What kind of cartridges are these

[Kamikazekool2]

First day out detecting and found these brass cartridges. They are stamped LC 61 and LC 65. I know that LC is Lake City Manufacturing but I cannot find any pictures of these cartridges online.

 

[osage express]

I think they are 30 06 blanks Maybe 308 ....Osage

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

I think they are "blank" cartridges.

Edit: Osage Express and I were typing at the same time. I'm glad to see we are in agreement about the cartridges -- although his answer is more detailed than mine. So I'll just add, for anybody here who doesn't already know, the "61" and "65" in the marking on the base means 1961 and 1965, not 1861 and 1865. These "necked" cartridges did not exist during the civil war era. ("Necked" means the cartridge-casing tapers down near its front end, like a bottle.

 

[kuger]

yep,training blanks likely 30.06

 

[Kamikazekool2]

Thanks for the help you were absolutely right!

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

.308 NATO blanks. .30-06 usually used a star crimp. The .308s were used in M-60's and such and needed the "nose" to feed.

 

[NOLA_Ken]

CharlieP is right. They are the military version of the .308, 7.62 x 51NATO. There are some slight differences, and some people say that you shouldn't use the military ammo in civilian hunting rifles because it could damage them. It mainly has to do with the powder charge, and the pressure in the chamber. Having said that I've fired them out of hunting rifles and never notices any real difference or problem.

Side note.... Never fire those blanks in a rifle that you will have to clean yourself..... They are really dirty, and can seriously foul up the action of a gun.

 

[kuger]

CharlieP is right. They are the military version of the .308, 7.62 x 51NATO. There are some slight differences, and some people say that you shouldn't use the military ammo in civilian hunting rifles because it could damage them. It mainly has to do with the powder charge, and the pressure in the chamber. Having said that I've fired them out of hunting rifles and never notices any real difference or problem.

Side note.... Never fire those blanks in a rifle that you will have to clean yourself..... They are really dirty, and can seriously foul up the action of a gun.

........those WW2 era FMJ are hard on a barrel....I had over 1000 rounds and pretty much ruined an old Rem with em....the barrel rather

 

[NOLA_Ken]

........those WW2 era FMJ are hard on a barrel....I had over 1000 rounds and pretty much ruined an old Rem with em....the barrel rather

Years ago I bought a full bandolier of armor piercing 30-06 for the M1 Garand and shot a few out of an old P 17 Enfield I had. Man those things had some PUNCH! They went straight through a chunk of railroad track. I was a bit worried about breaking my rifle so I never shot any more of them in it.

 

[kuger]

Yea,we used em on hogs(wild)as ya know boars have a cartlige plate behind the shoulder that will stop an ordinary "mushrooming,soft point",type bullet...those FMJ's punched right through.I was sitting here remembering that gun,and those rounds did in fact ruin that gun,one casing split on ignition in the chamber and cracked the action.....how I never got hurt on that one....or how I forgot about that!!

 

[NOLA_Ken]

Now that I think about it, the rifle I shot the 7.62 NATO was actually built on an 03 A3 Springfield action that was rebarreled for .308, that might be why I didn't have a problem with them..... or maybe I just got lucky.