Whats your faverite bullet weight ?
Printed From: Enfield-Rifles.com
Category: Enfields
Forum Name: Hunting with the .303 British cartridge.
Forum Description: Share your hunting stories with the rest of us.
URL: http://www.enfield-rifles.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=136
Printed Date: March 26 2026 at 3:31pm Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.07 - https://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Whats your faverite bullet weight ?
Posted By: Guests
Subject: Whats your faverite bullet weight ?
Date Posted: February 27 2006 at 1:34pm
So who uses what bullet weight for what hunting ? I like 150gn -175 for
goats, roos,pigs & 215 rn for big game such as Water
Buff & camel
Dave
|
Replies:
Posted By: shotgunminister
Date Posted: February 27 2006 at 2:20pm
I'm realy starting to like the 174 GR FMJ. Feeds wells and fairly good accuarcy. For hunting I'm starting to lean towards the 180 GR Core-Lokt® ammo. I'd tried some PMP 150 GR soft point. I'm not the most impressed with it. Shoots alright but had a couple of feed issues with it. Also the spent brass is a real head scratcher. Spent brass looks like a person used a blow torch on it. Blacker then an angus cow.
------------- I've seen the future and I don't like it.
|
Posted By: Cookie Monster
Date Posted: February 27 2006 at 10:04pm
|
Dave,
I like 150 grain boat tail spitzers by Noseler. they are always with in less the a 1/10th of a grain in weight and very accurate, However my No.1 Mk. III* has been factory sighted by Lithgow to shoot HV Mark VII Ammo which is 174 grain. so I may start useing that so my Factory Iron sights are correct. I'm also going to load those to the original velocity my chronograph should take care of that. Plan on using the No.1 Mk.III* for deer this upcoming season.
Cookie Monster
|
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: February 28 2006 at 12:09pm
Richard if you can duplicate the old Factory ballistics your
rifle can be sighted in at 25 yrds & the point of impact will be
the same at 200yrds with the MkIII! The beauty is you just leave the
sights set for 200yds ,at 25 & trajectory does the work for
you
Dave
|
Posted By: Cookie Monster
Date Posted: February 28 2006 at 1:02pm
|
Dave,
I have the specs on the MK VII ammo I will take a 174 GR jacketed bullet and chronograph to the same velocity. should work don't you think?
cookie Monster
|
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: February 28 2006 at 1:17pm
I can't see any reason why it would'nt . your only really changing the type of propelent form cordite to powder
Dave
|
Posted By: POPS
Date Posted: March 04 2006 at 3:59am
G,day Dave, been shooting a customized parker/hale (originally made in the united states by SAVAGE firearms.). for years. on black bear ,here on vancouver island,british columbia,i use 180 grain remington corelok roundnose. anything else gives me feeding problems. i have a 3x9 scope and keep shots at at max. of 125 yards. 3 shot groups 2" or less. works great . for deer,cougar and wolf,i use 150 gr. psp or 150 gr. hp in a 30/06. lived in northern quebec(eastern canada) years ago. we shot moose with the.303 again,180 gr.rn rem.coreloks or 180 gr. CIL(canadian industries limited) an ammo maker in montreal quebec. at that time,the #1 and#4 was about the only rifle in the north woods,unless you bumped into a YANK. most of the ABBOS hab old full wood enfields,and made every shot count. over the years i,ve had rifles up to a.375h&h BROWNING safari Grade. didn,t kill any deader than the.303. &nbs p; April 1. bear season opens. i live about 45 minutes drive from the mountains. pretty lucky. have a stubby for me.
------------- REMEMBER BALARET
|
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 04 2006 at 10:24am
G'day POPS I know the Parker Hale sporter well ! I remember back in the
70's ,when a normal #4 was still selling for about $45.00 The
Parker hales were going for $99.00 & they were worth every cent of
the investment ! THe #1 MKIII has always been the most common over here
.WE would buy one & still do & out would the bushmans
gunsmithing kit ....... Triangular file ,Hack saw blade ,brazeing gear
! The hacksaw was used to ,cut a inch of the muzzel (to stop key
holeing bullets )& to sporterize the stock ,Now after cuting back
the wood they tend to shoot about 6" high with milsurp ammo ,so we'd
build up the fore sight & then file it down until it shot right !
