recoil question........

[Lucky Scott]

So, I load for several calibers and am getting ready to start reloading for my Mosin's. I just want some plinking ammo, not match or long range ammo. What Would would give me the least amount of recoil?
A lighter bullet with the softest load available, or a heavy bullet because the heavy bullet uses less powder?
Or, is there anything I am overlooking to load a very low recoil load?

[rsrocket1]

For 91/30's it would be best to slug your barrel to know what the real diameter of the groove's are. However, if you aren't going to use lead, then you can get away with 0.310" plated bullets. A great "really low" recoil load would be 10 grains Unique/Red Dot/Bullseye/700X or just about any other fast pistol powder. The recoil is ridiculously low but the power will be enough to drive any bullet from 100-200 grains. It is very pleasant to shoot and would not intimidate kids, women or newcomers to shooting but still makes more bang than a 22LR. It can be made very accurate to 100 yards (at least soda can accurate if you can shoot with open sights that far, but easily 50 yards).

I use Lee C312-185-R bullets and 10.8g Unique for nice 50 yard plinking ammo.



25 yard first shots:


50 yard sight in shots, about as good as I can shoot with open sights anyway.

[Lucky Scott]

That sounds great, thanks. I will just shoot 75 to 100 yards max.

[chknlyps2]

Ed Harris, "The Load" http://www.castbulletassoc.org/forum...87&forum_id=22

[Enfield47]

Ed Harris, "The Load" http://www.castbulletassoc.org/forum...87&forum_id=22

Interesting read. I've been wanting to test some gallery loads with the pound of Unique I bought a while back. Everyone always says use 10 gr but "the Load" uses 13 gr of Red Dot. How close are the two powders for interchangeability?

[BruinGuy]

Gallery loads using pistol powders like others have mentioned are great fun, accurate enough at 50-100 yards for plinking, cheap to load and as softly recoiling as you can get from a Mosin. Since I don't cast my own bullets, my favorite load is 11gr Unique pushing the plated Xtreme 7.62x39 123gr bullet (which measures .311-.312, perfect in most Mosins).

In "full power" loads in my experience with the cartridge lighter bullets loaded around manual minimums will be easier on the recoil.

[rsrocket1]

Interesting read. I've been wanting to test some gallery loads with the pound of Unique I bought a while back. Everyone always says use 10 gr but "the Load" uses 13 gr of Red Dot. How close are the two powders for interchangeability?

With 18-24" of barrel for the powder to burn, most fast/medium powders will burn completely before the bullet exits the barrel. I've tried 10-13 grains of all my fast pistol/shotshell powders and they are close enough not to matter for the sake of plinking. Yes, the difference between 10g Unique and 11g Unique or 13g Unique vs. 13g Red Dot might make the difference between a 3" group at 100 yard and a 2" group, but in terms of a "safe and low recoiling" load, they will all work. As with any load development, once you find a load that works right, you can adjust it slightly up or down to see if accuracy improves.

13 g is about the max I would use. I've tested as much as 15g Unique but the shots started to vary wildly so there was no need to go any higher. 6g Red Dot was the lowest I've tried.

[Lucky Scott]

"Gallery Loads", a new term for me but it sounds perfect. That is what I am looking for, not accuracy or long range, but a round I can shoot for fun, and let others try with a very comfortable recoil.

[Enfield47]

With 18-24" of barrel for the powder to burn, most fast/medium powders will burn completely before the bullet exits the barrel. I've tried 10-13 grains of all my fast pistol/shotshell powders and they are close enough not to matter for the sake of plinking. Yes, the difference between 10g Unique and 11g Unique or 13g Unique vs. 13g Red Dot might make the difference between a 3" group at 100 yard and a 2" group, but in terms of a "safe and low recoiling" load, they will all work. As with any load development, once you find a load that works right, you can adjust it slightly up or down to see if accuracy improves.

13 g is about the max I would use. I've tested as much as 15g Unique but the shots started to vary wildly so there was no need to go any higher. 6g Red Dot was the lowest I've tried.

Thanks, now I need to see about creating a test batch. I think I'll start with .30-06 for my 1903A3 and see how it works out.

[rsrocket1]

Handloading opens up a huge world for shooters. When I first got my 788, I couldn't shoot more than 5-6 factory rounds before my shoulder started to feel it. A recoil pad helped. Same with the 91/30. They are fun guns to shoot but sometimes you want to shoot more than about 10 shots in an outing. Reloading them to more tame loads lets you shoot for a long time without going home sore. It also lets others shoot without shying away from the gun the next time they see it.

You can buy plated 110g .308 bullets made for 30 carbine through Xtreme, load them up with 10g Unique and let the kids shoot them all day long. But you'd better load them on a progressive because they won't put it down!

[BruinGuy]

Handloading opens up a huge world for shooters. When I first got my 788, I couldn't shoot more than 5-6 factory rounds before my shoulder started to feel it. A recoil pad helped. Same with the 91/30. They are fun guns to shoot but sometimes you want to shoot more than about 10 shots in an outing. Reloading them to more tame loads lets you shoot for a long time without going home sore. It also lets others shoot without shying away from the gun the next time they see it.

You can buy plated 110g .308 bullets made for 30 carbine through Xtreme, load them up with 10g Unique and let the kids shoot them all day long. But you'd better load them on a progressive because they won't put it down!

Absolutely agree, and the cost difference will also let you shoot a whole lot more. A load like rsrocket's .30 cal suggestion above, assuming you've got your brass already, will cost about .15 per round. That's barely more than .22LR these days.

[ironhorse1]

Marlin

I do this in a 30-30 336 Marlin.

Full power loads with a 170 at 2,000 fps in a 20" barrel kick like a mule.

I load 178-188 grain cast gas check bullets with 10 grains of Unique.

Velocity in the 1500 fps range and the POI is just a couple of inches lower at 100 yards.

The felt recoil is a lot less. The Marlin prefers heavy bullets so I don't load the light 110 grain bullets.

irh

[Capybara]

I have 2k rounds of the fabled Czech low recoil training ammo but once that stuff is gone, I am going to try out some of all of your homemade versions, sounds like fun. RS1, have you ever chrono'd those loads? Wonder what they travel at? I have read that this Czech stuff is insanely fast, like around 3,000 fps, I think it is only a 90 gr bullet?

[BruinGuy]

I have 2k rounds of the fabled Czech low recoil training ammo but once that stuff is gone, I am going to try out some of all of your homemade versions, sounds like fun. RS1, have you ever chronod those loads? WOnder what they travel at? I have read that this Czech stuff is insanely fast, like around 3,000 fps, I think it is only a 90 gr bullet?

The Czech 7.62x54r training rounds are only 46gr. They are hollow. Never chrono'd one but they probably lose velocity very quickly. Still fun to shoot but I can't get any consistency from them...more a scattershot pattern.

More info here:

http://www.ammochannel.com/7-62x54r-czech-46-gr-training-ammo/

3490fps! That is a lot faster than regular loads. Looks like it does a job on steel targets too...

[Lucky Scott]

Got the components, got the advice, and my box of bullets showed up. So time to see if these gallery loads will work.

Two lines of thought. 10 gr. of unique.
or 60% of H4895.

I have 150 Gr. Hornady Bullets. I could probably try lighter bullets next time, but this is a good start. I am thinking load up a few of each and see how they work. Range day is tuesday.