My 303-25

[Wyatt Smith]

I will give a brief rundown on my latest project.
I bought a sporterized No.4 Enfield for $150. The headspace was WAY out so I decided to have fun and re barrel it something else.
In a post asking for ideas, @Bob Nelson 35Whelen said he had a barrel in 303-25 and some properly head stamped brass.
Once I got the barrel installed I loaded 20 rounds with Sierra 100 grain game kings on a minimum load of H4350. Using the fine military “peep” sight I was able to print 2 inch groups at 100 yards with it. It is shooting about a foot high at that range, with the elevation maxed out. I think I will remove the “peep” sight, and use the excellent barrel mounted sight. I plan to install a scope eventually. I’m thinking a 3x9.
I will post more pictures when I get the chance, as well as Chrono results and groups.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

I forgot a big part of the story. Bob was a huge help in locating the proper bolt head for this rifle. The headspace is now .003.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I forgot a big part of the story. Bob was a huge help in locating the proper bolt head for this rifle. The headspace is now .003.

@wyatt Smith
You will be most impressed with the old Australian 303/25. It has killed truck's loads of game here and was the mainstay of hunter up until the 1960s. On a good No4 action it is fully capable of driving 100 grain bullets at just over 3,000 fps at safe pressures.
If you bed the rifle correctly it should be capable of less than inch groups and with 87, 90 and 100 grainers it will out run the horrible little cartridge that I disparage so much.
You have a fine rifle and cartridge that will give you a lifetime of service that will keep on going no matter how much crap is thrown at it.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Come on all you Australians how bout a comment on the old 25 and what you have used it on and what rifle it was built on. I know it was built on the old Henry martini, terrain No4 and No1 SMLEs as well as the P14s and M17's as well as the 98 Mauser. Dang some people even machined the rim off and cut a new extractor groove.
Surely there are some Canadians and others out there interest in young @Wyatt Smith build and can give him some advice.
Come on @bruce moulds and @CBH and @Dr Ray and @Badboymelvin and others chime in with your bit.
Who else like the 25 caliber and what is their experience we ith them. Anything from the 25/20 up to the 257 weatherby. Surely there are other 25 cal users out there.
Bob.
@wyatt Smith is a great young fella and needs your input
Bob

 

[Uncle Sauce]

Congrats on the build - Good looking rifle!

Who else like the 25 caliber and what is their experience we ith them. Anything from the 25/20 up to the 257 weatherby. Surely there are other 25 cal users out there.
Bob.

@Bob Nelson 35Whelen - I sure like my Remington 700 25-06 shooting 120 grain Nosler partitions or 117 grain Sierra Gamekings. Good medicine for whitetail & antelope. Never had an issue with either.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Congrats on the build - Good looking rifle!


@Bob Nelson 35Whelen - I sure like my Remington 700 25-06 shooting 120 grain Nosler partitions or 117 grain Sierra Gamekings. Good medicine for whitetail & antelope. Never had an issue with either.

@Uncle Sauce
Have you tried the 100grain Barnes ttsx in your 25. It can be loaded up to 3,400fps with devastating results and real flat trajectory.
Bob

 

[camerl2009]

I'm doing something similar right now with a hacked up p14 my county has a limit of .243/6mm so I chose the 6mm musgrave but might do 6mm-.303 epps.
I love the British actions if i found a martini laying around i would have used that.
but the Lee's and p14/17 i find faster then say a mauser cock on close.
Going to scab together my stock have i have a cut down p14 stock with a hacked forend and a cut down Lee forend. I'm going to cut them both at the same angle and pin/glue them together maybe ad a horn forend tip.
Going to be my coyote rifle best thing is I have a cheap build I had most of the parts laying around and the rest like the barrel I picked up cheap.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I'm doing something similar right now with a hacked up p14 my county has a limit of .243/6mm so I chose the 6mm musgrave but might do 6mm-.303 epps.
I love the British actions if i found a martini laying around i would have used that.
but the Lee's and p14/17 i find faster then say a mauser cock on close.
Going to scab together my stock have i have a cut down p14 stock with a hacked forend and a cut down Lee forend. I'm going to cut them both at the same angle and pin/glue them together maybe ad a horn forend tip.
Going to be my coyote rifle best thing is I have a cheap build I had most of the parts laying around and the rest like the barrel I picked up cheap.

@camerl2009
I have the 25 Epps but modified it by moving the shoulder forward and blowing the case out straighter and 35 degrees shoulder.
It is a wickedly fast round using a good dose of Hogdon superformance behind a 100grain Barnes ttsx I get 3,670 fps SAFELY on a P14 action and a 24 inch Llijla match grade stainless barrel.
Accuracy is unbelievable with it ,the 117grain SST and the 115 grain Nosler combined technology silver tips.
Bob

 

[Dr Ray]

I only used both the 303 and 303/25 shall we say very little
My first rifle was a Slazenger 22 followed by a 243

 

[Wyatt Smith]

As soon as I can get out of the fields I am going to have to play with this thing some more. We have some re-planting to do, and plenty of spraying.
After all there are a lot of 243s that need their butts kicked.

 

[Badboymelvin]

Have owned several .303's but only one .303/25 and that was built on a Japanese Arisaka action.
I never shot any game with it so can't comment on it's performance but I'm sure it would've been fine on pigs, goats etc...

I also owned a Weatherby Vanguard in .257 Weatherby Magnum which proved to be a very accurate rifle.
To save money, I used 7mm Remington Magnum cases that were run through a .257Wby Mag FLS die then fireformed.
I loaded the 100gn Nosler Partition to 3500fps but once again, I never had a chance to try it on game. But I'm sure it would've killed like lightning.

