Trouble reloading 7.62x54R

KW-Bane · February 20, 2008, 11:49 PM

I reload .454 casull/.45 colt, .45 acp, .357/.38 spcl, .30-30 & 7.62x39 (also 1000 rnds of .223 brass waiting their turn) without any troubles. So I decided to get dies to reload for the Mosin Nagant 7.62x54R. I bought Lee dies like I have done for the other cal.'s. I bought Sellier & Bellot (brass case) ammo for reloading. Here is where the trouble started....

After lubing the cases, in the resize/primer push stage, I noticed the case does not go in the die far enough to even pop out the primer. About 2/3 the way down the case it stops. Being brave as I am, I lubed it again and finally worked it down far enough to pop out the primer. It left a raised ring where the edge of the die was and really shined up the case (burnished) where die & case met. It was like the die was just not big enough for the case (the case does have a natural angle or a gradual "narrow to wide" property to it).

"This is just a pic of the russian bullet not one of mine."

I first thought of checking for the correct die caliber, & it said 7.62x54R.

Does anyone have a solution to the trouble I'm having? And or any sugestions to gear me in the right direction would be welcomed!

Thanks!!

Darren007 · February 20, 2008, 11:55 PM

Did you try adjusting the pin up or down. I had the exact same problem with a set of Lee dies in 7mm Mauser and that seemed to fix it.

KW-Bane · February 21, 2008, 07:53 PM

I did think of it, however I never had to do that before and was actually afraid of damaging the die.

Thanks for the help and I will try this!

KW-Bane · March 3, 2008, 10:24 PM

It worked great! Thanks for the help!

reloaderNOOB · June 30, 2009, 03:12 PM

From what I have read, M 91/30's were made by MANY different companies. The bore groove diameter can vary in mosin nagants from .308" to a whopping .312"!! Groove diameters and bullet diameters seem to be bigger (around .310" to .312") in European rifles and ammunition, with american-made mosin nagants tending to be smaller (.308" to .309")

I believe my mosin is euro-made, because it has russian stamps and characters, and european ammo (particularly Hot-Shot)

This is a big concern when getting ammunition.... you want your ammo to match your bore groove diameter. I have heard that the way to find out WHAT YOUR RIFLE IS is to "slug the barrel"

I have no idea how to slug a barrel, but if i'm not mistaken, you hammer an oversized lead bullet thru the barrel and then measure the bullet at a certain spot with mic's or dial calipers. DO NOT DO THIS BEFORE READING UP ON IT, I AM BUT A LOWLY NEAPHYTE! I DON'T KNOW THE PRECAUTIONS OR ANYTHING.

hope that helps...

btw, if anyone can help me with slugging the barrel of MY mosin, I would greatly appreciate it--PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME BUG MY GUNSMITH !!

reloaderNOOB · June 30, 2009, 03:13 PM

"and european ammo" works better than american.

lee n. field · June 30, 2009, 03:25 PM

Quote:

The bore groove diameter can vary in mosin nagants from .308" to a whopping .312"!

Oh, even higher. Mine measures .314. It's hideously inaccurate.

reloaderNOOB · June 30, 2009, 03:27 PM

with my mosin

darkgael · June 30, 2009, 04:37 PM

Slugging is easy. As noted, take a piece of soft lead - I used a piece of buckshot - and carefully hammer it into the muzzle far enough to engrave the rifling. Brass hammer or plastic. Knock it out with a cleaning rod.
Carefully rotate the slug between the jaws of a caliper.
My M-N slugged at 0.311. Still, I load 0.308 bullets (180-190 grains) and it shoots very nicely at 100 yards. I haven't shot it farther than that.
Pete

deadcoyote · June 30, 2009, 09:45 PM

I just had my mosin slugged and it turned out .315!!! I just special ordered 300 cast lead .316 bullets from "Glenhills Cast Bullets". The guys name is Vern and he's been extremely helpful so far. Check him out, its cheap like my budget!

margiesex · July 1, 2009, 09:22 AM

Hello: Look under Howinmad's post - about 3 from the bottom of this page of posts. He gives you the link there to my post and an answer to slugging the Nygant! And the advice is good - and cheap!

