Looking for a decent and inexpensive long range 7.62x54r rifle, maybe SVT?

StrelokRussia

StrelokRussia

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I am thinking about the SVT which can be had for $200. However I am not sure about the accuracy as there is a split opinion on that. Also I will need to mount an aftermarket scope and I have not been able to find a rail system for the SVT.

I want to go for the 7.62x54r round due to its inexpensive nature.

If the SVT can be equipped with a proper rail system and provide a decent accuracy at ~800m I will be happy with it.

I love Russian guns because, first of all, I am Russian, and also the military wartime pieces have a nostalgic feel to them. In addition to that, they are just great guns, like the SKS (which I own).

I am not looking for any collector value and would love to put an aftermarket black collapsible stock on the SVT but could not find a single source.


Thanks
 
In all honesty sir...a mosin nagant shooting the same round would be alot better suited to your needs (still proudly Russian as well)
The Svt is nice but is not really a long range weapon precision weapon..a bolt is better at this task then a semi auto...please take a look at the mosin nagant in 7.62x54r. WESTRIFLE has them :)

They are also highly customizable with lots of aftermarket support and good parts basis !! For under 200 $ much more accurate than the svt

http://westrifle.com/wrstore/index....ath=10&zenid=1e5ce0192d5eee3ca3c7a104ddb8380f
 
silen said:
In all honesty sir...a mosin nagant shooting the same round would be alot better suited to your needs (still proudly Russian as well)
The Svt is nice but is not really a long range weapon...please take a look at the mosin nagant in 7.62x54r. WESTRIFLE has them :)

They are also highly customizable with lots of aftermarket support and good parts basis !! For under 200 $ much more accurate than the svt
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Mosin 4 da Win!
 
Oh great. I was looking at the Mosin earlier but decided to disregard it due to the info I found. However if it will be better than the SVT then it's back on the list.
What kind of accuracy can I expect with the Mosin at ~800m with a cheap-ish scope and surplus ammo?

Thanks!
 
The Mosin will be more accurate...don't know about 800m, wow.
I know that not all Mosin's are created equal...some shoot better than others.
Sniper versions (originally, don't know about now) were regular Mosins that were plucked from training sessions when they were discovered to be particularly accurate...at least, that's part of the folklore.
So I suppose you could get lucky and get a particularly fine example?

Myself, I am happy to just get on the paper with mine at 200m, so perhaps someone else with better chops will advise...

I have an SVT as well, and it's fun to shoot...a bit less recoil...although I find I have to swab out the chamber every 10-15 rounds, or I get a shell stuck in there, and have to push it out with the cleaning rod...and I have had to re-adjust my gas block from 1.3 up to 1.5 to get it to cycle properly.

IMHO the Mosin is the more "reliable" rifle.
 
your never going to get a long range gun for a couple hundred bucks, sorry to crush your dreams, a good long range gun is going to cost a few grand and glass is going to alot to, i was always told spend about the same amount of money on a scope as your guns worth.

i cheaper option my be buying a rem 700 or gun around there price range and put on a good scope and you should get some range out of that but that still going to cost a fair penny

but a mosin or svt 40 will never get you much range, there good to collect and a good cheap shooter
 
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blista77 said:
your never going to get a long range gun for a couple hundred bucks, sorry to crush your dreams, a alright long range gun is going to cost a few grand and glass is going to alot to, i was always told spend about the same amount of money on a scope as your guns worth.

i cheaper option my be buying a rem 700 or gun around there price range and put on a good scope and you should get some range out of that but that still going to cost a fair penny

but a mosin or svt 40 will never get you much range, there good to collect and a good cheap shooter
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Although I wouldn't say a couple grand will give you an "alright" gun a couple grand can get you an excellent 1000 yrd gun (110 ba?) & then add glass yes.
But I will agree ...this will never be a precision long range gun... the best guys out there with the most pristine examples of these rifles would even tell you this...I love these rifles but they are not designed for "precision at 800 " especially as you say with a "cheapish scope" it's simply not realistic..
 