To bed the barrel a peice of car tyre inner tube was cut about 4"sq and
placed under the barrel right at the fore end,tighterned & shot
,then it was moved it's own lenght & the proccess repeated until
the best groups were achived & then the excess,rubber trimed off !
I have never felt under
gunned with a .303. The only times it has ever let me down was my fault
not the rifle's ! The first time was a Water Buff that I engauged at
extreme range & it took another 9shots (at ever decreasing range )
to stop it ! The second was My complacencey ! I had stalked within
10mtrs of a Water Buff & squeezed the trigger to send it to the big
pet food factory in the sky & was rewarded with a "Click"
.......broken firing pin !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now I'm always asked how this could be my fault ? Well the problem was
that I'd (being the idiot I was yelled out to said 2ton of nasty
creature ! That it was about to die ! What followed was about a 2
second silence ,whilst we both considered our positions & the
sudden role reversal ! Followed by a very breif chase (the Buff had the
home ground advantage ) then I found my self with several orifaces in
my body that had not been there several miniutes prior to the encounter
,with several ton of very annioed animal trying to trample me into the
ground ! My offsider despatched the animal (and I think was thinking of
doing the same to me for being so stupid !
Dave
|
Posted By: POPS
Date Posted: March 04 2006 at 2:12pm
No worries Dave, the beastie gone and you are still here(there). before yelling,next time,have a "TIM TAM SLAM" find a gum tree THEN yellat the bugger!!! we often whistle to get the attention of the big black bears. a bear under 2 years old will immediately run at any odd noise,female(bears)too. old boars,tend to look at whats in their territory. sometimes, if they are spooked within 50 or so yards(meters) the bear starts the hostilities. in my 45plus years of hunting,i have ended them. its all about shot placement. i,ve seen photos of aussie water buffalo in the north. (WHERE THAT BLOODY GUM TREE?). how close do you try to get and what type of hit do you exicute? lung ,brain? POPS (Glenn)
------------- REMEMBER BALARET
|
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 04 2006 at 2:54pm
Glenn .I've always tried for the neck shot ! If we were shooting down
on them from higher ground we would aim for the spine in the hope of
quanity not quality as we were paid by the LBS in those days ! Camel is
a fav for neck shots for me as once their disturbed & head for less
profitable areas to me The neck presents a rather long target ,with
either the spine or the jugular ! I'm planning on teaching Kombi this
shot in the future .As he badley wants to belt a camel !
Dave
|
Posted By: kombi76
Date Posted: March 06 2006 at 7:31pm
|
dave h wrote:
Glenn .I've always tried for the neck shot ! If we were shooting down on them from higher ground we would aim for the spine in the hope of quanity not quality as we were paid by the LBS in those days ! Camel is a fav for neck shots for me as once their disturbed & head for less profitable areas to me The neck presents a rather long target ,with either the spine or the jugular ! I'm planning on teaching Kombi this shot in the future .As he badley wants to belt a camel ! Dave
|
Have 8mm Mauser with 250gn Woodleighs....will travel!! 
-------------
Cheers & God Bless
Sporting Shooters Association of Australia - www.ssaa.org.au
|
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 07 2006 at 12:20pm
|
Have 8mm Mauser with 250gn Woodleighs....will travel!! 
No worries ! I'll probarly have a contract comming up early next year. We'll put the 8mm to the test !
Dave
|
Posted By: Dukeoflawnchair
Date Posted: March 24 2006 at 3:49am
Hey Canadian Folks! Speaking of heavier grain...I'm from Vancouver BC area and I'm having trouble tracking down anything with more punch than 180gr. I recently bought a No4 Mk1 that came with a handful of 15 year old Federal 220grs that the bugger used to shoot Moose...can't seem to find anything of the likes around here though.
------------- Defend your right to arm bears!
Do you know what the chain of command is? It's a chain that I beat you with if you don't do what I say...
|
Posted By: hoadie
Date Posted: March 24 2006 at 8:37am
Well Duke -Sorry to say I just gave away a full box of 210 gr.I don't use anything that heavy, so I didn't have any use for it.
