akbound

Hi eldequello,

That one I think I did know, with the .30/30 being I think either the first or one of the first all truly sporting cartridges to be loaded with smokeless. But the designation was a holdover from the black powder era. (Which is why Winchester chose to chamber for the very similar .32 Winchester Special...with its slower 1/16" twist....so people that wanted to load with black powder...could.) And many earlier American cartridges were known originally by that method of nomenclature. (Though many were simply originally known by caliber and case length.) And I think the .303 went from blackpowder to cordite?!?

Like vapo said......can get very confusing, (but I find it interesting)!

Thanks again!

bobo21

Question? I have an original U.S Military 1903 Springfield issued .30-06. Based on the serial number only how can I tell what year it was actually made? Also the gun has been fired thousands upon thousands of times. How does a person check for barrel wash? Can I assume that since it is an original .30-06 that it was made in 1906?

The gun has been sporterized new stock, bedded, floated, non military issued scope etc.. it shoots 5 shot groups of less than 1.5" at 100 yards.

Briman

The '03 springfields were made from around 1903 to 1944 (I think). There are several different versions of the same rifle: Rod bayonet, 1903, 1903 mk 1, 03A3, 03A4, and I'm probably missing one or two in between.
The only way you will be able to tell of the year it was made is by the serial number. Go to this site http://www.armscollectors.com/srs.htm find the right make of your rifle (remington, springfield, smith corona) and enter the serial number. It should give you a date of manufacture, or when it was used by a government agency last at least.

bobo21

Thanks Briman thats some great information.

Jason

coolbrze0

Here's another one? What about a 7mm-08? What does that mean?

akbound

Hi coolbrze0,

7mm designates the caliber
08 (the cartridge case was derived from the .308 Winchester)

No rhyme or reason!

keylargo

I don't think that anyone has mentioned that the 03 was originally chamberd for the 30-03 cartridge that was dropped in favor of the 30-06 and the guns were rechamberd. Ofcourse finding one in 03 is almost as hard as finding one with a Pederson device that made the gun an automatic.
And if you want to really screw up a new shooter get into all the rounds named for their inventer such as the 257 Roberts.

akbound

Hi keylargo,

Or the ones named for their supposed inventors, ie. the .35 Whelen, (which was actually invented by his subordinate Howe).

Or explain that the .470's came out in response to the illegality of .450's which were the main British military caliber at that time in colonial Africa and Asia.

Or that the 5.56 NATO and the .223 Remington are one and the same, (ditto the 7.62 NATO - .308 Winchester).

We could "s***w" up a newbie's head for a long time. (But that would be like setting a new shooter behind a .378 Weatherby for their first shot.....and then wondering why they dislike shooting!)