7.62x54R???

[wyoming .260]

I have a VAST amount of experience loading and shooting the MNs in 7.62x54R.
FIRST: You will need to slug your bore to see what size bullet you will need to shoot to be accurate. You can do a search on how to do this. Basically it is driving a .315 diameter muzzle loader lead ball from the chamber end out the muzzle and measuring between the high spots which are the groove depths. If it comes out .310 to .311 use .311 diameter bullets if .311 to .312 use .312 diameter bullets. If over .312 diameter send it down the road because it will not shoot accurately with jacketed bullets. These rifles have a great difference in bore sizes and most of the military ammo is NOT accurate because it usually has .310 diameter bullets. Most of the military ammo has corrosive primers and you will need to clean the bore and bolt with hot soapy water to kill the salts after shooting it so it does not rust up over night. I have never seen a rifle in this caliber that you could hit the broad side of a barn with .308 diameter bullets. Be advised that much of the loading data you will find actually uses .308 bullets.
NEXT: Expect your 91/30 to shoot around 6 to 8 inches high at 100 yards unless you put the bayonet on. These rifles were sighted with the bayonet fixed because that is the way the Russians used these rifles. You will notice if you do some history searching that the Russians did not have any bayonet scabbards. It is because the bayonet was to ALWAYS be attached to the rifle. There are ways to replace the front sight post with a longer post to lower the POI. Do a search to find how.
NEXT: I am not sure if the Lee dies now have a expander in the sizing die that is for use with .311/12 bullets. They used to be for .308 and if you used a .311/12 it would shave the bullet or squish the neck or shoulder of the case. I chose RCBS because they come with both size expander balls. I do suggest that you get a Lee Factory Crimp Die because from my extensive testing it DOES increase the accuracy in these rifles. I actually use a Lee Factory Crimp Die for the .308 Win with a big washer between the shell holder and die slipped over the case as a spacer to make it work with the 7.62x54R case.
NEXT: The Prvi/PPU ammo is the least expensive way to get good reloadable cases. These cases are good. If you get Lapua cases you will notice that they are listed as 7.62x53R not 54R. They are the proper case but due to regulations in the country of origin they can not have a "military" caliber. Sounds like Washington doesn't it. Only difference in the two is that the neck is trimmed just a touch shorter.
NEXT: One of these two loads has shot lights out in all of my MANY different model 7.62x54R rifles. With proper handloads and proper tuning of the rifle these old war horses can be VERY accurate meaning well under MOA accurate.
PPU or Lapua case, CCI 200 primer, 50 grs Accurate 4350, for rifles needing .311 diameter bullets use the .311 Sierra Match King (Most accurate) or .311 180 gr. Sierra SP. COAL 3.000 and use a medium crimp with a Lee Factory Crimp Die.
If you need .312 diameter bullets use the above load but use Hornady .312 174 gr RNSP bullet COAL 2.790. These rifles like the long heaver bullets best.

There are ways to make these rifles REALLY accurate by shimming under the action, wrapping oiled felt around the barrel up in the forearm area etc. You can do a search on the net and you can find this information. Good luck and have fun.

+ 1 on this , slug the bore and use the appropriate bullets and expander ball in your dies. I have used Norma brass for mine and it is also excellent, I have had the gun for 25 years and the brass has been with it since I had it. A couple hundred rounds of brass have been loaded to all levels and many times. Used to be able to find the big sardine cans of surplus ammo , that was cheap plinking ammo, last batch of this I have seems to be Machine gun ammo with a 149 gr bullet and clocked 3000 fps out of my 31" barreled 1891......

 

[Thumb]

Thanks again for the info, looks like I'll be busy this year figuring and working with this rifle and it's ammo. ;D

 

[Road_Clam]

Thanks again for the info, looks like I'll be busy this year figuring and working with this rifle and it's ammo. ;D

I'm a "hand's on" type guy, love to dig deeper than simply shooting. I enjoy stripping firearms, accesing their different types of function design, doing some mods to better suit the firearm to my specific needs. And of course the handloading side of the hobby.... much enjoyment. For me throwing lead downrange is only a part of it...

