Gun of the Week

My old man has knocked over a few deer and moose in his time. One chilly autumn, at dusk, he spent two cartridges on an immature bull out near Fort St. John, off the Alaska Highway. As far as he tells it and as far as I, or anybody else has ever witnessed, that was the only time. Every other kill he ever made required only one shot.

Perhaps it is because of a Weaver 3x9x38mm riflescope or his Sako 85 chambered in 7mm Remington Magnum. Wrong. My dad'll park six blocks away to avoid paying for parking. Do you think he would shell out the thousands upon thousands of dollars required for a rig like that?

Pops bought a Lee Enfield .303 for 20 bucks back in the '60's and never once looked back. It came with a "sporterised" custom stock and the rear peep-sight was replaced with an open "v." I don't recall him ever once "sighting in" that rifle before a trip. He bought a leather sling for it and never once mounted a scope. He still has it locked away in the basement, having not seriously hunted game in over ten years.

The Lee Enfield was employed by the British service for over 60 years. The Canadian Rangers are still using the Lee Enfield .303 while keeping steadfast watch over our most Northern flank. I have not met a single serious gun owner who has not owned a .303 at one time in their lives. The gun, in all of its forms, survives in collections, hunter's gun cabinets and behind the seat backs of pickups all over the country. You can still pick them up cheap; my current all-round gun is a .303 with a vintage Weaver K6 that I picked up, as a package, for $150. Ever since the Canadian Government flooded the market with surplus Lee Enfields back in the fifties, every gun show and gun shop in the country has more then a few up for sale.

The gun's longevity is a testament to the gun's perfection. Like any military firearm, it is rugged and simple. The rear locking bolt system is quick and easy to operate. In anticipation of dirty battlefields, the chamber was made extra wide to allow for grimy operation. The ruggedness does not take away from the rifle's accuarcy, however. With open sights, my 70 year old rifle achieves modest, yet adequate, 1 inch, 5 shot, groupings at 100 yards. Like todays C7, when put into the hands of a trained rifleman, the Lee Enfield .303 does what is required. According to Wikipedia, freedom fighters of WWI and II could loose 20 to 30 rounds a minute with this bolt-action rifle. In WWI and II, that would be a lot of krouts. The Afghans used the .303 during their war against the Soviets. So the venerable rifle has taken its share of commies as well.


Along with every Western struggle, there is a piece of engineering and innovation that goes hand in hand with defeating tyrrany. This week's gun, the Lee Enfield .303 is the very symbol of that engineering and innovation. I've only touched on the history of this invaluable kit, go check out Wikipedia and learn something of your heritage as a freeborn Canadian.