i got a 303. enfield from my grandfather when he passed away

me and my dad cleaned it up and im going to use it this year on my first hunt

im a little worried about recoil seeing as im 12 years old.

any opinion on the rifle and its recoil are appreciated.

thanks

The .303 was the second rifle I ever hunted with, the recoil can be a little much, if you know someone that reloads, you can load it down a bit to get used to it.

GIve it a try first though & see how you handle the recoil.. and to help, do not shoot it of the bench, but just off hand.

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It doesn't matter what you hunt, as long as you hunt

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Member AOPA - Lloydminster & Area Archery Assoc. - Life Member NAHC - IBEP Instructor

Get a slip on Limbsaver recoil pad. The recoil pads will drastically reduce recoil.

Alex

Don't let a little thing like recoil spoil the fun you're going to have with your first gun Squeege. Most folks develop a flinch because they're afraid of the recoil, and the .303 isn't all that bad.
So long as you hold the gun properly and gently squeeze the trigger you should be ok. If it does give too much kick for you, you might want to, as mentioned earlier, put a good recoil pad on it. Good luck son.

X2 what AlexB said. Most have a brass buttplate which makes felt recoil more than it is. I used my father's Enfield to take my first two deer. Both of my son's took their first deer when they were 14 with the same gun. Nothing wrong with starting out with this gun.

thanks everybody

yeah, this gun does have the brass plate.

but if this gun works well, me and my dad are going to put on a synthetic stock with a built in pachmyr recoil pad

but if we dont get the stock, that slip on sounds great thanks everyone

And for the record, my dad is a reloader

a 303 is a good choice, just ensure the rifling is in good condition and you get rid of that brass plate.

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Houndsman love to chase tail

yeah for sure get rid of the brass plate, but im wondering what condition the butt will be like under it

and the rifling is fine.

its being gunsmithed at the moment to fit a scope and before the guy took it in he checked it over and said the barrel was in tip top shape

.303 with the brass plate was my first rifle and only rifle for about 20 years, worked great and still does. With that brass buttplate the kick is about the same as my .338 shootin 250 grains..........

You can get a plate from the gunshops that replaces the flip up site and serves as a scope mount. Mine was about $50, a couple screws and you have an instant dovetail rail without drilling for mounts

If the barrel is good the only other thing I found to keep an eye on was the bolt itself as they can gum up fairly easy and not lock down proper. Great first gun, cheap and reliable and prepares you for future finer items

i still hunt with my trusty .303, 180gr federal, and a bushnell 3-9x40 on a weaver TO-1 dovetail rail, brass buttplate and all
rememberance day '07

woah. that boosted my confidence in my 303.

but im going to show you some pictures of my 303. when it has the new stock. i think its going to look awesome!

First centre fire rifle I shot was my dad's 303 with a brass butt plate at 12.

It kicked.

Practice lot with a .22 so you don't develop a flinch.

Put a nice thick butt pad on and you'll be fine.

I use two recoil pads on my 300 Win, mag. the one that came with the synth stock and a slip on on top of that.

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MD

well.

ive shot a 12 guage before (out at the trap field) and i was fine, i didnt even really feel it that much

are those to firearms comparible?

Edit: whoops i posted with my dads account. this is squeege

Its funny I nver found my .303 much of a kicker less than the .308 or .30-06... Heck my Sis-in-laws .270 kicks worse than the .303.

__________________
It doesn't matter what you hunt, as long as you hunt

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Member AOPA - Lloydminster & Area Archery Assoc. - Life Member NAHC - IBEP Instructor

Well thats a sigh of relief.

then if i get a good recoil pad ill be set

Thanks everyone