Where in Europe are .308's banned - Help!

Paul at Fechan

Well-Known Member
I'm wanting to get across to Europe at some point before the wife sucks the life out of me but have a .308 and I know that in France for example they're banned and you can't travel through the country with one.

Where else is a no go???

I'm hoping to get a .375 H&H on my ticket though
 
No 100% sure but I believe Italy and possibly Spain its due to their definition of it as a military calibre Germany etc are OK

Regards Terry
 
It is a bit strange when you consider that on D-Day the French were only too willing to welcome my, and your, relatives arriving in their country with military calibres. Perhaps we should all write to their head man, whatever grand title he gives himself, and enquire:

Dear Sir,

Could you please explain why it was acceptable for my relatives to travel across France with a so called "military calibre" firearm but that I am unable to do so? In fact you were so pleased with the efforts my relatives put into liberating your country that you took the time to engrave their names on the big arch in the middle of that mad roundabout in Paris. Despite this you persist in treating me in a most unreasonable manner. In view of the sacrifice my family, and the family of nearly every other person living in the UK, has made in the name of your country I think it not unreasonable that you might consider applying some little concession to those of us who would like to travel to your country for sporting purposes with our rifles. While I appreciate that the world has moved on since 6th June 1944 it is unlikely we will bring our rifles along with a view to overthrowing your government in view of the fact that a proportion of our family died upholding it.

I look forward to a detailed explaination...

I wouldn't hold out much hope of a reasonable answer: I wrote to their head man some time back indicating that making a decent cup of tea was not a difficult task and could he please ensure that the population of his country had worked it out in time for my next visit. Upon returning I found that making tea was still beyond their clearly very limited abilities. It doesn't half frighten me each time I get on an Airbus to consider that a lot of it was made in France by people too simple to boil water.
 
France, Italy, Spain and i think Portugal also.

Apply to your local plod office for a European Firearms Licence. I did hear that you can travel through italy with 'Military' calibres but don't quote me on it.
 
As my Grandfather used to repeat after his summer holidays in Normandy in 44 "the Germans are bxxxxrds but at least you know what they are, the only place for a Frenchman is on the end of a bayonet" his opinion based on finding two Frenchmen looting the bodies of both German and English dead.
 
Caorach, I am of the opinion that your idea carries some serious truths in it, & I would deffo give it a go in one of the frog papers too!:D

As you might imagine it was written as a sort of joke, but there is a lot of truth in it. I don't speak any French so the papers might be out but I sent the following to the President:

Dear Sir,
After some discussion with associates who shoot for sport it is clear that it is a major source of annoyance that France does not allow the use, or transit, of rifles which you deem to be "military calibres" including the 308 Winchester which would be one of the most popular sporting rifle calibres here in the UK.
When my relatives went "over the top" at the Somme on 1st July 1916, each with a military calibre rifle in their hands, France was so grateful for their sacrifice that their names are now engraved on the Arc de Triomphe. It is also the case than when they went ashore on 1st July 1944 to liberate your country from German occupation, again with military calibre rifles in their hands, your country had no objections to their presence and did not ask them to leave their rifles behind.
Here in the UK we are grateful for the manner in which you remember their sacrifice and for the way the people of your country tend the graveyards and respect their memory.
With these points in mind might I ask if it would be possible, at least for citizens of the UK almost all of whom will have relatives who died liberating your country, to exercise some relaxation of this ban on military calibre rifles so we might travel to your country for sport and might travel through your country with our rifles. I don't think this is a lot to ask as our rifles are no more powerful or dangerous than many others that are available in your country and, in view of the fact that our relatives paid the ultimate price to defend your nation, it is highly unlikely that we are going to harbour any desire to overthrow your government.
I would be most grateful if you would give this matter your consideration as clearly, as well as the symbolic significance, there would probably be considerable economic benefit for your country in terms of income from those who would travel to shoot for sport.

I would suggest that others should also write on a similar subject, the address for a web submission is as follows:

http://www.elysee.fr/ecrire/

If you would rather write then the address is:

Monsieur le Président de la République
Palais de l'Elysée
55, rue du faubourg Saint-Honoré
75008 Paris


If you are going to ignore these and hope that someone else writes and sorts it out for you then don't come on here complaining if you can't take your rifle to/through France.
 
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