Author Topic: 7.62x 54r reloads (Read 8730 times)

remfan · « **on:** February 18, 2009, 10:31:07 PM »

hi again

has anyone done much reloading for the 762 rimmed russian? .311 or .308 bullets ?? WHERE can you find brass?

??
anyone tried cast bullets?

remfan

wmurrell · « **Reply #1 on:** February 19, 2009, 06:08:30 AM »

I am just starting to load for the 7.62x54. I am "making" brass by shooting prvi ammo. I am going to cast for it too. Most of the MNs should be .311/.312 (except finn ). For cast you need to slug the bbl to get actual diameter and go .001/.002 over. Mine (M44) came out at .3115. Go down to the loading forum here and there is another site dedicated to cast shooting only. I dont want to post a link W/O Graybeards approval.

Dixie Dude · « **Reply #2 on:** February 19, 2009, 06:10:56 AM »

I have found that the brass for this caliber is as high as reloadable Wolf or S&B ammo. So, I buy the ammo with intent to reload later.

Czech_too · « **Reply #3 on:** February 19, 2009, 08:02:36 AM »

I don't reload for this cartridge yet but noticed that Graf's has PRVI brass available if that's the way you want to go.

Badnews Bob · « **Reply #4 on:** February 19, 2009, 09:17:29 AM »

Your mosin will prolly shoot better with .311/.312 bullets as that is the bore of most of them althou .314 is not uncommon, Grafs usally has brass for them. I shoot some lead out of mine but not enuff yet to give a good report, But I download them and have fun shooting lead.

Old Fart · « **Reply #5 on:** February 24, 2009, 10:18:19 AM »

I've casted up a bunch of .312 that measure .3135 for my old mosins. I've got about 5 that I'm reloading for and the bigger diameter fits all of them. Some better than others without having to resize. Don't have my recipe in front of me right now but I've had decent success with the cast bullets out of them. The bullet is from a Lee molds that I use for about 3 or 4 differents rounds and have good results from. I think someone above suggested slugging you barrel, that's an easy way to determine what size bullet you should use. Just take a softer lead projectile and shove it through the barrel or there are some more extravagant methods also.

OF

fastbike · « **Reply #6 on:** March 17, 2009, 07:53:25 AM »

A decent plinking round, at least w/ my son's 91/30 is the Hornady 126 grain 7.62x39 bullet (.310). I also use Privy brass, either from Privy's loaded rounds or via Wolf Gold. For heavier bullets, easiest to use bullets for the .303 British.

Quote from: remfan on February 18, 2009, 10:31:07 PM

hi again

has anyone done much reloading for the 762 rimmed russian? .311 or .308 bullets ?? WHERE can you find brass???
anyone tried cast bullets?

remfan

cbxboy · « **Reply #7 on:** March 18, 2009, 07:36:24 PM »

I was Pretty lucky and scored 800 rounds of the CDNN JMS bras cased Boxer primed stuff a few years back. Good stuff and reloadable brass....I recall being upset I paid .25 a round delivered, thought I was getting ripped off!!

I have a Lee Classic loader and need to get a 3 die set someday. I tried to bang out a few in .308 and it was relatively unsucsessful as the neck sizer is obviuosly over .308...w.as trying to load a few tracer rounds in 54r...accuracy unimportant

LIke others mentioned, buy Wolf Gold (prvi brass) and shoot it. Heck, 7.5 swiss at Fleet Farm is 16.99 for 20 (i think its a lot) and when you get right down to it, thats not bad when you keep the brass. I have alot of my 8mm brass from Wolf gold.....cheap to get brass AFTER you get the joy of puling the trigger.

Tim

NickSS · « **Reply #8 on:** April 11, 2009, 10:12:35 PM »

I load for several moisons and use mostly winchester brass but I believe that stuff is privi brass. I shoot .311 jacketed bullets or cast bullets sized .314. They work just fine. I have a Model 38 carbine that I use as a rainy day hunting rifle and trunk gun. I reload for it by the simple expedient of pulling FMJ bullets out of surplus steel cased ammo and seating a .311 150 gr soft point in the case. That way I do not have to worry about loosing some of my small supply of reloadable brass.

Curt Dawson · « **Reply #9 on:** April 12, 2009, 11:23:17 AM »

What about re-barreling to 7.62x53r so as to be able to use 308 bullets?

jager · « **Reply #10 on:** April 12, 2009, 04:08:05 PM »

I just got 100 Priva cases from Graef and a Lee 185gr mold. My 91/30 "slugs" .312, so I'm going to try "unsized" bullets and some Sierra .311 (seconds) I have on hand.
I'm interested to see some results from other shooters, here, with cast and jacketed loads. I'll be reporting on what I learn as soon as I get time for some range testing!

coyotejoe · « **Reply #11 on:** April 13, 2009, 04:07:04 AM »

Quote from: Curt Dawson on April 12, 2009, 11:23:17 AM

What about re-barreling to 7.62x53r so as to be able to use 308 bullets?

