.303 British

[thebearpack]

LOL!!! typical enfield sporters DO NOT fetch $200 -$300 on gunbroker.

and yes, you can find surplus .303 british ammo. its not everywhere, but it is out there, and usually runs about 30 cents per round or less. 30.06 ammo usually runs about 50 cents per round.

not sure where the fella above is shopping, but he may need to expand his horizons.

If you're referring to Kunsunoke's post, he was talking about SMLEs which do command higher prices than No4 Mk1s. As for .303 ammo I'd sure like to know where you can find any decent non-Pakistani junk for $.30/round. Commercial Prvi goes for $0.65/round or more so I seriously doubt anyone is giving away surplus Radway Green or anything else good for 1/2 that. Care to enlighten us?

[Dave_n]

SOG in their latest dealer flyer (which you get if you have a C&R) has UK 0.303 surplus which is in 50 round boxes. However, it may well be CAI import stuff. I reload 0.303 using usually Remington cases and Privi (or under their old Hansen name). S&B cases are not good for reloading. However, make absolutely certain that your headspace is within the wide limits of L-Es. The SAMMI gauges are wrong, you need the UK versions which can be purchased at times from Brian Dick Ltd in NC.

In fact, if you are looking for an L-E, Brian has the best selection in the US, not cheap, but in excellent condition and within spec. Remember, unlike the Mauser and the 1903 (which is a Mauser with a US flag on it!), the 0.303 is a rimmed cartridge. All chambers in 0.303s are large so that cruddy ammo will still work, but their lengths to the shoulder are usually constant (hence the go, no-go gauges).

When you reload, neck size only, use 174 grain projectiles and keep the velocity below 2450 fps. They are very fast operating (mad minute record is somewhere between 38 and 48 aimed rounds per minute in 10 round chargers) with the Mk III and the Mk IV.

Shot my first full-bore Mk III almost 60 years ago in the School army cadet force in the UK. Once hooked, no other rifle is worth looking at!!! Dave_n

[thebearpack]

SOG in their latest dealer flyer (which you get if you have a C&R) has UK 0.303 surplus which is in 50 round boxes.

Yep, that's true though it's still $0.50/round delivered. It does have the chargers which is nice. Not bad, but not $0.30 either...

[dogngun]

I have owned a bunch of Enfields rifles, and NEVER had a bad shooting one, sporterized or stock. I'd let it as it is, and look for an issue one later if I liked it. Privi makes GREAT hunting .303 ammo and the cartridge is a very potent medium-large game round. If you decide to handload, it can be an extremely versatile round as well...I used to use a simply Lee Loader kit and neck size the brass - improved accuracy even more, and some loads are HOT!.

It is a find cartridge with less recoil that an '06 and power in the middle .308 Win range, very much like a .300 Savage.
Retail for a sporter is between $100-$200 depending on if it's well done or just hacked.

Enjoy it.

mark

[jarrodm]

30 cents per round is a fair rate for surplus .303 British. i have purchased and sold this ammo for 30 cents per round over the last few months. ammo can be found at local shows. but the early bird gets the worm. like i said....its out there....you just have to find it. and no...its not at your local gander mountain or Dicks store. its often times for sale on the internet, and at the York gun shows. local auctions and flea markets also tend to have sportered enfields of all types....none of which sell for much or are in high demand.

[thebearpack]

Fair enough... if you say it's out there so be it. I'd pay you $0.40/round for every round of non-Pakistani or similar .303 you can supply. That's a 25% profit over the $0.30 you're paying. Consider it a standing offer....

[kunsunoke]

LOL!!! typical enfield sporters DO NOT fetch $200 -$300 on gunbroker.

See for yourself.

and yes, you can find surplus .303 british ammo. its not everywhere, but it is out there, and usually runs about 30 cents per round or less.

Which is why I said the ammo would need to be dug up. It's not as easy a proposition as buying ex-bolshevik spam in a can.

For example - for this particular $.30/round surplus, the country of origin is what? Great Britain or Pakistan?

And is it Berdan primed or Boxer? If it's Berdan then that complicates reloading quite a bit, doesn't it?

But the Prvi brass is Boxer primed and rugged as hell, and has accuracy right out of the box.

30.06 ammo usually runs about 50 cents per round.

Yes, the aught six surplus does run about that cost. Your point was what?

not sure where the fella above is shopping, but he may need to expand his horizons.

I've been to a lot of the same gun shows as you and I have yet to see cheap .303 surplus. So where is it?

And as long as you're at it, where are the fabulous deals on Enfield sporters?

