I have a Swiss made Mosin 7.62x54r that slugged at .312" all the loading date is for .308" bullet. The British 303 loading data is for a .312" bullet. Lets say both the 308 & 312 bullets weigh 180gr. Which of the two calibers loading data should I use?
loading data does not match my rifle
- Thread starter grizhunter
- Start date
Fast14riot
Gold $$ Contributor
Load data is for the cartridge, I'd use 7.62x54r data.
Why? I will be loading to shoot the .312" bullet
Fast14riot
Gold $$ Contributor
Because that's the cartridge the data was developed for. Start low and work up. Some nagant shooters still use .308 bullets in .311-.312 bores effectively.
Your best data will come from the bullet manufacturers data. Reference for this is the Hornady 9th Edition reloading manual where they reference bullets between .308 and .312 as well as some .310 just for the discerning shooter all for the 7.62 x 54R cartridge. I would run with the data for the bullet you are using.
Ron
For the 54R with data using .308 bullets you can use on average about 1 gr more powder when using .311/312 bullets. I personally have never seen a rifle in this caliber that will group with .308 bullets. I have a bunch of rifles in this caliber and they all shoot very well with 50 grs Accurate 4350 with 174/180 gr .311/312 bullets. Accurate's manual uses .311 bullets and list 51 gr AA 4350 as a max with 180 gr bullet. I have found that these rifles shoot best with the 174/180 gr. bullets.
Use the right data or go ahead and make reservations at the emergency room... Reloading is no joke and not to be played around with without a lot of experience.. start low and work up , changing bullet weights requires a different charge for a reason.. just my 2 cents take it for what it's worth... Safety is number one...
If your new to this get a mentor ! It can and does get dangerous real fast .
Even your Swiss barrel led Mosin shot std Russian ammo . Does it have a "D" stamped near the date ? If so it was rechambered for the larger bullet .
I've not seen one yet that hasn't been , D or not . Most imported Russian mosins in the last 20 yrs have been arsenal refinished a few times .
If you have pics of your chamber area I could deceipher most .
What loading book are you looking at ? None I have , and I've got 20-30 , list just the 308
Even your Swiss barrel led Mosin shot std Russian ammo . Does it have a "D" stamped near the date ? If so it was rechambered for the larger bullet .
I've not seen one yet that hasn't been , D or not . Most imported Russian mosins in the last 20 yrs have been arsenal refinished a few times .
If you have pics of your chamber area I could deceipher most .
What loading book are you looking at ? None I have , and I've got 20-30 , list just the 308
Why is because case capacities vary.
You need to go by the caliber your loading.
Also, please just dont assume what you read on the net is safe and will work for you.
Even when loading up the same recipe within the same catridge/caliber using different brass most if not all will measure h2o capacities to get a overall case capacity average for that lot/assortment of brass.
When your on the fringe and running max loads (like many here do) and you suddenly skip that process and load that given recipe into a case brand with lower capacity things can go bad quickly.
Best of luck and welcome to a fantastic forum and hobby/sport
Let us know what powders and bullets you want to use and hopefully some of us will give you more relevant data from reloading manuals we might have as well as real world experience.
You can use data for the 762x54R with 308" bullets. Just start at minimum recommend charge weight and work up incrementally.
You can use data for the 762x54R with 308" bullets. Just start at minimum recommend charge weight and work up incrementally.
I just ran some #'s in Quickload with 308" and 312" bullets and pressure wise bullet diameter didn't matter as much (if any) as bullet bearing surface.
So it doesn't matter if the reloading book used 308" or 312" bullets for their 7.62x54R load data.
Start low and work up.
There are many other variables that will dictate max pressure like case H20 capacity, bullet bearing surface, seating depth and how close the bullet is seated to the rifling/lands, primers, lot of powder, atmospheric conditions, and then some.
Many years ago Ruger mini-30's (7.62x39) had barrels with 308" bore (instead of 310"), and no one had a problem shooting factory or surplus 310" AK47 ammo.
So it doesn't matter if the reloading book used 308" or 312" bullets for their 7.62x54R load data.
Start low and work up.
There are many other variables that will dictate max pressure like case H20 capacity, bullet bearing surface, seating depth and how close the bullet is seated to the rifling/lands, primers, lot of powder, atmospheric conditions, and then some.
Many years ago Ruger mini-30's (7.62x39) had barrels with 308" bore (instead of 310"), and no one had a problem shooting factory or surplus 310" AK47 ammo.
shoot4fun
Gold $$ Contributor
Maybe you should wonder why ALL reloading data is listed by cartridge instead of bullet.
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