Guns & Ammo

[happeetxn]

Howdy All,
I am looking at a British Enfield .303 in a local pawn shop for 120.00, about the right price according to gunbroker.com. My question is....how much is .303 ammo? I don't want to buy an inexpensive rifle only to have it cost me an arm and a leg to shoot.
I am also looking at a couple of .308's. Some writers suggest that this class is the most accurate for the money. Any and all comments are greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Craig

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Try looking at the Cabellas web site. They have a huge variety of ammo, a lot of it for pretty decent prices.

 

[happeetxn]

Thank you Sir!
Craig

 

[95_stroker]

303 ammo is dirt cheap.

Sportsmans Guide

 

[f100cleveland]

I have a .303 and its a fun gun to own and shoot. You can get shells from under $10 a box for hard metal jacket,s to $20 or so for more modern 150 or 180 grain bullets that will drop most anything. If you or someone else reloads some 123-125 grain bullets work good for varmits or targets. Get the gun checked out with a go or no go headspace gauge as alot of the .303's have had alot of rounds run through them. The .308 is a good choice too and maybe cheaper to shoot and easier to find shells for.

 

[JLDickmon]

.303 Brit is actually a fairly decent round... it's ballistics are about halfway between 7x57 and .30-'06...

I reload my own stuff, and prefer Remington brass, Winchester primers, Hodgdon H414 and 150gr Hornady spire points...

no attempts should be made to duplicate surplus rounds, as they are charged with cordite propellant...

on the other hand, the .308 is an extremely inherently accurate round, and bullets & factory loads are available for everything from varmints to deer, bear, elk & moose.

And yes, .308 is available most anywhere, .303 British factory ammo is somewhat limited..

 

[happeetxn]

Thanks for all of the info fellas. I believe I will go with the .308 based on availability and while I like the Enfield and pretty much any other WWII rifle I will probably pass.
F100, what is a go no go headspace gauge? The pawn shop is a nation wide shop with a large gun collection. Would / should they have this gauge and does the gauge literally read go - no go? If not what kind of numbers should I be looking for?
As always a big TEXAS thanks,
Craig

 

[RenoF250]

Thanks for all of the info fellas. I believe I will go with the .308 based on availability and while I like the Enfield and pretty much any other WWII rifle I will probably pass.
F100, what is a go no go headspace gauge? The pawn shop is a nation wide shop with a large gun collection. Would / should they have this gauge and does the gauge literally read go - no go? If not what kind of numbers should I be looking for?
As always a big TEXAS thanks,
Craig

The bolt should not close on a no go gauge, if it does it means that it has too much headspace in the chamber and is not supporting the brass properly. The other numbers you want to look at are the muzzle erosion and throat erosion. These are measured with a graduated tapered gauge, the lower the number the better. Some new barrels are a 2 and 5 is pretty much shot out but up to 9 is still considered serviceable.

 

[Yellowsub1962]

Howdy All,
I am looking at a British Enfield .303 in a local pawn shop for 120.00, about the right price according to gunbroker.com. My question is....how much is .303 ammo? I don't want to buy an inexpensive rifle only to have it cost me an arm and a leg to shoot.
I am also looking at a couple of .308's. Some writers suggest that this class is the most accurate for the money. Any and all comments are greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Craig

If you're not "set" on the .303, Big 5 Sporting goods stores sell the Enfields rechambered in .308 for $89 all day long here in Ca. Do they have any stores in Texas?

If you go with the .303, make sure to clean the rifle when done shooting, don't put it away dirty, as a lot of "surplus" is corrosive, even the ones that say they're not.