Care to share with your brothers here?

[thebearpack]

For example - for this particular $.30/round surplus, the country of origin is what? Great Britain or Pakistan?

Pakistan. Run away from it and run quickly (unless you enjoy throwing 1/3 of it away). I've yet to see GOOD surplus in that range and I've checked maybe one or two places besides Cabelas.

[jarrodm]

its all british or iraqi made stuff.

my point about the 06 ammo is that its more expensive than .303 british is. and no you dont have to dig it up. you just have to know where to look for it.

check your local auction listings and flea markets for those cut up sporters. they can be found there quite frequently....without any lines waiting to buy them.

not trying to argue about this, but you guys are just looking, or are located in the wrong areas. gunbroker auctions are not exactly what set prices these days.

the market for any firearms much less C&R's is very stagnant right now. cut up sporters are even worse at the moment. try and sell a sportered enfield for $200 at a local show and dealers will just laugh you out the door.

Kunsonuke, you speak like you actually know me for some reason. even, accept me as a "brother". facts are, i do not know you, and i wont give up my sources....but you probably already have visited them and came up empty handed already, so it wouldnt do much good anyway. i purchased an enfield sniper with scope in original condition with matching numbers in my area for $1200. a mint enfield #4 mk 2 in unissued condition for $150, and a mint #1 mk 3 made at Lithgow for $200. like i said....deals are out there...you just have to look for them.

[kunsunoke]

its all british or iraqi made stuff.

my point about the 06 ammo is that its more expensive than .303 british is. and no you dont have to dig it up. you just have to know where to look for it.

Again, are we comparing Greek surplus (known decent quality) to Pakistani .303 (shit)?

My original comparison was Greek surplus aught six against Prvi .303.

When I find stuff out there I'm willing to post links and name names.

Scroll down a bit - Classic Arms has British surplus .303 for around $0.50 per round.

PackRats LLC has 30-06 Brit surplus for around the same price.

Both the above are 1950's vintage surplus, with mildly-corrosive Berdan primers. Reloading would be an extremely difficult proposition, requiring modification of the brass.

check your local auction listings and flea markets for those cut up sporters. they can be found there quite frequently....without any lines waiting to buy them.

That, of course, assumes one has the time and inclination to check out flea markets and estate sales for these little bargains. Some of us don't have the free time to do that.

not trying to argue about this, but you guys are just looking, or are located in the wrong areas. gunbroker auctions are not exactly what set prices these days.

Here's what you said -

Originally Posted by jarrodm
LOL!!! typical enfield sporters DO NOT fetch $200 -$300 on gunbroker.

The key words there were "on gunbroker".

Firstly, if you weren't trying to argue, why the snarky nature of your post?

You could have posted the following:

Originally Posted by jarrodm
there are cheaper sources for enfield sporters than gunbroker, and i think that trying to sell one for two hundred dollars is not realistic, given the depressed nature of the market right now

Secondly, your argument was that Enfield sporters do not fetch $200-300 on Gunbroker. But that's about what they're going for there.

the market for any firearms much less C&R's is very stagnant right now. cut up sporters are even worse at the moment. try and sell a sportered enfield for $200 at a local show and dealers will just laugh you out the door.

Why exactly would anyone sell a sporter to a dealer at a gun show when they could get better prices elsewhere - say, for example, Gunbroker? Or perhaps the classifieds in this forum?

You do understand - the OP wanted to know exactly what he could get for the Enfield, right?

My interpretation was that the OP did not just want to dump the thing quickly, but was considering hanging onto the gun.

Kunsonuke, you speak like you actually know me for some reason. even, accept me as a "brother". facts are, i do not know you, and i wont give up my sources....but you probably already have visited them and came up empty handed already, so it wouldnt do much good anyway.

I was being facetious.

I haven't been in the market for a SMLE, but I have run across a number at the gun shows I've been to - and even in sporterized condition the dealers wanted more than $200.

The last sporter I came across was a .308 Ishapore at Lowe's, which had the usual box mag, a Krink-style muzzle brake, cut barrel and nickel-plating. No provisions for optics, either. Nice gun, actually, but that one was going for $360.

i purchased an enfield sniper with scope in original condition with matching numbers in my area for $1200. a mint enfield #4 mk 2 in unissued condition for $150, and a mint #1 mk 3 made at Lithgow for $200. like i said....deals are out there...you just have to look for them.

Did you purchase them recently? At a gun show, estate sale, or fleamarket? How about pawn shops (another good source for bargains)?