7.62 Nagant Ammo: commercial vs. milsurp

raftman · May 28, 2012, 11:54 PM

Put together this video comparing the power of two loads (one is PPU commercial, the other Soviet military surplus) to see if there's really much difference using my foolproof ballistic test. The end result seems to suggest there's indeed quite a difference but it seems as though further testing may be necessary. Curious as to thoughts!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDS1f57fkFQ

chiefr · May 29, 2012, 09:45 AM

I had problems downloading your video; more than likely my computer is the culprit.
What I have discovered over the years of shooting milsurps is that best accuracy is achieved with the ammo they are designed to shoot.
If original ammo is no longer around, bullet weight is most important as it must be correct for the twist of the barrel providing diameter is correct. Powder burn rates are another factor as powder should burn at a similar rate to that of the original.
As far as Moisins, I have found superior accuracy with the spam can surplus and Norma is just as good but very expensive. PPU and domestic ammo does not come close.
The same can be said with your pistol, I get better accuracy with the spam can stuff over PPU. Hope this helps.

raftman · May 29, 2012, 09:27 PM

I may have to test for accuracy as well, in the video I tested pretty much only for penetration, shooting at a relatively large target from a relatively close distance.

The pistol ammo is a funny thing, from what I've read from some sources there isn't good data on the original round and so the commercial makers deliberately make very light loads to err on the side of caution. According to the PPU website, the performance of their round is just slightly weaker than .32acp.

At some point in the near future, I might have to compare the military 7.62x38R against 9mm.

May 28, 2012, 11:54 PM	#1
raftman Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2009 Location: Oregon Posts: 1,890	7.62 Nagant Ammo: commercial vs. milsurp Put together this video comparing the power of two loads (one is PPU commercial, the other Soviet military surplus) to see if there's really much difference using my foolproof ballistic test. The end result seems to suggest there's indeed quite a difference but it seems as though further testing may be necessary. Curious as to thoughts! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDS1f57fkFQ __________________ "My momma, she done told me, there's heart and then there's hate If one of 'em's inside of you, the other one, it aint."

May 29, 2012, 09:45 AM	#2
chiefr Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2010 Location: AR Posts: 1,401	I had problems downloading your video; more than likely my computer is the culprit. What I have discovered over the years of shooting milsurps is that best accuracy is achieved with the ammo they are designed to shoot. If original ammo is no longer around, bullet weight is most important as it must be correct for the twist of the barrel providing diameter is correct. Powder burn rates are another factor as powder should burn at a similar rate to that of the original. As far as Moisins, I have found superior accuracy with the spam can surplus and Norma is just as good but very expensive. PPU and domestic ammo does not come close. The same can be said with your pistol, I get better accuracy with the spam can stuff over PPU. Hope this helps. Last edited by chiefr; May 29, 2012 at 09:50 AM.

May 29, 2012, 09:27 PM	#3
raftman Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2009 Location: Oregon Posts: 1,890	I may have to test for accuracy as well, in the video I tested pretty much only for penetration, shooting at a relatively large target from a relatively close distance. The pistol ammo is a funny thing, from what I've read from some sources there isn't good data on the original round and so the commercial makers deliberately make very light loads to err on the side of caution. According to the PPU website, the performance of their round is just slightly weaker than .32acp. At some point in the near future, I might have to compare the military 7.62x38R against 9mm. __________________ "My momma, she done told me, there's heart and then there's hate If one of 'em's inside of you, the other one, it aint."