Non-surplus Mosin feed. Have you found any that work well?

[PigPknHeat]

I have been experimenting with non-surplus or new production 7.62x54r for my 91/30 but I have not found anything that works well with the iron sights. All the surplus I have seems to be dead on with the iron sights but this other stuff is either 8-10" high or low at 100yrds. I have tried a handful of brands and weights but have not found anything to work well. You guys and gals have any suggestions? I would continue to buy surplus but its not that much of a deal anymore from what I have seen lately so I have been testing brown bear, PPU, and some others I can remember right now.

 

[Eric H]

I can't say how accurate they are at 100 yards but with just simple plinking around between 25-70 yards I really haven't had any problems between Tula, MFS (stuff you find at Cabela's), and Barnaul.

 

[btnh6668]

Ive shot tula out of my psl and it was fairly accurate. I say fairly because im pretty sure i wasnt helping lol.

 

[noxin]

Hertzers is solid stuff as well, Yellow box at Cabelas and misc places

 

[dcmdon]

I just picked up a couple of Finnish Mosin's in unfired condition inside and out and want to stick to non-corrosive ammo. I'll be picking up some Privi soon and will report back.
I'm sticking with brass cased stuff so once I have a couple of hundred on hand I can start reloading. And the Privi cost about as much as many places charge for just brass.

Don

 

[mclina]

Are you getting decent groups that are 8-10" high, or is it just all over the place?

That is a crazy variance at 100 yards.

 

[NavelOfficer]

I have been experimenting with non-surplus or new production 7.62x54r for my 91/30 but I have not found anything that works well with the iron sights. All the surplus I have seems to be dead on with the iron sights but this other stuff is either 8-10" high or low at 100yrds. I have tried a handful of brands and weights but have not found anything to work well. You guys and gals have any suggestions? I would continue to buy surplus but its not that much of a deal anymore from what I have seen lately so I have been testing brown bear, PPU, and some others I can remember right now.

If you're down SE CT way, east of Foxwoods, bring it along and we can work up a various assortment to shoot onsite at 100 meters. I'll have some coated 200 grainers available shortly in addition to my varied mix on hand already. Note: I don't shoot a Mosin Nagant, but I do reload the 7.62x38R/39/54R.
If you do seriously consider coming down, bring some Prvi ammo along, so we can reload it after you empty it. Thanks.





FWIW, a friend brought a newly-acquired 91/30 up the other week and he tried a few X-Treme .308" PFNs which seemed to hit paper at 100 meters. Granted, a 5" group, but he wasn't hitting the paper much at all before (he only had one box of CWSC surplus ammo of his own to shoot).
http://www.xtremebullets.com/308-s/48051.htm
Perhaps he'll order some .312" to try next time...

 

[mac1911]

If you're down SE CT way, east of Foxwoods, bring it along and we can work up a various assortment to shoot onsite at 100 meters. I'll have some coated 200 grainers available shortly in addition to my varied mix on hand already. Note: I don't shoot a Mosin Nagant, but I do reload the 7.62x38R/39/54R.
If you do seriously consider coming down, bring some Prvi ammo along, so we can reload it after you empty it. Thanks.






FWIW, a friend brought a newly-acquired 91/30 up the other week and he tried a few X-Treme .308" PFNs which seemed to hit paper at 100 meters. Granted, a 5" group, but he wasn't hitting the paper much at all before (he only had one box of CWSC surplus ammo of his own to shoot).
http://www.xtremebullets.com/308-s/48051.htm
Perhaps he'll order some .312" to try next time...

Nice assortment of projectiles there.

As for jacketed ammo. I have had point of impact shifts from manufacture to manufacture. Not 10" but 5"+

Now my 91/30 gets minute of man at 100 yards. Does not really group well at all with any "surplus". PPU 174 grain match has been the best so far and pulled some sub 3" groups out of it. My FMJ reloads can hold the black of a SR1 target.

My best accuracy has come from 200 grain cast .314" over 30 grains of H4895
they will shoot 2.5" at 100 yards from the rest with irons.

As for shift in POI i could only emagine barrel harmonics can change a good amount with different loads.

 

[NavelOfficer]

Nice assortment of projectiles there.

As for jacketed ammo. I have had point of impact shifts from manufacture to manufacture. Not 10" but 5"+

Now my 91/30 gets minute of man at 100 yards. Does not really group well at all with any "surplus". PPU 174 grain match has been the best so far and pulled some sub 3" groups out of it. My FMJ reloads can hold the black of a SR1 target.

My best accuracy has come from 200 grain cast .314" over 30 grains of H4895
they will shoot 2.5" at 100 yards from the rest with irons.

