Vintage Westley Richards .303 Fixed Lock Double Rifle
The British .303 cartridge was at one time a favourite choice for the small bore double rifles being built by the great rifle makers of the pre First World War years. Its great benefit was that it was the service round of the British Army which with its vast Empire meant ammunition of some description was always available. The majority of double rifles were regulated for the 31 grain cordite cartridge firing a 215 grain soft point bullet. This was a very effective load on small to medium game, solid nickel bullets were even capable of taking large and dangerous game in the right hands.
Ned Cowell on April 25, 2017 at 9:53 am
Dear Trigger
That is absolutely charming. I shoot Lee Enfield service rifles and I have a particular fascination with the .303 as a sporting cartridge. I love the thought of a double rifle suitable for ‘ordinary’ deer sized game. The checkered side panels on these rifles always draw my eye – fantastic.
I believe that the army would use boiling water to clean the bore as a means of combating the destructive effect of the original cordite/mercuric primer ammunition. Is the item in the case a cranked funnel to be used for this purpose, or is it something else?
I also note that the ammunition in the picture is the later military Mk VIIz type – does Kynoch still make this, or is it just an old box in nice condition? Does it shoot this ammunition ok, in spite of being regulated with the 215 grain load?
Final question before I stop pestering you: How often do you come across rifles chambered for your proprietory .375/.303 round. I ask because you mention the desire for alternatives to military rounds, and I understand from an older post, and other material that I have read, that this was effectively a longer version of the military cartridge that gave superior ballistics with the same bullets. It seems to have been short lived, but it must have been a superb round!
Many thanks for another great post – I can now continue my working the day with a big smile on my face!
All the best
Ned
David Hodo on April 26, 2017 at 11:40 am
Ned,
In response to your question about using boiling water for rifle cleaning in years past, even though though your post references corrosive primers as the reason…..When I left Iraq in 2009 as an International Police Officer, I was told to make a final cleaning of my modern day M4 by field stripping it and taking it in a hot shower! This was not only for the bore but for any accumulation of dust and sand which had worked its way into every crevice over time. It worked very well. Lay in the Iraqi sun for initial drying, then give it a good detailed oiling. Rifle would be like new and very clean! This is the only time I can recall of being told to take a weapon into a hot shower during my military and police career! Thanks for your informative post!
David Hodo
Chris Buckingham on April 26, 2017 at 11:37 am
You have brought another superb rifle back into the daylight for us to drool over. The 303 ,when used with the 215 grn bullet is a very capable caliber, coupled with the fact that serving Officers would have access to unlimited ammunition ,this must have made it a popular choice, I have a G,Gibbs Farquharson in 303, and it is a very handy ,light weight rifle, that could be carried all day, the double must handle very fast and point like a wan. Many thanks for showing us this gem !
Larry on April 26, 2017 at 10:50 am
Very cool rifle. I love the bolted safety and the case!!! You’re really getting some brilliant vintage guns through, these days!!!
Keith on April 27, 2017 at 8:38 pm
Guns from a more civilized age!
.303 is everything that the .308, 7mm and 8 mm Mauser are in the hunting field,. And like the .308, .303 will penetrate deeper in game than the .30-06 when loaded with the same weight bullets. Sighted at 250 yards and shooting to 300, the.303 is within half a minute of the trajectory of the 7mm Remington mag with the same weight bullets.
As a heavy machine gun round, both .303 Mkvii and 8mm Lebel Balle D, had approximately 50% greater range for laying down a barrage than the .30-06 and the .30-06 M2 ball loading. .303 mkviii had even better long range performance. During the war that made the world safe for Lenin, Trotsky, Benito Mussolini, Hitler, Generalissimo Franco… The .303 mk vii, also had approximately 50% greater effective (and Max) range compared to the military loading of 8×57 IS
With the correct bullet for the job (assuming that it regulates in that lovely double), a properly loaded .303 (not a load castrated by American factories and propaganda) will handle Eland, moose and big reds (and elk) as well as any “modern” chambering, and better than most.
Years ago, there was a solitary round of .303 with a Leslie Taylor copper capped bullet, in my father’s gun cabinet. I can’t recall what the headstamp was, and don’t know what happened to it.