Romanian 30-06 AP

[jon m.]

I recently purchased some 30-06 ammunition from a local gunstore. The head stamp is "22 [over] 74". I know that 22 was a Romanian manufacturer and that 74 means 1974.

Well while shooting some of them I discovered something.....that they have a steel core!!! Obviously meant for military usage.

My question is: Has anyone else ever come across communist military ammunition of a NATO caliber? [Other than Norinco].

[Granate]

Yep, the former Yugoslavia had both NATO and Warsaw Pact ammo for their military. There were others in the Warsaw Pact that did this too, but there names escape me right now

[mkb42h]

czechoslovakia made 7.62 nato for export, zv on headstamp? but 30.06 isn't actually a nato caliber. the us gov't contracted ivi in canada to make 7.92x 57 and 9mm for the bay of pigs invasion as well as 7.62 x 39 (though not sure that was ivi).the upshot is many countries have produced ammo for weapons they don't technically use.

[Johnnie]

I have seen 7.62X39mm ball with LC (US) headstamps. Brass cased.

Johnnie

[copdoc]

the us gov't contracted ivi in canada to make 7.92x 57 and 9mm for the bay of pigs invasion

I did not know this. What guns were used in 7.92x57? Was it marked like the US ABC series ammo?

[Granate]

Back during the Vietnam War South Korea and the USofA produced 7.62x39mm for SOG, SEALS, LRRP's and Rangers. Around 1967 I believe it was Lake City that started produceing the ammo first because we had captured allot of AK's, SKS's, RPD's, and RPK's without much ammunition to go with them. When these special warfare groups began using these rifles we had to do something. Allot of these rounds were produced without a headstamp and not because of the operation being a "secret squirrel" type, but because the headstaping machinery broke here in the US during manufacter and before someone discovered it there were already allot made and shipped to Vietnam.

Just FYI

Also we bought mags from Taiwan and South Korea who agreed to produce them for us.

[copdoc]

I have seen the 7.62X39 and others made without head stamp and I have a box of Winchester 7.92mm made for China with Chinese and English on box. I am interested in the weapons used at the Bay o Pigs and had not seen any 7.92mm guns or ammo used there.

Here are some pics from the museum.
Cuban patriot with M1917


M1917/ammo/ 2506 patch/ BN 3/40 bandolier
I unloaded the ammo from the gun. Kind of interesting.


BN 3/40ammo from above (A and C series also made to look like European ammo but it is obviously US )






Alex recognize the shirt
Curator from the museum. He was a bazooka man (3.5") at the Bay of Pigs and was captured. He was in a Cuban jail until the US traded food and medical supplies for the prisoners.

[mkb42h]

9 mm was marked: 9 MM 45 in 3 position layout
7.92 " " 7.92 MM 45

IVI made subsonic 9mm marked: ivi (nato emblem) 68 w/ green tip for s&w hush puppie used by seals

i don't know if the 7.92 was for rifles or machineguns.

[copdoc]

9 mm was marked: 9 MM 45 in 3 position layout
7.92 " " 7.92 MM 45

IVI made subsonic 9mm marked: ivi (nato emblem) 68 w/ green tip for s&w hush puppie used by seals

Got pictures???????? I would especially like to see the Hush Puppy green tipped ammo, but would like to see the other headstamps.

Do you know for sure that 7.92mm and 7.62X39 ammo was used at the Bay of Pigs? If so, does anyone have any idea what guns were used? I have not seen any in the pics. I was told the 20mm Lahti AT guns were used on boats for suppressive fire but have not seen any other foreign guns in the pics or heard of any from the vets or trainers.

[mkb42h]

i have a 9 MM 45 cartridge, will try to photograph it.

the last time i saw the subsonic was when a friend and i fired a magazine load of it from his fathers p 38 into a stack of national geographics for a 7th grade science project! got an A!

those were the days.

[copdoc]

those were the days.

Yep, they are gone, but they were fun and somehow none of us ever got hurt.