silen said:
Although I wouldn't say a couple grand will give you an "alright" gun a couple grand can get you an excellent 1000 yrd gun (110 ba?) & then add glass yes.
But I will agree ...this will never be a precision long range gun... the best guys out there with the most pristine examples of these rifles would even tell you this...I love these rifles but they are not designed for "precision at 800 " especially as you say with a "cheapish scope" it's simply not realistic..
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my bad saying alright gun for couple grand , you can get really good gun for 2k, i don't shoot long range or really have a interest in any other guns except old surplus war rifle, but i have notice when people buy guns for a couple grand there changing out parts to make them shoot better and adds up fast, and if your really in to long range shooting then you get your custom built rigs and there expensive, maybe someday ill get into long range shooting but right now i don't got the $ or the interest
 
blista77 said:
my bad saying alright gun for couple grand , you can get really good gun for 2k, i don't shoot long range or really have a interest in any other guns except old surplus war rifle, but i have notice when people buy guns for a couple grand there changing out parts to make them shoot better and adds up fast, and if your really in to long range shooting then you get your custom built rigs and there expensive, maybe someday ill get into long range shooting but right now i don't got the $ or the interest
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Love me my milsurps too and you are right ...long rangers are perfectionists (goes with the nature and the need) ...you are 100% correct about the mosin or svt not being up to par for what the op is asking though :)
 
You could probably expect 3-5 feet groups( surplus ammo can have some bad flyers + the bad trigger) with a cheap scope on a mosin and surplus ammo at 800m.

take a look at the k31 it might better fill your needs. Cheap(300$) and very accurate( sub moa capable).
 
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Dang, well I guess that's that then. Thanks a lot you crushed my dreams.........jerks :ang

Just kidding. I will be customizing the Mosin (if I get it) with an aftermarket stock, scope, rail mount, blah blah. But more importantly with upgrades to increase accuracy, if there are any. I have seen people go nuts on their Mosin making it look like a modern day sniper rifle. I already bought a scope and I don't think I can do more than 300m with my SKS so no point putting it on that bad boy.

I have no problem with doing all the gritty work myself, to get it to shoot better, and I am only limited by the tools I have available. In fact I want to get a rifle specifically to mod it to my heart's desire.

So, to the Mosin gurus out there, are there upgrades for the Mosin that will increase accuracy?


Oh yeah, silen, no I have never shot at that range before, but looking forward to it.
 
A properly bedded stock and a timney trigger would help next would be to find the right hand load for it and well practice a lot of it to.

I don't hand load but I have managed to get 1.25-1.5" groups at 100m with my PU sniper that I put in a archangel stock and installed a timney trigger on it using 182gr PPU FMJ.

Realistically I wouldn't expect better then 1.5-2Moa with a regular mosin so don't get your hopes up.
 
StrelokRussia said:
Dang, well I guess that's that then. Thanks a lot you crushed my dreams.........jerks :ang

Just kidding. I will be customizing the Mosin (if I get it) with an aftermarket stock, scope, rail mount, blah blah. But more importantly with upgrades to increase accuracy, if there are any. I have seen people go nuts on their Mosin making it look like a modern day sniper rifle. I already bought a scope and I don't think I can do more than 300m with my SKS so no point putting it on that bad boy.

I have no problem with doing all the gritty work myself, to get it to shoot better, and I am only limited by the tools I have available. In fact I want to get a rifle specifically to mod it to my heart's desire.

So, to the Mosin gurus out there, are there upgrades for the Mosin that will increase accuracy?
Click to expand...
** cracks knuckles**
Okay .sooo where to start. .
#1 that horrible trigger has to go. .
Cheap way. . Get it tuned ..return spring..over travel stop screw etc.
Best way.. get a timney trigger ( the guys at Hi caliber are great) ~120 $

Recrown the muzzle maybe cut the barrel back a couple inches..

