I used to have a SMLE No.1 MkIII .303 rifle. I had to sell it when funds were low, wish I still had it.

http://www3.sympatico.ca/shooters/303Page.htm

http://www.303British.com/

I have a #4 I bought at woolworths for $80.00. The reciver is stamped long branch,but someone crossed it out with an engraver and wrote in "ftr".The thing is damn accurate for a mil-surp. piece.The only thing I've ever done to it is spend a whole night de-greasing it after I brought it home[less general cleaning].It has the peep sight and a ladder rail long range peep with a thumbscrew adj. Which is pretty sweet,,,dial in your estimated range,,,and SMOKE things on the first shot. I've decapitated ground hogs @400 yds.,literally flipped white tails over @250 yds.,The best one was the pidgeon I shot @30 yds.after it flew over my car and crapped on it just as I had finished washing it and landed on my detached garage,,,,,I swear it snowed pieces of feathers for 10 minutes after I blew it into oblivion with a 180 gr soft point.I lived in a VERY rural area when I was doing all this,,,Then I went kind of goofy and got married and moved.My favorite target for it is cinder blocks at 100 yds,,pretty cool to see them explode.

The "FTR" stands for "factory thorough repair" and indicates a rebuild. 303s work when others won't and the cartridge is effective. My first big game (pronghorn) was shot with a 303 as was my first deer. I still have the rifle and carry it often. Regards, Bill.

The first rifle I ever bought for myself was a 303 Brit. It cost me about $16.00, and came with 200 rounds of military ammo, and a 4X scope side mounted. I believe that Eisenhower was still president, and it was mailed to me at home. My Dad was less than impressed to say the least. It used to vertically string the shots, rising about 2 inches per shot, till I was about a foot high at 100 yds. Some real rough work floating the barrel forward of the receiver area fixed that, and I could bang the gong at 300 yards till the rangemaster told me to quit after that bit of crude work. I finally gave this gun to my bro-in-law, he still has and uses it to my knowledge. It was the only gun I ever had that I never reloaded for. I tried, but got too many split cases. It was and is a reliable killer of deer and elk, and bear. Its way to old fashioned for many today. I certainly had a great deal of fun with it, and wouldn't mind having one again as a plinker. I seem to have gravitated to larger calibers, but that 303 never failed to get the job done for me.

I have a No.4 mk 1 that is not sproterize, but varnished and with Weaver mount.
The last time out, it shot a 1.5" verticle 5 shot string at 100 M with surplus ammo.

I must mention that I have never got a 1" group in 60 trips to the range with 50 rifles, so the 303 is remarkable.

I have a No4 mk11 that looks better, but is not as accurate.

I had a MK#4 and it was a little worn but I could hit grasshoppers a fair way out with it and those mil surp .303's just keep going & going. I traded up for a M38 6.5x55 which is a little handier and it really shoots despite a little throat wear.

The SMLE is rather an enigma for me.

When I started shooting, at age 14, it was Full-Bore range shooting out to 900 yards and the rifle I was given for the task was a used, hand-me-down SMLE No1 MkIII with a Central range sight. Later I progressed to a range rifle built on a SMLE No 4 chambered for the 7.62 Nato (.308W) with another in carbine length (with the original battle sights and similar dimensions to the No5 Jungle carbine) as a general hunting rifle.

However, I had seen all of the glossy advertisements in the shooting magazines for Sako, Winchester, Remington, Steyr, Weatherby, etc, and just couldn't wait to trade up from the SMLE. Afterall, it was just an old military rifle, with old technology and so ugly compared to all of the new factory rifles!!!!! And, in the intervening years, I must confess to looking down on the old .303 with misplaced disdain and an unwarranted air of superiority because I now owned Ruger, Winchester or Sako rifles, or something similar.

Now, many years later and a LOT of factory and custom rifles 'under the bridge' I have developed a new respect for the old .303. Recently, I participated in the Centenary International .303 Postal Shoot and used a borrowed No1 MkIII. It was a lot of fun and I particularly liked the fact that everyone on the range (and around the world!) was equipped with the same (or similar) rifle - no one was able to buy themselves an advantage as so often happens in shooting competitions today. I didn't shoot all that well, as I was unfamiliar with the sight settings and the ammunition, and it rained cats and dogs on us but I had a ball.

I am now looking for a nice Lithgow (Australian) manufactured No 1 MkIII for future competitions, to own a piece of Australian Military history and to try and to re-capture an early part of my life that I probably didn't appreciate as much as I should. I am also looking to resurrect an old Lee Enfield No 1 action that I have and looking at bulding a sweet little sporter, along the lines of those magic Lee-Speeds that were once so popular!

Long live the old .303!

[ 08-16-2002, 04:54: Message edited by: BwanaBob ]

I have a savage #4 T sniper rifle that I found a mount for and am working on it set up with a scope. I also have a sporterized model comeing.
I got a decent deal on the T and since I live in Ohio and shotguns are all we are allowed for deer and I have a 243, the 303 is as much gun as I will need except if I go after African DG (Buff nad Elephant or Rhino) or Brown and Grizzly bears(doubtful)

They are fun to shoot and a bit of history to boot!

Greg

My father killed a Grizlly with his 303 while we were living in Whitehorse.

I was talking to a korean war vet one night at the bar and mentioned my .303,,,His quote was ,,,You got one pot of pepper there boy.

I bought my MkIII for $10.00 when I was a kid. With it I devastated the local groundhog population and began to learn how to hunt. In fact it killed everything I ever pointed it at and I wish I still had it.