Sako Ammunition .303BR

[sserlachius]

Hi Alpine Hunter,

I am not collecting ammunition but after seeing your collection and not recognizing the .303 I thought this
picture will give you energy to continue......:smile: .....F.y.i it was not easy to find the ammo and the Sako guy who
found them for me asked me to wear protective glasses when I try the first ones....I don't know if he mistrusted the rifle or the ammo.....

Cheers, SS

 

[stonecreek]

The photo is a little too dark to see the rifle well, but it looks like a Lee-Enfield or perhaps Lee-Metford sporter rather than a "sporterized" military rifle. Illuminate for us!

 

[sserlachius]

Yes, Stonecreek. It's a Lee-Metford sporter. - I was lucky to find the old Sako ammo for it (180gr bullet; from the 70's ?) with
which this rifle shoots superbly (I found the rifle in Brisbane, Australia in 1986. I have been trying to put together its history
before that, but it has proved to be quite difficult. The "manufacturer", Westley Richards has no records of it).

SS

 

[stonecreek]

I'm not sure, but I think at one point in the movie "The Ghost and the Darkness" Val Kilmer's character (Col. Patterson) was carrying a Lee-Metford equipped with an action dust cover when hunting for the man-eating lions. He came upon one of the lions and choked, never firing a shot, which was probably a good thing since a lion can likely do a lot of damage even after being fatally shot with a .303.

 

[sserlachius]

You are right. In the film he is using a Lee-Metford sporter.
The .303 Lee-Metford/Enfield sporters (or Lee-Speed´s) were quite popular with British officers/hunters in Africa and India at the beginning of the previous century.
Once in Addis, Ethiopia I found a history book with photos of the rulers prior to Haile Selassie. Most of them are photographed with rifles, of which many were Lee-Metford sporters.

 

[stonecreek]

The Lee-Metford in the film was most likely the Real McCoy. There are a couple of large Hollywood prop houses which have an incredible variety and volume of genuine, original firearms which the rent for movie production.

 

[paulsonconstruction]

Stone: You never cease to amaze me. For years I thought I was the only person that knew it was a Lee-Metford in that movie. Had one, but as you have said, I am still kicking my self in the a#$ for selling it!! Classic rifle!! It was like the one in the picture but didn't have the sling attachments & was set up with a peep sight. Not sure I would go after a lion with it, but they were just a little stouter than most of us today.

 

[L-46]

Not sure of the complete history, but a small number of Lee Enfield .303's, where sent from Australia to the Sako factory, in the Fifties to have new barrels fitted. We had thousands and thousands of these rifles surplus after the war.
They had a Sako barrel and sights fitted, identical to that on a L57 sporter and then all the wood re fitted around the barrel. There was no bayonet fitting.
It had the Sako proof stamp and inspectors mark, on the barrel and receiver
I am not sure what calibers they produced, the only one i have seen was in .243, here is the hang tag.
I believe a letter was written for the Finnmark about these rifles,in the '80's, but i have never read it.

L-46

 

[sserlachius]

L-46,

These I guess were all the military versions and sporterized such. In the 80´s when I toured a lot of gunshops in Australia
I only found this "Lee-Speed" sporter, which the shop owner gave me almost free referring to the worn out rifling.
Eventually the rifling was confirmed to be the "Metford" or polygonal rifling and in excellent shape.....just luck....
SS

 

[iwanna]

Polygonal rifling being sold as worn-out rifling. Don't you just love when that happens? 'Course I hated it when I sold a Remington 700 Classic in .243 without knowing there's no such thing. (Factory prototype. Very rare.) Cuts both ways, huh?

 

[alpine hunter]

A very interesting rifle and box. Thanks for posting.

 

[deersako]

Interesting thread guys.
L46 that is a very cool hang tag !