it..
It is a box mag setup; it drops right out of the bottom just like any other. When my grandfather passed away, I inherited his. I love shooting it more than my 06. It was 100 years old in 2017, and still functions perfectly today. They built em well back then!
Enfield MK 3 (Mark 3). You have to load the rounds with each rim of the cartridge in front of the last one, or you will get rimlock. The clips will also help prevent it. Edit- It looks sporterised, as well.
@@honeybadger6313 Majority of them were sporterised but I would hardly say its "utterly" ruined. Rebuilding them isn't the greatest challenge and surplus metal hardware and professional repro stocks are pricy but still very available.
Remember, back when this was done, that rifle was probably worth the cost of scrap metal, as all things turned classic, they were seemingly worthless at one time!
I have to agree about the historical value of 'old rifles'. However before you go into vapor lock, remember that rifle was made and issued before WW1, then surplused out of the government system. When it was imported to the U. S. it was just an obsolete rifle no one really wanted and there were around a gazillion of them. In the 1950 and '60s, old guns were not appreciated like they are now. Same with many of the other bolt guns. And it's already cut; no point crying over spilt milk. I try to dissuade people from tearing up a complete historical rifle, you understand, but what has happened has happened. And the cartridge is suitable for most any North American game. W. D. M. Bell killed elephants with a rifle like that.
Usually comes down to practicality, can't see much point lugging all that extra weight around when you don't need too. Remember, it's now a hunting Rifle, not current issue Military...... And they did make a few million of them.
@@brothersteve7780 That is part of the sporterizing process. Make the rifle handier for the user. Since very little non military hunting requires 'rifle and bayonet' fighting, much of the stock (reinforcement) can be removed and in some instances, with the advent of better, slower powders, the barrel can be shortened. As I said, at the time of the conversion, no one (very few) people were concerned with the historic value of such items.
They are designed to be not sporterised or destroyed as I call it. The barrels are thinner and sat encased in a full floating wood sleave (practically) It has two pressure points pressing on the barrel to make sure it fires accurately. Sporterised arent as accurate as the original full wooded and is a travesty. Still one of the finest rifles in history.
@@sergeantserious3988 Please name a military weapon designed with the idea of 'sporterisation' in mind. I cannot think of any. Now, name me a military rifle that has NOT been sporterized in some way. I can't think of one either. You are correct, the Lee-Enfield - in all variations as I understand - were possessed of fully floating barrels, other than the receiver end and the muzzle end. So what? If any of those rifles were sporterized and did not have a floating barrel afterward, that is the fault of the one doing the altering. Even so, sporterized rifles tend to shoot as well as the original - depending on the ability of the one doing the sporterizing. Surely accurate enough for hunting game. Your last sentence is a bit overreaching. The SMLE and following No 4, Mk 1 rifles are on the list of finest combat rifles in history. But most commercial rifles are finer in terms of good looks. Many rifles - including the Springfield M1903 are more accurate. Without qualification, your comment is pointless.
British No. 1 Mk III (pronounced Mark) was also known as the Short Magazine Lee Enfield (SMLE). That model was the used by the Commonwealth during WWI. You need to ensure the rim is front of the other when loading to prevent Rimlock as you experienced.
You can avoid rimlock by using mil surplus ammunition. They have a bevel on thee rim and you can push a cartridge over one even it they are missaligned in the mag. I have ground the tips of ball ammo to make a hollow point and they are deadly on thin skinned game.
Yes, it “IS” correctly pronounced Mark, and “NOT” wrongly pronounced Mock !! Also, he has the wrong magazine for that rifle, he has a No4 Mark1 magazine using it on his No1 Mark111.
Check out the history of the long used 303 british my American friend!!! It was mistaken for a semi auto by Germans in the hands of good men!!! Glad you have that one! I have my Grampas!!!
That's only because it has a shorter bolt throw and if you are proficient in loading and manipulating the action and firing consistently accurate fire quickly.
Cool to take a deer with this thing... we Brits took countries with it... 😂👍 Thanks for posting, it’s a great rifle, one of the greatest bolt action battle rifles ever in my view. Enjoy
Give the guy credit, he said he doesn't know jack about the gun. I just saw one today and had issues cycling the bolt. I say its my own ignorance. A safety position or some other nuisance. I asked the clerk about it, they didn't know either.
I have a 303 bought for me by Grandad in Nairobi in 1961 when we lived in Kenya. I was 10 years old and he said ready for my first big rifle. Up until then I had been shooting a borrowed 22 Hornet and had been the official "fundi boy " and in charge of suppyling "camp meat"She had been left at the gunshop for re-work and customizing. She was sent to Griffin & Howe for the re-work and engraving. The action and barrel are fully engraved. For reasons I can't remember exactly, the gun was never picked up by the original owner and so was being sold as abandoned. I have since used her on 5 continents and many countries both privately and professionally. She hjas on several occasians been used on dangerous game, far bigger than she was built for, because she was the gun I had in hand when the unexpected charges happened. She has never once let me down and has saved my life and the lives of others. She does best with and I have only used, the heavy bullets, 180 grain and when I can find them even heavier. The heavier bullets are of course longer. This means the 'sides' of that bullet ride more consistently along the bore. The bullets leave the bore better stabilized resulting in greater accuracy and the bullet strikes point on which give better penetration. " Sporterized " usually means chopped up with a hack saw and hatchet. The gun is then ruined for looks but they still shoot well and can take any game walking, if the bullets are heavy and the shot surgicly placed. ( and having trusted her for low, these past 65 years,, NO,, she is NOT for sale. )
Among the other treasures my recently deceased father had (M-1 Carbine, WW1 era Mauser .25 etc.) was one of these .303s. Somewhere in the house when I find it there is a bandolier of ammo on stripper clips for feeding the magazine that might work better than your results on loading. I remember shooting it some 40 years ago with pleasant memories and look forward to doing so again.
Yup I know what you mean by that I bought a 98k Mauser from my FFL Dealer and it was Sporterized. And I had to order some reproduction stocks to undo on what the previous owner did to the poor rifle.
@@maverickfox4102 almost as bad as the literal hundreds of thousands of 98ks that lying SOB Don Mitchell and Mitchell's Mausers ruined and tried to pass off as all original, all matching when they were just Russian Captures ruined by him.
Most of the sporterizing was done in mass after NATO decided to go with a common round the .308 . The commonwealth armies then dropped the .303 round as their standard military round. Rather than destroying millions of rifles that no longer had use in the military they sold them off cheap to stores and companies that sporterized millions of them to sell to outdoorsman ie hunters etc. It was the belief that they would appeal more to sportsman if they were sporterized rather than left in full military state. At the time they were not appreciated by collectors and went dirt cheap because of over supply.
The 1st gun that I ever fired was a Lee Enfield .303. I was thirteen years old at the school shooting range. I remember the recoil of that first shot to this day, and I'm nearly 70 now.
Same here too! First rifle I ever fired was a .303, on my brother in laws farm in NSW Australia. That was when I was about 14, am in 50s now. I remember the kick, sore arm, and the rock I took aim at disintegrated. Cool...
Yep, was 10 when I first fired one and will never forget that feeling. It also struck me that that's an enormous amount of power released in the blink of an eye and that no amount of sorry in the world would put or take it back. I instantly knew to the core of my being that this was grown up shit and I had to be very careful with it.
New Zealand here - i have several of these great rifles. Hint - as you load the magazine - which does release by the way - slide the rounds in so the rim is in front of the lower round and you have no jamming.
My kid got me one, and I was just at the range yesterday to try it out, and found the last round would consistently get jammed. I’ll try that out and see if it fixes that problem.
