7.62x54R - pull FMJ & replace w/JSP? Practical?

[yellowtail3]

I've gotten a Mosin, and like it. Got a big sardine can of FMJ on the cheap (440/79 bucks). The question - would it be practical to pull the FMJs and replace with appropriate JSPs? I'm seeing that hunting ammo is expensive for the Mosin, and I want to take it into the woods a few times this year. So... the idea of replacing the bullets in unfired cartridges comes to mind. Can it be done? Is it practical?


Anybody here tried this? Thanks...

[spinafish]

I did the same thing with surplus ammo for a 8mm Mauser..Had dies and bullets but couldn't find brass locally. Pulled the bullets on about 30 of them and replaced with a jacketed soft point of the same weight.  Worked out well...

[hillbill]

ive never done it but id not be afraid of it if the bullet your going with is the same weight as the one you pulled or lighter.practical is another question. i might jus buy a box of brass and load it.

[Savage]

It's been done commercially, as well as on many a good ole boy's reloading bench. Why not just use the surplus ammo for plinking/practice and reload the brass for hunting ammo with the bullet/powder/primer of your choice? Saves the grief of pulling bullets and gives you a little practice to boot. You might even develop a sweet shooting load that way.
Savage
edit: Unless it's Berdan primed steel cases---------which I'm sure it is---------never mind-----disregard the above! I'd buy a hundred or so brass cases and load my hunting ammo. The surplus stuff is good to have-----------------well, JIC  !!

[zacharoo]

Have done it for a while. Most of the surpluss is steel cases. If you use same wheight and diamiter bullets it works. You can even take the powder and get an even weight . Adverage out say twenty or therty bullets you pull and use adveage of the bunch. Set you powders weights thee same and start there. You can get a good load with just the cost of SP bullets. My family is from Louisiana my father and uncles did that with military 30-06 and 308 for years and some of the hunters here still do it. Not bench rest accuracy but the deer and hogs here can't tell the difference. GOOD LUCK AND GOOD SHOOTING!!
 
Zacharoo

[zacharoo]

Please excuse the spelling!!!!!
 
Zacharoo

[yellowtail3]

Thanks for the info, folks. I am using the steel-case copper-washed stuff... hoping to convert some to good deer loads on the cheap...

[shot1]

I would pull a few bullets and weigh the powder charges individually. Then drop the powder charge back 2 grs less and work up toward the average weight of the powder searching for the best accuracy. Weigh your bullets, it sounds like you are using the sliver tip AP ammo and I think the bullets weigh around 147 grs. I would replace the bullets with 150 gr Hornady .312 diameter bullets. I personally have never seen a M/N that would shoot a .308 diameter bullet accurately. Their bores grooves are usually between .310 and .3115 and the .312 bullets shoot best but you heed to back off on the powder some and work up looking for pressure signs. Remember that your ammo most likely has corrosive primers so after shooting clean your bore with warm soapy water to kill the salts from the primers and then clean as usual.

If you really want to make that rifle shoot super accurate you need to slug your bore to see what diameter bullet you really need. If it slugs .310 to .3105 use .311 diameter bullets. If it slugs .3105 to .3115 use .312 diameter bullets. Most M/N's like heavy bullets 174 to 180 gr. The most accurate load I have ever found consist of this.
50 grs Accurate Arms 4350, CCI 200 primer, .311 180 Sierra Match King for target and 180 sp for hunting OAL 3.000 If your bore needs .312 diameter bullets the Hornady 174 RNSP OAL 2.790 and use a Lee Factory Crimp Die on all loads.

[zacharoo]

I shoot a model 1959 and it likes the remington 303 bullet in 180 grain.

[Larry Gibson]

I recently pressure tested (Oehler M43) some 7.62x54R milsurp "L" ammuntion using the original issued ammo and "mexican matching" that same ammunition with a 150 gr Hornady .312 SP.  Test rifle was a Finn M39 "SAKO" in excellent condition.  Velocity and pressure variations between original and mexican matched with each lot were within the various extremes spreads.  None of them exceeded the psi of Norma or Winchester 180 gr factory loads.  Accuracy was much improved with the Hornady bullet also.

Larry Gibson

[res45]

I started "Mexican matching" 54r ammo right after I purchased my M44,I had plenty of Bulgarian brass case surplus ammo and a friend gave me about 300 Speer .311 150 gr. SP  bullets as a trade for some computer work I did. 

Factory Win. SP ammo was $1 per rd. and boxer primed brass was scarce at the time,sense I already had my reoading dies and 30 years of reloading experience it wasn't a problem doing the conversion.  As Mr. Gibson mention accuracy was greatly improved over anything the surplus offered.  My rifles bores slugged at .312 and the .311 dia. Speer SP bullets were a much better match than the .310.5" surplus bullets.

After I worked up a nice accurate shooting load I converted about 150 rds. so I'm set for a long time.


Primer from surplus ammo.

Primer  from my Mexican match ammo.