 

[2506]

You can just part size a case with a FL sizer. All I do is size the case enough to just bump the shoulder back a little. These rifles have looooog throats also and that is the reason that the use of a Lee Factory Crimp Die makes for more accurate loads. I could explain my theory why but it will take too much time. Yep the Finn 39s really shoot. I got hold of a UNISSUED "B" barrel and the load that I gave earlier with the 174 Sierra Match King is a tack driver and it shoots perfectly to the sights on the rifle. When shooting with some friends at an old coal strip mine that you could shoot a mile if you wanted. I could from the prone keep my shots well inside a three foot round target at 900 yards with the open sights.

 

[Thumb]

I haven't forgotten this thread, Just waiting on the rifle to come in which should be next Tuesday then I can start checking it out and figure out what I need.

BTW, does anyone know what the twist rate on these rifles are or is there too many different ones out there to say for sure?

 

[2506]

From what I can find it is a 10" twist. Russian measurement that basically comes out as 10". It might be that I just did not come up with the proper load but I have always gotten much better accuracy out of 174 - 180 gr bullets than 150s. The load I gave earlier with .311 Sierra 174 Match King bullets is REALLY accurate in rifles that have been tuned and need the .311 diameter bullets. I have seen where others have gotten great accuracy with 150s using Varget powder but I have not tried it. Right now my Varget powder goes for more serious loading. That stuff is as hard as hen's teeth to find and is $$$ when you do.

 

[Thumb]

Thanks for that info 2506, I'll see if I can find out for sure when I get the rifle. As far as powder goes I'm pretty well set with a few pounds of varget and about 8 others. I was lucky enough to find a LGS that had plenty of powder and loaded up on it for my 223, 22-250 loads. This will be my biggest caliber for rifle to load though, well except for my .45 black powder rifles.

 

[Thumb]

The rifle came in on Wednesday and I must say that I am not too pleased. It was suppose to have a hex receiver and it doesn't plus there's a big hunk of wood missing on the front of the forearm not too mention a lot of dings and dents all over the rest of the wood. The barrel doesn't look bad and the bolt seems to work nice and easy. The trigger is not as bad as I expected. They described these rifles as very good to excellent condition and I have to disagree, more like very well used in a combat situation. I will slug it tomorrow to see what size of bullets I need to reload with and I'll also try and get it out to the range as soon as this rain and wind stop. As of right now, I'll probably never buy another gun from these guys. Here's a pic of the damaged wood. You be the judge.

 

[jimbo88mm]

Dang, that stuck looks rough. How is the rest of the metal? Who did you order it from? Hex receivers usually cost more, maybe you can return it since you didn't get what you ordered.

I just picked a PU Sniper sans scope and mount from samco:

I went with one of these because I wanted to use a modern scope without having to drill holes, get a bent bolt or mess around with an extended eye relief scope.

I added an accumounts base that screwed right in to the pre-tapped holes. The base came with split rings that allow a 1-inch scope. Added a Vortex Diamondback HP so we'll see how she shoots next week. Trigger pull measures at 3.5 lbs vs the 6.5 lbs of my standard 91/30.

 

[Thumb]

Yours looks brand new compared to mine. I could clean it up and fix that stock if it shoots good, I didn't really buy it for a collectors item, just to shoot but as their description as very good to excellent goes, they lied . As far as returning it I know for sure they wouldn't refund me the money for shipping and the background check which both cost me about half of what I paid for the rifle. Oh, I got it from Classic Firearms.

Here's a pic of a surplus round with the bullet in the barrel. I measured the bullet and it is .308". Is that the way it's suppose to be, just a little oversized so that the bullet doesn't slide in?

 

[jimbo88mm]

I don't have surplus ammo to compare.

Slugging the barrel will tell you what your diameter is. A lot of the reload data out there is for 308 bullets. My plain jane 91/30 didn't shoot 308 bullets too well, did better with 311 bullets.

