What can be reamed to 7.62x54

[mgeorge]

I don't have a lot of books with cartridge specs in them, but I'm wondering what chambers I could start with to make a 7.62x54R.  It would have to be a rimmed cartridge, I'd imagine, for the extractor to work.  Would a .30-30 be the right rimsize and right bore?  How about the .300 Winchester?

Anyone know for sure?  I've got a bunch of 7.62x54R ammo and I need a rifle to shoot them through

[quickdtoo]

So far as I know, the only candidate in an H&R would be the discontinued 7.62x39 with it's .311" bore.

Tim

[njanear]

I've got a bunch of 7.62x54R ammo and I need a rifle to shoot them through

You would probably come out ahead by just getting a nice M91/30 to eat them up for you. 

[EVOC ONE]

So far as I know, the only candidate in an H&R would be the discontinued 7.62x39 with it's .311" bore.

Tim

Tim, I think you may be confusing the calibers.  I believe the bigger Russian is actually a .308 caliber.  However, many, if not most, of the Nagant rifles have oversized bores.  It's not unusual for them to be .310-312.

The .303 British would be a good re-chamber for the 7.62X39, with it's .311 bore.  Without looking at the cartridge dimentions, I would think the .30-30 would be ok for the big Russian.  Frankly, It would probably be the only rifle chambered for the 7.62x54 that would actually be in .308.    Hmm ... I never checked, but does NEF bore the .30-30 to .307 or .308?  That would make a difference in considering the 7.62x54.

A thousand pardens if I'm incorrect.   

Joe

[whiteoper]

Depending on your reasoning for choosing the 7.62X54 would not the 30-40 Craig be just as good of a choice???  I have owned rifles in 303 British, 30-40 Craig, and 7.62X54; and there is not enough difference performance wise in the batch to shake a stick at.  Some 303s, 7.62X54s and some 7.62X39 digest 308 bullets just fine depending on the individual bore. It would seem to me that if you are stuck on the big Russian it would be simple enough to ream out a 30-30 to 7.62X54R and reload the 7.62X54 using standard .308 bullets.   

Roscoe

[whiteoper]

Sorry reread your post and noticed the part about having ammo to burn.  Please forgive my previous reply. 

Roscoe

[ironduke2]

i have one that I rechambered a 7.63x39 shoots very well. Bob

[quickdtoo]

Dunno Joe, but previous discussions have been centered on rechambering the 7.62x39 Handi, don't remember anyone suggesting using a 30-30 for the donor for the 7.62x54R, I guess it would be dependent on what bullets are loaded in mgeorge's ammo that he wants to shoot up.

Tim

[cpj]

So far as I know, the only candidate in an H&R would be the discontinued 7.62x39 with it's .311" bore.

Tim

Tim, I think you may be confusing the calibers.  I believe the bigger Russian is actually a .308 caliber.  However, many, if not most, of the Nagant rifles have oversized bores.  It's not unusual for them to be .310-312.

The .303 British would be a good re-chamber for the 7.62X39, with it's .311 bore.  Without looking at the cartridge dimentions, I would think the .30-30 would be ok for the big Russian.  Frankly, It would probably be the only rifle chambered for the 7.62x54 that would actually be in .308.    Hmm ... I never checked, but does NEF bore the .30-30 to .307 or .308?  That would make a difference in considering the 7.62x54.

A thousand pardens if I'm incorrect.   

Joe

The 7.62X54 is not .308. More like .311-ish.

[quickdtoo]

cpj is right, both Ammoguide and Steve's Pages show it as .311", not that they haven't used .308" bullets in them tho, it's hard telling what they might have used in the milsurp ammo, whatever they could get I suppose!!

Tim

http://www.stevespages.com/jpg/cd762x54rrussian.jpg

http://ammoguide.com/?catid=11

[cpj]

cpj is right, both Ammoguide and Steve's Pages show it as .311", not that they haven't used .308" bullets in them tho, it's hard telling what they might have used in the milsurp ammo, whatever they could get I suppose!!

Tim
 

Thats why I said 311-ish. Technically, is should be .311. But with milsurp ammo and guns, you just never know. I just bought some Winchester soft points in 7.62X54 yesterday, and the bullets measured .311. I havent  measured any of the surplus stuff that I have.