I knew it as the Lee Enfield 303. I fired it as a Cadet in the late 1960s (that and - indoors - the very similar but single shot Lee Enfield 22), but they were being withdrawn from service then. Those rounds don't look right, nor does the furniture. That rifle's been buggered about. We used 303 Ball, usually loaded using a clip, but sometimes we might load the mag by hand. With practice you could be faster than using the clip - and of course skill at arms was competitive. Bolt-action was very reliable. Every time you fire a semi-automatic you have to re-establish your aim anyway, but a trained rifleman reloaded the 303, aimed and was on the trigger again in that pause. The issue of the SLR only improved effective rate of fire because of magazine size. I can't recall ever having rim lock or any other kind of stoppage with the 303, but again... training counts. The 303 with iron sights was standard issue for British and colonial armed forces in both World Wars and beyond, together with a pretty long bayonet (see the film "1917"). It was good enough for a sniper rifle if the telescopic sight was fitted, but not so good for CQB or parachuting - too bloody long and heavy. There was a lot of resistance to changing it, partly because of the weight of extra ammunition needed for semi-automatic weapons. I've used bolt-action Garands of similar vintage. Those were quite prone to stoppages and much more fiddly to strip, clean and reassemble. I'm afraid I thought that the Garand was badly designed by comparison, but that was just from my limited experience of them.
I’m just seeing this video even though it’s now 2 years old. My father bought a SMLE No 1 MK III back in the early 1960’s. He used it for deer hunting in the northern mountains of Georgia when I was a kid back then. As I grew up and became interested in deer hunting myself I watched my father take several deer with that old .303 British Rifle using only the iron sights. My father passed about 30 years ago and I inherited his rifle. I still have it and cherish it to this day. Great memories! 🤠
The empire used this cartridge from some where around 1890s until 1970s, so rimlock was not a big problem after the 1st time, the sergant would make sure of that, 20 pushups 1st time 50 next and so on.
I've owned both a .303 and a .30-40 Krag, and performance on deer is basically identical. It's easier to find ammo for a .303 though. Ammo companies only make .30-40 ammo every few years, and you can bet that won't continue much longer.
A .303 British Enfield was the first high powered rifle I ever saw, when my father purchased a sporterized one in the late 1950s. It was also the first high powered rifle I ever shot. I now own 5 of them
MK III = "mark 3". Just one of many modifications made to the basic rifle during its service life. You can also see an " * " beside the MK which denotes a more minor mod to the service rifle. Magazine is, in fact, easily detached and replaced, but in practice it was loaded from the top with stripper clips. As you discovered, it holds 10 rounds. Judging by the way you were operating it, I'd say you got some rims interlocked, because the SMLE is one of the smoother bolts to operate. Care must be taken to ensure that the rim of the topmost cartridge lies in front of the one below it. Rear locking, cock on closing. The headspace was fairly easily adjusted because the bolt head could be changed for a longer or shorter one as needed. Didn't need to replace the whole bolt - just the rotating head. I, too, had ignored the 303 for a long time. When I did get ahold of one, I was very impressed by its elegant simplicity. Its not a complicated gun at all, and it stood the test of time judging by the many many many years that it served as Britain's service rifle. Bullet diameter is 311 - 312 rather than the 308 of US rifles. Powder in the cartridges was cordite. That didn't change until after the Korean War, so any surplus you might find will be corrosive. Clean well after shooting! (unless you stick with modern ammo). Nominal bullet weight was 174 grains, so anything close to that should match up with the sights.
My family had one of the same vintage, and the bayonet for it. It had seen all kind of action and the wood was beat to ugly, but it shot well. Dad wouldn't let me take it deer hunting as he thought it was so powerful it would kill something else after it passed through a deer.
I have 3! Love them too! I have taken deer with the 303 Brit. It's called a SMLE. Short Magazine Lee Enfield rifle. SMLE nuts like me call them SMELLY. Bolt cocks on closing rather than opening . 10 round mag that can be detached, but usually not, is fed with stripper clips from the top. Care must be used in loading to ensure that the rimmed cases don't overlap behind the prior cartridge so it runs smoothly. Google up "Mad Minute". Thank me later. If I'm not mistaken, it's the longest serving modern rifle in military history. They are awesome firearms with an awesome history.
I have a British .303 made in 1896. Paid $275 back in 2008. Had been cut down to about the same length. Shoots straight as an arrow. No problem ejecting or loading rounds. A very beautiful rifle. 124 years old. A gem of a rifle.
I have been shooting a 1917 Lee Enfield 303 British ever since I was kid . I still have it , Its my dads old gun . It has been drilled and tapped for a scope . 100 yards is not nothing for them . I have one that I bought after I was grown and used the scope mount for a Mossberg 500 to put a scope on it . Believe me or not , I do not care . But it is sighted in at 2000 yards . And you could not hold all the deer it has taken in the last 35 years in the back of a pickup truck . One of the things I love about it , Is you normally do not have to go looking for your deer , They normally drop dead in there track . My first deer was taken with my dads old 303 . It is what I grew up on , Back then almost every deer hunter around here hunted with some kind of old army rifle . Many people used the German 8mm , But I prefer the 303 British . They were built to go through hell and keep working . The reason yours is not feeding correct is because the ears at the top of the magazine are out of place . And yes , The magazines do come out . And you can normally fix them pretty easy .
My Grandfather was a musketry instructor in 1914 teaching the guys going to France how to shoot the Enfield the average soldier could get off 20 to 30 rounds aimed per minute at 100 yards the same rifle was used as a sniper rifle and was still able to take out the enemy at 1000 yards in trained hands
For all those dumping on sporterized Lee Enfields just think for a moment, many hundreds of thousands of military surplus .303s were sold off after both world wars. 99.9% of these were not sold to collectors who wanted safe queens, they were sold to hunters who wanted a cheap reliable hunting rifle with a guaranteed supply of equally cheap ammunition. They had no collector value (a modern affectation) so we’re cut down to make a practical rifle and in this configuration took millions of head of game mainly in commonwealth countries.
Love my 303. It took 40 years to get my dad to hand it over to me. I use 180 grn. When you pull the trigger you know. Mine is a 1914 or 16. Never had a jam. Just love it.
My first shooting experience was with a 1916 SMLE when in School Cadets, lots of good shooting. Sorry for non Aussies that's like compulsory ROTC or near enough..
Wow that brings back memories. I first fired a 303 in 1965 on Strensall ranges near York when I was an army cadet. We used to shoot at 300 yards regularly . They were almost obsolete at that time. Ended up with a 7.62 SLR as my weapon when I joined the British army in 69
My Dad bought one of these at about 14 years old from Woolworths in northern WI sometime in the late 50s or early 60s. They were all army surplus and packed with grease for storage from the war. He brought it home and cleaned it up and it was his first deer rifle. I now use it and love it. It takes down a deer hard and sights are accurate, never needed a scope for hunting in the woods. The clip comes out and filling it completely does make it easier to jam as you saw, but the way around that for mine is to quickly and aggressively use the bolt.
LOL when you load rim cartridge's you have to load one cartridge rim in front of the lower . Down here in NZ we have the highest number of .303 per head of population in the world . Ive used one laying waste to large numbers of pest goats and the fast bolt and large magazine capacity were just the berries.
My first Deer rifle, my dad had one when I was small . He bought me one for my 10th Birthday. That was 53 years ago , I still own it and still shoot it just for grins! Great old gun...
Aussie here. The 10 round mag release button is just in front of the trigger. Rim jam can be an issue if you're not careful when loading the mag by hand. A lot of government manufactured military ammo had a slight chamfer on the bolt face side of the case rim that helped the round above skip over the round below with a firm slam shut of the bolt if it was rim jammed. Most modern commercial made .303 ammo doesn't have that chamfer and you need to be sure to slide each round back so that the rim is in front of the one below when loading rather than just stuffing them into the mag like a rimless cartridge.
I wonder if it's one of those Lee Enfields that were 'cut down' a bit for use in places like Burma and Malaysia in the 1950s. Some of the wood being removed to make it lighter and the barrel shortened to accommodate the cramped, tangled conditions of jungle warfare? The magazine - Lee Enfields that had fixed box magazines could also be 'speed loaded' with clips. You got a full clip (5 rounds) placed it over the box magazine and simply pressed them down with your thumb. As a rule we were taught not to load the full 10 rounds, to load maybe 8 or 9. The rationale was that loading the magazine fully put maximum pressure on the magazine spring and wore it out faster through metal fatigue. Eventually it would stop pushing the rounds up reliably. You also asked about grenades - Lee Enfields were able to fire a kind of rifle grenade called an ENERGA. It looked like a little mortar bomb. They were supposed to be an anti-tank weapon. They slotted onto the top of the muzzle.