If original stock...get it glass bedded properly
If not take a look at Boyds stocks ...laminate is great for rigidity (get it bedded still :p)

Mounts ...
Oh there are many for this project ..
I have always found properly drilled and tapped mounts are the most secure of all vs a tension mount on any gun
Ati makes a pretty good one for the price
Keep in mind you will now have to get a bent bolt kit (thats why I like ati they sell an all in one kit/ mount and bolt + hardware)
The glass is pretty standard but get whatever your wallet can afford as this will make a huge difference!!!

So
1.trigger
2.mount(bolt too) + glass
2a. Have it headspaced properly
3.bedding
4.stock
5. Good non corrosive handloaded ammo

If you play in this order the sky is the limit :)
 
StrelokRussia said:
Dang, well I guess that's that then. Thanks a lot you crushed my dreams.........jerks :ang

Just kidding. I will be customizing the Mosin (if I get it) with an aftermarket stock, scope, rail mount, blah blah. But more importantly with upgrades to increase accuracy, if there are any. I have seen people go nuts on their Mosin making it look like a modern day sniper rifle. I already bought a scope and I don't think I can do more than 300m with my SKS so no point putting it on that bad boy.

I have no problem with doing all the gritty work myself, to get it to shoot better, and I am only limited by the tools I have available. In fact I want to get a rifle specifically to mod it to my heart's desire.

So, to the Mosin gurus out there, are there upgrades for the Mosin that will increase accuracy?


Oh yeah, silen, no I have never shot at that range before, but looking forward to it.
Click to expand...

Now is the time to STOP and think.

Look, my Mosin is one of my most accurate milsurps due to a few mods that are easily done, and we're regularly done by the Soviets to improve the accuracy of the rifle (google it), as well as something that's scarcely been mentioned here, hand loads. Bone stock and with milsurp ammo, it is a 300m rifle at best, and that's IF you get one with a bore that is both properly sized and in good shape. Even the average engagement range of Soviet snipers was short by today's standards. So unless you're shooting barn doors at 800m, don't expect much.

If it MUST be a Mosin, then you are going to need a bent bolt, new target barrel (do they even make them?), drill/tap the receiver, stock, scope, rings, trigger, and pay a competent smith to put it all together. If you insist on a DIY job, then there's the expense of tools as well. By the time you get through the expense of butchering a piece of history, you are nowhere ahead of just buying a Remington 700 action and customizing that, and probably for less money as well.... and also a higher re-sale value if you ever decide to part with it. Not only that, you are going to have a much wider choice of parts/accessories, the work will be easier, and there is much more literature out there to guide you along with a modern rifle.

Food for thought.

Also, if you are serious about shooting longer ranges you are going to need to reload your own ammo. Especially shooting milsurp calibres. Keep in mind that match components (ie, bullets) are harder to find if it isn't in .223 or .308 diameter.

As others have said, accuracy doesn't come cheap. You're going to need more than cheap Chinese made junk and NCStar accessories to shoot well.
 
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I hit the gong at 300 with my Mosin, its irons and Russian surplus x54r.

800m? I dunno.

I'm with Tyler. Get a Remington. They have a new budget one that is apparently excellent value for the money.
 
Shooting a pu scoped mosin at 800 and hitting something regularly is do-able. The main elements in the success of such a venutre are practice and good ammo. Surplus aint going to cut it.
 
StrelokRussia said:
Dang, well I guess that's that then. Thanks a lot you crushed my dreams.........jerks :ang

Just kidding. I will be customizing the Mosin (if I get it) with an aftermarket stock, scope, rail mount, blah blah. But more importantly with upgrades to increase accuracy, if there are any. I have seen people go nuts on their Mosin making it look like a modern day sniper rifle. I already bought a scope and I don't think I can do more than 300m with my SKS so no point putting it on that bad boy.

I have no problem with doing all the gritty work myself, to get it to shoot better, and I am only limited by the tools I have available. In fact I want to get a rifle specifically to mod it to my heart's desire.

So, to the Mosin gurus out there, are there upgrades for the Mosin that will increase accuracy?


Oh yeah, silen, no I have never shot at that range before, but looking forward to it.
Click to expand...

i vote on leaving the mosin alone, its bin through a world war and just leave it stock haha and get your self a rem 700
 
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