Hornady in military chamberings

[Fla Brian]

Good news for those who shoot rifles such as the 7.65 Argentine, 6.5 Jap, 7.7 Jap, 6.5 Carcano and 7.5 Swiss. Hornady is now loading hunting cartridges for these at about 1/2 the price of Norma which used to be pretty much the only game in town.

I noticed them at the Grafs site http://www.grafs.com/bulkByBagQty.cfm/startItem/1

Probably others have the stuff as well.

For those who want hunting ammo in 7.62X54R, Winchester loads 180 gr. softpoints as does Sellier & Bellot. I don't know about the S & B, but the Winchester stuff should be boxer primed and reloadable.

[Mikey]

Fla Brian:  that is good news for lots of us mil-surp shooters.  For too long Norma was the only, and over-priced, game in town.  However, now that Hornaday has joined the game, along with Winchester which now makes some of the mil-surp pistol calibers, and S&B, we have some decent coverage.

FYI:  S&B is reloadable and is also quality ammunition.  

Thanks for the good news.  Mikey.

[Mikey]

Fla Brian:  that is good news for lots of us mil-surp shooters.  For too long Norma was the only, and over-priced, game in town.  However, now that Hornaday has joined the game, along with Winchester which now makes some of the mil-surp pistol calibers, and S&B, we have some decent coverage.

FYI:  S&B is reloadable and is also quality ammunition.  

Thanks for the good news.  Mikey.

[Fla Brian]

De nada, amigo.

I still miss the fine Hansen stuff that was imported from Yugoslavia. It was also boxer primed and reloadable. And I really miss their .22 target ammo, one of the most accurate I ever found for my Kimber 82C.

I really got faked out at the range a little while ago. I noticed a good deal of discarded brass in 7.62X54R that had what appeared to be the same headstamp as the Hansen stuff. I thought I had made a real find until I got the stuff home and noticed that it was Berdan primed. Rats!

By the way, you might want to delete the duplicate post.

[S.S.]

I still have a lot of that old Hansen ammo.
("nny"  headstamp)
I got to the point where I was afraid to shoot it!
The primers were very soft and would rupture in several
of my rifles. I will get around to breaking it down and
re-priming with good primers some day.

[Fla Brian]

I still have a lot of that old Hansen ammo.
("nny"  headstamp)
I got to the point where I was afraid to shoot it!
The primers were very soft and would rupture in several
of my rifles. I will get around to breaking it down and
re-priming with good primers some day.

I still have some of it myself, particularly in 6.5X55 and .303 British, and I never had a problem with primers rupturing.

The headstamps on the range pick ups were exactly the same and even had the red paint around the primer pocket. One of the range officers thought it was the real deal too. Now that I think about it, I noticed a plain brown box that referred to Romania. I'll bet that's where the stuff came from.

[1911crazy]

The winchester 7.62x54 metric is S&B ammo in a winchester box.  I bought a ton of the russian baranul 204gr. and wolf 7.62x54 soft point for hunting.  Its good that someone finslly stepped up to the plate and is making these calibers even though I don't have any guns yet for them except for the 7.65 arg.                                   BigBill

[Fla Brian]

I figure to just order me up a set of dies and some brass for my 7.65 Argentine. I already have a set for the rimmed Russian round, the Swede, the 8X57, the .303 Brit and the 7.7 Jap. I find that a lot of the mil-surps shoot high at 100 yards with the lowest sight setting, so to be able to get on target the answer is to work up milder loads. Also easier on the shoulder with those steel buttplates.

The Argentine, a couple of my Swedes, my .303 and a few of my 8mms are scoped, so I don't have to load light with them except as respecting their strength limitations in some cases.

I haven't seen any of the Winchester metric ammo so I wasn't aware that it is S&B. I guess it's the same as when Federal came out with their inexpensive American Eagle cartridges in 6.5 Swede. The brass was by Norma. I don't know if Norma actually loaded them, but the low prices would have me believe that they weren't.