Well I guess you can rebarrel about anything if you're willing to spend enough money in the process but in this case it would be a solution to a problem that does not exist, there is no difficulty in obtaining bullets of .311 or .312", well, no more difficult than obtaining .308" or any other bullets right now. Few people would care to spend $300 to rebarrel a rifle they bought for $75.

fastbike · « **Reply #12 on:** April 13, 2009, 08:52:49 AM »

7.62x54R will take a .308 bullet just fine. Loads are per bullet weight not diameter. Just rechamber to .308.

Quote from: Curt Dawson on April 12, 2009, 11:23:17 AM

What about re-barreling to 7.62x53r so as to be able to use 308 bullets?

Gerry N. · « **Reply #13 on:** April 13, 2009, 01:47:57 PM »

Quote from: fastbike on April 13, 2009, 08:52:49 AM

7.62x54R will take a .308 bullet just fine. Loads are per bullet weight not diameter. Just rechamber to .308.

Quote from: Curt Dawson on April 12, 2009, 11:23:17 AM
What about re-barreling to 7.62x53r so as to be able to use 308 bullets?

I'm curious how one can "rechamber" to a smaller bore size? Most Mosins shoot .308 bullets ok, but .311 or .312's do better.

Almost all Combloc Mosin Nagants have groove diameters larger than .311" I have an unissued M31-90 dated 1943 that shoots the Lee C-312-180-R very nicely with any reasonable cast bullet load. I tumble lube with Lee Mule Snot and do not size. The Lyman 311399 is good as well. I use wheelweight alloy.

I've accumulated Norma, Lapua, Hansen and PRVI brass over the years, all work well. Pulling the bullets from issue ammo and replacing with same weight soft point commercial bullets is fine, use .311 or larger bullets for .303 Brit, 7.65 Argentine or 7.7 Arisaka.

There's also a brand called "LVE" that was available a short while ago. Crude looking and cheap but it shoots well in my 91-30 and is soft point. The label states it's "For Shooting Big Animals" Also labelled as "HURTING AMMUNITION". I paid less than $5.00 a box. Copper washed steel cases. I use the 91-30 as a loaner for guys that really have a jones on to go hunting. It always and I mean ALWAYS comes home.

Rebarrelling a Mosin Nagant, while possible, will cost far more than replacing the rifle. Not an easy or cheap rebarrel.

Gerry N.

jager · « **Reply #14 on:** April 13, 2009, 04:28:13 PM »

My Soviet made 91/30 will shoot .308 bullets, but .311 diameter bullets are more accurate. The Finnish made Nygant's are supposed to have .308 (some .309) bore barrels and "oiled", rather than laquered, stocks.
So far I've tried 44.6gr of RL15 with with both diameter 180gr jacketed bullets. The .311 bullet with this load shot about a 1 1/4" five shot group at 60yards. The velocity ran 2452fps (.311) and 2419fps (.308) respectively out of a 28.5 inch BBL.

fastbike · « **Reply #15 on:** April 14, 2009, 05:18:32 AM »

Rechamber / rebarrel are the same to me. I agree that it seems like more trouble than its worth for a Moisin. Same with efforts to make an MOA rifle out of a military issue rifle from 1891.
[/quote]

I'm curious how one can "rechamber" to a smaller bore size? Most Mosins shoot .308 bullets ok, but .311 or .312's do better.

Gerry N.
[/quote]

AH-1 · « **Reply #16 on:** July 10, 2009, 01:54:59 AM »

Quote from: jager on April 13, 2009, 04:28:13 PM

My Soviet made 91/30 will shoot .308 bullets, but .311 diameter bullets are more accurate. The Finnish made Nygant's are supposed to have .308 (some .309) bore barrels and "oiled", rather than laquered, stocks.
So far I've tried 44.6gr of RL15 with with both diameter 180gr jacketed bullets. The .311 bullet with this load shot about a 1 1/4" five shot group at 60yards. The velocity ran 2452fps (.311) and 2419fps (.308) respectively out of a 28.5 inch BBL.

finn's
M91,91/24,M27,M28 .3095 when the left the factory.
the M28/30 .3082
all M-39s are .310

the russians its a crap shoot

the war years are the worse for sloppy bore tolerances.
pete

Dixie Dude · « **Reply #17 on:** July 10, 2009, 02:29:26 AM »

I bought Brittish .303 bullets to reload in mine. I think they are .310 or .311. Good bullet selection.

AH-1 · « **Reply #18 on:** July 10, 2009, 03:01:49 AM »

I shoot cast out of mine for punching paper.
last time out with the M39 VKT.
the flyers were all me

bluebayou · « **Reply #19 on:** July 11, 2009, 10:58:05 AM »

Quote from: Curt Dawson on April 12, 2009, 11:23:17 AM

What about re-barreling to 7.62x53r so as to be able to use 308 bullets?

7.62x53r is the same cartridge in Finland. I don't know about it being loaded with .308 bullets, though.

7.62x53 and 7.62x54 are the same thing, just different labelling. Like saying that my 30-06 Springfield rifle is 7.62x63 in Finland. Same cartridge, just different country.

