Anything but a .308

[Rule 303]

That would be a cool challenge. I reckon 'challenge' would be the operative word ;-)

I know a Taswegian (for non Aussies that's a Tasmanian) that might up for that challenge.

 

[Dave303]

...and after 5 pages you know what really makes the most sense?

Get a 308 Winchester, develop a 150grain load for day to day hunting and stretching the legs and a 180grain load for when you need a bit more wallop. And go enjoy it...

 

[Accidental Villain]

No 8x57 fans here? My favorite round. Big enough to do the job and doesn’t kick the snot out of you. I have 3, an Orberndorf action, 20 inch very light part octagon barrel built in 1914, a rifle built in 1933, open sights, no scope 24 inch part octagon barrel, and a Brno full stock built in 1948.
Mike

Yes, there obviously are. My favorite for at least for medium sized game, like moose, wildboars etc.
Use a 1928 Oberndorf Mauser custom, dedicated open sights shooter, 26" barrel, interchangeable front sight beads, the bolt positioned in such a way that I can pull the trigger with my middle finger never letting go the bolt handle. You can shoot pretty fast that way if in a hurry. I can also speed load with a clip with the eventual optics kicked off.

 

[Rule 303]

Yes, there obviously are. My favorite for at least for medium sized game, like moose, wildboars etc.
Use a 1928 Oberndorf Mauser custom, dedicated open sights shooter, 26" barrel, interchangeable front sight beads, the bolt positioned in such a way that I can pull the trigger with my middle finger never letting go the bolt handle. You can shoot pretty fast that way if in a hurry. I can also speed load with a clip with the eventual optics kicked off.

Positioned the bolt knob so you can work it like a 303 Lee Enfield.

 

[Accidental Villain]

Positioned the bolt knob so you can work it like a 303 Lee Enfield.

The 303 Lee Enfield is a true battle rifle. Yes, I guess the bolt knob could be very similarly positioned on my Oberndorf.

 

[sgt_zim]

I love 30-06, but let's be real - the only thing it has over 308 Win is about an extra 100 yards of lethality, assuming you want a minimum impact speed of 2k fps. I know you can hand load 190 gr or heavier bullets, but honestly, how many people actually do that?

Compare any 180, 165, or 150 gr pill, apples-to-apples (no Scirocco II vs Grand Slam or Interlock), 30-06 just has about an extra 100 yards of lethal reach over 308 Win.

The difference in ballistic arc between a 180 gr at 2550 vs 2750 is practically non-existent out to around 300 yards.

 

[CBH Australia]

...and after 5 pages you know what really makes the most sense?

Get a 308 Winchester, develop a 150grain load for day to day hunting and stretching the legs and a 180grain load for when you need a bit more wallop. And go enjoy it...

Dave, I take it you also have a thing for the .303

I get your point above. My .308 gets out more than my other rifles and it might be the last to go if I sell off stuff as I age.

I like the. Variety of projectile weights available and that’s another plus for the .30 cals and a strong case for .308 but there are some who don’t much like it for whatever reason.

 

[sgt_zim]

Dave, I take it you also have a thing for the .303

I get your point above. My .308 gets out more than my other rifles and it might be the last to go if I sell off stuff as I age.

I like the. Variety of projectile weights available and that’s another plus for the .30 cals and a strong case for .308 but there are some who don’t much like it for whatever reason.

No reason to ever go with anything but 175 - 180 gr for hunting. By 300 yards, V has more or less evened out between 150/165/180. And with 180s, you don't have to worry about using bonded premiums at close range.

For under 300 yards, there is no value gain with lighter weight and more speed.

Except for my 45-70 and 280AI, all my hunting loads are between about 2250 and 2550.

 

[Foxi]

The .303 was in service 112 years for a reason

Wow, you’re being very generous with your data there.
In the 1950s, it was replaced by the NATO .308.
England flooded its empire with this rimmed cartridge, so it was cheap and readily available.
Today, in terms of performance, it’s at the very bottom of the 7x57 range.
It never became popular as a hunting cartridge, even though every farmer in the Cape Province might well have had one in their cupboard.

I prefer short rifle barrels, so many high-performance calibers are out of the question, and doing so effectively “neuters” them. Some calibers simply can’t handle it, even though you can load the same powder and bullet weight into a .30-06 as into a .308. The internal ballistics of the .308 have their advantages here.
By the way, heavy bullets in a .30-caliber round are best effective at short ranges—about 80 meters. Medium-weight bullets are much better suited as an all-around load.

Foxi

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

Wow, you’re being very generous with your data there.
In the 1950s, it was replaced by the NATO .308.
England flooded its empire with this rimmed cartridge, so it was cheap and readily available.
Today, in terms of performance, it’s at the very bottom of the 7x57 range.
It never became popular as a hunting cartridge, even though every farmer in the Cape Province might well have had one in their cupboard.

I prefer short rifle barrels, so many high-performance calibers are out of the question, and doing so effectively “neuters” them. Some calibers simply can’t handle it, even though you can load the same powder and bullet weight into a .30-06 as into a .308. The internal ballistics of the .308 have their advantages here.
By the way, heavy bullets in a .30-caliber round are best effective at short ranges—about 80 meters. Medium-weight bullets are much better suited as an all-around load.

Foxi

The Lee enfield was still in service here in Canada with the northern rangers until 2018, so no I’m not being overly generous with data just quoting a fact. The rangers patrol Canadas northern most territories and trusted the .303 Lee enfields for defence against polar bears which happen to be the largest land predator on earth.