Back to the topic at hand, I assume that you have a bunch of surplus ammo that you are wanting to get rid of. If so, keep in mind that if it is corrosive,(which a lot if it is) you MUST clean your gun pretty quick, or else you will have a nice rusty bore the next morning. Warm soapy water is best, followed by your favorite gun cleaning juice. And, keep in mind that the 7.62X39  Handis had a hard time with hard military primers, so I would think that you would have the same problem with the 7.62X54.

[rbergum95]

most all 7.62x54 factory ammo is .310-.311 diameter. to get rid of the ammo you have the 7.62x39 is the only viable donor barrel. you would be better off spending $70 on a mosin nagant 91/30 variant. you dont have to go to the trouble of spending money on a rechamber job and you will add one more firearm to your battery. as far as the 7.62x39 primer strikes, in my experience it was not neccessarily the hardness of the primers but the primer seating depth in milsurp ammo. my 7.62x39 handi will not shoot the milsurp fodder for that reason. when i measured various milsurp stuff compared to american made hunting ammo the primer seating depth in the hunting ammo was between .001-.002 below flush with the casehead, while milsurp ran anywhere between .004-.008 below flush to accomadate the long firing pins in AK/SKS firearms.

[Hank McMauser]

   most,but not all of the surplus 7.62x54r ammo I've encountered was loaded with 308 dia. bullets.
I've had some that required two primer strikes with a mosin 91/30  w/proper firing pin protrusion,not sure if it was weak springor what,  most  likely 40 + year old ammunition that's been stored in who knows what type of conditions,
    I've heard the rifles were stored in old salt mines,ammo probably was too.

[EVOC ONE]

Thanks everyone, I stand corrected.   

I obtained my information for the Sierra and Hornady manuals which show the use of .308 bullets for their reloads. 

The RCBS dies I have for the 7.62x54 includes a .308 expander plug.  The only reloading data I have shows using .308 bullets.  Not going to be much good in a .311 bore.  Hmm?

I agree, Tim.  I guess it depends on the caliber chosen for the project. The .30-30 and use reloads or, if one can be found, a 7.62x39 and a larger expander plug. 

Thank again everyone.

[quickdtoo]

I checked the specs on over a dozen of the milsurp ammo listed on this site, you'll see all the bullets in that ammo are .310" or .311" as most everyone here has said.

Tim

http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinAmmo.htm

[oneshotonekill]

   most,but not all of the surplus 7.62x54r ammo I've encountered was loaded with 308 dia. bullets.

That's actually the opposite of my experience.  I've shot thousands of rounds of surplus, russian soft point hunting ammo, S&B, wolf, and Winchester in my nagants.  All of the bullets I measured were 310-311.  I guess it just depends on where you get it from.  I did buy a box of 7.62x54r at a gunshow once that was 308 but I suspected they were reloads.  To be on the safe side if you plan to burn surplus ammo I'd go with a 311 bore.  Some of that surplus stuff is loaded pretty hot and running it through a tight (308) bore could result in some pressure problems.  I too would just buy a nagant to burn the ammo, it would be cheaper and they are a fun gun to shoot.

[EVOC ONE]

I checked the specs on over a dozen of the milsurp ammo listed on this site, you'll see all the bullets in that ammo are .310" or .311" as most everyone here has said.

Tim

http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinAmmo.htm

Agreed.  

[moxgrove]

I've had About a half dozen M_N's and one Dragonov. They were all about.311 except the Chicom Dragonov slugged at .308. That said, Ive found that my M38 does just fine shooting .308 bullets, but I have since pretty much donloaded it to >300 Savge levels and use cast bullets. Now that's a lot of fun!
 I would definitely recommend just getting a cheap surplus rifle and have fun with all that ammo!

[cpj]

I am not one to discourage a project, and I wont. If you want to do this, go for it!
But, as others have said, you need to get a Mosin Nagant and burn up this ammo with it. For a hundred bucks or less you can pick up a nice rifle. They shoot good enough to hit a deer, and are reliable as all get out. Not the prettiest rifle out there, but built like a tank in typical Russian fashion. Heck, they make a real good club should you ever run out of ammo.

[mgeorge]

Thanks to all who replied.  I was able to sell the ammo I had.  All I have left now is a 20rnd bundle that I'll keep for nostalgia's sake.