There are newer and better rifles out there.
But the British .303-calibre military rifle was a workhorse weapon for armed forces in Commonwealth countries for decades. As they were occasionally sold off as surplus equipment, they became popular rifles for hunting and farm use in Canada.
Since 2011, the St. Paul Fish and Game Association and St Paul Branch 100 of the Royal Canadian Legion have hosted a “.303 British” competition at the Fish and Game range. This year’s match was held on Sunday.
The event is popular among hunters and sport shooters.
“I think it’s the nostalgia of having a firearm that was used so many decades in the Commonwealth services,” said Russell Whitford, the event’s organizer. “Our parents and grandparents and even some of the shooters today held the .303 British rifle of some version in the defence of our country, and to be able to make it bark again, and to feel it, brings back a sense of connection to our history as a nation.”
There have been refinements to the design and manufacture of the rifles since they were introduced in the late 19th century, but to a casual observer they all look pretty much the same. And some of the very old guns still see regular use.
In fact, their reliability makes the historic old rifles almost unremarkable.
“From what I’ve seen today, we’ve got rifles that were very common in First and Second World Wars and in Korea. I don’t see anything that’s jumping out,” Whitford said on Sunday.
The competition is held on a 50-metre range. Sunday’s weather was probably more typical of fall hunting season than a midsummer day in the Lakeland, and Whitford said the weather and the different shooting techniques between hunting and sport shooting can affect scores.
It’s not so much that the rain will affect a bullet’s trajectory, he said, but cool temperatures and rain might affect the shooter’s comfort and patience while setting up to fire.
Many of the participants were hunters who don’t spend an undue amount of time practicing, Whitford said. The short 50-metre distance is a bit of an equalizer for novices and for shooters who aren’t accustomed to sport shooting technique.
“There’s four parts to every shot,” he said. “Your breathing, your body position, your sight alignment, then your trigger control. If any one of those are out to lunch, then you’re not going to get the shot you wanted.”
Hunters know to use tree branches or whatever is at hand to help them steady their shot. In competition, no such artificial support is permitted. “It’s all muscle and skeleton,” Whitford said.
Trophies are awarded for the best score in four categories. Sunday’s winners were:
Any stock, iron sights: Neil Vogt, 166/200
Any stock, any sight: Al Harris, 177/200
Original issue: Russell Whitford, 183/200
Team score: Kieran Huser and Gord Smereka,
273/400
