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A venerable rifle |
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jonoMT
Optics Master Extraordinaire Joined: November/13/2008 Location: Montana Status: Offline Points: 4853 |
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Posted: October/20/2014 at 14:41 |
According to
http://metronews.ca/news/canada/1187420/lee-enfield-rifle-phased-out-by-canadian-military-after-100-years-of-service/ the Lee-Enfield, which was being used as an effective, reliable protection against polar bears (hey, it's Canada) rather than a military weapon is finally being retired. |
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Reaction time is a factor...
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cheaptrick
MODERATOR Joined: September/27/2004 Location: South Carolina Status: Offline Points: 20844 |
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I didn't know the Canadian's still had them in service. Wow.
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If at first you don't secede...try..try again.
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Son of Ed
Chuck Norris Joined: June/18/2011 Location: TEXAS Status: Offline Points: 122166 |
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Most of the big game in Africa was taken with 303s during the last 100 years. The most common rifle around.
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Visit the Ed Show
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SVT_Tactical
MODERATOR Chief Sackscratch Joined: December/17/2009 Location: NorthCackalacky Status: Offline Points: 31233 |
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Last Wednesday they did a special on them on Midways gun special show. Showed them still in use and everything
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"Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be" - Abraham Lincoln
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magshooter1
Optics Professional Joined: August/27/2008 Location: El Dorado, AR Status: Offline Points: 827 |
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I've got an Australian made one my Grandfather sporterized back in the 50's or 60's. Remember him telling me he paid like $17.50 for it. Quite accurate actually.
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Some people are educated BEYOND their intelligence.
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jonoMT
Optics Master Extraordinaire Joined: November/13/2008 Location: Montana Status: Offline Points: 4853 |
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That would be cool to see a picture of.
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Reaction time is a factor...
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koshkin
MODERATOR Dark Lord of Optics Joined: June/15/2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 13181 |
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I've got a Lee-Enfield and it is a neat old rifle.
Still, I have seen a polar bear or two and I would much prefer a main battle tank with some air support if I had to face one. ILya
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Tip69
Optics Master Extraordinaire Tip Stick Joined: September/27/2005 Location: Nebraska Status: Offline Points: 4155 |
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ILya.... alll you need for a polar bear is a smoke pole... just ask Jim Shockey!
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take em!
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Son of Ed
Chuck Norris Joined: June/18/2011 Location: TEXAS Status: Offline Points: 122166 |
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Lots of polar bears have been shot with 6.5X55 Swedish Mausers as well as thousands of MOOSE ( Elk ) in Scandinavia.
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Visit the Ed Show
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anweis
Optics Master Joined: January/29/2006 Status: Offline Points: 1148 |
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I've worked in polar bear country for a few years. We always went in teams of 3 people. One to actually do the work, perhaps with just a little help for a second or two from the other two, The other two carried a shotgun and a rifle. The shotgun was loaded with, in this order: some sort of whistling flare, two shells with rubber bullets, and 2 lead slugs. The rifle was almost always a Sako or Husqvarna 6.5x55 loaded with Norma heavy 160 grain round nose bullets, or such. All team members had to pass a " three shots into a pie plate at 50 meters off-hand" test. Sounds easy at the bench, try that with barking dogs and charging bears and screaming people around you. We used the 6.5 because of lower recoil and that;s what they gave us.
The polar bears cannot be "read", their behavior rarely shows any indication of intent to attack. They charge from 100 meters away or more and they do so extremely fast. Two pairs of eyes are needed to watch in all directions at all times. In rolling terrain they are very skilled at stalking out of sight, they can be on top of you before you detect them. We tried dogs as deterrent, but that attracted the bears and got the dogs killed. I was never charged, but we had one team that had to shoot a very hungry and emaciated female. They shot her with the 6.5, bullet, went through the entire length of the bear, from chest to rear ham. Can't remember if it exited or not. Had to file reports. We camped in camps surrounded by 3 concentric fences of electric wires rigged with loud sirens (loudspeakers that also played sounds of angry dominant male bears) and fireworks. Arctic foxes always tripped the alarms, could not sleep more than 3 hours at a time. Every 6th to 10th alarm was a curious or hungry bear, we shot them with rubber bullets and pepper spray. Most effective was the angry male sound. Quite a few team members quit early.