Why oh why are you using loads THAT heavy,anyway?
You hunting SASQUACH?
Hoadie
------------- Loose wimmen tightened here
|
Posted By: Dukeoflawnchair
Date Posted: March 25 2006 at 5:01am
|
Not actually hunting anything in particular...just enjoyed the big pops while they were around. I suppose you could say the theoretical bear in a tight spot if necessary...not going nuts trying to figure out bear fight or anything, but I was in the bush at Fort Nelson last year that gal from PG was mauled up the road.
------------- Defend your right to arm bears!
Do you know what the chain of command is? It's a chain that I beat you with if you don't do what I say...
|
Posted By: hoadie
Date Posted: March 25 2006 at 7:44am
Yeah Duke - Last year seemed to be a bad year for Bear vs people,here, for sure. I was tellin Dave I damn near got it meself in June. Round bout dusk (7:15) forgot the damn bang stick inside front door of cabin, & son of a B came outta the cedars ahind me - twixt me & cabin!!
The only thing that saved my lilly white bum was the fact it was a male - otherwise U wouldn't be gettin this now!(I can't run 38 miles per hour - even scared!!)
Anyway, anytime I've taken blacks, I've never had a problem with 150 grn.1 shot.Course - you might be where the bigger boys are - so you'll probly use 180 grn.
The Inuit don't seem to have much of a problem with gov't ammo on polar bear, even @ 300 yds.& U gotta admit - THATS alot of bear!(& they use L/E)
hoadie
------------- Loose wimmen tightened here
|
Posted By: allan
Date Posted: March 25 2006 at 10:27am
|
Definitely be an experience to go to USA or CANADA chasin Bears (Or probably vice-versa)
|
Posted By: Dukeoflawnchair
Date Posted: March 25 2006 at 4:07pm
Yeah, bad year indeed...there was that other death near Canmore, as well as two more in Ft Nelson region (not sure to what extent they were though). One of the dogs in camp even had bear scars...that bugger was a god among canines. After that surveying missus was mauled, the contractors decided to train a number of "arms handlers"...shotguns w/ some good slugs. Winchester Model 12...
------------- Defend your right to arm bears!
Do you know what the chain of command is? It's a chain that I beat you with if you don't do what I say...
|
Posted By: Ed Hill
Date Posted: March 26 2006 at 6:32am
Duke, the new Midway USA catalog has Woodleigh bullets listed. Pricey, but they have em. Will they ship across the border?
Ed
|
Posted By: Dukeoflawnchair
Date Posted: March 26 2006 at 4:46pm
Hey Ed, appreciate the hook up...will have to look into them!
Yeah Allan, bears are a treat. I'm a tree planter/forest fire
fighter out here in BC during the summer semester...and I must say,
it's mighty humbling to be working on the block and seeing a bear
sitting down and watching you from the treeline. For the most
part, they really aren't that threatening...but I've been fortunate to
never meet one on a bad day. Must admit though, I have been in
situations where I've tried to calculate what would be
closer...somebody else whose knee I could jam my shovel into the back
of and run, or the truck. 
------------- Defend your right to arm bears!
Do you know what the chain of command is? It's a chain that I beat you with if you don't do what I say...
|
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 26 2006 at 5:01pm
OK let me get this straight ! You blokes mean to tell me that years ago
when I watched "Gentle Ben " & latter Grizzly Adams ! That Bears
are'nt really cute & cuddely ? That their really some thing that
just looks at you as being something lower on the Food chain than them
? I'm shattered 
It sounds like you have the problem we have up North
with Crocs ! People ignore warning signs Of no swimming as they think
that Crocs are a slow moving dumb creature ! Or even worse these days
because of the Tour boats that Feed them any boat is now a sorce of a
free feed in those areas (Hey Did'nt Hoadie mention a season for
tourists ?????)
Dave
|
Posted By: Dukeoflawnchair
Date Posted: March 26 2006 at 5:13pm
Sad to say, Gentle Ben was never seen running as fast as a horse or
killing Lions with a single lazy swipe...I hear what you say about the
crocs with Hippos too...people see them and their big flat teeth and
say they're harmless...but they're apparantly incredibly territorial
and manage to bite people in two...