Talk of issues - if you look at the older Sierra loading manual, they list the bullet dia. at .308! So, dumb me ordered some .308 bullets...needless to say it was a disaster.

Good luck.

God bless.

Margiesex

And remember: Hug your God and your guns - 'cause he's coming for them both, and soon!

Huntzalittle · July 2, 2009, 07:02 PM

I've been working on this problem since I started working on my Mosin Nagant M 91/30. My Hornady Manual (Third Editon) lists a bunch of loads using differnet wt .308" bullets, all of which hit all over the target. I was getting pretty disgusted with the project, almost ready to write it off.

Then I slugged the barrel and found out it is .311. I wanted to try a bigger bullet, so I bought one of those 20 rd boxes of ammo for 7.62X39 and pulled the bullets. They were .310", 123 grn FMJ. Loaded up with 45grn of 4320.
Grouping was a great improvement over what I had been getting! That .002" extra seems to have been the key to tighter groups.
Now a little trigger work and this dogs is ready to hunt!
I think ya gotta "Slug the barrel" to find out what you are working with.

Notenoughguns · July 2, 2009, 09:38 PM

you can buy bullets for British 303 for your 7.62x54R loads

azar92 · July 2, 2009, 10:22 PM

I have yet to reload for my Mosin Nagant. I bought my Mosin for $80 as a plinking gun, to shoot all that old military surplus crap. I don't plan to hunt with it and just can't see a reason for me to reload it. At least, this is what I have to tell myself over and over again to keep from buying the dies, bullets, brass...

Notenoughguns has it though. There are bullets that will give an even better fit than the ones you pulled, and you don't have to sacrifice any 7.62x39's either. Hornady sells a .310 123 SP (designed for the 7.62x39), a .3105 174g FMJ BT, and .312 150g SP and a 174g RN. Sierra sells .311 bullets in their Pro Hunter line at 125gr, 150gr, and 180gr and a 174g MatchKing. I'm sure other brands carry them as well.

If your bore sizes .311 I'd give the Sierras a try. A 150g would be good deer medicine and the 180g would likely ruin an elks day too.

https://www.hornady.com/shop/?ps_ses...cd8c4695880db5
https://www.hornady.com/shop/?ps_ses...ba16bfca474ee0
https://www.hornady.com/shop/?ps_ses...5adad1e4c25279
http://www.sierrabullets.com/index.c...le&caliberID=9

KW-Bane · July 3, 2009, 10:18 PM

After the initial "learning how to reload for the 7.62X54r" I have used several diff bullets & loads (after slugging the barrel) to see what shoots best in my gun. It does seem the closer the bullet dia is to the barrel dia, the better the groups are, and medium loads with the lighter bullet works very well......still not done fine tuning....will probly use it for hunting this year....we'll see how it goes!

MuscleGarunt · July 3, 2009, 10:56 PM

1/8th ounce fishing weights are the perfect size. You need to hit them with a hammer a couple of times to help flatten them though. The hole in the middle helps it form a good fit.

February 20, 2008, 11:49 PM	#1
KW-Bane Senior Member Join Date: October 22, 2006 Location: Mississippi Posts: 109	Trouble reloading 7.62x54R I reload .454 casull/.45 colt, .45 acp, .357/.38 spcl, .30-30 & 7.62x39 (also 1000 rnds of .223 brass waiting their turn) without any troubles. So I decided to get dies to reload for the Mosin Nagant 7.62x54R. I bought Lee dies like I have done for the other cal.'s. I bought Sellier & Bellot (brass case) ammo for reloading. Here is where the trouble started.... After lubing the cases, in the resize/primer push stage, I noticed the case does not go in the die far enough to even pop out the primer. About 2/3 the way down the case it stops. Being brave as I am, I lubed it again and finally worked it down far enough to pop out the primer. It left a raised ring where the edge of the die was and really shined up the case (burnished) where die & case met. It was like the die was just not big enough for the case (the case does have a natural angle or a gradual "narrow to wide" property to it). "This is just a pic of the russian bullet not one of mine." I first thought of checking for the correct die caliber, & it said 7.62x54R. Does anyone have a solution to the trouble I'm having? And or any sugestions to gear me in the right direction would be welcomed! Thanks!! __________________ http://www.kwsquad.com/kwsite2/ "Everyone knows there is right and wrong, but integrity proves a man"

