When rifles and ammunition were sold for European consumption/use, were they labeled 30-06 or 7.62x63. What about now?

They are labeled .30/06.

Can't tell you about markings however, as far as the various names or designations of cartridges I refer you to http://www.municion.org/Menu/Fc00.htm

Oberndorf Mausers usually are stamped
"U.S. 1906"

My Sauer 202 is marked ".30-06 Spr.".

The 30-06 is always called a 30-06, never a 7,62x63.

quote:

Originally posted by jaegerfrank:
The 30-06 is always called a 30-06, never a 7,62x63.

If that is in fact the case, why did Fábrica Militar Fray Luis Beltran, headstamp all of the ".30-06" with 7.62x63???



For that matter, Hirtenberger stamped some of their ammunition with both .30-06 and 7.62x63 and many other manufacturers simply stamped 7.62 on the head with the date.

I have probably looked at 300 or more rifles in caliber 30-06 since I first moved to Europe in 2003. This times move is no different.

If I saw a 7.62x63 It would make me jump 10 feet.

Does France still have the 30/06 on the ban, cannot use military list?

Mauser and other German makers historically marked their rifles as US 30 cal
It was only later that they went to the 30-06 caliber designation.

My statement was referring to civil i.e. hunting ammo not military. Obviously there might be some odd military ammo around , same thing as 7,62x5. Even the 338 Lapua is sometimes in military circles described in metric figures...but as I stated in civilian or commercial use: 30-06.

quote:

Originally posted by jaegerfrank:
My statement was referring to civil i.e. hunting ammo not military. Obviously there might be some odd military ammo around , same thing as 7,62x5. Even the 338 Lapua is sometimes in military circles described in metric figures...but as I stated in civilian or commercial use: 30-06.

Maybe that is what you are referring to however, all civilian ".30-06" ammunition even made in the U.S. has not always carried the .30-06 designation on the headstamp.

quote:

Originally posted by LHeym500:
Does France still have the 30/06 on the ban, cannot use military list?

The .30-06 Springfield is allowed since september 6th 2013 and now it is the best selling caliber
There are just 5 calibers which are still forbidden for hunting in France and we need to obtain a special autorisation to buy and use them on targets : .223 Remington, 5.45x39, 7.62x39, .50 Browning and the 14.5x114 Russian.

Thank you Kevin375.

We always referred to the European 30-06 as the . . . 8x57

As noted, all recent versions I've seen and own are labeled 30-06.

In days gone by you will find this:


But actually near almost 30-06 (Spr).
Especially the rifles were - and are- so marked.

Interestingly the case head of that DWM load was stamped:

Yes the ammo was marked 30-06 but early mausers were not

There is a very interesting link between Mauser and the USA and the possibility of Mauser building Springfields under contract for the military just as Luger submitted Lugers for testing when the 45 govt was finally accepted

Yes the Commercial Mausers were stamped :
U.S.1906
but very often an additional stamp:
7,6 (+ or not an S) on the barrel or the receiver ring.

It is often overlooked that the ".30-06" of today is simply a slang term that has come into common usage. In fact the correct name as given by the military developers is Cartridge, caliber .30 Model of 1906. This kept it differentiated from the earlier Models of 1901 and 1903.

When the cartridge was initially adopted as a civilian sporting round much of that nomenclature initially followed.

Remington's early box was labeled .30 Springfield Model 1906 and Winchester's Silvertip was labeled .30 Government '06. Maybe what brought about the beginning of .30-06.

Headstamps were similar.





Just as we ask for a Kleenex rather than a tissue, through usage the .30-06 has become the standard label.

My FN Sporter (3 digit serial #) is marked .30 EU

That is interesting. Never have seen or heard of that one. I wonder how they knew way back when it was made that there would be an European Union???

EU (Etats Unies - United States ).
They ceased that designation in 1948.