.30-06 Cases AYR Headstamp

[JackEllis]

Yesterday I picked up about 40 spent .30-06 cases with the headstamp AYR 54. On cartridgecollectors.com it says they were produced in Norway, apparently for some sort of automatic weapon (cartridges in belts was the clue).

*I* don't think there's any reason they could not be reloaded for a .30-06 bolt gun but I'd rather ask than end up in the hospital.

[fguffey]

Yesterday I picked up about 40 spent .30-06 cases with the headstamp AYR 54. On cartridgecollectors.com it says they were produced in Norway, apparently for some sort of automatic weapon (cartridges in belts was the clue).

In the late '30s one 30/06 round was used on all 30/06 chambers, today reloaders would struggle to find that information. Starting with the M1 Garand, In the beginning the M1 had a modified chamber meaning it had additional clearance. reloaders today claim there was no way the old guys could hold tolerance that close. The old M1 Garand chamber has additional clearance that was listed as .00028", the rational was listed for ease of chambering and extraction.

Today? Reloaders are unaware of the old chamber and now use the same reamer for bolt guns and auto feed, and then they go for the small base die. I have small base dies, some of my small base dies are stamped BAR for browning Automatic Rifle.

F. Guffey

[fguffey]

And then there is always that; "what were the cases fired in?". The answer when the reloader has a failure to size is always; "Machine gun fired". and now we are back to trying to determine what the cases were fired in. The cases would chamber in a bolt gun with a 30/06 chamber, the case would chamber in an a rifle with auto feed. The problem with sizing comes when trying to return the case to minimum size/full length size after having been fired in an auto feed rifle.

F. Guffey

[Divernhunter]

Make sure they are boxer primed.
I have sized many cases that were fired on full-auto. Some rifles needed small base dies others did not. Some of the brass would not size and after awhile I learned the feel of one that would end up a stuck case before it happened and just tossed it. Early on my stuck case remover got a lot of use. I used a number of lubes but early on mostly the pad with RCBS lube. The results were/are the same no matter what lube I have used but the Hornady spay stuff was really bad. This was especially true on a large box of 5.56 that was fired full auto in the early 1970's.

[rdfact]

CMP sold some 30-06 AP ammo a few years ago. I think they had HXP and AYR. I bought a can and received all AYR. They are Berdan primed.

[kurac]

I can confirm that AYR headstamped 30-06 is made in Norway, Berdan primed and corrosive.