Gidday mate, The magazine is removable and it is easier to load it off the rifle. The rifle is a Mark 3 S.M.L.E. (Short Magazine Lee Enfield). My three great uncles used the 303 in the WW1 and my two uncles and father used it in WW2 and my father was in the army until 1956, which is about the time the S.M.L.E. was phased out of service. Enjoy your new rifle.
The one they neglect is the spring which is brilliant as it’s a constant pressure spring. I.e. it’s as easy to load the tenth round as it is the first .
Can’t wait to see the chrono, clay block, and 1000 yard video on this rifle. Would love to see more surplus rifle videos. The Mosin Nagant 91/30 in 7.62X54R is an awesome round too.
I had one as a young fella. My neighbor borrowed it and never returned it. He and his brother told my dad they had no idea where it was. Got my ass whooped big time. Neighbor's moved and took it with them. Lesson learned. Never let your gun out of your sight!
Yep Rod, your absolutely correct!! I've a 1942 Australian made, by Lithgow, .303 (MK4,which stands for mark 4) and it's easy to load from top down, if you understand how a rimmed cartridge loads. Also magazine detataches in a split second and another second to install fully loaded magazine. 10 rounds! Also this mark/MK3in the video has be modified somewhat. I've never had an issue cycling the rifle, maybe because I sorta know what I'm doing.
It's an SMLE which stands for "Short Magazine Lee Enfield" and it's been sporterized for hunting. One of the BEST rifles in ww1 and ww2. If not one of the best rifles ever
It is a very good gun. I bought one in the early 70's out of a wooden whiskey barrel for $25.00. Killed a nice 8 point buck with it. The one I have has a mag release inside the trigger guard. Save all of your brass and reload them.
The original cartridges had a small bevel on the rear of the shell rim so that they would ride up over the rim of the one below. Modern cartridge makers don’t put this on. I had to make a jig to chamfer the new cartridges before I reloaded them . There are UA-cam videos that explain this feature. Thanks for your videos. Oh, bought my first 303 in 1965, still have it and do target shoots with it , at appropriate events 😎😎😎
Bought mine while in the South African military, we could get surplus for very little money, equivalent of about 50$ those days. Hunted a lot of pigs with it.
The Lee-Enfield .303 was the first rifle I ever fired as it was the standard issue for the South African Defence Force until about 1971/2. It was issued with a detachable bayonet, with which we actually practiced at "straw bags". The packing of the magazine was tricky due to the top cartridges rim being able to snag on the next one below it. I remember the brass butt plate and a compartment within the butt for a cleaning kit. It was an accurate shooter, but that brass plate really hurt your shoulder, especially towards the end of the day on the shooting range. ! During my conscription to the SADF it was replaced by the 7,62 FN and at the time, the .303 in your care was offered to you for about $1.00. As a result there are many customized .303s in circulation within SA.
I remember shooting these when I was 13 down at my local range here in the UK. The guy said bury it in your shoulder. I did and it left it my entire right shoulder black. Lots of pop.
The record for loading and hitting a target was for a 12” target at 300yds in 1 minute, by a British Army Sergeant (whose name currently escapes me. Btw - they used to be loaded with stripper clips).
10 rounds back in 1914 was like having a 100 drum magazine for your AR nowadays. The standard was around 5 rounds, some rifles had less some had a little more but the Lee Enfield had 10.
If I had the money ... I would leave the commie shit hole of canada and move to what appears to be the freest state of South Dakota. They never locked down.
I realize this is an older video and I’m sure some of the comments below say similar. Sporterized is more ideal for hunting although definitely reduces the collector value. But here in Canada sporterized 303s are to Canadians almost like the 30-30 is to Americans. Everyone’s had one because they were cheap, worked well on any sized game (even though they are noticeably less powerful than a 308.) The magazine is meant to be top loaded with clips but is also detachable (release in the trigger guard up high) and can be loaded as a modern detachable mag. As mentioned by many others keeping the rims ahead of the round below should eliminate most feeding issues. The design of the bolt actually facilitates fast follow up shots. When you’re just handling it and it isn’t loaded you can close the bolt with the trigger pulled and it doesn’t cock the rifle. The no. 1 mkIII’s we’re built during ww1 times but many were factory reconditioned prior to being used in Ww2. Usually the stamps and markings on the rifle tell the story if you Google what to look for. The No. 4’s and subsequent models came out more at the time of ww2. They were made in many different factories in multiple countries including Canada and the US. Last little tidbit, if you watch Crocodile Dundee movie Mick Dundee carries a spoterized Lee Enfield as his rifle which would be typical of an Australian outback woodsman.
Hi, my 1897 303 Brit Martini Enfield has no feeding issues & loves a180gn flat point lead bullet. Enjoy your old rifles my friends. Cheers from Australia.
We watched BREAKER MORANT last night and my girlfriend learned about the British 'rule 303'. Watch that movie it's one of the best you will ever see that explains the horror of the modern world. Mathew 10:36 plays prominently in the film.
When he gets some stripper clips and more ammo maybe he can try a mad minute.. do the hundred rounds in 60 Seconds. And enjoy the numb arm to come with it after
I loaded and shot the Lee Enfield 303 at age 16 - most weekends. Usually at 300 yards with the sights you have there. Such an easy rifle to get a grouping with.
Yes the mag is removable. Remove it and clean it well, note which way the spring is pointing when you take it apart, it goes in counter intuitive to the way it is supposed to.
The clip is detachable and easier to load out of the gun. My Dad bought a nicely sporterized one for deer hunting after he came home from WW 2 and I still have it in my collection.
You would have learned by now about the proper way to stack the rims in the mag. Also , the half cock safety function. As an Army Cadet in the late 50’s aged 15, I was issued with an SMLE. .303 and I kept it in my wardrobe at home and Carried it to school each week on the bus and street car , proudly slung over my shoulder with the bolt and mag tucked away safely in my Schoolbag. We learned all of the drills that the 303 required and twice a year would go onto the range for live firing . The instructors we had were very strict and I remember a curious order they gave to us regarding loading. They told us “Never palm the bolt” . Of course, being 15 and knowing everything, we palmed the bolt until the palms of our hands were aching. The smallness of the steel ball on the bolt lever places a lot of pressure on one spot on your palm, so use your thumb and first two fingers to load I guess that in 2 World wars, the ability of the soldiers to rapid fire their 303’s would have made their hands very sore after several hundred rounds of continuous firing.. I still own a 303 but find it very expensive to shoot and I use far more modest callibres. I take it out whenever somebody wants alook or to have a shot with it. Enjoy your rifle now, Stay safe and healthy,Cheers from Australia👍🇦🇺🇺🇸😷😷😷
#1 series Mark 3 circa WW1. 1800-2000 yard sights. Removeable magazine... NO grenade launcher. Make sure that the rim of each round on top is ahead of the one below.
ya back in the early 80s i did 32 rounds as my fastest ever mad minute. all 32 in a 48 inch target at 200 yards. i know i could not do that now mores the pity.
I think that rifle originally used Cordite rounds designed to operate gas-operated machine guns and the recoil-operated Vickers belt fed and Browning belt fed aircraft guns. So those rounds had so much kick when used in a normal rifle, it was said that they killed at both ends. The WW1 rifles had a long barrel and fired a 200grain round nosed bullet. The WW2 versions had a shorter barrel, and used a 180 grain projectile. It still kicked like a mule using military ammunition. I once had a chance to use a double-rifle in that calibre and chambered for 303 British ammunition. MUCH less kick--being a heavier firearm. Most home loaders who LOVE these rifles load them to get much less muzzle blast than the military ammo, and some use lighter projectiles. Some even re-barrel them to 25 calibre and neck down the brass to suit--a wonderful wildcat if you ever wear out the barrel-- The 303 round was widely used as both a sporting and military cartridge in black powder, such as the Lee-Metford 303 round. Some ammunition for that rifle was also used until it ran out in the WW1 303 and then it was smokeless. It probably killed more game than just about any other calibre up until the 1980's--and a lot of that using ex-military rounds. One filed off the nose--turning it into a hollow point, because under that nose it WAS hollow--just an aluminium cone under the brass--they were called Dum-Dum rounds after a place in India I am told--. CAUTION. If you are using military ammunition, some of it had mercury primers. DEADLY if it poisons you--I had a fried killed by it--so wash out your barrels and action using hot soapy water and dry thoroughly after use. The later ammunition used sodamide or other safe primers.. If we were shooting in low-light conditions such as in a forest late afternoon, we had a trick. We used to put a large spring-back paper clip over the front sight before each shot. It gave a hooded sight with a big wide V above it made by the clip handles. We would Put the pig's back in bottom of the vee, swing with the pig and squeeze. If the rifle was set for sights level at 100 yards, that gave about the right angle of depression for a close-up shot. A couple of practice shots will tell how much. That heavy two-stage trigger takes a bit of getting used to. Many shooters replace it. Most shooting for game happens in thirty yards or less in coastal Australia. Further out west on the plains, you will get to test yourself over longer ranges. The 303 British is a heavy round which has a trajectory like a garden hose--but it is stable and accurate if you know the range and you know the wind I think you will really enjoy that rifle.
