Which is a more "classic" African cartridge, the 303 British or the 7x57 Mauser/275 Rigby?

[dhughes66]

Opinions on which is a more classic African cartridge, the 303 British or the 7x57 Mauser/275 Rigby? What are your thoughts?

 

[gcbailey]

I can't say for certain, but my guess would be the .303. I've always thought about getting one, but I love the 275 Rigby so much, I don't see me switching to anything else for non-dangerous game.

 

[93marlin]

Watching this with interest!

 

[Flbt]

I like and have owned both.
If I could have only one of them and it be for most game. It would probably be the 303

 

[zephyr]

.275 Rigby
or
Lee Speed in a .303

 

[Altitude sickness]

Since I have a .275 Rigby for sale on this very forum. I’m gonna say the 275 Rigby

 

[jpr9954]

Opinions on which is a more classic African cartridge, the 303 British or the 7x57 Mauser/275 Rigby? What are your thoughts?

Yes.

I think both are equal in their classical-ness.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Yes.

I think both are equal in their classical-ness.

Agree, both the 303 and 275/7x57 are right up there with the 375 Ruger. But I might be a little bias.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

What if I told you that you can like BOTH the

7x57mm Mauser

AND the
.303 British

?

Obviously the correct answer is to get one of each…

Many excellent makers have turned out magnificent 7x57mm Mauser rifles over the years (including my above pictured Churchill Gun Makers Model Deluxe that was built on a 1943 military surplus Mauser Oberndorf action). But in terms of the .303 British, I personally consider the very best to be the pre World War I examples built by Holland & Holland on Lee Enfield actions.

 

[odonata]

"Hey Siri! Flip a coin". She said "Tails" so 303 British it is.

I have a trio of Ruger No. 1's in 6.5x55, 275 Rigby & 303 British that I use mainly for deer hunting. Everything I've shot has died really close to where it was standing so I'm a big fan of all three and for my purposes, I consider them almost interchangeable. From a nostalgic standpoint, I really like the 303 British & currently have a pair of them. They're both falling blocks & I prefer a rimmed cartridge with that style of rifle.

But the best solution was previously noted by @Hunter-Habib above:

Obviously the obvious answer is to get one of each…

 

[Bandera]

Of those the 275/7X57 is what jumps out as a classic African cartridge.

 

[Tanks]

What caliber did Bell use?

 

[Hunter-Habib]

What caliber did Bell use?

Both

 

[Kdgj]

I couldn’t decide so I have both.

Rigby 275

Fraser 303

Ken

 

[Safari Dave]

7x57mm


Yeah, a bunch of game has been taken with the .303, but (IMO) it is pretty primitive cartridge compared to the 7x57.

A .303 British doesn't use .30 caliber bullets, which makes it pretty tough to find modern bullets.

Commonly available .303 bullets typically have less sectional density that most 7mm bullets, which lead to less penetration.

I wouldn't mind having an old Enfield for nostalgia, but give me a 7x57 for hunting.

 

[Inkgardener]

The proper answer is a .275 magazine rifle and a .303 double.

 

[pilar]

I’m a .303 guy , the . 275 is for pretentious British snobs, .303 & 7x57 are the ones for guys with dirt under their nails lol
I had a .303 and it was a killer combo with 180gr PSP ammo

 

[odonata]

Yeah, a bunch of game has been taken with the .303, but (IMO) it is pretty primitive cartridge compared to the 7x57.

A .303 British doesn't use .30 caliber bullets, which makes it pretty tough to find modern bullets.

Commonly available .303 bullets typically have less sectional density that most 7mm bullets, which lead to less penetration.

A definite plus for the 7mm is a larger selection of bullet choices. It has a wide variety of modern constructions from almost every bullet manufacturer so I'm sure you can find an optimal choice for whatever game you're hunting.

For someone like me who shoots 140gr & 150gr Hornady InterLock SP bullets and gets great results with a more limited range of NA game, the difference between the two rounds in almost negligible for every measurable statistic of velocity, energy, drop, etc. In my earlier post, I said that I consider the two to be interchangeable because for the hunting that I currently do, they are.

Having said that, I really like hunting with both of them. But if I was going to take one of my Ruger No. 1's to Africa, it would probably be my 9.3x74r.

 

[cajunchefray]

I couldn’t decide so I have both.

Rigby 275
View attachment 707815

Fraser 303
View attachment 707814

Ken

Nice proper rifles.
Very nice.

 

[dogcat1]

No question - .275 Rigby!!! My new favorite!!!