February 21, 2008, 07:53 PM	#3
KW-Bane Senior Member Join Date: October 22, 2006 Location: Mississippi Posts: 109	I did think of it, however I never had to do that before and was actually afraid of damaging the die. Thanks for the help and I will try this! __________________ http://www.kwsquad.com/kwsite2/ "Everyone knows there is right and wrong, but integrity proves a man"

March 3, 2008, 10:24 PM	#4
KW-Bane Senior Member Join Date: October 22, 2006 Location: Mississippi Posts: 109	It worked great! Thanks for the help! __________________ http://www.kwsquad.com/kwsite2/ "Everyone knows there is right and wrong, but integrity proves a man"

June 30, 2009, 04:37 PM	#9
darkgael Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2006 Location: Homes in Brooklyn, NY and in Pennsylvania. Posts: 5,473	M-N ammo Slugging is easy. As noted, take a piece of soft lead - I used a piece of buckshot - and carefully hammer it into the muzzle far enough to engrave the rifling. Brass hammer or plastic. Knock it out with a cleaning rod. Carefully rotate the slug between the jaws of a caliper. My M-N slugged at 0.311. Still, I load 0.308 bullets (180-190 grains) and it shoots very nicely at 100 yards. I haven't shot it farther than that. Pete __________________ “Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports ... all others are games.” Ernest Hemingway ... NRA Life Member

June 30, 2009, 09:45 PM	#10
deadcoyote Senior Member Join Date: April 13, 2009 Location: northern CA Posts: 674	Ironically i've just been dealing with this... I just had my mosin slugged and it turned out .315!!! I just special ordered 300 cast lead .316 bullets from "Glenhills Cast Bullets". The guys name is Vern and he's been extremely helpful so far. Check him out, its cheap like my budget!

February 20, 2008, 11:55 PM	#2
Darren007 Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 2007 Location: Colorado Posts: 1,053	Did you try adjusting the pin up or down. I had the exact same problem with a set of Lee dies in 7mm Mauser and that seemed to fix it.

June 30, 2009, 03:12 PM	#5
reloaderNOOB Member Join Date: June 11, 2009 Posts: 42	From what I have read, M 91/30's were made by MANY different companies. The bore groove diameter can vary in mosin nagants from .308" to a whopping .312"!! Groove diameters and bullet diameters seem to be bigger (around .310" to .312") in European rifles and ammunition, with american-made mosin nagants tending to be smaller (.308" to .309") I believe my mosin is euro-made, because it has russian stamps and characters, and european ammo (particularly Hot-Shot) This is a big concern when getting ammunition.... you want your ammo to match your bore groove diameter. I have heard that the way to find out WHAT YOUR RIFLE IS is to "slug the barrel" I have no idea how to slug a barrel, but if i'm not mistaken, you hammer an oversized lead bullet thru the barrel and then measure the bullet at a certain spot with mic's or dial calipers. DO NOT DO THIS BEFORE READING UP ON IT, I AM BUT A LOWLY NEAPHYTE! I DON'T KNOW THE PRECAUTIONS OR ANYTHING. hope that helps... btw, if anyone can help me with slugging the barrel of MY mosin, I would greatly appreciate it--PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME BUG MY GUNSMITH !!

June 30, 2009, 03:13 PM	#6
reloaderNOOB Member Join Date: June 11, 2009 Posts: 42	"and european ammo" works better than american.

