The 303 British was the standard service cartridge throughout Great Britain and her colonies for an amazing 7X years. It was introduced in 1888 in the Lee Metford rifle, a compressed blackpowder load soon transitioned to smokeless. The 303 British was retained in the Lee Enfield, introduced in 1895 and retained through the 1950s. The original smokeless load was a 215-grain round-nose bullet at 1970 feet per second, later changed to a 174-grain spitzer at 2440. As a rimmed cartridge the 303 British was chambered in numerous fine single-shots, some double rifles, and a few early commercial bolt-actions. Ruger recently made a run of Number One single-shots in 303, but it is rare in new rifles. On the other hand, surplus Lee Enfields remain in common use among hunters throughout the British Commonwealth and former colonies, and 303s are still widely employed by police and militia. Ammunition continues to be loaded by most manufacturers.
