10.3 x 60 R Swiss

This cartridge is nothing other than the Swiss version of the old British cartridge .450/400 Black Powder Express 2 3/8", which was created around 1880 and was converted to low-smoke nitro powder shortly before the turn of the century. The .450/400 2 3/8" Nitro Express, which has long been forgotten internationally, lives on in Graubünden as the 10.3x60R and is used with loads suitable for large game. With the revision of the law in 1902, the previous formulation, according to which "small-caliber" rifles were prohibited, was replaced by the specification of a minimum permissible caliber. In addition to concern for the game, protectionist considerations also played a role, as a large proportion of hunters could not keep up with the technical race for financial reasons. In keeping with the old standard weapons (Peabody, Vetterli, etc.), the minimum caliber was set at 10.4 mm. However, this meant that common weapons in the English caliber 450/400 were excluded by 0.1 mm. To avoid this, the government amended the hunting law by resolution of April 28, 1903, granting "a caliber license of 0.2 mm" for hunting weapons and thus declaring the caliber 10.2 mm as the permissible minimum.