People used to be shorter, so the buttstocks were shorter. The 1903 Springfield was made for the average man of the day, who was 5' 3". The quickest and cheapest way to reduce the recoil is to put on a slip on recoil pad. It will give you about the right amount of extra length on the buttstock.
@@erikbogerman2048 what branch was he in? Was he a sniper? The Taliban still use them against our troops for long range shooting. It's amazing how they use them after all these years.
These guns are awesome dude. I've got 3 of them. I just bought a 4th one but it needs work before I can shoot it. I've killed several deer with them. Awesome guns.
Great old rifle first fired number one mark 3☆ belonging to my dad when I was 13, ha ha it was a big step up from a 22 lr, we have a lot of these down in NZ cut down like this, as they where used by government employed deer cullers up until the late 1960s. Used my dads old mark 3☆ until I was 17 and could afford to buy a savage 99 in 303 British. I don't get out deer hunting with dad anymore as he is 84 years young now, but seeing your clip has brought back many fond memories, many thanks keep I'm coming
l can imagine all the Brits, Aussies and Canadians going nuts watching you mess with that Enfield.
😆😆😆
Haha, I'm in Australia, I was given my grandfather's one 32 years ago when I was 8 years old, still have it and used it on pigs about 8 months ago. Time to get it out again maybe. Happy hunting mate.
South African here .... I've got 9 😁
@@jasonleerjason5001 well done mate, I'm jealous.
@@Shoot-all-day well one is a P14 , so maybe it doesn't qualify 😉 the way the world is going we may have to use them for their intended purpose again .... hope not ..... keep well Aussie 😉
More moose taken in Canada by the 303 than any other gun to my knowledge. Bought my first one at 13 years old in Elwood Epps store. $29.95 with no tax.
My Grandma bought one for my Grandfathers wedding present and Moose was all he hunted with it and the occasional ground hog lol! I have been gifted the rifle since then and its an honor to own it 🇨🇦
Lots of pigs and buffaloes in Australia taken by them too.
Yep, lots of four-legged critters have been taken with that cartridge. People don't understand how good it is
Back in the the day you could head into your local army and navy store and find a 45 gallon barrel full on lee enfields. Your pick for $25 to $30. And off hunting you went.
I think the Long Branch no.4 was made in Canada. The best of the lot.
2500 fps and 2500 ft lbs of energy. Its a great round, hardly any recoil, accurate, amazing action, and if the ak47 is the least finicky of semi/full autos and been in dozens of wars and conflicts, the lee enfield .303 is the least finicky of all bolt actions and has been equally in dozens of war and conflicts. Overall, just a fantastic rifle and round.
I've got a 303 ,its awesome but the mosin is also up there for the least finicky
@@african_huntsman -- the mosin is a beautiful rifle.
Recoil ooks snappy to me
@@johnm3907 it looks snappier than it is. It feels about like a .300 savage to me
@@kennywolfjr.6413 yeah maybe but still he guy said hardly any recoil. Its subjective i suppose i would say a 22 mag has hardly any recoil not a sporterised 303!
Old Canadian here,, the 303 enfield was my first center fire rifle I bought.. NO4 Mrk2, sporter. I had already used it in 22 cal for target practice with Army Cadets,, and then in 303 on military ranges. Then upgraded to FNC1A1. Enjoyed shooting that old rifle for many years,, smooth action and great hunting rifle out to 300 yards. Took my first deer with it..
Yes I took my first dear with my number 3, .303 british
It is a box mag setup; it drops right out of the bottom just like any other. When my grandfather passed away, I inherited his. I love shooting it more than my 06. It was 100 years old in 2017, and still functions perfectly today. They built em well back then!
Kind of drives me nuts watching you futz around with that rifle, looks like you loaded it with the rims behind each other and got it rim locked.
I think you are right
Take a deep breath bruh
@@DinoNucci no big deal, if you don't know you don't know. Would have liked to have been there to help.
@@leenelson5823 ah, okay then
@@DinoNucci that's how I learned about rim lock with my first Enfield.
Enfield MK 3 (Mark 3). You have to load the rounds with each rim of the cartridge in front of the last one, or you will get rimlock. The clips will also help prevent it.
Edit- It looks sporterised, as well.
It is sportetised. Utterly ruined
@@honeybadger6313 Majority of them were sporterised but I would hardly say its "utterly" ruined. Rebuilding them isn't the greatest challenge and surplus metal hardware and professional repro stocks are pricy but still very available.
Crying my eyes out looking at that 1917 era Number 1 Mk3 chopped up like that. Somebody needs to go to jail for that.
Remember, back when this was done, that rifle was probably worth the cost of scrap metal, as all things turned classic, they were seemingly worthless at one time!
@@vulgarhyena9616 $20 gun in 1968
So sad when they ruin the wood ect
It's better than carrying around 9 pounds of mostly front end weight chasing white tail....
Also better than if they had just scraped em
Sorry i sporterized my 303 mk3 also. I live it
A lovely rifle ruined, I hate it when I see an old SMLE that’s been “sporterized”.
I have to agree about the historical value of 'old rifles'. However before you go into vapor lock, remember that rifle was made and issued before WW1, then surplused out of the government system. When it was imported to the U. S. it was just an obsolete rifle no one really wanted and there were around a gazillion of them. In the 1950 and '60s, old guns were not appreciated like they are now. Same with many of the other bolt guns. And it's already cut; no point crying over spilt milk.
I try to dissuade people from tearing up a complete historical rifle, you understand, but what has happened has happened. And the cartridge is suitable for most any North American game. W. D. M. Bell killed elephants with a rifle like that.
Usually comes down to practicality, can't see much point lugging all that extra weight around when you don't need too. Remember, it's now a hunting Rifle, not current issue Military...... And they did make a few million of them.
@@brothersteve7780 That is part of the sporterizing process. Make the rifle handier for the user. Since very little non military hunting requires 'rifle and bayonet' fighting, much of the stock (reinforcement) can be removed and in some instances, with the advent of better, slower powders, the barrel can be shortened. As I said, at the time of the conversion, no one (very few) people were concerned with the historic value of such items.
They are designed to be not sporterised or destroyed as I call it. The barrels are thinner and sat encased in a full floating wood sleave (practically) It has two pressure points pressing on the barrel to make sure it fires accurately. Sporterised arent as accurate as the original full wooded and is a travesty. Still one of the finest rifles in history.
@@sergeantserious3988 Please name a military weapon designed with the idea of 'sporterisation' in mind. I cannot think of any. Now, name me a military rifle that has NOT been sporterized in some way. I can't think of one either.
You are correct, the Lee-Enfield - in all variations as I understand - were possessed of fully floating barrels, other than the receiver end and the muzzle end. So what? If any of those rifles were sporterized and did not have a floating barrel afterward, that is the fault of the one doing the altering. Even so, sporterized rifles tend to shoot as well as the original - depending on the ability of the one doing the sporterizing. Surely accurate enough for hunting game.
Your last sentence is a bit overreaching. The SMLE and following No 4, Mk 1 rifles are on the list of finest combat rifles in history. But most commercial rifles are finer in terms of good looks. Many rifles - including the Springfield M1903 are more accurate. Without qualification, your comment is pointless.
