7.62X54R non steel core ammo.....

As much as you want if you pick up a set of dies. Or if you want to pay $27 a box for commercial stuff. I reload 7.62x54r For less than 50 cents a round, plus you never have to worry about the cleaning that's involved with corrosive ammo.
 
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Slug your barrel so you know what the proper diameter of bullets to use whether buying jacketed or casting your own.

*If casting, cast 0.001 - 0.002" larger than the measured diameter.

How to 'Slug a barrel' you ask?

h ttp://www.google.ca/search?q=slugging+a+barrel&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=IfN&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:eek:fficial&prmd=ivns&source=univ&tbs=vid:1&tbo=u&ei=fcJVTZfWMoTBtgelmPWmDQ&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&ved=0CC8QqwQwAQ

Plenty of videos here.
 
I'm interested in reloading 7.62x 54r. Whats the best way to get started?

Yep, most likley though it will be .311" The thing is you don't want to find out the hard way that your rifle has a .308" bore.

All you need is dies which all the major brands make. They can sometimes be hard to find, order from WSS if you can't find em locally.

If your bore is .311" you should use 303 caliber or .311" bullets. Pretty easy to find. .308" bullets will have poor accuracy if you have a .311" bore.

Medium burn rate powders like Varget or IMR 4064 work well for the 54R. Don't use slow burning propellants in the SVT-40. Autoloaders don't like drawn out pressure curves.

Also, make sure you dies come with both a .308" expander ball and a .311" ball. Hornady dies only ship with a .308" ball. I sent them an email telling them that shipping these dies with only one ball, and the less common .308" ball at that, was ridiculous. They sent me a .311" ball free of charge.
 
.310, .311, or .312 will all work, some results maybe larger in accuracy than others, sometimes little difference in accuracy. A dirty barrel makes more difference than going from .311 to .312. Slugging is still a good way to go, but .001 may not make much difference at all.



I second the Hornady die thing. Emailed them and a new larger expander was in the mail the next day.


Hey Cam, What bullet weight are you tossing?
 
i have 250 rounds of mfs soft point 203gr


I've fired a few boxes of mfs and it shoots ok, but its not much cheaper than commercial loads that have good reloadable brass. The other issue I have is that its only fmj. I'm not trying to be a downer on the product because it does shoot good, but for a small difference in price I can get both target and hunting loads. If you don't hunt, reload, or cannot shoot steel core ammo, then its an ok way to go.

The surplus stuff from Marstar is 40 or 50 cents per round depending on shipping. The commercial loads are about a buck a round, and the mfs stuff is 80 cents a round in our local stores.
 
I've fired a few boxes of mfs and it shoots ok, but its not much cheaper than commercial loads that have good reloadable brass. The other issue I have is that its only fmj. I'm not trying to be a downer on the product because it does shoot good, but for a small difference in price I can get both target and hunting loads. If you don't hunt, reload, or cannot shoot steel core ammo, then its an ok way to go.

The surplus stuff from Marstar is 40 or 50 cents per round depending on shipping. The commercial loads are about a buck a round, and the mfs stuff is 80 cents a round in our local stores.

this stuff is soft point not fmj
 
The stuff I was given was fmj. If thats the case, then I've misunderstood what he gave me to fire off. I suspect I'll see him at the range on Saturday or Sunday. I'll confirm it.
 
7.62x54R fired from an SVT is pretty beat up because of the fluted chamber.


Make sure you buy the gas adjustment tool when you buy your SVT. It cuts down on case damage when you get the setting correct. Brass cases get beat up more because they are softer than the steel.


The price on FMS rounds in x54R is $450 per 500 rounds. Ouch. Personally, I like the 150 grain loads in my SVT and in the Mosin, but 180gr work ok too. I have mixed feelings about 200 grain and its usefulness, especially longer range shooting.

Has anyone else used the 203 grain bullet with success or failure?
 
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