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Travel through France with rifle

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16 June 2002, 09:07
Deerdogs
Travel through France with rifle
The Universal Euro rifle thread got me thinking...

The French have a prohibition on military calibres.

Will this stop me driving through France on my way to a hunt in Austria?

I'll have my 8x57, a calibre that the French may well be wary of!
15 June 2002, 22:43
wildboar
I don't know if UK has signed the treaty about the "European firearm Pass", but if you have it, and if your 8x57 rifle is registered on the Pass, you will not have any problem to travel across France. In fact, 8x57, 30-06, 308w, 303British and some other calibres, are forbidden for hunting purposes, but not for target shooting. - Lorenzo
15 June 2002, 23:28
Deerdogs
Thank you Lorenzo,

This is exactly what I wanted to hear.

I have such a pass and I will make sure I carry it.
17 June 2002, 02:37
<Artemis>
quote:
Originally posted by Deerdogs:
The Universal Euro rifle thread got me thinking...

The French have a prohibition on military calibres.

Will this stop me driving through France on my way to a hunt in Austria?

I'll have my 8x57, a calibre that the French may well be wary of!

Deerdogs ,
be careful ! If the french get you with a caliber from their list of forbidden military calibers you�ll be rid of your rifle instantly !
That�s why I got a 270 Win for GB hunts instead of the 30.06 which I had first planned to use .
17 June 2002, 02:40
<Artemis>
quote:
Originally posted by wildboar:
I don't know if UK has signed the treaty about the "European firearm Pass", but if you have it, and if your 8x57 rifle is registered on the Pass, you will not have any problem to travel across France. In fact, 8x57, 30-06, 308w, 303British and some other calibres, are forbidden for hunting purposes, but not for target shooting. - Lorenzo

Lorenzo ,
I�m not quite sure ! A friend of ours travelled with a European Firearms Pass to the french border and planned to go from Germany through Alsace to the Swiss border and then to Austria . The French customs officers sent him right back with his military caliber and made him use the German streets southward . If you are right , this must be a very new rule .
17 June 2002, 03:33
Jiri
What a stupid law ???

What is danger of .30-06, .308win etc. ??? You can put the same AP bullet to 30-378 WBY, if "problem with penetrating police armor vests" is the key . . .

Oh my god . . . This is reason I don't like EU . . .

Jiri
17 June 2002, 03:41
BER007
Jiri,

What a stupid law ???
What is danger of .30-06, .308win etc. ??? You can put the same AP bullet to 30-378 WBY, if "problem with penetrating police armor vests" is the key . . .
Oh my god . . . This is reason I don't like EU . . .
Jiri
[/QUOTE]

Jiri, it is a reson for you to hate EU and I agree with you.

In Belgium, In France and other EU this is the same. In Belgium all military calibers even the .223 are restricted (not forbidden) you can hunt in Belgium with these calibers if you have the papers for it. Is it the same for military rifles, a FN Fal in 30/30 is restricted.
17 June 2002, 13:57
wildboar
I'm sure. The european firearm pass allows to travel across all EU with guns that are registered on it. Some restriction exist, but usually not for hunting rifles. I believe that the french custom officer that sent back the friend of Artemis, made a mistake and a misuse of authority. In France, 30-06, 8x57, 308w and 303 br.rifles are forbidden ONLY for hunting purposes; It is not forbidden to own such rifles (with the right licence). I know 1 or 2 french target shooters that own and shoot at the range with 308w competition rifles. Few weeks ago, some italian pistol shooters, came to a range not far from here, with their guns, in occasion of a shooting contest.
P.S.1 - I agree with Jiri. French gun laws are STUPID!
P.S.2 - Today I will try to get 101% sure informations from some french border Police colleagues. - Lorenzo
19 June 2002, 09:54
wildboar
Deerdogs, I have tried to get sure infos about travelling across France with so-called (in France) military caliber rifles like 308w, 30-06, 8x57 etc. but I couldn't find the 101% certainty. Some say "no problems" other say "no at all". I must admit that the better solution is to avoid travelling through France with such rifles.... I hope this will help - Lorenzo
22 June 2002, 07:10
<Artemis>
quote:
Originally posted by wildboar:
Deerdogs, I have tried to get sure infos about travelling across France with so-called (in France) military caliber rifles like 308w, 30-06, 8x57 etc. but I couldn't find the 101% certainty. Some say "no problems" other say "no at all". I must admit that the better solution is to avoid travelling through France with such rifles.... I hope this will help - Lorenzo

Lorenzo ,
what about asking the embassy or the ministery which is responsible ? They should give a correct answer ?!
22 June 2002, 09:00
Deerdogs
THank you all for the replies.

I have looked at the costs involved in crossing the Engish Channel and with fuel/toll roads in France it will cost me �400 to drive to Salzburg.

If I fly it will cost �150.

I will fly!
25 June 2002, 22:05
Scott Thornley
quote:
Originally posted by Jiri:

"problem with penetrating police armor vests" is the key . . .

Jiri

More likely it has to do with the fact that rifles in military calibers are able to use cheap, readily available military surplus ammunition. It would be much more difficult to to supply a rebel army that relied on rifles that shot .222, or 8x68 than it would for rifles that shot .223 or .30-06.

Regards,
Scott
25 June 2002, 22:33
<350RM>
Scott,

Our laws on guns are definitively meaningless, and we have stopped trying to find any justification to them apart from the motivation of our polititians to remove any firearm, period.
This military caliber stuff is just another stupidity, that's all...
olivier
25 June 2002, 23:05
BER007
350RM,
This military caliber stuff is just another stupidity, that's all...
[/QUOTE]

I agree with you. In my country is the same.

No real justifications.