I have two Mosin Nagants, one a 1942 M91/30 that is my toy that I modify. The other is a very special 1936 finnish m28/30 that was given to me by my fiance's grandfather. I am reloading a ton of Prvi Partizan brass but I unsure as to what kind of bullets I should be using and was hoping to garner some wisdom from you sages.
I shoot surplus ammo out of the m91/30. That rifle slugged out to .314", 1 in 9.5 twist, 28.75in barrel
The M28/30 slugged out to .3092, 1in 10" twist, and a 27in barrel. That gun has only seen the Prvi Partizan 182grain soft points. I would like to use the M28/30 for hunting/competitions, the m91/30, is mostly just a range toy, although I wouldnt mind using that for hunting as well, as I have built it up into a decent performer (scope, stock, trigger, crowning, bolt, etc etc.)
I would recommend the Hornady 3131 for plinking/competition in the M28/30 and the 3120 for hunting use in either gun. Sierra also has a couple of good choices as does Speer.
Please explain why the 3120 for hunting? I always thought that you want a heavier bullet for hunting. Also - that model comes in .312. That is significantly larger than the barrel diameter.
I have always been told not to use surplus ammo for the M28/30 because surplus 7.62x54r is manufactured to .311, and the m28/30 has a very tight bore (the tightest in fact of all the models of mosin nagants) of .3082". Wouldnt the size difference cause issues with the bullet deforming? Or is the pressure so great that the bullet will simply mash and elongate to fit the barrel?
Has your 28/30 had the D166 throat modification? If so, it would have a large 'D' stamped on the barrel shank/chamber area.
Conventional wisdom is to stay away from commbloc surplus with these rifles for the reasons you have already stated. Add in the steel jackets of surplus and you have much higher pressures.
Long .308 bullets are probably your best bet.
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Now officially collecting Mosin M38s!
Those bullets would be perfect for my rifle. Too bad they do not make them anymore. Thanks for the advice.
Also - I do not believe my rifle has the modification. There are very few markings on the gun at all. There is the serial number, the S in gear logo, SK.Y, date, and "SA", along with some kind of fancy looking crest on the side.
I agree with Ken.
Once you say "competition", there's no shortcut to expensive bullets.
I would try the .308 175 SMK (many of us use the .311, 174 SMK for target in 91/30's) or Berger Hybrids (.308) in 168 and 185 grain if you have the coin...
I would expect you to still get good accuracy with .308's in a .309 groove barrel. In all honesty, I take lead bore slugging with a grain of salt, anyway.
.001- especially when measuring something as soft as lead- is just a little extra pressure on the calipers...
I agree with Ken.
Once you say "competition", there's no shortcut to expensive bullets.
I would try the .308 175 SMK (many of us use the .311, 174 SMK for target in 91/30's) or Berger Hybrids (.308) in 168 and 185 grain if you have the coin...
I would expect you to still get good accuracy with .308's in a .309 groove barrel. In all honesty, I take lead bore slugging with a grain of salt, anyway.
.001- especially when measuring something as soft as lead- is just a little extra pressure on the calipers...
Excellent advice. The 28/30 is a premium rifle that deserves the best.
How was the accuracy with the Prvi ammo? I had excellent luck with the heavy softpoints in the 91/30 that I tried them in. I don't recall that I miked the Prvi bullets. Are they .310" or .311"?
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Now officially collecting Mosin M38s!
I was using a micrometer that was accurate down to .00001" to measure the slugs. Of course, at that point a change in room temperature could alter the measurement.
It seemed to be impressively accurate for the short time I was able to aim with it. The cheap scope that was on it shattered after a few shots, but those few shots were on the paper at 200yds.
I was also using the 182 soft points, although I believe the box said that they were .308 diameter bullets.