British No. 1 Mk III (pronounced Mark) was also known as the Short Magazine Lee Enfield (SMLE). That model was the used by the Commonwealth during WWI. You need to ensure the rim is front of the other when loading to prevent Rimlock as you experienced.
Thank you
You can avoid rimlock by using mil surplus ammunition. They have a bevel on thee rim and you can push a cartridge over one even it they are missaligned in the mag. I have ground the tips of ball ammo to make a hollow point and they are deadly on thin skinned game.
Yes, it “IS” correctly pronounced Mark, and “NOT” wrongly pronounced Mock !! Also, he has the wrong magazine for that rifle, he has a No4 Mark1 magazine using it on his No1 Mark111.
Check out the history of the long used 303 british my American friend!!!
It was mistaken for a semi auto by Germans in the hands of good men!!!
Glad you have that one!
I have my Grampas!!!
I am definitely going to learn more
I've seen videos of the British rifleman doing just that. Very impressive the rate of fire they could put out. It was called the mad something
The " Mad Minute "
That's only because it has a shorter bolt throw and if you are proficient in loading and manipulating the action and firing consistently accurate fire quickly.
Pretty sure the mad minute comes from firing while holding the bolt and not the butt.
Cool to take a deer with this thing... we Brits took countries with it... 😂👍
Thanks for posting, it’s a great rifle, one of the greatest bolt action battle rifles ever in my view. Enjoy
Have you ever shot one
@@adamsandler9078 Deer or Enfield? In relation to either question the answer is yes to both.
And were chased out of countries with it also
@@damiencoleman1554 Not many, an Englishman never stays where not wanted. Ah well, their loss not ours. Fact.
You Brits took countries for no reason ... congratulations
The 303 is a rim cartridge and has to be loaded in a specific pattern. Once you load it correctly, it will chamber effortlessly.
Yes indeed... each new round's rim should be in front of the one loaded before it.
Watching him load it in the beginning, i was like "yep its gonna jam, hes not looking at the rims"
👍👍
Yes, had a chance many many years ago to load/dry fire one of these. Pay attention to the rims.
apparently the old war ammo lips had a taper so even if u have a rimlock u could still chamber a round
but yeh hes rimlocking it hard....even if u didnt try u wouldnt do it as bad as this dude lol
Give the guy credit, he said he doesn't know jack about the gun. I just saw one today and had issues cycling the bolt. I say its my own ignorance. A safety position or some other nuisance. I asked the clerk about it, they didn't know either.
I have a 303 bought for me by Grandad in Nairobi in 1961 when we lived in Kenya. I was 10 years old and he said ready for my first big rifle. Up until then I had been shooting a borrowed 22 Hornet and had been the official "fundi boy " and in charge of suppyling "camp meat"She had been left at the gunshop for re-work and customizing. She was sent to Griffin & Howe for the re-work and engraving. The action and barrel are fully engraved. For reasons I can't remember exactly, the gun was never picked up by the original owner and so was being sold as abandoned. I have since used her on 5 continents and many countries both privately and professionally. She hjas on several occasians been used on dangerous game, far bigger than she was built for, because she was the gun I had in hand when the unexpected charges happened. She has never once let me down and has saved my life and the lives of others. She does best with and I have only used, the heavy bullets, 180 grain and when I can find them even heavier. The heavier bullets are of course longer. This means the 'sides' of that bullet ride more consistently along the bore. The bullets leave the bore better stabilized resulting in greater accuracy and the bullet strikes point on which give better penetration. " Sporterized " usually means chopped up with a hack saw and hatchet. The gun is then ruined for looks but they still shoot well and can take any game walking, if the bullets are heavy and the shot surgicly placed. ( and having trusted her for low, these past 65 years,, NO,, she is NOT for sale. )
Among the other treasures my recently deceased father had (M-1 Carbine, WW1 era Mauser .25 etc.) was one of these .303s. Somewhere in the house when I find it there is a bandolier of ammo on stripper clips for feeding the magazine that might work better than your results on loading. I remember shooting it some 40 years ago with pleasant memories and look forward to doing so again.
As an Englishman I pains me to see a national iconic rifle butcherd in such a manner. Sporterizing is the devil's work.
Yup I know what you mean by that I bought a 98k Mauser from my FFL Dealer and it was Sporterized. And I had to order some reproduction stocks to undo on what the previous owner did to the poor rifle.
The best looking version of the Lee Enfield was the Jungle Carbine!
@@maverickfox4102 almost as bad as the literal hundreds of thousands of 98ks that lying SOB Don Mitchell and Mitchell's Mausers ruined and tried to pass off as all original, all matching when they were just Russian Captures ruined by him.
doesn't it ruin the accuracy since it's not a "free-floating" barrel?
Most of the sporterizing was done in mass after NATO decided to go with a common round the .308 . The commonwealth armies then dropped the .303 round as their standard military round. Rather than destroying millions of rifles that no longer had use in the military they sold them off cheap to stores and companies that sporterized millions of them to sell to outdoorsman ie hunters etc. It was the belief that they would appeal more to sportsman if they were sporterized rather than left in full military state. At the time they were not appreciated by collectors and went dirt cheap because of over supply.
The 1st gun that I ever fired was a Lee Enfield .303. I was thirteen years old at the school shooting range. I remember the recoil of that first shot to this day, and I'm nearly 70 now.
Same here too! First rifle I ever fired was a .303, on my brother in laws farm in NSW Australia. That was when I was about 14, am in 50s now. I remember the kick, sore arm, and the rock I took aim at disintegrated. Cool...
Yep, was 10 when I first fired one and will never forget that feeling. It also struck me that that's an enormous amount of power released in the blink of an eye and that no amount of sorry in the world would put or take it back. I instantly knew to the core of my being that this was grown up shit and I had to be very careful with it.
Be very afraid.
My first deer ( close to Floresville,Texas) was with my .303 #3..
@@joejdl oh
New Zealand here - i have several of these great rifles. Hint - as you load the magazine - which does release by the way - slide the rounds in so the rim is in front of the lower round and you have no jamming.
I noticed that with mine to usefull tip I say
@@fatrustybagz4237 Like a Nagant. I have both.
The British Empire’s battle rifle in two World Wars.
Served in every theatre conditions from ice to desert to jungle.
17 million made.
303 British, A lot of history behind that rifle, very nice!!!
A lot of them made it to India, as well as other parts of the world.
.303 British is the round. That rifle is a Lee Enfield no.1 mk 3, also known as the smle
@@deadeyeddanny I was referring to the rifle & caliber. Anything you want to add smartass?
My Dad still talks fondly of his 303 that he used whilst in the British army and actually used on active service in Aden.
It uses rimmed cartridges and the magazine is detachable. When you load it make sure each rim is ahead of the one below. Then it feeds just fine.
My kid got me one, and I was just at the range yesterday to try it out, and found the last round would consistently get jammed. I’ll try that out and see if it fixes that problem.
The rims are also chamfered/rounded so that they can pop over each other if you ram the bolt forward hard enough.
@@krisius1see "Bloke on the Range" he did a video on rim locks on the 303.
@@howardchambers9679 nice, I’ll check it out.
I knew it as the Lee Enfield 303. I fired it as a Cadet in the late 1960s (that and - indoors - the very similar but single shot Lee Enfield 22), but they were being withdrawn from service then.
Those rounds don't look right, nor does the furniture. That rifle's been buggered about. We used 303 Ball, usually loaded using a clip, but sometimes we might load the mag by hand. With practice you could be faster than using the clip - and of course skill at arms was competitive.
Bolt-action was very reliable. Every time you fire a semi-automatic you have to re-establish your aim anyway, but a trained rifleman reloaded the 303, aimed and was on the trigger again in that pause. The issue of the SLR only improved effective rate of fire because of magazine size. I can't recall ever having rim lock or any other kind of stoppage with the 303, but again... training counts.
The 303 with iron sights was standard issue for British and colonial armed forces in both World Wars and beyond, together with a pretty long bayonet (see the film "1917"). It was good enough for a sniper rifle if the telescopic sight was fitted, but not so good for CQB or parachuting - too bloody long and heavy.
There was a lot of resistance to changing it, partly because of the weight of extra ammunition needed for semi-automatic weapons. I've used bolt-action Garands of similar vintage. Those were quite prone to stoppages and much more fiddly to strip, clean and reassemble. I'm afraid I thought that the Garand was badly designed by comparison, but that was just from my limited experience of them.