Cheers,

Russ

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Have owned several .303's but only one .303/25 and that was built on a Japanese Arisaka action.
I never shot any game with it so can't comment on it's performance but I'm sure it would've been fine on pigs, goats etc...

I also owned a Weatherby Vanguard in .257 Weatherby Magnum which proved to be a very accurate rifle.
To save money, I used 7mm Remington Magnum cases that were run through a .257Wby Mag FLS die then fireformed.
I loaded the 100gn Nosler Partition to 3500fps but once again, I never had a chance to try it on game. But I'm sure it would've killed like lightning.

Cheers,

Russ

@Badboymelvin
Russ you missed 2 golden opportunities with the 25s. The one on the Arisaka action would have been something to take bush and not worry about it getting scratches. The old three o 25 is a quintessential Aussie cartridge that could be loaded to equal the 257 Roberts on s Mauser action. So just look at it like a rimmed Roberts.
The weatherby would have been brilliant
Bob

 

[yumastepside]

Like most Aussie shooters I had a No 1 Mk111 in 303-25, great for 'roos and foxes with the 100 grainers, and I had a 25-06 in an M17, the thing would shoot a mile but the heaviest bullet you could get was 120 gr.
At the moment I have in my Enfield selection, a No 1 Mk111 in 257 Roberts rimmed ( 7x57 rimmed cases left over from a combination BRNO I had ) that I am about to re-stock.......

One of its previous incarnations..I was also thinking about making a Martini Cadet stalking rifle in 25-35.

Roger

 

[Cervus elaphus]

I will give a brief rundown on my latest project.
I bought a sporterized No.4 Enfield for $150. The headspace was WAY out so I decided to have fun and re barrel it something else.
In a post asking for ideas, @Bob Nelson 35Whelen said he had a barrel in 303-25 and some properly head stamped brass.
Once I got the barrel installed I loaded 20 rounds with Sierra 100 grain game kings on a minimum load of H4350. Using the fine military “peep” sight I was able to print 2 inch groups at 100 yards with it. It is shooting about a foot high at that range, with the elevation maxed out. I think I will remove the “peep” sight, and use the excellent barrel mounted sight. I plan to install a scope eventually. I’m thinking a 3x9.
I will post more pictures when I get the chance, as well as Chrono results and groups.
View attachment 404570

Very popular wildcat caliber in Australia Wyatt, lovely rifle you have

 

[Cervus elaphus]

Congrats on the build - Good looking rifle!


@Bob Nelson 35Whelen - I sure like my Remington 700 25-06 shooting 120 grain Nosler partitions or 117 grain Sierra Gamekings. Good medicine for whitetail & antelope. Never had an issue with either.

Yeah the 25-06 really does rip along and is pretty common around these parts

 

[Badboymelvin]

@Badboymelvin
Russ you missed 2 golden opportunities with the 25s. The one on the Arisaka action would have been something to take bush and not worry about it getting scratches. The old three o 25 is a quintessential Aussie cartridge that could be loaded to equal the 257 Roberts on s Mauser action. So just look at it like a rimmed Roberts.
The weatherby would have been brilliant
Bob

Hi Bob,

The Arisaka was a bit of a clunker so I don't really miss it but the .257 Wby was a nice rifle.
It was the 'Delux' model and had a really nice stock but alas, it wouldn't feed the second round out of the mag.
The round would kinda pop up and then jam the action. That's why I ended up selling it.
But thinking about it now, I would've sold it anyway as deer hunting is my passion - especially Sambar, and the .257 Wby (and the .303/25) aren't legal in Vic.
That's why I have settled on the .338WM (and the .458WM) as being the perfect cals for me

Cheers,

Russ

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Hi Bob,

The Arisaka was a bit of a clunker so I don't really miss it but the .257 Wby was a nice rifle.
It was the 'Delux' model and had a really nice stock but alas, it wouldn't feed the second round out of the mag.
The round would kinda pop up and then jam the action. That's why I ended up selling it.
But thinking about it now, I would've sold it anyway as deer hunting is my passion - especially Sambar, and the .257 Wby (and the .303/25) aren't legal in Vic.
That's why I have settled on the .338WM (and the .458WM) as being the perfect cals for me

Cheers,

Russ

@Badboymelvin
I remember reading about Len Richardson back in the day say in g the three O 270 was to much gun for sambar so he went with the 243/303 and 90 grain sakos and thought it was the ducks guts for sambar. Now for some reason we need a lot bigger. My last one was with a 270 and 130 grain ACPs.
Bob

 

[Badboymelvin]

@Badboymelvin
I remember reading about Len Richardson back in the day say in g the three O 270 was to much gun for sambar so he went with the 243/303 and 90 grain sakos and thought it was the ducks guts for sambar. Now for some reason we need a lot bigger. My last one was with a 270 and 130 grain ACPs.
Bob

I remember him!
And if I remember correctly he was the guy who used to ride a little motorcycle through the bush/ scrub after deer!
As you said he liked the .303/243 for sambar hunting and I'm sure it served him well, but all things considered I prefer my .338WM...
But getting back to the .303/25, I'd love to get a .303/25 EPPS in a nice strong front-locker and really wring it out to see what it could do...

 

[bruce moulds]

len was known as the "doyen of deerhunters".
he thought the 243 cal was good for him, but other hunters needed a bigger calibre?
i think his bike was a postman's bike slightly modified.
that was back in the day when deer whereabouts were a dark secret, privy to a select few.
bruce.

 

[Dr Ray]

Yeah the 25-06 really does rip along and is pretty common around these parts

25/06 is a great cartridge. I used the 120 grain Bullets.