Just try 308 bullets and 310-312 bullets and see what works better. Pressure will obviously affect things as well.

rio grande · « **Reply #20 on:** July 11, 2009, 11:27:26 AM »

Quote from: AH-1 on July 10, 2009, 03:01:49 AM

I shoot cast out of mine for punching paper.
last time out with the M39 VKT.
the flyers were all me

The 13 grs. of Red Dot load, I see on your target. I shoot that too.
I just tried 11.5 grs. Red Dot w/ the Speer 'Plinker' 100 gr. bullet, .308 diameter in my M44.... thats the only bullet I had on hand and I wanted to shoot.
Right on the bull at 50 yards w/ sight at 400 - very good group, but cases were blackened indicating poor obturation. next I'll try the 13 gr. Red Dot load w/ that bullet.
Here's the link to the 13 Gr. Red Dot load....http://www.castbulletassoc.org/forum/view_topic.php?id=1387&forum_id=22

Hey, AH-1, what was your range on that target?

AH-1 · « **Reply #21 on:** July 12, 2009, 12:53:23 AM »

it was only 50 meters as I shoot at the ft hood range.when the G.I.'s are shooting on the pistol range they close our rifle range past the 50 meter line.that said it is a free range and I am cheap

.

I am going to try these next w/ 16.0 grs 2400.they drop .314 with my alloy.
pete

gandog56 · « **Reply #22 on:** July 31, 2009, 02:37:51 PM »

Bullets are easy, brass is hard. I got a lot of my brass from ammobrasstrader. com. I also bought a pile when Smokewagon gear had JMS headstamped fully loaded 7.62X54R ammo for 5 bucks/20. They were Boxer primed and I been reloading them since. Sadly, no longer available. I have JMS, Norma, Lapua, Winchester, Prvi Partizan, and S&B brass.

Any bullet for .303 Brits work fine. A lot of people just use .308" projectiles and say they have no problems, but none of my Mosins bores slug out that low, so I use .311-.312" bullets. Right now I bought 2000 pulled .311" 147 grain FMJBT's, and I expect I'll be shooting them for a long time. I use cheap milsurp for plinking, and my reloads if I want to see how accurate I can shoot the rifle.

Airsporter · « **Reply #23 on:** August 09, 2009, 12:53:42 PM »

For a light-recoil load, I use the 123-125gr .311 bullets intended for the 7.63x39 over a reduced load of H4895. Basically duplicates 7.62x39 ballistics.

gandog56 · « **Reply #24 on:** August 12, 2009, 11:54:17 AM »

Well......if I wanted 7.62X38 ballistics, I just bring my SKS. I want them shoulder bruising loads for my Mosins!

zacharoo · « **Reply #25 on:** August 12, 2009, 12:23:04 PM »

You guys! If all you can get is military pull and press. Take your miltary slug your barrel. Find a bullet the dia. you need. Use the same weight bullet as the military. Weight the powder in about 20 to 25 pulled rounds of same batch. Adverage out the powder weight and start there. You go a little under or even . You should find a bullet right at or a few grains lighter than the military ball. If you are careful pulling the military bullet you won't dent the steel case. Empty your casing of powder hold the case upside down. Take a q-tip dipped in alcohol and barely clean the sealant at the neck of the case. Leave upside down for an hour or so. Weight your powder seat your bullet an crimp back in with a Lee Factory crimp die. You save powder brass and primers and get a good load besides. Cazuns have been doing this with military bullets for years. A STEEL CASE CAN BE RECRIMPED!!!! Your bores need to be cleaned well in case of corosivve primers.

Zacharoo

CroCop · « **Reply #26 on:** August 12, 2009, 04:54:55 PM »

Speer 311 and HRN 312 worked the best in my M39 where Tula 91/30 liked 308.

pslshooter · « **Reply #27 on:** August 29, 2009, 04:33:51 AM »

I use .311 diam 174 grn BTHP Sierra Matchking thru mine. They work for 303 brits, 7.7 jap and the M-N. I reload for all 3 cals for my friends and I.

gandog56 · « **Reply #28 on:** September 02, 2009, 01:22:18 PM »

Quote from: coyotejoe on April 13, 2009, 04:07:04 AM

Quote from: Curt Dawson on April 12, 2009, 11:23:17 AM
What about re-barreling to 7.62x53r so as to be able to use 308 bullets?

Well I guess you can rebarrel about anything if you're willing to spend enough money in the process but in this case it would be a solution to a problem that does not exist, there is no difficulty in obtaining bullets of .311 or .312", well, no more difficult than obtaining .308" or any other bullets right now. Few people would care to spend $300 to rebarrel a rifle they bought for $75.

And why would I want to rebarrel a rifle that only cost me about 80 bucks, anyways? New barrel or buy 2-3 more Mosins.

gandog56 · « **Reply #29 on:** September 03, 2009, 07:51:56 AM »

Well, I bought 2500 pulled .311" 147 grain FMJBT projectiles from Wideners for $152 bucks shipped. I should be set for a while.

Good thing I grabbed 'em, because I think they sold out!