I happened to run across a James River Arsenal rebuild of a Springfield 1903-A3, based on a 1943 Smith-Corona actio, for about $1000. I expect it has little collector value, but is a flawless representation of this kind of rifle. It is very fun to shoot with always-available 30-06 ammo, no heat-treatment issues as it is WW2 vintage, perfect wood & metal finishes, and (my best guess) a heritage of the Pacific and USMC as I believe that the US army in Italy would have had Garands by '43. Or it could have been a training/garrison rifle. In any case it is pure eye candy and has served me well as an introduction to milsurps. If you can find one of these I think it would perfectly suit your purposes.
Milsurp Newbie question...
- Thread starter target-guy
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+1 on a RC K98 and the Norinco JW-25a, might want to have a look at the GSG StG-44 .22 as well. It has the look and feel of the real thing, is a well made piece of kit and dirt cheap to shoot. If they take to those and maintain their interest, you can invest in something higher end later on.
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maple_leaf_eh
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
No idea who the seller is, but here is a Russian Capture K98 on the Exchange.
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1663831-RC-Kar98k
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1663831-RC-Kar98k
And if you like the rifle but don't like the price-tag on the ammo (buck a shot for any of them, shading upward to over $2 a shot for some), you can always cheat just a little bit, take up loading your own and fire ANY of them for A DIME A SHOT or so.
How?
The answer lies with the C.E. Harris "Universal Load for Military Rifles" and is just about the same for almost all of them: about 13 grains of Red Dot (shotgun) powder and a 180-grain CAST bullet. You get about 1800 ft/sec, zero measurable bore wear and acceptable accuracy out to about 300 yards.
If you need more information, consider that Friend BUFFDOG uses the Harris Load, slightly modified to 14 grains, as his gopher-sniping load out to 300. Recoil is moderate, not enough to turn girls away from the sport.
You don't have to break the bank or cash in your retirement certificates to enjoy this hobby.
How?
The answer lies with the C.E. Harris "Universal Load for Military Rifles" and is just about the same for almost all of them: about 13 grains of Red Dot (shotgun) powder and a 180-grain CAST bullet. You get about 1800 ft/sec, zero measurable bore wear and acceptable accuracy out to about 300 yards.
If you need more information, consider that Friend BUFFDOG uses the Harris Load, slightly modified to 14 grains, as his gopher-sniping load out to 300. Recoil is moderate, not enough to turn girls away from the sport.
You don't have to break the bank or cash in your retirement certificates to enjoy this hobby.
Deltasilver
Regular
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- Right behind you...
100%
Some people use Dacron or Polyfil to fill the empty space and keep the powder against the primer.
There’s a similar load; Mattern’s Universal 200m Target Load using Alliant 2400 or a “60% of minimum” H or IMR 4895.
I run the IMR4895 myself as I use it in just about everything.
For bullets I use a 185 wheel weight alloy with gas checks. Mould LEE 132-185-2r IIRC, have to check.
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I've got a VZ24, numerous Mark3, Mark4 and Mark5 Enfield's, A Mosin Sniper, SKS's, K31, and a Brazilian 7mm Mauser. For fun I like the Mosin most, for accuracy the Brazilian Mauser. I reload for .303, which is pretty much the only way to afford it. I find kids like the SKS's best as they are cheap to buy and shoot, with light recoil. 8mm is hard to find and bigger recoil, 7.62x54R I find ok for recoil but others don't.
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The 13 grain Red Dot load for military rifles was developed by C.E. Harris, who was a staff writer for "American Rifleman". He did a lot of research on lighter but accurate loads using mostly cast bullets that came near to the weights of many military cartridges. He called it "the Load."
I used this as a "starting load" for many years, and did not have to vary much from the 13 grains to get accurate loads. Most of my shooting with the .303 was out to 300 yards, and I found it was just as accurate as Mark 7 Ball in most cases. On Matches where you could use your own handloads, I preferred to use the cast bullets.
One thing have found over the years is that people try to drive SPITZER designs too fast. Slowing down the velocity to the 1600-1800 fps range generally results in better accuracy. That said, I have driven cast bullets into the 2600-2700 fps range using a good lubricant and by using PAPER jackets or patches, with reasonable accuracy.
The 13 grain Red Dot load for military rifles was developed by C.E. Harris, who was a staff writer for "American Rifleman". He did a lot of research on lighter but accurate loads using mostly cast bullets that came near to the weights of many military cartridges. He called it "the Load."
I used this as a "starting load" for many years, and did not have to vary much from the 13 grains to get accurate loads. Most of my shooting with the .303 was out to 300 yards, and I found it was just as accurate as Mark 7 Ball in most cases. On Matches where you could use your own handloads, I preferred to use the cast bullets.
One thing have found over the years is that people try to drive SPITZER designs too fast. Slowing down the velocity to the 1600-1800 fps range generally results in better accuracy. That said, I have driven cast bullets into the 2600-2700 fps range using a good lubricant and by using PAPER jackets or patches, with reasonable accuracy.
I agree!
7.62 x 54R is getting a bit harder to find, hopefully there will be more imported soon; 7.62 X 33 is available and quite inexpensive for surplus; but this stuff is dirty and corrosive, especially the Chinese, so it will teach cleaning!
I love my SKS, good accuracy for what it is; I have yet to shoot my Christmas Moisin but love the look and feel of it! Iron sights all the way!
If you are interested in handguns; I had a Tokarev, but was unable to shoot it consistently. Snappy recoil made me flinch, and I could not get over it, and man, it was loud! Webley Enfield revolvers can be found but .38 S & W ammo is hard to find at a reasonable price. Colt 1911 clones by Norinco can be had for 350-400 new and are way easier to shoot than the Tokarev. P-38s and Browning Hi Powers show up from time to time surplus and can be had at a reasonable price if you watch, as can the Star B. All of these are WW II vintage or type arms.
