That chamfer in the magazine was correcting the feed order as the rounds got pushed down, as it was designed to. The military case rims were also chamfered so in the rare event of a minor rimlock, a good solid push would force the rim over the rim of the round blocking it.
Fun fact: .303 was originally a black powder cartridge, and the original lee-action rifles had a rounded rifling profile to ease the cleanup of fouling because of this.
303 still has a plenty of purpose my guy many countries still use 303 shit I still use that mf if 303 is obsolete 22lr/12gauge is as well think about it like 762x54R it's rimmed like this cartridge and it's still in use to this very modern day...
@@BigBore45 the .303 is still in production and fairly common. i would absolutely call it a "historical" round, but it isn't completely obsolete as it is still in production. i would like to see someone chamber a modern rifle with it to maintain it's relevance. it still packs a good punch
My grandpa was aWWII vet with 8th Army air corp. He didn't like the garand or the Springfield, although he was expert on both. When he got home he bought an old enfield .303 out of a barrel full of cosmolene and that was his only rifle for the rest of his life.
Counterpoint; The US doesn't allow the import of beef/lamb lungs to make haggis because 'it will give you tuberculosis'. 'Authoritarian gun control' is a thing, but compared to some things in the US, yeah, it's much better than things like 'beef lungs will give you tuberculosis'.
That cordite propelant the 303 used in service packs a lot of recoil, heat, and case pressure with no real advantage. Im sure there is good reason they didnt stop using it until after ww2 but all I can think of is because cordite was the same exact propelant used in their artillery, so they could streamline the logistics of manufacturing ammo
i have a modern savage axis .308, a mosin nagant, and a lee enfeild..... by far the good old lee enfield is the smoothest action. i respect both the mosin and the enfield, but it's interesting to see the difference in build quality. it's a history lesson russian vs british. the mosin IS cheaper to fire though. both have their place.
Such a great cartridge. I have a No. 4 Mk. 1 T sniper that is honestly my favorite old school sniper to take to the range. I have a De Lisle carbine being built for me right now and I’m excited for some suppressed 45 ACP action, but something feels so right about .303 and all it’s badass history and power.
wow you are a lucky man! How'd you find the Mk1 T ? was it passed down? sweet rifle man. And a De Lisle is a pretty rare carbine, you should post a video once its completed, never seen one in action before!
Home Guards in India still use this rifle. They are good at using this rifle. If there is long distance shootout you don't want to be on its receiving side.
I agree, its probably one of my fav. for long distance shooting, most accurate. India has a long history with the Lee Enfield, WW1, WW2 and long after into the Indo Sino wars and Indo Pak wars. Surprisingly even Canadas Northern Arctic Rangers were using these up until a few years ago.
Very fortunate to own a Lee-Enfield converted to .308. None of the fidgety rims to deal with. Just straight up smooth bolt cycling. Wonderful peace of kit!
@@canuckguns Yes indeed!!!! Not sure how it got down here to South Africa. It has however been stripped down by its previous owners (missing its front sight and charging bridge removed for a scope mount) so not the full package. But the Ishapore markings are there on the receiver. Definitely my favourite rifle, much better than the Browning we just bought!
@@liamferreira8912 Hey as long as the original stock is intact, the charging bridge and front site are minor, still a sweet rifle. How are the gun laws in SA, long guns and hand gun license easy to obtain?
@@canuckguns Just the usual competency courses you have to complete. Long rifles, semi auto rifles and handguns are fairly easy to procure once you have completed all that. However to do your competency you need to have a certificate showing police clearance, which is an utter nightmare to get. Only one office deals with those and it’s in Pretoria, my clearance only came back 7 months after applying…🤣
@@liamferreira8912 Sounds very similar to the Canadian process, sadly new hand gun ownership has been banned by the Liberal Govt. But Ive also heard of clearances taking around the same time here as well by the RCMP.
Just like 7.62x54R, I believe it is a superior cartridge design for feeding a pull feed belt fed machine gun. Rimless rounds can have a failure to extract quite a bit more easily than rimmed. It takes an act of congress to make a belt fed machine gun that takes rimmed cartridges completely jam. Meanwhile, beating open a jammed machine gun with rimless ammo is most likely going to result in the extractor letting go and leaving the case stuck.
@@canuckguns not a Russian simp, but 7.62x54r is just old gold, the round still holds up today and is produced cheaply but it’s still good ammo, and hey if the world ever ends I’ll be able to to load it with black powder and shoot it out of my mosin nagant.
@@astatine5781 Oh i love the 7.62x54r and my Mosin! so much fun to shoot! Probably one of the longest serving rounds in history. The Russians and Ukrainians are still using them till this day in battle.