------------- Defend your right to arm bears!
Do you know what the chain of command is? It's a chain that I beat you with if you don't do what I say...
|
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 27 2006 at 7:43am
Dukeoflawnchair wrote:
Sad to say, Gentle Ben was never seen running as fast as a horse or
killing Lions with a single lazy swipe...I hear what you say about the
crocs with Hippos too...people see them and their big flat teeth and
say they're harmless...but they're apparantly incredibly territorial
and manage to bite people in two...
|
I read some where once That Hippos account for more deaths in
africa each year than any other animal ! As for bears I like many
others have only ever seen them in a Zoo but looking at their Claws is
enough to give me great respect for them ! Esp when as you point out
they are capible of great speeds over a short distance ! Camel are the
same people see them as a docile creature (Bad tempered maybe but
docile ) This maybe the case in captivity but speaking from experiance
! This is not the case in the wild A fully grown Bull Camel will
attack even a vehicle if he thinks it will threatern his harem ! Mind
you a 180 -215gn cast .303 seems to make them lose intrest real fast
!In fact it becomes a one sided arguement (not in the camels favor I
might add )
Dave
|
Posted By: Ed Hill
Date Posted: March 27 2006 at 9:44am
Dave and Duke, I have great bear stories.. Was in Banff one year and a
tourist asked the ranger how to tell the difference between brown
(black) bears and grizzlys. The ranger said that when the bear chases
you up the tree, the brown bear will climb up the tree and pull you out
and eat you, and the grizzly will shake you out of the tree and eat you.
True story, was in Yosemite on a motorcycle ride, and a guy at the
station was showing us the bear claw marks THROUGH the hood of his VW.
Went inside and a woman ( his wife) was asking the ranger if they had
troubles with bears getting in tents. The ranger started to say no, and
I interrupted to ask if that was her car outside? The ranger was a
little annoyed until I explained she was asking because she wanted to
put the food in the tent with them! The ranger didn't believe it but
the woman said, yes, they didn't want the car damaged anymore. When I
left the ranger was having a looong talk with her and her husband.
Ed
|
Posted By: Dukeoflawnchair
Date Posted: March 27 2006 at 11:12am
|
Yeah, Ed, ain't that the truth. That's my complaint with the bush camps that I live in during summer...we erect a tent city somewhere in isolation...so of course, there's beer cans, toothepaste, chocolate bar wrappers, sunscreen, and half eaten lunches all over the place. Hate to say it, but we really are a bunch of stupid kids. Can't really blame the bear for getting curious! And we say they're infringing on our territory...
Never seen a camel, even in captivity!
------------- Defend your right to arm bears!
Do you know what the chain of command is? It's a chain that I beat you with if you don't do what I say...
|
Posted By: Dukeoflawnchair
Date Posted: March 27 2006 at 11:25am
|
Here's the best Bear story I've heard around these parts. I heard it from a bush pilot last summer...she was some crazy 40 year old lady who drank like a 15 year old girl. Anyhow, one flight day, one of her ex-flying companions was bringing some surveyors into some isolated abandoned camp of some sort. There was a large bear on the terrain when he was nearing the landing pad, so the guy did a few fly bys and spooked it away. They landed, moved into the cabins, and carried on that day. The next morning, they woke up, and the chopper was gone (an Astar, apparantly). Anyhow, they followed the trail to a cliff and found the chopper way at the bottom...the bear managed to roll the bugger 50 meters away from the pad and off the cliff.
Stories like that make me want to secure some of them .215gr...
------------- Defend your right to arm bears!
Do you know what the chain of command is? It's a chain that I beat you with if you don't do what I say...
|
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 27 2006 at 12:57pm
.we erect a tent city somewhere in isolation...so of course, there's
beer cans, toothepaste, chocolate bar wrappers, sunscreen, and half
eaten lunches all over the place.
