Hi,
Wondering if any of you guys could throw some advice my way. I was recently given a "sporterized" 1943 Enfield jungle carbine.It has a nice scope on it too. I have never used the .303 British round before, and don't know much about it. Is this a good caliber for hunting? I know it was very successful in military use. I usually use my .308 Savage99, or 45-70. How could I work the Enfield in? Thanks for your input

The .303 has a bit less pop than a .308 Win,so its effect on animals should be very similar.

The .308 shoots a little flatter,has a little more velocity and hits a bit harder.

If I already had a .308,I wouldn't be using the .303. The ammo is limited and like I said the .308 is better all around.

IMO the .303 would be a gun to take out just for a fun day at the range.

Thanks for the reply!

I own a .303 enfield myself. I have never used it for hunting but I have a friend who also owns and hunts one. He has never had any problems that I know of. Several years ago he shot a big 3x3 blacktail at 50 yards one shot dead. Federal makes a couple good loads for the .303. I would stick with a 180 grain Nosler. Before hunting with the gun check and see if it is a number 5 action. If it is, it is better to "unsporterize" the gun. Number 5 enfield actions are rarer then 3's and 4's. As long as the gun has not been drilled, you should be able to keep the value. If you hunt open sights be warned the .303 peep sight has a tendancy to drift after several shots. My best 50 yard open sight group of ten shots is smaller than an lemon. That was with the federal 180's. You can drop any deer out to about 150 yards with no problem. Elk is all about shot placement. It will kill an elk if the shot is good. Sportco carries the ammo. Most larger retailers do also. Both federal and hornady make a "magnum" or high energy load too. Just make sure your action is up to snuff before using the magnum ammo. High chamber pressures mean bad news if the action is weakened. You can also order surplus military rounds online at Sportsman's Guide and Cheaper than Dirt. Just beware of corrisive ammo. You will need to clean the gun completely after shooting that. Have fun with that gun. The Enfield action is one of the best around.

I own a nickle plated Enfield with a synthetic stock, jungle carbine with a flash suppressor, but mine is a 3A in .308.

As the others have stated, the power is similar to the .308, and with hand loads or the Hornady high energy rounds, it is as good as any other .30 cal out there.

Scope mounts for the Enfields are a bit rinky dink in my opinion, as they are held in place with tension from a screw or two. You might want to update the rear site with a newer version. There are a lot of upgrade parts out there available, like stock, sights, magazines, and so on.

Have fun shooting a rifle with some history.

my dad and i both have and hunt with 303's. they are really great guns. he wont hunt with any other gun and has been hunting with it for as long as i can remember. about 20 years i think and has taken deer almost every year with it. his gun is all original, and mine is sporterized with buckhorn sights. i can't stand shooting with the peep sights. but my dad is deadly acurate with them, and NEVER and i mean NEVER misses. and i cant seem to figure that out. but he is good with peep sights.

The 303 is a good round, it probably has killed more game in Africa than any other caliber. Reliable is the name of the game.