Don’t forget the 6.5 Sweede. This dudes were only the 6.5 train over a century before it was cool. And again, still stands up today as a great all round cartridge.
.303 cartridge is very readily available in canada, or at least where i live. my local canadian tire sells them. besides 30-06, its probably the easiest milsurp to find ammo for.
obsolete yes, noone needs headspacing via a rim any more.... and the rimloc you have produced there multiple times shows us why....but that doesn´t make it a bad hunting cartridge at all if its common and avilable where you hunt
I’d say that .45-70 is the most used round throughout history if we’re talking about how long it’s been used .45-70 was made in 1873 and is still used in firearms manufactured today
@@lonewolf5054 that’s a great price, in Canada anything in decent shape is easily over a grand. Sometimes you can get lucky in auctions. But retail is high.
nice! I love the no4 Mk1 beautiful rifle. What kind of ammo is it? I bought 75 rounds thinking it was shooter grade but looks more like collector ammo. From the head stamp it seems to be from 1909, not sure if its even shootable.
@Canuck Guns Pakistani ordinance from the mid 60s, bought a crate of it super cheap a couple decades ago back when it was a penny a round and the rifle cost 50 bucks.
Won’t matter no such thing as rim lock the magazine will correct it and if it doesn’t and you work the bolt like you should it will just bounce over and feed correctly, yes I’ve been using a 1942 built smle for nearly 40 yrs
Almost as loud when you shoot it out of a jungle carbine too! I was doing target practice a quarter mile from my house and my people woke up thinking someone was shooting on the porch.
He showed perfectly how not to load it if you don’t want it to rim lock.
That was only an issue in the early Lee rifles or in rifles with magazines in poor condition
You'd better learn proper rim stacking when loading that mag, or you're going to have feeding issues. Thanks for the video! Love my No.4's!
That chamfer in the magazine was correcting the feed order as the rounds got pushed down, as it was designed to. The military case rims were also chamfered so in the rare event of a minor rimlock, a good solid push would force the rim over the rim of the round blocking it.
Only the early model rifles or really poor condition mags have that problem. By the time of the SMLE the magazine was redesigned to correct rim lock
Effective against Germans though
Fun fact: .303 was originally a black powder cartridge, and the original lee-action rifles had a rounded rifling profile to ease the cleanup of fouling because of this.
Interesting! Thanks for sharing that!
I’m surprised to learn that the switch to smokeless powder was it 1910 for the BRITs
@@patrickmcnamara8025no they switched to Smokeless in 1890s but to new Mk7 and MK8 .303 cartridges in 1910
Metford rifling
Got the bloody job done though eh? *Sips tea proudly*
Damn right it did!
Had to call the Americans twice for help.
303 has never been obsolete
It's kinda obsolete, the rim, and it's original nitrocellulose solution are both obsolete oarts
Bruh if you got shot with a 303 you'd be changing your mind 😂
@@BigBore45 do you know what obsolete means?
303 still has a plenty of purpose my guy many countries still use 303 shit I still use that mf if 303 is obsolete 22lr/12gauge is as well think about it like 762x54R it's rimmed like this cartridge and it's still in use to this very modern day...
@@BigBore45 the .303 is still in production and fairly common. i would absolutely call it a "historical" round, but it isn't completely obsolete as it is still in production.
i would like to see someone chamber a modern rifle with it to maintain it's relevance. it still packs a good punch
.303 is still a beast. Not for close quarter combats but in war like situation it can definitely be used as a long range rifle.
I agree its a great cartridge!
My grandpa was
aWWII vet with 8th Army air corp. He didn't like the garand or the Springfield, although he was expert on both. When he got home he bought an old enfield .303 out of a barrel full of cosmolene and that was his only rifle for the rest of his life.
Its only obsolete if you live in the UK and agree with authoritarian gun control.
Counterpoint;
The US doesn't allow the import of beef/lamb lungs to make haggis because 'it will give you tuberculosis'.
'Authoritarian gun control' is a thing, but compared to some things in the US, yeah, it's much better than things like 'beef lungs will give you tuberculosis'.
Proximity to Canada from where I live in the US sees a fair number of 303 British rifles and such here in WA.
The old gramp is still kickin boys 😊
That’s right! 😁
awesome to see all that .303! I need to join the .303 club. lovin the history in the shorts man!
My dad was in the Indian army, and still can’t stop talking about how rough the recoil of this gun was when he had to fire it all those years ago.
Yep; that brass butt plate will leave a bruise. 😂
That cordite propelant the 303 used in service packs a lot of recoil, heat, and case pressure with no real advantage. Im sure there is good reason they didnt stop using it until after ww2 but all I can think of is because cordite was the same exact propelant used in their artillery, so they could streamline the logistics of manufacturing ammo
.303 is legendary ammo!
