Ammo questions!

[samurighost]

Ok here is the scoop. I work for a military surplus store in Edmonton and we just got a lot of odd ammo that I have not seen before. Its 7.7 x 56R. I have searched it a bit and cant make any confirmed report as to what it actually is. I have read reports that its a rare sniper ammo and I have read that they were for the machine guns. Most of them are still stamped from 1939-1944 so I know they are from the second world war but I dont know their true function. Any help would be great!

Thanks!

Information

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[Alan de Enfield]

The Metric designation for the .303 British is 7.7 x 56R

In the UK our Firearms Licence must be endorsed with what calibres of ammunition we can buy - so I can buy both 'metric' manufactured and 'imperial' manufactured 303 I have it noted on my licence as 303/7.7

Edit - not to be confused with the Japanese 7.7x58R

[gsimmons]

It may be for the Japanese Type 92 machine gun.

[Alan de Enfield]

The 7.7 x 56 Rimmed (British 303) was used by the Japanese Navy in license built copies of the Lewis gun and Vickers belt fed machine gun. The former was used in flexible mounts on aircraft as well as being used as a ground gun, the latter was used as a fixed gun on aircraft (Type 89).

The 7.7 Semi Rimmed was used in the Hotchkiss copies fed with stripper clips. Neither the rimmed nor the semi-rimmed will fit in the Type 99 rifle because of the large rims. It is reported that the 7.7 rifle cartridge will work in the Hotchkiss machinegun, but gives malfunctions because the extractor doesn't always catch the rim.

[samurighost]

so I should not tell people to shoot it though their rifles should I?