I’m just seeing this video even though it’s now 2 years old. My father bought a SMLE No 1 MK III back in the early 1960’s. He used it for deer hunting in the northern mountains of Georgia when I was a kid back then. As I grew up and became interested in deer hunting myself I watched my father take several deer with that old .303 British Rifle using only the iron sights. My father passed about 30 years ago and I inherited his rifle. I still have it and cherish it to this day. Great memories! 🤠
The empire used this cartridge from some where around 1890s until 1970s, so rimlock was not a big problem after the 1st time, the sergant would make sure of that, 20 pushups 1st time 50 next and so on.
Thanks Dan
I've owned both a .303 and a .30-40 Krag, and performance on deer is basically identical. It's easier to find ammo for a .303 though. Ammo companies only make .30-40 ammo every few years, and you can bet that won't continue much longer.
Thanks I have often wondered how they match up.
I used to shoot one of these when I was 13 years old, I was in the Air Cadets in England, I remember they had quite a kick to them. great rifle.
What squadron were you in pal?
Me too. Territorial Army Barracks, Green Lane, Baildon.
A .303 British Enfield was the first high powered rifle I ever saw, when my father purchased a sporterized one in the late 1950s. It was also the first high powered rifle I ever shot. I now own 5 of them
MK III = "mark 3". Just one of many modifications made to the basic rifle during its service life. You can also see an " * " beside the MK which denotes a more minor mod to the service rifle. Magazine is, in fact, easily detached and replaced, but in practice it was loaded from the top with stripper clips. As you discovered, it holds 10 rounds. Judging by the way you were operating it, I'd say you got some rims interlocked, because the SMLE is one of the smoother bolts to operate. Care must be taken to ensure that the rim of the topmost cartridge lies in front of the one below it. Rear locking, cock on closing. The headspace was fairly easily adjusted because the bolt head could be changed for a longer or shorter one as needed. Didn't need to replace the whole bolt - just the rotating head.
I, too, had ignored the 303 for a long time. When I did get ahold of one, I was very impressed by its elegant simplicity. Its not a complicated gun at all, and it stood the test of time judging by the many many many years that it served as Britain's service rifle. Bullet diameter is 311 - 312 rather than the 308 of US rifles. Powder in the cartridges was cordite. That didn't change until after the Korean War, so any surplus you might find will be corrosive. Clean well after shooting! (unless you stick with modern ammo). Nominal bullet weight was 174 grains, so anything close to that should match up with the sights.
I have one from 1916, with full original wood stocks . ..... dont know how many Deer..... but sure took a lotta German and Japanese in two world wars
Awesome!
My family had one of the same vintage, and the bayonet for it. It had seen all kind of action and the wood was beat to ugly, but it shot well. Dad wouldn't let me take it deer hunting as he thought it was so powerful it would kill something else after it passed through a deer.
I always wanted one . I'm now I want one again big time
I have 3! Love them too! I have taken deer with the 303 Brit. It's called a SMLE. Short Magazine Lee Enfield rifle. SMLE nuts like me call them SMELLY. Bolt cocks on closing rather than opening . 10 round mag that can be detached, but usually not, is fed with stripper clips from the top. Care must be used in loading to ensure that the rimmed cases don't overlap behind the prior cartridge so it runs smoothly. Google up "Mad Minute". Thank me later. If I'm not mistaken, it's the longest serving modern rifle in military history. They are awesome firearms with an awesome history.
First 3 deer I shot in my youth in Oregon were harvested with a sporterized Enfield in 303 british. Great guns
Awesome!!!
@@WHOTEEWHO btw, if you use a stripper clip that helps with even loading.
Thanks Dave
I have a British .303 made in 1896. Paid $275 back in 2008. Had been cut down to about the same length. Shoots straight as an arrow. No problem ejecting or loading rounds. A very beautiful rifle. 124 years old. A gem of a rifle.
I have been shooting a 1917 Lee Enfield 303 British ever since I was kid . I still have it , Its my dads old gun . It has been drilled and tapped for a scope . 100 yards is not nothing for them . I have one that I bought after I was grown and used the scope mount for a Mossberg 500 to put a scope on it . Believe me or not , I do not care . But it is sighted in at 2000 yards . And you could not hold all the deer it has taken in the last 35 years in the back of a pickup truck . One of the things I love about it , Is you normally do not have to go looking for your deer , They normally drop dead in there track . My first deer was taken with my dads old 303 . It is what I grew up on , Back then almost every deer hunter around here hunted with some kind of old army rifle . Many people used the German 8mm , But I prefer the 303 British . They were built to go through hell and keep working . The reason yours is not feeding correct is because the ears at the top of the magazine are out of place . And yes , The magazines do come out . And you can normally fix them pretty easy .
Good work getting a good ol Lee Enfield. Here in NZ every man and his dog have shot deer with an old 303. I've got a full wood original no4 mk1
I dont even know if I ever saw one
I much prefer the sights on the no.4 to the no.1.
@@drb5538 why ? my 1913 BSA has a back site which has windage adjustable knob and very fine adjustable elevation.
My Grandfather was a musketry instructor in 1914 teaching the guys going to France how to shoot the Enfield the average soldier could get off 20 to 30 rounds aimed per minute at 100 yards the same rifle was used as a sniper rifle and was still able to take out the enemy at 1000 yards in trained hands
I think the record is 114 hits in a minuite at the moment
I'm sure you wouldn't have any problem taking a deer with that thing.
Shot many whitetail with one hard hitting round
Drops them in their tracks.
its a long range elephants rifle, you should see what it dose to kangaroo's.
I have killed a bunch of deer with my 303 here in Michigan
I have shot 4 moose with my 303 dropped them where they stood, no issues these are great guns!!
For all those dumping on sporterized Lee Enfields just think for a moment, many hundreds of thousands of military surplus .303s were sold off after both world wars. 99.9% of these were not sold to collectors who wanted safe queens, they were sold to hunters who wanted a cheap reliable hunting rifle with a guaranteed supply of equally cheap ammunition. They had no collector value (a modern affectation) so we’re cut down to make a practical rifle and in this configuration took millions of head of game mainly in commonwealth countries.
Love my 303. It took 40 years to get my dad to hand it over to me. I use 180 grn. When you pull the trigger you know. Mine is a 1914 or 16. Never had a jam. Just love it.
My first shooting experience was with a 1916 SMLE when in School Cadets, lots of good shooting.
Sorry for non Aussies that's like compulsory ROTC or near enough..
That was the main battle rifle for the British. It served a long time and was really a good weapon.
Thanks Keith
Th3 magazine comes out you can get a spare mag . It served the British Empire from the late 19th century until well into the late 1950's
Thanks for the info
Wow that brings back memories. I first fired a 303 in 1965 on Strensall ranges near York when I was an army cadet. We used to shoot at 300 yards regularly . They were almost obsolete at that time. Ended up with a 7.62 SLR as my weapon when I joined the British army in 69
My Dad bought one of these at about 14 years old from Woolworths in northern WI sometime in the late 50s or early 60s. They were all army surplus and packed with grease for storage from the war. He brought it home and cleaned it up and it was his first deer rifle. I now use it and love it. It takes down a deer hard and sights are accurate, never needed a scope for hunting in the woods. The clip comes out and filling it completely does make it easier to jam as you saw, but the way around that for mine is to quickly and aggressively use the bolt.
LOL when you load rim cartridge's you have to load one cartridge rim in front of the lower . Down here in NZ we have the highest number of .303 per head of population in the world . Ive used one laying waste to large numbers of pest goats and the fast bolt and large magazine capacity were just the berries.
Now I know
I prefer bolt and lever rifles to autoloaders. They are far more reliable than autoloaders. I don't care what younger people think they know or want.
@@arrlmember I think it really just comes down to what you're using the rifle for
Bah! In Canada, you don’t graduate from Kindergarten until you can load the mag on a Lee-Enfield. Well, maybe not really.....