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bugsNbows
Optics God bowsNbugs Joined: March/10/2008 Location: North Georgia Status: Online Points: 11200 |
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Wow, that sounds rather adventurous!
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If we're not suppose to eat animals...how come they're made of meat?
Anomymous |
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jonoMT
Optics Master Extraordinaire Joined: November/13/2008 Location: Montana Status: Offline Points: 4853 |
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That does sound adventurous...and tense. |
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Reaction time is a factor...
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Peddler
Optics God Joined: July/04/2012 Location: Oswego,NY Status: Offline Points: 13526 |
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NOT!!!!!
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When you are dead, you don't know you are dead.It is difficult only for others.
It is the same when you are stupid. |
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anweis
Optics Master Joined: January/29/2006 Status: Offline Points: 1148 |
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[/QUOTE] summers only |
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Alan Robertson
Optics Master Joined: October/31/2009 Location: Oklahoma Status: Offline Points: 1763 |
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Can't use dogs because they eat the dogs? And you only bring 3 guys and 2 guns?
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"Garg'n uair dhuisgear"
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anweis
Optics Master Joined: January/29/2006 Status: Offline Points: 1148 |
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This was a large scale scientific survey project in the early 1980s. Almost all teams had women. The bear that i remember getting killed was shot by a female geology student from Germany.
Problem with dogs was that if we took one or two as guard dogs with us in the field they actually attracted bears and there were more bear sightings when dogs were present. If we kept them in the permanent camp they barked their brains out 24/7 at every fox and everything else and did not keep the bears away from the fenced camp. In my first summer there i hated the dogs more than the bears. I think the scariest i ever experienced was a large male following us for 25 miles, over a period of 2 days, always looking at us and sniffing from about 200 meters away. Later when i went to Africa in lion country i felt relaxed, by comparison. Until i found a black mamba. Back to the .303, i shot one and was surprised at how fast i could reload and fire again. I can't remember the sights, but i'd want a large peep for such a "bear rifle" Edited by anweis - December/09/2014 at 13:21 |
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anweis
Optics Master Joined: January/29/2006 Status: Offline Points: 1148 |
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with the regular service loads, the .303 does kick and jump, but it also puts down anything alive.
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koshkin
MODERATOR Dark Lord of Optics Joined: June/15/2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 13181 |
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SMLE is still one of the fastest bolt guns in existence. There is a biomechanical advantage to cock-on-closing actions.
A lot of the classic clabers do not get the credit they deserve, 303 being one of them. I am building myself a hunting rifle based on an old Mosin action made in 1896. The FrankenMosin is still a work in progress, but I like the 7.62x54R round and I think I will finish with this rifle by the end of January. ILya
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Alan Robertson
Optics Master Joined: October/31/2009 Location: Oklahoma Status: Offline Points: 1763 |
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http://polarbearscience.com/about-2/ When I was a boy, the Father of one of my friends had worked for a time in the Arctic and had brought back a .303 Lee- Enfield in a sealskin case- most impressive to us kids. |
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"Garg'n uair dhuisgear"
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anweis
Optics Master Joined: January/29/2006 Status: Offline Points: 1148 |
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Nope, but i read stuff written by her.
Koshkin, i also will be building a 7,62x54r sporter next year. Mine will be a single shot break open German style stalking rifle with double set trigger. The action is very strong, the wood stocks are very nice wood in good condition, but the barrel is rusted and shot out. I have a very old but unused new .3085" barrel blank with 1:10 twist that i suspect (i really don't know) was made in Belgium for the Finnish rifles but never built unto a rifle. The gentleman i bought if from was into mil surplus and he told me he bought that from one of the big suppliers. Will use that as a liner for the original tube. I already have Lapua brass, dies, and i can cast some pretty mean slugs. The rifle had German claw mounts. It looks like you still have the original barrel there on that nice old rifle. I had one in the past with a very large bore, and Hornady .312 bullets made for the .303 shot very well.
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