Questions on reloading for Mosins

[nick]

Howdy,


I have a few questions on reloading for 7.62x54R:

1. What bullets worked best for you? Did you use anything, other than .311" bullets? What bullet weight range(s) worked out best, or is it strictly depending on the individual rifle?

2. Care to share some recipes?

3. What are the better places to buy bullets, if one buys in bulk (20K+)? Is it even worth buying in bulk, is there much of a discount? I have all the components, but bullets and brass, and I think I found a source for brass.

Any info is much appreciated

[Enfield47]

What kind of Mosin is it? If it is a Finn and marked for heavy ball ammo, you may need to use a 180 gr bullet instead of the more typical 150 gr.

I haven't started reloading for 7.62 x 54R yet, but I plan to start soon. I purchased the dies and have brass from the Prvi ammo I got. The bullets I'm going to use are the same ones I'm currently using for .303 British (Prvi .311 150 gr FMJBT) which I got from Graf's late last year. I plan on using IMR 4064 powder and obtaining the reloading data from my Lyman's 49th manual and the powder manufacturer's website.

[Capybara]

As far as bullet diameter, nobody can tell you what is best. You need to slug your barrel and buy what will fit your barrel best. Wideners gets some interesting deals on bulk bullets but not sure if they have Mosin sizes in bulk?.

[Enfield47]

As far as bullet diameter, nobody can tell what is best. You need to slug your barrel and buy what will fit your barrel best. Wideners gets some interesting deals on bulk bullets but not sure if they have Mosin sizes in bulk?.

Good point, some Finns are .308. I slugged my M39 just to be sure and it is .311.

[nick]

What kind of Mosin is it? If it is a Finn and marked for heavy ball ammo, you may need to use a 180 gr bullet instead of the more typical 150 gr.

I haven't started reloading for 7.62 x 54R yet, but I plan to start soon. I purchased the dies and have brass from the Prvi ammo I got. The bullets I'm going to use are the same ones I'm currently using for .303 British (Prvi .311 150 gr FMJBT) which I got from Graf's late last year. I plan on using IMR 4064 powder and obtaining the reloading data from my Lyman's 49th manual and the powder manufacturer's website.

Some are Finns, some are Russians. I was thinking of using light bullets, so that I could use them in my PSL, as well.

[Ferrum]

I have been using Varget in my x54r loads (can't remember off the top of my head, but I want to say my best results were with 46g).

I have been using both 150 and 174g Sierra pills. I was able to get 2K of each at a pretty reasonable price (bulk blems) through Powder Valley.

Both weights seem to work very well...

[mif_slim]

Yup. Got to slug it to know for sure. I've used .308 to .32 pistol bullets and its been fine but mines slug out to some .312 or something like that. Especially fun to shoot with TrailBoss. Pack the powder in brass, seat the bullet and have a gun recoil similar to a .22 mag. haha.

[BruinGuy]

My Mosins are all happy with .311 bullets (jacketed) and .312 lead/plated. They are Russian 91/30s, M44s, and Chinese T53s.

For full power rounds, I've loaded mostly Sierra 150gr and 180gr, soft point spitzers. They tend to run $24-28 for a box of 100. I never seem to see them for sale in bulk. If you can get a good deal on a large quantity of many thousand, I'm sure a few here would be interested in buying some...

If you're loading for a PSL you want 150gr or less, I believe. The Mosin will be much more forgiving...I've loaded 110, 123, 125, 150, 174, & 180 bullets for it, and it can handle larger.

I've used IMR 4895, IMR 4064, and Varget. I don't have my load data handy at the moment, but I can look up my loads later. I load to mid-range; I haven't noticed one powder being significantly better than another. They're all pretty darn similar anyway.

For brass, PPU is my favorite. Winchester/Sellier&Bellot is harder and the primer pockets are super tight and hard to get the primers to seat without doing some swaging. I haven't used Lapua because I'm not rich enough to blow that much on brass and nobody seems to leave it on the ground at the range.