[Fla Brian]

By the way, Grafs also carries a line of brass for the military chamberings, and some of the commercial rounds, that is nowhere near as expensive as Norma or Lapua. Most of the militaries are just $27.99 per 100. Larger quantities offer additional savings.

http://www.grafs.com/bulkByBagQty.cfm/startItem/1

[Longcruise]

I've used the Graf 7.5X55 and 7.62X54 and both are very good brass and you're right about the price! :grin:

OTOH, I found that my #16 Lee Auto Prime shell holder will not work worth a darn with the Graf and S&B brass.  The brass must be pushed into the shell holder with considerable force  

A Barnaul steel case rim fits very nicely though non-reloadable.  It's a problem with variation in the rim thickness.

Lee says send it to them and they will fix it so thats what I'll do but seems like it would be better addressed by correcting their production tolerances.

Meanwhile loading with the lee ram prime is sloooooooww..

[Fla Brian]

I 've put in my order for their 7.65X53 brass for my Argentine Mauser sporter and a set of Lee dies. Now I won't have to go through the bother of forming cases from .30-06 brass. I've also ordered some of the Hornady 174 grain round noses. I'm considering a hog hunt with dogs, so I probably just pull off the scope and go with the Williams open sights that are mounted on it. The barrel's short enough so that it should handle pretty much like a lever action. Those round noses should hit like little hammers.

[rocklock]

The worst part about Norma 6.5 Carcano ammo is that after charging $1.50 a round they use a standard 6.5mm bullet, too small for the Carcano.

[Fla Brian]

Since I last posted in this thread, I found out that the Graf brass is made by Hornady. I also found out, while clicking around the site, that some of the metric cases are offered with the Hornady Frontier headstamp for a couple dollars less.

I figure to order some of the 7.62X54R stuff when the cases I have from all the Hansen ammo I bought over the years wears out. Some folks wonder why I handload for that round with all the cheap mil-spec thats available. The trouble with that stuff is that it shoots higher with that ammo than I can compensate for with the sights. But, by loading down a bit, I can get hits that are just about at point of aim with my mofel 39 Mosin-Nagants. I had some good results with 44 grains of IMR 4064 (love that powder) behind a 147 grain FMJBT bullet. But, I'm dropping down by a grain to see if I can get smack on.

The 7.65 brass looks right nice, and my first loads witrh it show a good deal of promise in my little Argentine Model 91 sporter. It's a neat one that I bought with a shortened barrel, Weaver bases and Williams sights already mounted, the bolt handle turned and civvy trigger installed. It cost me the princely sum of $100 - one of my better deals.

[MGMorden]

I still miss the fine Hansen stuff that was imported from Yugoslavia.

If I'm not mistaken, Hansen ammo is being imported again under the brand of "Igman" (also Hotshot USA from some places).   The Igman is dirt cheap ($5.95 per box for 6.5x55 from AIM  :shock: ) and shoots decent enough considering the price.  I certainly wouldn't hesitate to take it hunting.  The brass is reloadable but you have to work with it some (open up the primer pocket and uniform the flash holes).  I've got several boxes of it in 6.5x55 and .30-06.

[mikej]

FlaBrian,
  Do you shoot over at Gateway on the Westside? Just curious since I see the Middleburg address. I live in Orange Park.

[Fla Brian]

Sure do. I've been a member there for years. You shoot there too? Maybe we should get together to burn powder some time. E-mail me if you're interested. forgiven09@hotmail.com

I'm available most days.

Who knows, maybe we've already bumped into each other there.

Lately I've been working on a load for Mosin Nagant 39s that won't shoot ridiculously high at modest ranges. I'm just about out of 4064, and they were out of it at the range store also when I was there last, so I can't make up too many more cartridges for a while. Some is on order, so they tell me.

I used to live in Orange Park myself. Still go to church there.

[mikej]

FlaBrian,
  I've been a member there since 1990, when I moved to the JAX area. I've got to work 'til Monday, but hope to be at the range possibly Tuesday or Wednesday depending on honey dos. When you're gone for a week at a time they build up. I will E-mail you and let you know what day. Take care, and have a happy Easter.
                    Mike

[Fla Brian]

Looking forward to hearing from you, Mike.