laststandonzombieisland

The last of the CMP military surplus M2 .30 caliber ball (150 grain 30.06) ammo is being cleared out of the warehouses in Anniston. This primarily means 1970s Greek made HXP (Pyrkal) ammunition, (CMP told me they bought 25 million rounds of the stuff years back and are down to the last 20K). However, I was lucky enough to pick up some Norwegian AYR-marked stuff made in 1954 that is still factory loaded on stripper clips and stuffed in OD bandoliers.

Mmmm. You have to admit, this stuff looks good for 63 years old.

Does it shoot?

Heck yeah– though it is corrosive, which just means you need to clean your stuff after shooting.

My 3.1 series Springfield M1, born in Sept. 1944. He loves AYR Norwegian

So why did the Norwegians bottle up a 30.06 brew? Well, they did adopt the M1 for several years in the late 1940s and 50s (the Norwegian King’s Guard still carries and shoots them) and kept them in reserve until very recently.

Plus, as noted below by Ian with Forgotten Weapons, the Norwegians inherited something like 250,000 German K98 8mm Mausers from their former occupiers, most of which were re-barrelled to 30.06 in 1953 and pressed into service as “K98KF1” rifles.