This may have been previously discussed; if so, please excuse the ignorance--I have been on AR for 10 years but this is my first time on this forum (although I did hunt hill stags in Scotland a few years ago).

As my neighbor and I were working up loads for his 308 and my 30-06, the conversation turned to calibers used in Europe.

He asked what were the most popular calibers "on the continent," and while I guessed 7mm light and 9.3 heavy, I really didn't have an answer.

So, we'd be interested to know the most commonly used calibers by our friends "across the pond"--what is your equivalent, in popularity, of the 30-06, for instance? Or the 300 Win Mag?

I am personally a fan of the 7x57--is that used often for deer-sized animals?

Are the most popular calibers metrics, or have the various U.S. gunmakers pulled you to the dark side?

We'd appreciate an education on European rifle caliber preferences.

Thanks!

In the countries I have been and in the many talks with hunters, it would be the .30-06 and .308. The .300 Winchester is growing in popularity (seems like mostly young moose hunters).

When I have hunted in Europe with my 7x57, I had hell finding it. It is far, far easier to find it int he US. Did not need to buy ammo, but would just check in gunshops. Many younger, and more than a couple older, European hunters asked me what the hell a 7x57 was. They could tell you all about the '06 and .308 though.

BTW-never talked to hunters or went to gunshops while in France, but assume the '06, .308, and 7x57 would all be banned for hunting.

In Continental Europe, the 7x64 is very popular. But so are the .30-06, .308 and 8x57I(R)S (where legal).

- mike

In Sweden top 3.
308w
6,5*55
3006

Also popular 222r,9,3*62,8*57,9,3*57,358NM

Yeah, our equivalent to the 30/06 is the 30/06...

Of the rounds which originated in Europe, the 7x64,6.5x55 & 9.3x62 dominate in bolt guns.

In Germany are many calibers populare.
6,5x57, 7x57, 7x64, 8x57 and of course, the .308W and .30-06. But in the last year many new rifles where sold in the good "old ones", like 8x57 or 9,3x62.


Martin

I quite like the 30-06 and the 7mm
but can't really see a great difference between most of the other calibres out there
It's normally down to personal choice and which country you want to hunt as to wether they except either the calibre or bullet weight for the species you want to hunt
but 6.5x55 seems to be popular across the board from my limited knowledge on it all

243 and 308 I would say are the most popular in the UK

30-06 in Romania.

The caliber situation in Norway is very much like Sweden. In would guess appr. 80-90 % of the hunters use 6,5x55, .308 or .30-06.

Not uncommon to run into .222, 9,3x62, 7x57R or .300 WinMag in the last 10-20%.

Top 10 here in Iceland is:

243win
6.5x55
308win
270win
7mm rem mag
30-06
300win mag
6.5x284
7mm-08
7x64

Also very popular: 222, 223 and of course 9.3x62

Slovenian data:

quote:

Originally posted by Panzerschmied:
Does the 7.5x55 have a following outside Switzerland?

That would be marginal. It is popular in Switzerland, though. Not least because government subsidized ammo is available. People use this (FMJ) ammo for their range shooting, as well as for 300 m (330 yds) competition.

- mike

quote:

Originally posted by mouse93:
Slovenian data:

Those are very interesting numbers, Mouse. It is interesting to see, what one would normally consider popular cartridges (.270 Win, .300 Win Mag, 7mm Rem Mag, 9.3x62 etc), only figure in or below single digit percentiles. If you would have asked me up front, I would have imagined the numbers for these calibers would have been higher.

The numbers for the 7x64 and .30-06 are less of a surprise. There must be a bunch of older break-top (combination?) guns in Slovenia for the 7x57R to be as popular as it is. The 8x57IS is a classic mainstay of Central Europe, so no surprise there.

- mike

In Croatia:

8x57JS
30-06
7x64
8x68S
300WM
9.3x62
7x57R
7x65R

So you have a .308w that gives a 180gr bullet a speed of 780m/s and want to have a 7,5*55 who gives a 180gr bullet a speed of 780m/s.