 

[stubbicatt]

I have two replacement stocks if you want one. No gouges or anything. They are just leaning against the wall in the garage. I bought 3 of them at a time to get one for my busted Nagant stock. Let me know if you want one of them.

 

[Thumb]

I have two replacement stocks if you want one. No gouges or anything. They are just leaning against the wall in the garage. I bought 3 of them at a time to get one for my busted Nagant stock. Let me know if you want one of them.

That would be great stubbicatt!

jimbo, I went to the range today and shot 15 rounds of it and to my surprise it kept about a 1 1/2" group at 50yrds. Not bad since the front sight is loose in the dovetail and it moved everytime I shot. I'll be slugging the barrel tonight also.

 

[Catfur]

If you get Lapua cases you will notice that they are listed as 7.62x53R not 54R. They are the proper case but due to regulations in the country of origin they can not have a "military" caliber. Sounds like Washington doesn't it. Only difference in the two is that the neck is trimmed just a touch shorter.

I don't think this is true, about the "military caliber" stuff. The x53R is .009" shorter, but the main difference I know of is that it is loaded with .308 diameter bullets, not .311. The Finnish Army produced rifles in this caliber, for military use, so it is a military round just like the x54R.

 

[Thumb]

Well, I bore slugged the barrel and I don't know if I did it right. I measured .303 with 4 different calipers. I measured where the flattened part of the ball was. I used a .318" lead ball, maybe I need a little bigger one?

Here's a pic of the barrel, not too clear but it's shiny! ;D

 

[jimbo88mm]

1.5 inch groups at 50s with iron sights and surplus ammo sounds good me.. especially for my bad eyes. 8)

 

[rogn]

My son and I bought a couple(maybe 5 or 6) of these a few years back and we've played with them bit.My son used his with"Mexican Match" Russian production '77 I think and Hornady 150r "fat" 30 caliber bullets. He got a pair of whitetails with this set up. I bought a bag of PPU brass from Grafs for a reasonable price <.50$ a piece-good brass. Ive been loading both the the Hornady 150r SP and the 150r SST over 53.5 gr of H380. I happened to have a lot of it . The manuals seem to be content with as much as 55r, but why press it. These are lead core with gilding metal jackets and don't have the bad characteristics of the copper washed steel jackets. Anyhow the loads produce near MOA from one of the rifles and one of the carbines. Haven't had the time to try the other rifles yet. The H380 fill the case doenst seem to produce the pressure of the surplus rounds. The best pert was the bullets were readily available then. BTW, I just use soap and hot water to clean when firing corrosive surplus, just like black powder. Windex makes me nervous since its corrosive too.

 

[2506]

You need to measure from one high spot across to another high spot on the slug. These high spots are what went into the grooves. The flat spots are what the lands cut into. You need the groove measurement not the land measurement.

 

[Thumb]

Yes, I finally figured it out and got measurement between .311 and .312 after slugging another .315 ball. Thanks

 

[stubbicatt]

My son and I bought a couple(maybe 5 or 6) of these a few years back and we've played with them bit.My son used his with"Mexican Match" Russian production '77 I think and Hornady 150r "fat" 30 caliber bullets. He got a pair of whitetails with this set up. I bought a bag of PPU brass from Grafs for a reasonable price <.50$ a piece-good brass. Ive been loading both the the Hornady 150r SP and the 150r SST over 53.5 gr of H380. I happened to have a lot of it . The manuals seem to be content with as much as 55r, but why press it. These are lead core with gilding metal jackets and don't have the bad characteristics of the copper washed steel jackets. Anyhow the loads produce near MOA from one of the rifles and one of the carbines. Haven't had the time to try the other rifles yet. The H380 fill the case doenst seem to produce the pressure of the surplus rounds. The best pert was the bullets were readily available then. BTW, I just use soap and hot water to clean when firing corrosive surplus, just like black powder. Windex makes me nervous since its corrosive too.

As far as cleaning after corrosive ammo I use either Hoppes #9 or a slurry of Ballistol and water. I have had no issues with rust using either one.

Thumb, I'll get the stock to the post office sometime today.