As for shift in POI i could only emagine barrel harmonics can change a good amount with different loads.

Most of the stubby cast bullets are just for plinking; I wouldn't expect bench-rest accuracy from them, but they do work. You may have to gingerly feed some of those, but if you're not in a speed shoot, who cares!
Most of these are plain-based bullets, so it's not like they will come even close to duplicating surplus ammo strength and will likely do better under 1200 fps.
The 2 extreme left (cast bullets) are .32 bullets, I believe. The next one is a .32-20 bullet (Lyman#311008) and then an M1 Carbine bullet (Lyman#311410). Last two are a 165gr .30-30 bullet and and unknown 200 grainer. Only the 200gr has a gas check.
To be honest, for what I can purchase coated bullets for, I've done very little casting of late.
We'll see what results are achievable when I get those coated bullets.
Cheers!

 

[mac1911]

To be honest, for what I can purchase coated bullets for, I've done very little casting of late.

im considering that myself. I have less time to cast now.

 

[PigPknHeat]

they group... brown bear (174gr I think) is high, privy is low (soft point 150gr? I think), mfs is high (147gr I think)... I threw the boxes away so I cant be sure of the weights but I think that's the ball park.

all the surplus I have is 147gr I think and its right on at 100 yrds with the sights set at 100m and still on when at 250 with the sights set at 250. Kentucky windage is not too fun when you need to do it everytime.

 

[jpm]

Prvi is good stuff but it comes in 2 different (maybe 3) weights so you may want to try both. The Herters stuff works great in my SVT40 and is steel cased so you aren't paying extra for brass if you're not reloading.

 

[mac1911]

they group... brown bear (174gr I think) is high, privy is low (soft point 150gr? I think), mfs is high (147gr I think)... I threw the boxes away so I cant be sure of the weights but I think that's the ball park.

all the surplus I have is 147gr I think and its right on at 100 yrds with the sights set at 100m and still on when at 250 with the sights set at 250. Kentucky windage is not too fun when you need to do it everytime.

Well I'm shocked your mosin is actually even close to point of aim point of impact on 100m so many shoot high which is normal from what I understand. The fact that your surplus groups is another thing to be very happy about. What do you consider a group ?
Personally what I would do is find what ever non corrosive ammo your rifle shoots the best then buy a few years worth of the same lot if possible. Then re zero your sights for that ammo. Or start a,log book and detail what each brand bullet weight and profile does what so you get idea of where to hold the front sight from the get go when you stock up on xyz ammo.

I never really put much thought into it. Growing up my dad said if your zeroed for X bullet weight and you shoot a heavier bullet it will tend to shoot high if you go lighter it will go low. I asked why? Dad: " son you can think about it all you want later right now it's time to shoot"
So I never thought about it much. I do know my zeros are different for my M1 garands with different bullets/loads. Up down left and right.

 

[92G]

PPU 7.62x54r has done well for me. Good stuff would def buy it again if the surplus crap werent so cheap!

 

[mac1911]

Curious, did you shoot these different selections all in one sitting?
I shoot my Mosin in a vintage CMP match. Learned real quick that my "zero" shifts rather much once the barrel gets hot. Also the bullet profile ,jacket thickness could play a part in the issue.
I just invision the barrel being "seasoned" for the surplus and it developes a "track"
Then you shoot a different bullet be it size ,weight, style, jacket metal and also different powders and powder charges. If you look into the Optimum Charge Wieght load development system you can get a idea of the shifts in impact when something is different in a cartridge load. This will all change the barrel harmonics. Think of the barrel like a wave when it vibrates. I'm not very technical so I will try my best.
The idea for accuracy in any gun is a load that basically is in time with the vibration.... or should I say the bullet exits the barrel when the barrel is at the same wave height shot after shot. Ideally you want the "wave" or vibration to have traveled back down to the receiver or "flat"
If you change the dynamics of the load now the barrel wave might cause the barrel muzzle to be on the "high or low" end of the wave.

Had a range friend who shoots a Hungarian mosin sniper and swears by the Russian match in the tin cans. I'm pretty much done shooting my mosin with corrosive and basically have shifted to cast.

Things to consider also is what size bullet are the manufactures using. I bought some wolf and S&B that had 308" bullets. Great for a Finnish mosin but not so,much for my 91/30 barrel slugs out just shy of .314"

 

[mac1911]

PPU 7.62x54r has done well for me. Good stuff would def buy it again if the surplus crap werent so cheap!

If you dont reload you can sell the brass. I love buying mosin brass!