In France I mostly see 7X64, 9.3X62 and 300 WinMag in bolt actions, and 8X57JRS and 9.3X74 in express rifles.

I am a bit surprised not to see the 8x68 Shuler mentioned. It and its little brother the 6,5x68 look like real hammers in terms of ballistics.
And no stinking belt!

Rich

Hallo,
I am a hunter from Germany and I have in my safe the 5,6x57, 7x64, 8x57IS, 8x68S, 9,3x62. My wife have a Mauser 66 in 7x57.
My friends takes 7x64(5),7x65R (5), 9,3x74R(3), 300 Win Mag(1), 30-06(5), 8x57IS(6), 8x57 IRS(4), 8x68S(3), 7x57R(1),30.R Blaser(2), 5,6x52R(1), 5,6x50R(3)

quote:

When I have hunted in Europe with my 7x57, I had hell finding it.

Certainly in France it is illegal along with 30-06 or 308.

Popular calibres in France are divided between bolt action, double rifle and the self-loading sporting rifles such as the Remington.

I'd say that 7x64, 300 Winchester Magnum, 8x57JRS, 7x65R, 7mm-08, 270 Winchester and, oddly but there because it is used in self-loading rifles, 280 Remington are popular in the medium calibres with maybe 7mm Remington Magnum.

hi boy
In Tuscany (Italy) for wild boar (sou scrofa) in semiautomatic rifle 30-06 308 and 9.3x62 in express 8x57 jrs or 9.3x74. In bolt action for daino (dama dama) capriolo (capreolus capreolus e cervo ( cervus elphus ) 270 Win, 7x64 30-06 and 7 mag

by

In Finland, approx. 75% of moose annually are taken with the .308, .30-06 and 7,62x53R. It occurs to me that less than one hunter in ten knows of any other caliber. Mention one and they'll ask "what is that?"

9,3x62 seems to be in one of its periodic comebacks (occasionally they're shelved because "the recoil will knock you down on your ass", and then in 20 years they again make a comeback).

6,5x55 is not too uncommon, but I had hell's own time finding any 8x57JS ammo.
Then, again, 8x57JRS and 7x57R are common enough in combos, as is the 9,3x74R in doubles (try to pry a pair of original Valmet double barrels out of the dead hands of one that owns a set).

As to smaller calibers, I really am no expert. The .222 seems to be quite common for birds.
I have yet to see a .270 and although I have seldom seem a .243 it seems to have a decent enough following among the smaller game hunters.

Of the magnums the .300 WM and .338 WM rule although I would not call either common.

- Lars/Finland

From what I've seen here in Germany, the 7 & 8 x 57's, 30-06 are very popular, then throw a few of the 308's, 9.3x62s in, and then once in a while the 300WM, 45-70, 7x64, 9x72, 30R types, Waidmannsheil, Dom.

If the Range's brass bin at the Gunshop where I shoot here in The Fatherland is any indication of cartridge & chambering popularity for hunters then it's pretty easy.

It's ALWAYS 75% - 80% full of a combination of .30/06 Springfield & .308 Winchester with the '06 at least 60& - 70% of that amount so there's no doubt in my mind that more .30/06 Sprg. gets shot at that range than any other cartridge - by far.

The remainder is in order of the amount of brass (opinions vary but I'm doing the sampling):

7mm&8mmX57's both rimmed & rimless.
9.3x62
.222 Rem.
22 Hornet
300 Win. Mag.
7x64 Brenneke
7x65R
.243 Win.
9.3x74R
and then the remainder of the usual suspects, 8x68, 6.5x55 & 6.5x57(R), 270 Win. and the odd 30R Blaser, 7mm Rem. Mag. & .338 Win. Mag.

Here in northern Germany the top-number is the .30/06, than the 7x64/65R, the 8x57I(R)S and the 9,3x62. Here in the region of the great Nato-trainingareas, the foresters often use the .308Win , some rifle-loonies like me favor the 8x60S/64S....
In the mountains of southern Germany the 6,5mm-calibers are very popular, same in Austria!