Some where Isolated? ...... That's my Bedroom you've been camping in !!! Damned Squatters 
Dave
|
Posted By: kombi76
Date Posted: March 27 2006 at 5:03pm
|
I guess I've gotta ask the question then. If you can't put the food in your car or your tent where the hell do you put it?
Bears have a sense of smell, what, 10 times that of a dog, don't they?
-------------
Cheers & God Bless
Sporting Shooters Association of Australia - www.ssaa.org.au
|
Posted By: hoadie
Date Posted: March 27 2006 at 11:04pm
Heres what your SUPPOSED to do. Yes - they DO have a VERY good sense of smell.(I'm told by Ministry of Natural Resources here - that they have incidents of Blacks travelling as far as 30 kms, to a dumpsite - repeatedly!!)
Anyway, if your out in the great outdoors (or Dave's bedroom!) you take your food packs, & tie 'em together. Then find yourself 2 trees- not too far apart.String a line between 'em high enough a bear can't reach.(10 - 12 feet) then run your food packs up so that they're suspended in the middle of the trees.Make sure the bears can't reach the packs from either tree- if they climb them.Eventually, they will tire & leave.
Another tip ( that we're NOT supposed to talk about) DON'T bring a woman -if she's expecting that time of the month!!!The smell of the blood isn't much different than chuming for sharks!!
& since ALL firearms are banned in the parks - you could end up with a VERY untennable situation!!
& If you REALLY want to see a bear go nuts - see what happens when he gets a tent (or whats left of it!!) wrapped around his head, & can't see. Wow!
I remember - as a cadet- they showed us film footage of what to expect from bears in the wild.You aint seen NOTHIN till you watch one peel the door off a full size car or truck!!(& tourists think they're safe in 'em so they ALWAYS try to feed em!!)Just wait till your "treats" run out - then you'll see how fast the doors come off!!
Hoadie
------------- Loose wimmen tightened here
|
Posted By: Dukeoflawnchair
Date Posted: March 28 2006 at 6:21am
|
Hmm...we keep our food and our women in isolation with us (Dave's Bedroom? Wait a sec...)
We usually have a good 80 people in each camp...so we take our chances with a Reefer (big fridge trailer)...
------------- Defend your right to arm bears!
Do you know what the chain of command is? It's a chain that I beat you with if you don't do what I say...
|
Posted By: Dukeoflawnchair
Date Posted: March 28 2006 at 6:23am
Then again, that's the company cooks with the camps food...assorted tidbits that somehow end up in someone elses tent is a different question...
------------- Defend your right to arm bears!
Do you know what the chain of command is? It's a chain that I beat you with if you don't do what I say...
|
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 28 2006 at 6:35am
Hmm...we keep our food and our women in isolation with us (Dave's Bedroom? Wait a sec...)
Ok the food scraps,empty Beer cans ,candy wrappers I have been
able to expliain to the wife! Now your telling me you've been keeping
women as well ???????
Buck Roos will attack Women at that time of the month as well as
they smell the blood & consider a woman to just be a potential
breeding partner !
Dave
|
Posted By: Ed Hill
Date Posted: March 28 2006 at 10:29am
OK to stay on topic I should firmly say that Enfield rifles are useful as bear protection.
There was an article in the Seattle Times last summer, not only do
bears have a good nose, they have pretty good eyes and a keen memory.
One had developed a taste for a local beer (Ranier Ale) and would break
into cars where the beer was visible. In several cars, he left 6 packs
of Budweiser but took the Ranier Ale.
Ed
|
Posted By: hoadie
Date Posted: March 28 2006 at 12:46pm
Hey! I read bout that! They even had a commercial bout that on T.V a while back!(Wait a minute....ya don't think he was TRAINED, do ya?)
Hoadie
------------- Loose wimmen tightened here
|
Posted By: Ed Hill
Date Posted: March 28 2006 at 12:54pm
Hoadie, the dang things are smart. I saw video of Yosemite park where
the bears could recognize the "pop out" rear windows on mini vans, and
did indeed pop them out. Insert claws, twist, and in the van in 10
seconds. They can also recognize what an ice chest looks like under a
blanket!
