ID Help on German Rifle Cartridges

[Ricochet]

A buddy and I found a bunch of these cartridges metal detecting today. Need some ID'ing. I'm 99% sure german made, but for what weapon?

Thanks and HH/

Larry

[Steve T]

They don't look German to me. Look like 303's to be honest.

Can you take a picture of a tape measure against one so we can see the size please ?

Cheers

Steve T

[Ricochet]

Steve,

I think I answered my own question. Here's a site that for the French Machine gun trays of 8 mm Lebel ammo for the Hotchkiss machine gun. French

What are they doing in the woods near Bitburg Germany is now the answer I'm looking for now.

I'll post some more pictures tomorrow.

Thanks

[Steve T]

Good find if they're Lebel's

The rim on the cartridge base made them 'not' German in my mind

Steve T

[Ricochet]

Here's some more pictures. Now I'm 99% sure they are Lebel 8mm/

[cricketchris1944]

I think they are ww1 French for chauchat.

[lithgow]

Hello-if rounds are 8mm Lebel there are several ways they could have gotten to the Rhine land-the French occupied the region briefly after the Germans defaulted on war reparations to them in the 1920s or 1940 captured weapons & ammo may have been used by the German army or Volksturm there in 1944/45, maybe even French regular army advancing in the same period as older 'liberated 'French weapons were sometimes used by them for national pride sake.

PS The 'captured weapon/ammo used by the German army or Volksturm' is likely to be the answer whatever exotic military rounds they are given the war situation 44/45.

[PREST1]

Hello .

I have one of theese and it is 8mm Lebel ammo.

Great find.



Picture taken from wikipedia

[militarymania]

lebel it is then,,,

[cricketchris1944]

There is no way to know it is from a Lebel because there is more then one french Rifle that used the 8mm(Lebel ,chauchat,French cavalery carabine and probably others.But it is French.