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303
.300 member

Reged: 15/03/05
Posts: 136
Loc: west retreat

303 on light plains game
#32489 - 31/05/05 06:02 PM

would any one here use a 303 on any type of african game if so what kind

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500Nitro
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Reged: 06/01/03
Posts: 7244
Loc: Victoria, Australia

Re: 303 on light plains game [Re: 303]
#32492 - 31/05/05 07:48 PM

303,

Yes, I would use a 303 on Light - Medium Plains game
as long as the rifle was set up for it (ie Scope) and I was using
a suitable bullet - 174gn PP or 215gn RN from Woodleigh or some
other similar quality bullet.

However personally I am not a fan of the 303 but that's not to
say that it can't do what any other 30 cal rifle can do.

Just my HO.

500 Nitro

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shakari
.400 member

Reged: 09/02/03
Posts: 1107
Loc: South Africa

Re: 303 on light plains game [Re: 500Nitro]
#32526 - 01/06/05 04:42 AM

I'm not a fan either but it cannot be denied that this calire has taken a huge number of African animals over the years - and they're still popular with the residents here

--------------------
Steve "Shakari" Robinson
Kuduland Safaris (Africa) Ltd
info@kuduland.com
www.kuduland.com

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SafariHunt
.333 member

Reged: 02/01/03
Posts: 468
Loc: Pretoria RSA

Re: 303 on light plains game [Re: 303]
#32616 - 04/06/05 01:25 AM

I have shot a lot of my game with my 303 Lee Enfield with mostly 174 gr Hornady spitzer bullets at 2400 fps. Game species :

Bushbuck 12
Warthog over a 100
Impala 8
Kudu 15
Gemsbuck 1
Mountain reedbuck 3
Blue wildebeest 1
Baboons 4
Vervet monekeys 6

So with proper shot placement and even using a even better bullet I will not hesitate to shoot even a eland with it. The closest shot were 5 meters up to 400 meters on a open field with a good deadrest on a warthog. Mostly the shoots were close around 40 - 60 meters average. On the big game like kudu, wildebeest, gemsbuck bullets didn't exit but it dropped the animal on the spot most of the time and sometimes they would stand up again giving me time for a second shot which was mostly not required. Frontal shots were especially very effective

My Lee Enfield needs a new barrel so the accuracy isn't that great with 3-4" groups at 100 meters at the moment. But for hunting in bushveld areas and not taking any head neck shots it is still super. I especiialy like the 10 round magazine when going out for pigs. Shooting the first one the shooting 1 or two more when running. This was cropping warthogs on peanut fields. Unfortunately I have grown more found of my 375 H&H and if I hunt now I mostly it instead of the 303. But then again if I get a new barrel I'm sure things will change.

--------------------
"Sleeping under the African sky I can see nothing wrong with this world!"

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PapaScarface
.224 member

Reged: 28/08/15
Posts: 40
Loc: NSW, Australia

Re: 303 on light plains game [Re: SafariHunt]
#288459 - 29/09/16 07:27 PM

It's my hunting dream to hunt game in Africa with my 303 lee speed sporter mock up rifle.

After watching the way it drops the local fallow, red deer and pigs I have no doubt It will take care of the bushbuck, hartebeast and warthog I hope to encounter.

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gwh
.333 member

Reged: 28/01/08
Posts: 277
Loc: Cairns Australia

Re: 303 on light plains game [Re: PapaScarface]
#288462 - 29/09/16 08:04 PM

A 303 with the right bullets is ideal for plains game. I'd happily use one.

--------------------
Hunt hard, shoot straight

"I speak of Africa and golden joys; the joy of wandering through lonely lands; the joy of hunting the mighty and terrible lords of the wilderness, the cunning, the wary and the grim"

Theodore Roosevelt, Khartoum, 1910

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Ripp
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Reged: 19/02/07
Posts: 16072
Loc: Montana, USA

Re: 303 on light plains game [Re: gwh]
#288476 - 29/09/16 11:57 PM

Quote:

A 303 with the right bullets is ideal for plains game. I'd happily use one.

Agree 100%...

The .303 was my very first hunting rifle I bought from an uncle for $40... used it for the next 8-10 years..and still pull it out and use it once in a while..worked great on whitetail back in N Dakota...where the bucks, field dressed still can weigh in excess of 200lbs..