Ed
|
Posted By: hoadie
Date Posted: March 28 2006 at 1:11pm
Oh yeah.I KNOW theys smart!.Ever seen one around a bait barrel? You aughta hearthe stories I get from the Ministry of Nat Res. rangers!!
If you look @previous page, I talk bout file footage they showed us when I wuz a cadet(before we ended up in the wild).
The fact is - they got brains to go with that muscle!
I dunno if you ever hunt for bear, or hunt where bear is, but you REALLY get a funny feeling when the dog smells bear, sits down & starts shakin!!!
(Thats when your glad you got your trusty L/E!!)
Did you see the news videos of that guy trapped in his cabin last spring - bein attacked by POLAR BEARS !!?
Hoadie
------------- Loose wimmen tightened here
|
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 28 2006 at 5:04pm
I suppose when it comes down to it Bears are of the Pig family &
pigs are said to be one of the most intelligent animals ! I recon that
you'd be wel armed with a .303 & 180 gn bullets though to take one
on. I would say they would expand enough to do the Job.
Dave
|
Posted By: hoadie
Date Posted: March 28 2006 at 10:51pm
Yeah - Polar bears are MUCH bigger than blacks - & the Inuit(Eskimos) have NO trouble puttin 'em down with gov't ammo.They're issued L/E's by the Cdn gov't, along with ammo.(Believe it or not-THEY are supposed to be OUR northern line of defense!)
Course, why N E 1 would WANT to invade thru the north baffles me.We should just put a customs station upthere, & if N E 1 wants to invade in winter, customs could tell 'em,"sorry-we're closed.You'll have to come back in spring." That should give us time to get the YANKS up there!
Although, the Inuit DO prove they're worth, quite a bit.They're always the ones to save your bacon when it comes time for military exercises.They're also the ones that (somehow) seem to know where a plane has crashed & usually are on site before S & R can find 'em!
But they sure get a charge outta Black soldiers when they're up there for exercises!Everything is WHITE.Snow, parkas, sleds, boots, even your rifle is wrapped in white.In the middle of it all, are these black faces.They find that an endless source of fascination.& they LOVE to get the Black guys to laugh.The big white teeth & big white eyes in that venue just cracks them up.
hoadie
------------- Loose wimmen tightened here
|
Posted By: Dukeoflawnchair
Date Posted: March 29 2006 at 7:11am
180gr you say...has anybody shot Igman .180 softpoints? They're the only box of .303 Brit's that I can find out here for less than 15$...
------------- Defend your right to arm bears!
Do you know what the chain of command is? It's a chain that I beat you with if you don't do what I say...
|
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 31 2006 at 10:38am
Dukeoflawnchair wrote:
180gr you say...has anybody shot Igman .180
softpoints? They're the only box of .303 Brit's that I can find
out here for less than 15$... |
This is the reason I advacate reloading the .303 as there just
is'nt the sources of what I feel to be flexable ammo avalible ! Igman
is a brand unknown to me so I really can't give a opinion on them but
I'm sure one of the other Canucks will be able to help on this one!
Dave
|
Posted By: hoadie
Date Posted: March 31 2006 at 12:15pm
Right-O, I usually buy Remington, or Winchester - factory loads. I PREFER 150 grn.People will argue with me. Always sayin: If U MUST use .303-use 180grn.So I do have some 180 grn in inventory. But theres Always 2-1 150 grn vs 180 grn in the cabinet.
As a re-enactor, we used to host an event outside of Rochester.N.Y.(They still do) N E way-few years back, we started having an interunit shoot.150th Ny,144th Ny vs 22nd Va.Once the tourists left,we'd have a competition.Stipulation: Must be military issue, No scopes, No autos.The prize:a keg of beer. I wold bring my 1916 L/E(Vimy Ridge vetern).
The 150th & 140th started to complain.:"your not gonna bring that AS*H**E with that stupid British Rifle again, R U ?!"
Well, it don't take roket science to figger it out!
We were gettin drunk - every year - @ they're expense!
Most yanks just don't understand the value of the Enfield!(Gets back to their:NOT INVENTED HERE mantra.Damn near cost us the war!!)
But I digress...Most places sell .303 Brit@ $18.00(Cdn) box 20.
