Fear & Loading: .303 British Walls

by
posted on October 11, 2017
prescott.jpg
Twitter Photo/@TheDailyCourier


A few years ago, I inherited my father’s Lee-Enfield chambered in .303 British, which is why a recent headline out of Prescott, Ariz., caught my attention. When a contractor began demolition of an addition to a garage on a home originally constructed in 1926, he discovered the outside wall was built out of World War II-era .303 British cartridge boxes.

They were empty, although he said it was surprising just how stout the crates remained. Stampings on the wood indicated they were made in 1943 and held 1,248 cartridges when they shipped from the factory, one reason for the rugged construction.

The mystery on how the empty crates—built the year before the D-Day invasion—wound up being used for building material on a distant Arizona high desert plateau may never be solved conclusively. The explanation probably isn’t as “exotic” as a transcontinental voyage, though.

Rifles in that chambering were produced here in America for some time. Bruce Canfield’s look at manufacturing in the U.S. for British troops during the early stages of World War I offers one connection. Winchester and Remington made the 1914 Pattern rifle, but when our nation declared war, the existing machinery there was re-tooled to churn out .30-’06 versions for our doughboys.

During World War II, Savage made Enfield No. 4s chambered in .303 British for English troops, too. The contract was assumed by the U.S. government under the Lend Lease Act, and those rifles wear a “U.S. Property” stamp. My father’s sporterized version is one of more than a million in that production run. The rifle in that chambering was also used until recently in arctic regions of Canada—largely because it thrived in the hostile environment.

When all those surplus guns hit the market, they were inexpensive and quickly grew popular with hunters. Matching specimens in decent and unmodified shape are becoming rare, unfortunately, and prices reflect the scarcity. I bet more than a few collectors would have been willing to buy one of those boxes in Prescott, unfortunately the contractor destroyed most of them.  

Latest

Gotw 1854 Web
Gotw 1854 Web

Gun Of The Week: Smith & Wesson Model 1854

Welcome to another American Rifleman Gun Of The Week video, and this time we have a modernized American lever-action to take to the range. Meet the Smith & Wesson Model 1854.

New For 2025: Kimber 2K11

With its new 2K11, Kimber now has a dedicated design based on the 2011 concept that comes loaded with a number of added features.

The Armed Citizen® Nov. 22, 2024

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Red Fifty: The Soviet 12.7 mm DShK Heavy Machine Gun

While the Browning .50-cal. M2 machine gun has been unequaled for more than a century, John Moses Browning’s genius design has had one significant 12.7 mm competitor: the Soviet DShK.

Support The NRA Youth Education Summit (YES) On Giving Tuesday

With more than 1,200 students having graduated from the program and over $700,000 in scholarships awarded since 1996, NRA's YES is an immersive leadership program for high school students eager to learn about the foundations of our nation, the importance of civic engagement and the role of the Second Amendment.

Rifleman Review: Remington 360 Buckhammer

Remington Ammunition's 360 Buckhammer is a straight-wall hunting cartridge that's designed to give deer hunters an ideal round for their Midwestern hunt.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.