Fear & Loading: .303 British Walls

by
posted on October 11, 2017
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
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

Ruger LC Carbine In 10 mm Auto
Ruger LC Carbine In 10 mm Auto

Review: Ruger LC Carbine In 10 mm Auto

Following the success of its .45 ACP-chambered LC Carbine, Ruger realized that this platform would go a long way toward making the 10 mm Auto more controllable and fun to shoot, and a new 10 mm version was released in 2024.

The Armed Citizen® July 14, 2025

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

Favorite Firearms: A Little Stevens From Chicago

"Over the next five or six years, and before I went off to college, I fired hundreds and hundreds of rounds of .22 BB Caps, CB Caps, Shorts and Longs through this rifle."

Preview: Strike Industries T-Bone Charging Handle

The T-Bone from Strike Industries is an ideal fit for suppressed applications, as it can be configured by the user to redirect gas blowback entirely to either side ...

New For 2025: Weatherby Model 307 Range XP 2.0 & Alpine ST Rifles

Weatherby's Model 307 bolt-action rifle opens up a world of aftermarket components to consumers, thanks to its Model 700 receiver footprint, and the company now has two new models for hunters and sport shooters.

Preview: Thunderbolt To The Rebels | The United States Sharpshooters In The Civil War

Author Darin Wipperman provides a tantalizing glimpse into the world of Berdan’s sharpshooters during the American Civil War.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.