Almost killed myself!

[Combat-wombat]

Well, we were going to try out our old FN-49 that we had never shot at the SLO THR shoot last Saturday. Some of the markings on the inside of the gun looked sorta Arabic, so I just assumed it was an Egyptian 8mm, the most common kind here in the US. Of course, there was the big "AL" on the top of thr receiver, but I thought nothing of it.

So, we take it to the shoot with a box of 8mm. We left it on the rach and shot handguns a while (like Skunkabilly's infamous Carbon Fiber Beretta), and a nice RO walking along said, "Hey, whose FN is that?"
"Uh, Mine" I replied. "Cool!" He examined it went on saying he owned a couple of them and that our model from Luxembourg was more rare than the... wait a sec...
"WHAT?" Our model is from freakin' Luxembourg??? "That would mean it's in 30.06, right?!?"

"Yep."

Holy crap!

We just about shot 8mm Mauser through a 30.06!


That really scared me, but now it's cool because the gun is in 30.06 so it is way more tactical and we don't have to worry about corrosive ammunition, right?

That's the question. Do I have to worry about corrosive surplus ammo, or can I trust that when they say "Non-Corrosive" they mean it? Also, what's the best bargain on 30.06 out there? Where can I find the best deals?

 

[Third_Rail]

FN-49s come in three flavors that I've seen.... 30-06, 8mm, and 7.62x51.

It sounds like you have the 8mm, so basically, relax.

30-06 isn't rimmed, 8mm IIRC is.

I don't think 30-06 would even cycle, would it?

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

I've examined the gun and it's definitely in good old '06.

your best bet as far as ammo would be newly manufactured factory ammo, as none of it is corrosive.

you should also probably send it in to a gunsmith type person to have it headspaced.

 

[Combat-wombat]

No, it's 30.06.
We ran a few rounds through it we borrowed from a guy at the range. Shot fine except for cycling problems, but those were most likely due to the lacquered finish on the casing. We are going to have it headspaced just to be safe, though.

 

[Ian]

You know what they say about assuming, don't ya? Sounds like the RO probably saved your butt (though I would guess that you'd have some difficulty cramming a 7.92 bullet in a 7.62 chamber).

 

[Dave Markowitz]

30-06 isn't rimmed, 8mm IIRC is.

No! Not only is the 8x57mm rimless, it's actually the case that the .30-06 was based upon.

 

[Newton]

I'll bet you were REALLY paying attention when you touched off that first 30-06.


Newton

 

[Combat-wombat]

huh?

 

[Third_Rail]

Thanks Dave, I have trouble remembering cartridge types.

 

[Steve E]

Hey Combat-wombat,

Back in the early to mid 70's I had a 125cc dirt bike from Hodaka that was called "Combat Wombat". Simple made bike but was tough as nails. I believe you would have had to work at it to tear it up. As far as your post is concerned I shot a 7-08 in my 308 Encore pistol, almost no recoil and I didn't even hit the target backing(2 ft x 3ft) much less the target at 100 yds.

Steve E............