I've had one and used one in Africa, hard hitting round
Hits hard
I'll look it up. I reply to every comment
303 brit or a shotgun is want I use for bear defense in the Canadian woods
its a long range elephants rifle, you should see what it dose to kangaroo's.
clip release is located top -front of trigger guard i have shot many deer with one of those was my first rifle in 1968
That was painful watching him load that mag knowing they drop free.
He means mag release, not clip..
Mag usually needs to be pulled out, very rare they just drop free
My first Deer rifle, my dad had one when I was small . He bought me one for my 10th Birthday. That was 53 years ago , I still own it and still shoot it just for grins! Great old gun...
Aussie here. The 10 round mag release button is just in front of the trigger. Rim jam can be an issue if you're not careful when loading the mag by hand.
A lot of government manufactured military ammo had a slight chamfer on the bolt face side of the case rim that helped the round above skip over the round below with a firm slam shut of the bolt if it was rim jammed.
Most modern commercial made .303 ammo doesn't have that chamfer and you need to be sure to slide each round back so that the rim is in front of the one below when loading rather than just stuffing them into the mag like a rimless cartridge.
I wonder if it's one of those Lee Enfields that were 'cut down' a bit for use in places like Burma and Malaysia in the 1950s. Some of the wood being removed to make it lighter and the barrel shortened to accommodate the cramped, tangled conditions of jungle warfare?
The magazine - Lee Enfields that had fixed box magazines could also be 'speed loaded' with clips. You got a full clip (5 rounds) placed it over the box magazine and simply pressed them down with your thumb. As a rule we were taught not to load the full 10 rounds, to load maybe 8 or 9. The rationale was that loading the magazine fully put maximum pressure on the magazine spring and wore it out faster through metal fatigue. Eventually it would stop pushing the rounds up reliably.
You also asked about grenades - Lee Enfields were able to fire a kind of rifle grenade called an ENERGA. It looked like a little mortar bomb. They were supposed to be an anti-tank weapon. They slotted onto the top of the muzzle.
No - that's a Mk 5 "jungle carbine". If it was, it'd have a conical flash hider on the end of the barrel.
Gidday mate, The magazine is removable and it is easier to load it off the rifle. The rifle is a Mark 3 S.M.L.E. (Short Magazine Lee Enfield). My three great uncles used the 303 in the WW1 and my two uncles and father used it in WW2 and my father was in the army until 1956, which is about the time the S.M.L.E. was phased out of service. Enjoy your new rifle.
Important comma between short and magazine, because it does not mean a short magazine but a short rifle with a magazine.
The one they neglect is the spring which is brilliant as it’s a constant pressure spring. I.e. it’s as easy to load the tenth round as it is the first .
Can’t wait to see the chrono, clay block, and 1000 yard video on this rifle. Would love to see more surplus rifle videos. The Mosin Nagant 91/30 in 7.62X54R is an awesome round too.
Many more soon...
I had one as a young fella. My neighbor borrowed it and never returned it. He and his brother told my dad they had no idea where it was. Got my ass whooped big time. Neighbor's moved and took it with them. Lesson learned. Never let your gun out of your sight!
Yep Rod, your absolutely correct!!
I've a 1942 Australian made, by Lithgow, .303 (MK4,which stands for mark 4) and it's easy to load from top down, if you understand how a rimmed cartridge loads. Also magazine detataches in a split second and another second to install fully loaded magazine. 10 rounds!
Also this mark/MK3in the video has be modified somewhat.
I've never had an issue cycling the rifle, maybe because I sorta know what I'm doing.
It's an SMLE which stands for "Short Magazine Lee Enfield" and it's been sporterized for hunting. One of the BEST rifles in ww1 and ww2. If not one of the best rifles ever
👍👍💥💥💥
303 British Enfield! What a great rifle. I bought one when I was 14 for $35 bucks.
My very first deer rifle. The fastest bolt action ever..
Awesome
Dang
Careful with rimlock...the 303 rounds are rimmed so make sure you load each one slightly in front of the ones underneath
Or load the clips correctly(with a properly functioning magazine) down, up, down, up, down.
It is a very good gun. I bought one in the early 70's out of a wooden whiskey barrel for $25.00. Killed a nice 8 point buck with it. The one I have has a mag release inside the trigger guard. Save all of your brass and reload them.
The original cartridges had a small bevel on the rear of the shell rim so that they would ride up over the rim of the one below. Modern cartridge makers don’t put this on. I had to make a jig to chamfer the new cartridges before I reloaded them . There are UA-cam videos that explain this feature. Thanks for your videos. Oh, bought my first 303 in 1965, still have it and do target shoots with it , at appropriate events 😎😎😎
I think everyone in Eastern Canada has at least one, I own 2 .
Yup, I have one and so does my brother.
Haha Yup same
not just eastern Canada ,,, every where in Canada
Two here as well, laughed hard at the rounds jamming in the mag, there is a proper way to feed them.
@@bethweath9233 It was funny ... I was thinking he was going to rim lock them before he even shot it.
Bought mine while in the South African military, we could get surplus for very little money, equivalent of about 50$ those days. Hunted a lot of pigs with it.
My dad had 2 with sportier stocks lost 1st one other sis has just needs a front sight....they are very good guns
The Lee-Enfield .303 was the first rifle I ever fired as it was the standard issue for the South African Defence Force until about 1971/2. It was issued with a detachable bayonet, with which we actually practiced at "straw bags". The packing of the magazine was tricky due to the top cartridges rim being able to snag on the next one below it. I remember the brass butt plate and a compartment within the butt for a cleaning kit. It was an accurate shooter, but that brass plate really hurt your shoulder, especially towards the end of the day on the shooting range. ! During my conscription to the SADF it was replaced by the 7,62 FN and at the time, the .303 in your care was offered to you for about $1.00. As a result there are many customized .303s in circulation within SA.
I remember shooting these when I was 13 down at my local range here in the UK. The guy said bury it in your shoulder. I did and it left it my entire right shoulder black. Lots of pop.
Yes, it's a bastardised SMLE battle rifle cut down into a sporting gun
Wondered why it looked so shit , thought it was a jungle carbine until I searched everywhere , I think he has been ripped off its not original
The record for loading and hitting a target was for a 12” target at 300yds in 1 minute, by a British Army Sergeant (whose name currently escapes me. Btw - they used to be loaded with stripper clips).
Recall from another video he managed 48 shots in 1 minute which included 3 reloads.
I think the magazine is shaped so when you use the stripper clips it will stagger then rounds in the mag rim over rim instead of behind.
If it’s 100 years old and still works I like it!
I love it!
10 rounds back in 1914 was like having a 100 drum magazine for your AR nowadays. The standard was around 5 rounds, some rifles had less some had a little more but the Lee Enfield had 10.
My first hunting rifle was a .303 Lee Enfield. Love em
Looks like a 1916,SMLE. Over here things are getting worse in Canada. Going into Lock Down again, Dang, Darn, Shit, not again.
Daggumit
When will you revolt? Revolution Vol 2 is
Coming to a Neighbor near you
Just in time for the cold weather to!! It's 9 degrees here right now!! Brrrrr.... Lol
If I had the money ... I would leave the commie shit hole of canada and move to what appears to be the freest state of South Dakota. They never locked down.
Bloke on the Range has a lot of good videos on Lee Enfields.
Getting a weapon and shooting it without knowing anything about is silly and stupid.
Play with it unloaded a sec you'll figure it out , simply rifle action
I realize this is an older video and I’m sure some of the comments below say similar. Sporterized is more ideal for hunting although definitely reduces the collector value. But here in Canada sporterized 303s are to Canadians almost like the 30-30 is to Americans. Everyone’s had one because they were cheap, worked well on any sized game (even though they are noticeably less powerful than a 308.) The magazine is meant to be top loaded with clips but is also detachable (release in the trigger guard up high) and can be loaded as a modern detachable mag. As mentioned by many others keeping the rims ahead of the round below should eliminate most feeding issues. The design of the bolt actually facilitates fast follow up shots. When you’re just handling it and it isn’t loaded you can close the bolt with the trigger pulled and it doesn’t cock the rifle. The no. 1 mkIII’s we’re built during ww1 times but many were factory reconditioned prior to being used in Ww2. Usually the stamps and markings on the rifle tell the story if you Google what to look for. The No. 4’s and subsequent models came out more at the time of ww2. They were made in many different factories in multiple countries including Canada and the US. Last little tidbit, if you watch Crocodile Dundee movie Mick Dundee carries a spoterized Lee Enfield as his rifle which would be typical of an Australian outback woodsman.