Having shot dozens and dozens of plains game, I can say you would have NO problem with almost any plains game ..Is it perfect? NO. Will it work with proper bullets and distance? Without a doubt!!

Ripp

--------------------
ALL MEN DIE, BUT FEW MEN TRULY LIVE..

Edited by Ripp (30/09/16 01:08 AM)

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Postman
.375 member

Reged: 25/09/13
Posts: 846
Loc: Canada

Re: 303 on light plains game [Re: Ripp]
#288480 - 30/09/16 02:40 AM

I myself adore the .303 and moreso as I get older and more arthritic. A 174 grain bullet sailing along at 2400 fps is an effective combination for small/mid size plains game. In eastern Canada, for many decades, the .303 was and often still is extremely popular and common in moose camps., and moose can be the size of eland. Army surplus cut downs could be had for embarrassingly low sums of money... $29 when I and my mother bought one for dad in the mid 70s..... Nowadays, $300 will buy you a serviceable bubba special that you won't feel terrible about when you hunt moose country for a week in the miserable rain, slip in the mud and drop it in the swamp. Yep. They work. And shot placement is a magical thing.

The .303 isn't the fastest, and it sure isn't the most glamorous in the modern age of today when there are all manner of beautiful cost effective firearms available in all manner of powerful whiz bang cartridges, but yes, it will work quite effectively.

One more thought: a Lee Speed, around these parts these days sells for quite a bit more than a great deal of fancy new rifles commonly available today, so the part about cheap rifles doesn't apply in that context.

Edited by Postman (30/09/16 02:41 AM)

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Claydog
.375 member

Reged: 17/08/12
Posts: 934
Loc: Katherine, Northern Territory ...

Re: 303 on light plains game [Re: Postman]
#288488 - 30/09/16 08:01 AM

I love to hunt with my 303 but it has not been out in a while. Plenty of relatively cheap factory ammunition locally available. I think this meat bull was taken with 150 grain softs with a frontal heart shot.

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Rule303
.450 member

Reged: 05/07/09
Posts: 5061
Loc: Woodford Qld

Re: 303 on light plains game [Re: Claydog]
#288490 - 30/09/16 08:11 AM

The 303 has been knocking over plains game and other animals for over 100 years and the animals aren't becoming any tougher but bullets are becoming better.

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PapaScarface
.224 member

Reged: 28/08/15
Posts: 40
Loc: NSW, Australia

Re: 303 on light plains game [Re: Rule303]
#288495 - 30/09/16 08:54 AM

Is Woodleigh the only company making a 215 projectile? And is the 215 more beneficial on game gemsbok/wildebeest/zebra size?
Not having gone to Africa but taking a sambar stag in Aus (that I'm thinking is about the same size) with the 303, would I be better off using the 215 on the African game or would the 180 be fine to use as I had no problems with them on the stag.

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Postman
.375 member

Reged: 25/09/13
Posts: 846
Loc: Canada

Re: 303 on light plains game [Re: PapaScarface]
#288501 - 30/09/16 11:46 AM

Quote:

Is Woodleigh the only company making a 215 projectile? And is the 215 more beneficial on game gemsbok/wildebeest/zebra size?
Not having gone to Africa but taking a sambar stag in Aus (that I'm thinking is about the same size) with the 303, would I be better off using the 215 on the African game or would the 180 be fine to use as I had no problems with them on the stag.

Most guys here use 180s but I do know of at least one guy I spoke with years ago that liked the heavier bullets. The heavier weight would exacerbate the rainbow trajectory on the longer shots but either way you should be fine. I haven't yet met anyone using premier type hard bullets in the .303, so it would appear that the standard old fashioned soft points are getting it done..... I have personally not hunted with the .303 but I have hunted in camps with several guys that have. Lots of moose have been taken with it.

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Iowa_303s
.400 member

Reged: 22/03/13
Posts: 1016
Loc: Iowa, USA

Re: 303 on light plains game [Re: Postman]
#288504 - 30/09/16 01:30 PM

While I have never hunted in africa, I do have a bit of experience with the 303 hunting north american whitetail deer.

I use Hornadys 174 grain roundnose softpoint interlock bullet driven to 2450 fps.
With this load I have accounted for over a dozen deer. No bullets have been recovered, all have been broadside or quartering shots with complete pass though. None of these animals have travled more than 20 yards after the shot.