Why the 114-year-old Lee-Enfield rifle is only now being retired by the Canadian Armed Forces

Once shouldered by nearly 50 armies, Canada becomes the last military in the world to remove it from front-line service

nationalpost.com

If it was good enough to spank the Germans a couple times in one century and carried in defence against the worlds largest land predator then the .303 deserves far more respect than it gets.

 

[Foxi]

The Lee enfield was still in service here in Canada with the northern rangers until 2018 poor people gun and armed with a poor people caliber,left over from the war,not so long ago our police had to shoot with a 7.65 mm = .32 ACP in their pistols ........ so no I’m not being overly generous with data just quoting a fact. The rangers patrol Canadas northern most territories drunken Inuit or against what? and trusted the .303 Lee enfields for defence against polar bears which happen to be the largest land predator on earth.

If the authorities don't have any other options because there's no budget, that's what you do. That's certainly not a sign of expertise.Would you go on Kodiak or Polarbear with a .303 ?? Not only one here .

Why the 114-year-old Lee-Enfield rifle is only now being retired by the Canadian Armed Forces

Once shouldered by nearly 50 armies, Canada becomes the last military in the world to remove it from front-line service

nationalpost.com

If it was good enough to spank the Germans a couple times
Typical of Great Britain.
First they sacrifice their colonial troops, then they take credit for the glory, without the U.S., they would have been screwed
in one century and carried in defence against the worlds largest land predator then the .303 deserves far more respect than it gets.

I don't want to convince you; you have your opinion, and I have mine—which I'm also happy to change at any time.
But if, after 45 years of hunting on four continents, you've never met anyone who's ever used that cartridge, then that's also telling.
The .303 is like English cuisine. It's certainly not the first choice, but at least you can survive it.

No hard feelings

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

I don't want to convince you; you have your opinion, and I have mine—which I'm also happy to change at any time.
But if, after 45 years of hunting on four continents, you've never met anyone who's ever used that cartridge, then that's also telling.
The .303 is like English cuisine. It's certainly not the first choice, but at least you can survive it.

No hard feelings

If you’ve never meet anyone who hunts with a .303 you haven’t spent much time in Canada

 

[Foxi]

Wer noch nie jemanden getroffen hat, der mit einem .303-Gewehr jagt, hat nicht viel Zeit in Kanada verbracht.

4 x
a few of them had 30.30 ( the older ones) and 30.06 mostly

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

4 x
a few of them had 30.30 ( the older ones) and 30.06 mostly

Just noticed you edited my post so the artic rangers are nothing but drunken Inuits the u.s. single handedly won ww2 and the .303 is only for the poor if I’m reading your edits correctly?

Tell me where were your Austrian ancestors while the Canadians were storming the beaches at Juno or liberating the Netherlands?
There is hardly a game animal on earth that hasn’t been laid low by a .303 to include elephants. In my time buying and selling at gunshows I’ve probably seen 500 .303s bought and sold for every 7x57 I’ve seen I can still walk into any hardware store and buy .303 shells where as I’d have to go to a specialty gun shot to find 7x57. From my conversations with Bob Nelson it sounds as though the .303 was just as common in Australia as in Canada which makes total sense given that we are both commonwealth countries.

 

[jruby]

I have been told that the 303 enfield has killed more elephants than any other cartridge. The part they leave out is how many brits died trying. Probably a grain of truth somewhere in there.

 

[jruby]

I think a break action rifle would be a nice platform for the 303 British. I would buy one. I am not fond of rimmed cartridges in bolt action rifles. My first centerfire rifle was a SMLE. Never seemed like a particularly strong action to me.

 

[Tubby’s Canteen]

I think a break action rifle would be a nice platform for the 303 British. I would buy one. I am not fond of rimmed cartridges in bolt action rifles. My first centerfire rifle was a SMLE. Never seemed like a particularly strong action to me.

Ruger no 1 or uberti Courtney stalker would both fit the bill

 

[AfricaRob]

take your pick

.375 H&H
.30-06
.300wm
7mm Rem Mag
7mmPRC
300PRC

Probably not the .375 for deer in UK. Both keepers and authorities are shy of them.

 

[AfricaRob]

If you are shooting driven boar in Europe you probably want to go .300 and above.
.270 will do the job but the outfitters will probably prefer .330/308/30-06.

Most plains game are good with .270 but in thicker bush at shorter ranges .300 or .308

I tend to agree with the 30-06 guys - but I don't own one. I'm .270 for all UK deer - biased by need for red stags at reasonable distance and .375 H&H for Africa. I have shot wildebeest and zebra with both 308 and 30-06 (and .375) all work.

 

[Rule 303]

I think a break action rifle would be a nice platform for the 303 British. I would buy one. I am not fond of rimmed cartridges in bolt action rifles. My first centerfire rifle was a SMLE. Never seemed like a particularly strong action to me.

The Enfield action is a Battle Rifle and the best bolt Action for a battle rifle. Designed to work hard and fast in all climates, and proven in many battles. It certainly is not the strongest action but it did not need to be. Then there is the P14 303. Hard to get a stronger action and in the P14 the 303 can be loaded to match the 308.

What Tubby has said is true and it was widespread in Australia. Re Elephants, Bell took around a 1000 Elephants with one, do not know about others doing it. I dare say who tried we
here killed and the same would be the case with any cartridge used on El. This is a reflection of the persons knowledge of the El's anatomy and marksmanship and bullet used.

When better sporting rifle became available in Aust then the 303, 303-25, 303-270, 303-243, 303-35 fell out of favour. An old Army Major told me the Bren Gun was a better and more effective weapon as a 303 then when converted to 308. This bloke had used both. I put that down to the projectile they used.