June 30, 2009, 03:27 PM	#8
reloaderNOOB Member Join Date: June 11, 2009 Posts: 42	with my mosin

July 1, 2009, 09:22 AM	#11
margiesex Senior Member Join Date: June 5, 2009 Location: Levittown, PA Posts: 210	post Hello: Look under Howinmad's post - about 3 from the bottom of this page of posts. He gives you the link there to my post and an answer to slugging the Nygant! And the advice is good - and cheap! Talk of issues - if you look at the older Sierra loading manual, they list the bullet dia. at .308! So, dumb me ordered some .308 bullets...needless to say it was a disaster. Good luck. God bless. Margiesex And remember: Hug your God and your guns - 'cause he's coming for them both, and soon!

July 2, 2009, 07:02 PM	#12
Huntzalittle Member Join Date: January 10, 2007 Location: Michigan Posts: 99	I've been working on this problem since I started working on my Mosin Nagant M 91/30. My Hornady Manual (Third Editon) lists a bunch of loads using differnet wt .308" bullets, all of which hit all over the target. I was getting pretty disgusted with the project, almost ready to write it off. Then I slugged the barrel and found out it is .311. I wanted to try a bigger bullet, so I bought one of those 20 rd boxes of ammo for 7.62X39 and pulled the bullets. They were .310", 123 grn FMJ. Loaded up with 45grn of 4320. Grouping was a great improvement over what I had been getting! That .002" extra seems to have been the key to tighter groups. Now a little trigger work and this dogs is ready to hunt! I think ya gotta "Slug the barrel" to find out what you are working with.

July 2, 2009, 09:38 PM	#13
Notenoughguns Member Join Date: December 14, 2008 Location: Kommiefornia Posts: 80	you can buy bullets for British 303 for your 7.62x54R loads

July 2, 2009, 10:22 PM	#14
azar92 Senior Member Join Date: April 16, 2009 Location: Utah Posts: 209	I have yet to reload for my Mosin Nagant. I bought my Mosin for $80 as a plinking gun, to shoot all that old military surplus crap. I don't plan to hunt with it and just can't see a reason for me to reload it. At least, this is what I have to tell myself over and over again to keep from buying the dies, bullets, brass... Notenoughguns has it though. There are bullets that will give an even better fit than the ones you pulled, and you don't have to sacrifice any 7.62x39's either. Hornady sells a .310 123 SP (designed for the 7.62x39), a .3105 174g FMJ BT, and .312 150g SP and a 174g RN. Sierra sells .311 bullets in their Pro Hunter line at 125gr, 150gr, and 180gr and a 174g MatchKing. I'm sure other brands carry them as well. If your bore sizes .311 I'd give the Sierras a try. A 150g would be good deer medicine and the 180g would likely ruin an elks day too. https://www.hornady.com/shop/?ps_ses...cd8c4695880db5 https://www.hornady.com/shop/?ps_ses...ba16bfca474ee0 https://www.hornady.com/shop/?ps_ses...5adad1e4c25279 http://www.sierrabullets.com/index.c...le&caliberID=9

July 3, 2009, 10:18 PM	#15
KW-Bane Senior Member Join Date: October 22, 2006 Location: Mississippi Posts: 109	After the initial "learning how to reload for the 7.62X54r" I have used several diff bullets & loads (after slugging the barrel) to see what shoots best in my gun. It does seem the closer the bullet dia is to the barrel dia, the better the groups are, and medium loads with the lighter bullet works very well......still not done fine tuning....will probly use it for hunting this year....we'll see how it goes! __________________ http://www.kwsquad.com/kwsite2/ "Everyone knows there is right and wrong, but integrity proves a man"

July 3, 2009, 10:56 PM	#16
MuscleGarunt Member Join Date: May 20, 2009 Posts: 75	1/8th ounce fishing weights are the perfect size. You need to hit them with a hammer a couple of times to help flatten them though. The hole in the middle helps it form a good fit.