I have experimented with the Woodleigh 215 grain RNSN bullet and they give good accuracy from my Ruger but I do not need the extra bullet weight/penetration for the hunting I do with the 303.

I belielve that Rule_303 has been using the Woodliegh 174 grain PP bullet in his Ruger but I do not know if he has taken any game with it yet.

--------------------
Matt

formerly known as Iowa_303

"Once your reputation is ruined you can live your life quite freely."

"Enkelkinder über alles"

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Gundog01
.333 member

Reged: 16/05/15
Posts: 291
Loc: Ohio usa

Re: 303 on light plains game [Re: Iowa_303s]
#288505 - 30/09/16 02:09 PM

I plan on taking my Rigby Mauser in .303 to Africa soon, Its a good cartridge. Bell and many of his contemporaries used it and thought it was the best thing around very a very long time. He took many, many tuskers with it.

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BillG500
.300 member

Reged: 16/10/14
Posts: 129
Loc: Australia

Re: 303 on light plains game [Re: Rule303]
#288511 - 30/09/16 03:35 PM

Quote:

The 303 has been knocking over plains game and other animals for over 100 years and the animals aren't becoming any tougher but bullets are becoming better.

+2

It will tip over any plains game as long as you do your part. And hopefully will be doing so for another 100 years.

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RobertM
.224 member

Reged: 17/06/16
Posts: 8
Loc: South Africa

Re: 303 on light plains game [Re: BillG500]
#288513 - 30/09/16 05:08 PM

Hi Guys,

from a South african so should hold some water, My friend and I both hunt with a 303 (mine is a BSA no1MkIII* SMLE and His is a no4Mk2 Lee enfield) I shoot 215gr bullets (we have a company in South Africa that makes 215gr bullets) I have shot warthog, Kudu, Wildebees and impala with these with no problems, my friend uses 180gr bullets for similar game, both work well, but bear in mind the 303 is a good bushveld rifle Ie ranges up to about 100m, its not a long range rifle.

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Ripp
.577 member

Reged: 19/02/07
Posts: 16072
Loc: Montana, USA

Re: 303 on light plains game [Re: Postman]
#288524 - 30/09/16 10:59 PM

Quote:

Quote:

Is Woodleigh the only company making a 215 projectile? And is the 215 more beneficial on game gemsbok/wildebeest/zebra size?
Not having gone to Africa but taking a sambar stag in Aus (that I'm thinking is about the same size) with the 303, would I be better off using the 215 on the African game or would the 180 be fine to use as I had no problems with them on the stag.

Most guys here use 180s but I do know of at least one guy I spoke with years ago that liked the heavier bullets. The heavier weight would exacerbate the rainbow trajectory on the longer shots but either way you should be fine. I haven't yet met anyone using premier type hard bullets in the .303, so it would appear that the standard old fashioned soft points are getting it done..... I have personally not hunted with the .303 but I have hunted in camps with several guys that have. Lots of moose have been taken with it.

----

My last trip over there I took a 300RUM loaded with 200gr A-Frames--2 years previous when there I had loaded 180 gr A-Frames..Prior to that I had used Accubonds and Scirocco's...My experience with the Accubonds was bad..too much velocity for that bullet and the closer shots Africa normally offers..I had 180's loaded at roughly 3370fps...when I go back I will again use the 200's..simply because you never know what you are going to bump into while there..Eland are very big and Zebra can be tough as well..I like the extra ummph the 200's offer..to be totally honest though, not sure I noticed much difference on the effect of game between the 180's and 200 A-Frames..will say on the last trip with the 200's..I shot hippo, croc, hyena, eland, zebra and several impala for bait..no issue with anything I shot..on the eland, which was about a 140 yard shot..he ran about 40 yards after the shot and tipped over.. Bullet was recovered on the opposite side shoulder just under the hide..massive internal damage..mv on those were about 3150fps...

I agree with the above, the 303 isn't exactly a really flat shooter..if it were me, Id go with the 180's..plenty of bullet...however if I was hunting in a DG area, I'd be carrying a 375 or bigger..every caliber has its place where it shines, but in a DG area, plains game calibers are not it..IMHO...

Ripp

--------------------
ALL MEN DIE, BUT FEW MEN TRULY LIVE..