So,If U R gonna shoot alot - do like Dave says...Buy a loader etc.
Hoadie
------------- Loose wimmen tightened here
|
Posted By: Drax
Date Posted: October 28 2025 at 11:39pm
180 is what I use.But regardless of preference, if it's between 123grn and 220grn and at optimum velocity it's going to hurt. 
------------- Jobs not done until you've bled on it.
|
Posted By: Sapper740
Date Posted: October 31 2025 at 3:56am
|
Great thread to revive, thank you Drax. Lately I've been in the unfortunate position of working up very accurate loads for one or more of my Lee Enfields just to have the manufacturer discontinue the bullet. Two cases in point: My Long Branch absolutely loves the Hornady 150 gr. SSI shooting into 1 MOA from a Lead Sled only to have Hornady discontinue the bullet. My CLLE loves the 180 gr. LeHigh solids only to have, yes you guessed it, the bullet discontinued. Moving forward I'm going to stick with the tried and true 174 gr. SMK for target shooting.
|
Posted By: hoadie
Date Posted: October 31 2025 at 1:05pm
I use factory loads. I use 150m grn for deer & 180 for moose. Thats more than ample.
------------- Loose wimmen tightened here
|
Posted By: Drax
Date Posted: December 27 2025 at 7:36pm
|
he!!o Sapper740. I've never been recoil shy with 303's. My only hunting Enfield has been shortened and lightened to the point that it feels more like a standard 22. (Just what I want for thick bush). Even with its original brass butt and 180grn'ers I find it quite manageable. But... your 30-06, how did you lot put up with 220grn coming out of an "03" ?
------------- Jobs not done until you've bled on it.
|
Posted By: Sauron
Date Posted: December 29 2025 at 9:24am
|
I'm going to work up a load with PPU 180gr SPBT bullets. Factory PPU ammo using those bullets got me the below results at 75 yards with the iron sights on my new No4 MK2. Minus the flyer on the left the group is slightly more than 1/2". Including the flyer, it's still just a bit less than an inch. I'll take it. :)
I don't have any Hodgdon 4895 or Varget handy. What's the collective wisdom between those two choices? They're both pretty versatile powders.
Best,
|
Posted By: britrifles
Date Posted: December 29 2025 at 9:48am
|
For 174 and 180’s, I use Varget. 40.0 gr With 174’s has given me 10 shot groups of 1 to 1.5 MOA out of several of my No. 4 rifles.
This was out of my No. 4 T before I started messing with it! 10 shots in just under 1 MOA. Not average, but about as good as it gets for 100 yds.
|
Posted By: Sauron
Date Posted: December 29 2025 at 10:14am
|
Nice! Time to buy some Varget.
Best,
|
Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: December 29 2025 at 12:36pm
Its not my choice, but the individual rifle's!  My No4 prefers 150 gr FB over anything else. My 2 SMLES & my No5 want the 174/180 gr ones.
If you're using the Issue sights you're pretty much set up for 175 or 180 ones.
------------- Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
|
Posted By: paddyofurniture
Date Posted: December 29 2025 at 2:59pm
|
I use a lot of 174 grain bullets salvaged from Indian ammo.
|
Posted By: Sauron
Date Posted: December 29 2025 at 3:32pm
|
You hunt with FMJ ammo or this is just for target practice?
These are bullets that are pulled from surplus ammo?
|
Posted By: paddyofurniture
Date Posted: December 29 2025 at 4:02pm
|
The 174 are just for target use.
|
Posted By: Sauron
Date Posted: December 29 2025 at 4:05pm
|
Gotcha. You pull them yourself or is there some sort of secondary market for bullets pulled from surplus ammo?
Best,
|
Posted By: paddyofurniture
Date Posted: December 29 2025 at 4:58pm
I pull them myself with Grandbabies slave labor.
Teaching them well.
|
Posted By: Sauron
Date Posted: December 29 2025 at 5:11pm
|
Heh. I'm the same way. In the process of teaching my girls how to weld. I've got grown men that work for me that have no idea how to do even very basic things that you and I grew up having to know as part of the "table stakes" of being a good husband/father/citizen/etc. :)
|
|