Hi, my 1897 303 Brit Martini Enfield has no feeding issues & loves a180gn flat point lead bullet. Enjoy your old rifles my friends.
Cheers from Australia.
Rim lock-check
Magazine shutoff-check
“Number 1 Mark 3”
We watched BREAKER MORANT last night and my girlfriend learned about the British 'rule 303'. Watch that movie it's one of the best you will ever see that explains the horror of the modern world. Mathew 10:36 plays prominently in the film.
He was surprised with 10 rounds, imagine when he finds out about stripper clips.
his name is Billy hill (hillbilly)
He’d probably get that wrong too 😂
So were the Germans back in 1914
When he gets some stripper clips and more ammo maybe he can try a mad minute.. do the hundred rounds in 60 Seconds. And enjoy the numb arm to come with it after
Plus he doesn't know here the magazine catch is......I wouldn't stand in the same zip code with this man while he has a weapon in his hands!.
I loaded and shot the Lee Enfield 303 at age 16 - most weekends. Usually at 300 yards with the sights you have there. Such an easy rifle to get a grouping with.
Yes the mag is removable. Remove it and clean it well, note which way the spring is pointing when you take it apart, it goes in counter intuitive to the way it is supposed to.
My cousin has one handy down from my grandpa he’s gotten a deer with it every year since he’s had it plus a black bear and a moose.
Awesome!
That's still a badass gun for being made in August of 1914
Crazy!
The clip is detachable and easier to load out of the gun. My Dad bought a nicely sporterized one for deer hunting after he came home from WW 2 and I still have it in my collection.
You would have learned by now about the proper way to stack the rims in the mag. Also , the half cock safety function.
As an Army Cadet in the late 50’s aged 15, I was issued with an SMLE. .303 and I kept it in my wardrobe at home and
Carried it to school each week on the bus and street car , proudly slung over my shoulder with the bolt and mag tucked away safely in my
Schoolbag. We learned all of the drills that the 303 required and twice a year would go onto the range for live firing .
The instructors we had were very strict and I remember a curious order they gave to us regarding loading.
They told us “Never palm the bolt” . Of course, being 15 and knowing everything, we palmed the bolt until the palms of our hands were aching.
The smallness of the steel ball on the bolt lever places a lot of pressure on one spot on your palm, so use your thumb and first two fingers to load
I guess that in 2 World wars, the ability of the soldiers to rapid fire their 303’s would have made their hands very sore after several hundred rounds of continuous firing..
I still own a 303 but find it very expensive to shoot and I use far more modest callibres. I take it out whenever somebody wants alook or to have a shot with it.
Enjoy your rifle now, Stay safe and healthy,Cheers from Australia👍🇦🇺🇺🇸😷😷😷
#1 series Mark 3 circa WW1. 1800-2000 yard sights. Removeable magazine... NO grenade launcher. Make sure that the rim of each round on top is ahead of the one below.
Looks "Sporterized", one more veteran disfigured! I hope it has a new good home, it will have a lots of friends in that gun locker.
👍👍
Might be a jungle carbine .They come like that
Very nice. When running right these rifles are super fast feeding.
Yes, they are.
ya back in the early 80s i did 32 rounds as my fastest ever mad minute. all 32 in a 48 inch target at 200 yards. i know i could not do that now mores the pity.
@@tommyfred6180 smoking. That is the design. Those Brits, Aussies & New Zealanders could run those like a typewriter
Motorcycles are just the other sound of Freedom.
I always feel good when I ride my bike. People don't know what they are missing if they are able and can't.
🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲
You said it ,🏍 .
I think that rifle originally used Cordite rounds designed to operate gas-operated machine guns and the recoil-operated Vickers belt fed and Browning belt fed aircraft guns. So those rounds had so much kick when used in a normal rifle, it was said that they killed at both ends. The WW1 rifles had a long barrel and fired a 200grain round nosed bullet. The WW2 versions had a shorter barrel, and used a 180 grain projectile. It still kicked like a mule using military ammunition. I once had a chance to use a double-rifle in that calibre and chambered for 303 British ammunition. MUCH less kick--being a heavier firearm.
Most home loaders who LOVE these rifles load them to get much less muzzle blast than the military ammo, and some use lighter projectiles. Some even re-barrel them to 25 calibre and neck down the brass to suit--a wonderful wildcat if you ever wear out the barrel--
The 303 round was widely used as both a sporting and military cartridge in black powder, such as the Lee-Metford 303 round. Some ammunition for that rifle was also used until it ran out in the WW1 303 and then it was smokeless. It probably killed more game than just about any other calibre up until the 1980's--and a lot of that using ex-military rounds. One filed off the nose--turning it into a hollow point, because under that nose it WAS hollow--just an aluminium cone under the brass--they were called Dum-Dum rounds after a place in India I am told--.
CAUTION. If you are using military ammunition, some of it had mercury primers. DEADLY if it poisons you--I had a fried killed by it--so wash out your barrels and action using hot soapy water and dry thoroughly after use. The later ammunition used sodamide or other safe primers..
If we were shooting in low-light conditions such as in a forest late afternoon, we had a trick. We used to put a large spring-back paper clip over the front sight before each shot. It gave a hooded sight with a big wide V above it made by the clip handles. We would Put the pig's back in bottom of the vee, swing with the pig and squeeze. If the rifle was set for sights level at 100 yards, that gave about the right angle of depression for a close-up shot. A couple of practice shots will tell how much.
That heavy two-stage trigger takes a bit of getting used to. Many shooters replace it. Most shooting for game happens in thirty yards or less in coastal Australia. Further out west on the plains, you will get to test yourself over longer ranges. The 303 British is a heavy round which has a trajectory like a garden hose--but it is stable and accurate if you know the range and you know the wind
I think you will really enjoy that rifle.
Number 1 mark 3, holds 10 and yes the box mag comes out. You have to make sure the rim on top is ahead of the shell below
Now you need to go watch the movie “1917”.
I’ve got the jungle carbine model - kicks like a mule.
Hey brother, my father carried a jungle carbine....among other weapons on patrol in Vietnam in 1967-68 on patrol. Peace.
Compared to what? My mod 3, is a real pussycat compared to my 300 Winchester magnum. It kicks softer than my 308 also
People used to be shorter, so the buttstocks were shorter. The 1903 Springfield was made for the average man of the day, who was 5' 3". The quickest and cheapest way to reduce the recoil is to put on a slip on recoil pad. It will give you about the right amount of extra length on the buttstock.
Your lucky to have it.
@@erikbogerman2048 what branch was he in? Was he a sniper? The Taliban still use them against our troops for long range shooting. It's amazing how they use them after all these years.
“I’d want more than 5 rounds” That’s why we developed the ‘mad minute’.
G R E A T review! Thanks. Hope to see more on this rifle!
The magazine DEFINITELY comes out. I carried several. You can carry them in military bandoleers.
Check out Ian on Forgotten Weapons. He will be able to answer all of your questions.
Check up the fun content!
👍👍
Dad bought that rifle in 1950 when surplus rifles were a dime a dozen he paid $5.00 for it
Wow
@Yuck Foutube smart ass
The gun of my homelands world war victories
These guns are awesome dude. I've got 3 of them. I just bought a 4th one but it needs work before I can shoot it. I've killed several deer with them. Awesome guns.
@@garyharrall4002 I can't legally own one here, unless I went through a lengthy and expensive licensing process
@@MrRedeyedJedi that's ridiculous.
Great old rifle first fired number one mark 3☆ belonging to my dad when I was 13, ha ha it was a big step up from a 22 lr, we have a lot of these down in NZ cut down like this, as they where used by government employed deer cullers up until the late 1960s. Used my dads old mark 3☆ until I was 17 and could afford to buy a savage 99 in 303 British. I don't get out deer hunting with dad anymore as he is 84 years young now, but seeing your clip has brought back many fond memories, many thanks keep I'm coming
These are everywhere in Australia Who Tee. Beautiful rifle that went through two world wars!