I have it and from the royal air force in the uk for £3 but sadly deactivated but its from ppu
Love the Lee Enfield. Probably the smoothest action ive ever handled.
Can’t agree more !
i have a modern savage axis .308, a mosin nagant, and a lee enfeild..... by far the good old lee enfield is the smoothest action.
i respect both the mosin and the enfield, but it's interesting to see the difference in build quality. it's a history lesson russian vs british. the mosin IS cheaper to fire though. both have their place.
Such a great cartridge. I have a No. 4 Mk. 1 T sniper that is honestly my favorite old school sniper to take to the range. I have a De Lisle carbine being built for me right now and I’m excited for some suppressed 45 ACP action, but something feels so right about .303 and all it’s badass history and power.
wow you are a lucky man! How'd you find the Mk1 T ? was it passed down? sweet rifle man. And a De Lisle is a pretty rare carbine, you should post a video once its completed, never seen one in action before!
Home Guards in India still use this rifle. They are good at using this rifle. If there is long distance shootout you don't want to be on its receiving side.
I agree, its probably one of my fav. for long distance shooting, most accurate. India has a long history with the Lee Enfield, WW1, WW2 and long after into the Indo Sino wars and Indo Pak wars. Surprisingly even Canadas Northern Arctic Rangers were using these up until a few years ago.
They're in .308 tho?
Same exact 303 british i have too.
Very fortunate to own a Lee-Enfield converted to .308. None of the fidgety rims to deal with. Just straight up smooth bolt cycling. Wonderful peace of kit!
Nice! Ishapore rifle? yeah .308 is great, and always readily available at local shops
@@canuckguns Yes indeed!!!! Not sure how it got down here to South Africa. It has however been stripped down by its previous owners (missing its front sight and charging bridge removed for a scope mount) so not the full package. But the Ishapore markings are there on the receiver. Definitely my favourite rifle, much better than the Browning we just bought!
@@liamferreira8912 Hey as long as the original stock is intact, the charging bridge and front site are minor, still a sweet rifle. How are the gun laws in SA, long guns and hand gun license easy to obtain?
@@canuckguns Just the usual competency courses you have to complete. Long rifles, semi auto rifles and handguns are fairly easy to procure once you have completed all that. However to do your competency you need to have a certificate showing police clearance, which is an utter nightmare to get.
Only one office deals with those and it’s in Pretoria, my clearance only came back 7 months after applying…🤣
@@liamferreira8912 Sounds very similar to the Canadian process, sadly new hand gun ownership has been banned by the Liberal Govt. But Ive also heard of clearances taking around the same time here as well by the RCMP.
As a young American who is a Lee Enfield enthusiast I am envious of that ammo box it is near impossible to find ammo here
I think Remington started making some again, usually 40-50 a box here! Crazy
@@canuckguns Ill have to keep an eye out can never find it locally always stuck paying for shipping.
What state are you in? I can get 20 round boxes for about 30 each where im at
@@NmN-t6q Indiana other than an army surplus store ive only ever seen 2 boxes of .303 ammo
Rimlock trigger warning!!!! 😂😂😂
I might be biased as a Brit... but Rule Britannia is a banger
still use a 303 for moose hunting
Long live the Queen. Rip fly high Elizabeth 😢
303 is capable of killing dangerous game. It’s not the best round but it will do just fine with a heavier pill
Just like 7.62x54R, I believe it is a superior cartridge design for feeding a pull feed belt fed machine gun. Rimless rounds can have a failure to extract quite a bit more easily than rimmed. It takes an act of congress to make a belt fed machine gun that takes rimmed cartridges completely jam. Meanwhile, beating open a jammed machine gun with rimless ammo is most likely going to result in the extractor letting go and leaving the case stuck.
Yes, it is a very capable cartridge and has many uses.
Can asure u it's still a great rifle in today's eyes one of the best sporting rifles on earth 💪
Although she does kick your ass alot harder then a 308 but that's part of the charm hunting with this rifle in dense bush
7.62x54r, turns out the Russians got it right in 1891 🗿
😂
@@canuckguns not a Russian simp, but 7.62x54r is just old gold, the round still holds up today and is produced cheaply but it’s still good ammo, and hey if the world ever ends I’ll be able to to load it with black powder and shoot it out of my mosin nagant.
@@astatine5781 Oh i love the 7.62x54r and my Mosin! so much fun to shoot! Probably one of the longest serving rounds in history. The Russians and Ukrainians are still using them till this day in battle.
@@canuckguns yeah probably because the SVD is a monster and almost any bolt action rifle in 7.62x54r with a long enough barrel is a long range beast.
Don’t forget the 6.5 Sweede. This dudes were only the 6.5 train over a century before it was cool. And again, still stands up today as a great all round cartridge.
