7.62x54R

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Bill Johnson

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Hello,
Does any one hunt with a Mosin Nagant 91/30 and hand load their ammo?
My son is looking to hunt with his 91/30 most likely for deer, I hand load Mosin ammo but not for hunting.
I would like some ideas as to bullet weight, powder, etc.
Bill
 
I like to load with the Hornady .312 bullets in 150gr soft points. I like to use the general purpose IMR4350 some where about 49 of 50 grains. I'm not in my shop I would have to look it up to be sure. Everything Mosin that I own ( or owned) shoots better with .312. Slug your barrel first, many are off-sized and usually over.
 
I find most Mosin 91 and 91/30 rifles shoot best with the bullet weights/velocities they were originally designed to shoot.

All of mine, except for the M44 prefer bullets of at least 174 grains and heavier. They also don't seem to mind if the bases are flat or boat tailed.

I won't say that your son's rifle won't shoot lighter bullets, because there are always some that will shoot everything from 125-220 grain bullets very well.

It all depends on bore condition and diameters.

I find that rifles with larger than mean spec bores, which most are, seem to prefer heavier bullets for best accuracy.

As for a load, your rifle is an entity unto itself. If you have enough primers and maybe some pulled FMJ bullets, I would fire form the cases to your son's rifle's chamber and then develop your load for accuracy.

Mosins can be very good performers, both accuracy and velocity wise or they can be very disappointing.
 
I've got a 1942 made 91/30.

I'd second the use of Hornady .312's in 150gn SP variety. Like anything: try a few groups and see what works, as these rifles can vary considerably.

For powder, I use what I have on hand, and it all works well: BL-C2, Win 748, IMR/H4895, etc.
 
Thanks guys,
Both of our rifles are Izzy's, 1942 man. I believe.
They are factory refurbs and have excellent barrels.
I reload using PPU cases and projectiles and have both 150gn. sp and 174gn sp.
I currently have IMR4895 powder but will be picking up some IMR4064 tomorrow.
I have broken apart Chinese surplus rounds as well as PPU Rifleline ammo in 182gnFMJ and found the powder to weigh in at approx. 42gns.
Powder charge suggestions please and Thankyou, Bill
 
The US gave the Russians tons of 4895 for their 7.62x54R's during WW2 same as was used in the Garand not sure if it ws IMR or H?
 
Bill Johnson said:
Thanks guys,
Both of our rifles are Izzy's, 1942 man. I believe.
They are factory refurbs and have excellent barrels.
I reload using PPU cases and projectiles and have both 150gn. sp and 174gn sp.
I currently have IMR4895 powder but will be picking up some IMR4064 tomorrow.
I have broken apart Chinese surplus rounds as well as PPU Rifleline ammo in 182gnFMJ and found the powder to weigh in at approx. 42gns.
Powder charge suggestions please and Thankyou, Bill
Click to expand...

Lyman 49th Edition data for 7.62x54R for both 174gr and 180gr jacketed bullets:
IMR4895: START 41.0 gr; MAX 45.5gr

43 to 44 gr has worked well for me..
 
If you have the surplus ammo, you can pull the FMJ bullet, neck size, and seat a soft point bullet of similar weight.

For reloading, I use 48 gr of 4895 under a 150gr bullet and 45g under a 175 gr bullet.
 
mbogo3 said:
The US gave the Russians tons of 4895 for their 7.62x54R's during WW2 same as was used in the Garand not sure if it ws IMR or H?
Click to expand...

They have the same burn rate and are next to each other on the charts. Same powder material, different brand name.
 
fiddler said:
They have the same burn rate and are next to each other on the charts. Same powder material, different brand name.
Click to expand...

Back then, it would have been labled 4895, without a prefix.

I picked up a half ton of 4895 back in the day and it had lables printed in Russian, English, Chinese and another I couldn't identify.

I have a vague memory of a manufacturer that I believe was Dupont with a subsidiary plant location.
 
Bearhunter, was that half a ton for personal use or a business? If the former, you must have gotten enough for a lifetime of reloading!!
 
cheb said:
Bearhunter, was that half a ton for personal use or a business? If the former, you must have gotten enough for a lifetime of reloading!!
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No, it wasn't for business but I did purchase large quantities, when they became available for a few different stores to put on sale as customer draw items.

Back in those days, hand loading was akin to alchemy and 80% of people honestly believed all hand loads were ticking time bombs, waiting for some fool to pull the trigger and blow off their hands and destroy their firearm.

In some cases, they may have been right. Many people back in the day had no idea about powder burn rates etc. and there were some spectacular Kabooms.

I often had 50-100 pounds of powder on hand and sold it to acquaintances at 25% over all of the costs of getting it back home.

Bruce Hodgon was very hands on and approachable back in those days and Alan Lever introduced me to him. Alan bought a lot of powder from Hogdon's and most of it was sold to other businesses as bulk lots, after being repackaged by folks like Tom Higginson, who was a personal friend of Bruce Hogdon.

I never made a lot of money from those large purchases, simply because they were pretty much available to anyone that was willing to drive to Kansas and pick it up in large quantities.

Never a bit of trouble at the border crossings. Many of the officers were hand loaders and shooters who were quite interested in what was going on. Of course, they frowned on folks that didn't declare what they brought in.

The main reason I did this was it paid for decent vacations and I could usually shoot for free with the proceeds.

There were some deals that were quite lucrative, but usually they included surplus ammunition, both commercial and military and often firearms.

Those days are long past now, but I learned a lot and got to meet some extremely interesting people along the way. Some, such as PO Ackley/Tom Higginson/Alan Lever became personal friends and kept in touch right up to their time of passing.

I miss those heady days and many of those people.
 
fiddler said:
For new people it may seem confusing, but for reloaders with over 40 years cranking on a press its a no brainer to change powders
Click to expand...
Agree for all practical reasons these are interchangeable, but we shouldn't advise new reloaders that the H/IMR 4895 data is automatically interchangeable - they should use data for the specific powder they are loading.
 
jethunter said:
Agree for all practical reasons these are interchangeable, but we shouldn't advise new reloaders that the H/IMR 4895 data is automatically interchangeable - they should use data for the specific powder they are loading.
Click to expand...


Always follow the charts. No exceptions.


The irony is that people think because they cannot get the same powder that their Daddy taught them to load with they believe they cannot make more loads. But in reality there are one or two dozen powders that can make an acceptable load. The market is bad for availability these days but I carry a copy of the powder burn rates on my phone and I'll buy the next best powder if I can't find the one I want. If there is a powder, there is a loading chart available for it.
 
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