I know I've posted about it before, but I love using the Xtreme plated 123gr .312 bullets for a gallery load with 11gr of Unique or a nearly full case of Trailboss. Just a fun, cheap to make plinking round that's easy for anyone to shoot. If you cast you can do it even cheaper.

[nick]

Casting bullets isn't in my future, I'm afraid

Would plated bullets work with normal loads? They should, right, since even lead bullets ought to work?

[BruinGuy]

Casting bullets isn't in my future, I'm afraid

Would plated bullets work with normal loads? They should, right, since even lead bullets ought to work?

I don't push them above 1800 fps. Some report that the plating peels off and makes a copper mess in your bore if you push them too fast. Some folks here say you can get to about 2000fps before it happens, but I'm sure that point changes with every variable - barrel length, twist rate, etc.

Most don't push lead too hard either, because it can lead the barrel. I'm a virtual know-nothing about all that, with lubes and coatings and gas checks.

[nick]

Yup. Got to slug it to know for sure. I've used .308 to .32 pistol bullets and its been fine but mines slug out to some .312 or something like that. Especially fun to shoot with TrailBoss. Pack the powder in brass, seat the bullet and have a gun recoil similar to a .22 mag. haha.

Pistol bullets? Another gallery round?

[G-Man WC]

Just slugged my M39 Sako. .3105
going to try .311 303 174gr Hornady's.
-g

[Kappy]

I reload for my M39.

Ditto on .311 303 bullets. I loaded with Varget. I don't have a recipe in my hand, but they're available in IMR's reloading data center.

I also have used a cast RCBS flatnose in .311 198gr with 4759. This shot a lot slower (1,800 or so fps) with a gas check, but also yielded very nice results (consistently decent groups of 1.5"-3" in 5-shot groups for the most part at 100yds).

Still, I use the jacketed Hornady bullets for milsurp matches.

[kouye]

My Russian and Finn 91/30's and Finn M39's like Sierra FMJBT 174gr .311. None of them like the Hornaday FMJBT 174gr .3105, Lapua D166 200gr .310, Woodleigh Weldcore 175gr PP SN, Woodleigh 215gr RN.

M39's: Sierra 174gr, 48.0-52.3gr IMR 4350, Fed 210M primer, 3.00 COAL, PPU brass
91/30's: Sierra 174gr, 49.8-52.0gr IMR 4350, Fed 210M primer, 2.93 COAL, PPU brass

I do have one Russian 91/30 with a 0.314 bore that only likes Hornady 174gr HPBT 0.312. Hates everything else. I might have to cast some fat bullets for this thing to do even better.

Hornaday HPBT 174gr 0.312, IMR 4350, Fed 210 primer, 2.99 COAL, PPU brass

COAL determined by measured chamber length.

As others have said, you do have to slug your barrel and see what kind of diameter you have to decide what bullets are likely to work best. Then you want to do a ladder test to find the optimal load. These are not precision rifles so your results will be somewhat marginal but it's a start.

Also, for 91/30's you really need to let the barrel cool down between rounds and strings. M39's are a little less sensitive but still need time between strings. I typically shoot every 45 seconds between each round, then a minute or two between 5 round groups. I get more consistency that way.

I now have a Finn 28/30 that has has a 0.3085 bore that I haven't had out yet, but I am loading Lapua 155gr Scenar L's with N150 behind it. I expect this will be a good combination as these bullets are fantastic in my Swiss K31's, and Remington 700 5R.

I buy bullets from Graf & Sons with a dealer discount or from Powder Valley. PV for powder whenever they have it.

[Beetle Bailey]

My m39 likes the. 312 hornady 150 grain sp but hornady bullets have hard to find. I have been using the. 311 ppu 150 grain fmjbt and varget. Had good success with hornady 174 grain fmjbt and imr4350.