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Rule303
.450 member

Reged: 05/07/09
Posts: 5061
Loc: Woodford Qld

Re: 303 on light plains game [Re: RobertM]
#288543 - 01/10/16 07:27 AM

Quote:

Hi Guys,

from a South african so should hold some water, My friend and I both hunt with a 303 (mine is a BSA no1MkIII* SMLE and His is a no4Mk2 Lee enfield) I shoot 215gr bullets (we have a company in South Africa that makes 215gr bullets) I have shot warthog, Kudu, Wildebees and impala with these with no problems, my friend uses 180gr bullets for similar game, both work well, but bear in mind the 303 is a good bushveld rifle Ie ranges up to about 100m, its not a long range rifle.

Robert, I am interested why you say ranges up to 100mts. Is it because of the accuracy of your rifle? I ask that as I confidently will use the 303 with 174grain projectiles to 200mts on Camels.

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Iowa_303s
.400 member

Reged: 22/03/13
Posts: 1016
Loc: Iowa, USA

Re: 303 on light plains game [Re: Rule303]
#288553 - 01/10/16 11:28 AM

Quote:

Quote:

Hi Guys,

from a South african so should hold some water, My friend and I both hunt with a 303 (mine is a BSA no1MkIII* SMLE and His is a no4Mk2 Lee enfield) I shoot 215gr bullets (we have a company in South Africa that makes 215gr bullets) I have shot warthog, Kudu, Wildebees and impala with these with no problems, my friend uses 180gr bullets for similar game, both work well, but bear in mind the 303 is a good bushveld rifle Ie ranges up to about 100m, its not a long range rifle.

Robert, I am interested why you say ranges up to 100mts. Is it because of the accuracy of your rifle? I ask that as I confidently will use the 303 with 174grain projectiles to 200mts on Camels.

Like Rule_303, I personally limit myself to 200 yards on deer size game.
I also wondered why 100 meters. Unless you mean with iron sights and no scope, then I concur.

--------------------
Matt

formerly known as Iowa_303

"Once your reputation is ruined you can live your life quite freely."

"Enkelkinder über alles"

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OahuKaneohe
.275 member

Reged: 03/12/08
Posts: 98
Loc: Hawaii, Oahu, Kaneohe

Re: 303 on light plains game [Re: Iowa_303s]
#288589 - 02/10/16 05:22 AM

I would use my James Woodward 303 regulated for the 215 grain bullets.

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Postman
.375 member

Reged: 25/09/13
Posts: 846
Loc: Canada

Re: 303 on light plains game [Re: OahuKaneohe]
#288592 - 02/10/16 06:26 AM

Quote:

I would use my James Woodward 303 regulated for the 215 grain bullets.

Beautiful rifle!!!! I would love a nice double like that in .303!!!! One day I shall have one when the right one comes along for sale..... Missed out on a lovey H&H .303 royal and I still am cursing myself over it.

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OahuKaneohe
.275 member

Reged: 03/12/08
Posts: 98
Loc: Hawaii, Oahu, Kaneohe

Re: 303 on light plains game [Re: Postman]
#288597 - 02/10/16 06:46 AM

Snap action under lever hammerless side lock with "frogs eyes" cocking indicators, passive doll's head and arcaded fences. Made in 1897 for the son in law of William H. Vanderbilt. Weight of
9 lbs 5 oz makes for light recoil.

The Automatic.

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lonewulf
.300 member

Reged: 06/08/12
Posts: 227
Loc: South-East Otago, New Zealand

Re: 303 on light plains game [Re: OahuKaneohe]
#288602 - 02/10/16 10:57 AM

Oh gee. I think I just swallowed my tongue.

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mehulkamdar
.416 member

Reged: 09/01/04
Posts: 3688
Loc: State of Ill-Annoy USA.

Re: 303 on light plains game [Re: OahuKaneohe]
#288631 - 03/10/16 05:23 AM

That is one gorgeous rifle! Congratulations!

--------------------
The Ark was made by amateurs. Experts built the Titanic.

Mehul Kamdar

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DarylS
.700 member

Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 26998
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...

Re: 303 on light plains game [Re: OahuKaneohe]
#288682 - 04/10/16 04:35 PM

Quote:

I would use my James Woodward 303 regulated for the 215 grain bullets.

THAT is special! It is also all I would need to finish off my hunting "time" here in BC.

--------------------
Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V

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