.303 cartridge is very readily available in canada, or at least where i live. my local canadian tire sells them. besides 30-06, its probably the easiest milsurp to find ammo for.
Luv me jungle carbine. Luv me .303. Luv me recoil. Luv me energy dumps. 'ate earpro. Bweeeeeeeeee. simple as.
obsolete yes, noone needs headspacing via a rim any more.... and the rimloc you have produced there multiple times shows us why....but that doesn´t make it a bad hunting cartridge at all if its common and avilable where you hunt
Make sure to not throw them dern black powder bullets in there.
I just got one today. Inherited one. I'm from South Africa 😊
Nice! Are you guys able to get .303 ammo easily? And is it over priced there too?
is that a lee-enfield rifle? respect.
Thanks brother!
I have one , but is hard to find ammo, but i prefere my old k98 mauser, the enfield feels cheap agains it
They def wouldnt be if british people could own weapons
I’d say that .45-70 is the most used round throughout history if we’re talking about how long it’s been used .45-70 was made in 1873 and is still used in firearms manufactured today
I agree, and still very popular amongst hunters for big game!
Dude, you *took the mag off a SMLE to load it?* WTF?
Yes still perfer it for shots out to 300 yards
It better not be cause I just bought myself a lee Enfield mk3*
Sweet rifle! How much that run ya?
@@canuckguns 800, it's refurbished and its Australian made so it's not the British but still a good rifle to have
@@lonewolf5054 that’s a great price, in Canada anything in decent shape is easily over a grand. Sometimes you can get lucky in auctions. But retail is high.
303 is great, no 4 mk 1 is my favorite rifle to shoot. Only problem is all of my ammo is super corrosive surplus crap.
nice! I love the no4 Mk1 beautiful rifle. What kind of ammo is it?
I bought 75 rounds thinking it was shooter grade but looks more like collector ammo. From the head stamp it seems to be from 1909, not sure if its even shootable.
@Canuck Guns Pakistani ordinance from the mid 60s, bought a crate of it super cheap a couple decades ago back when it was a penny a round and the rifle cost 50 bucks.
Stacked that mag wrong with a couple of rounds
Won’t matter no such thing as rim lock the magazine will correct it and if it doesn’t and you work the bolt like you should it will just bounce over and feed correctly, yes I’ve been using a 1942 built smle for nearly 40 yrs
Two world wars. This rifle will always be in fashion.
I agree, Legendry rifle and ammo indeed !
I need amunition for this rifle😅un México
oh wow didnt know they have the Enfield in Mexico, is it a common rifle there or rare to find?
@@canuckguns yes,i have one,but amunition not😔😏
My primary cartridge in hunting/range still today at far north here in Finland! (No4 Mk1, LB made in 1950)
Nice brother! What kind of ammo you use PPU?
@@canuckguns mostly reloads. Ppu cases though and Lapua bullets. You can time to time find ammo such as PPU, SB, and even Norma.
*Correction - Switched to Cordite in 1892 not 1910
Now that makes more sense
7.62x54r
I winced watching this heathen HAND LOAD THE MAGAZINE THEN LOAD THE MAGAZINE INTO THE GUN
WHO GAVE THIS HEATHEN A NO.4 RIFLE
At ~$1.50 per round, I’d be inclined to say so
Absolutely not they make a great brush gun
Adopted smokeless powder loading in 1893. Some sources cite 1891, but the majority reference 1893.
Simply put
No
No it’s not🤟✊👌🔥👍💯
It fought 2 world wars and won so why not.
Switched to cordite in 1895 not 1910.
If there’s a kit to change the caliber of this song sticking with 303
Any bullet that can kill anything is not obsolete.
577-450 can kill basically anything, but it is definitely obsolete. Just because something is obsolete doesn't mean it's bad
Can people please stop making things that were not supposed to eat look tasty...
LOL
Whats the 303 equivalent too??? The 308???
I think the 308 is superior to be honest.
You loaded a round in wrong it’s going to catch the rim of the other round and hang
303 isn't a 30 cal either, it's .311 whereas a 30-06 is .308
NONONO YOU DID NOT JUST RELOAD IT FROM THE BOTTOM NONONONO
beacareful rim lock bro . u dont want to be kill beacuse rim lock
It’s Sporterized isn’t it? Seems like you kept part of the rifle hidden from camera.
Haha yeah it is man, a lot of these got sporterized in the 50s and 60s in Canada. I’m on the hunt for one that’s an original.
Rimmed, not great for mags
Rimlock go brrrrr
Senjata penjajah cuy
303 is a *BEAST* of a bullet. Probably second to 50 BMG
Almost as loud when you shoot it out of a jungle carbine too! I was doing target practice a quarter mile from my house and my people woke up thinking someone was shooting on the porch.