Is anyone here reloading their own 7.62x54R?

dgray64 · 12-15-2007, 11:45 AM

I reload for my pistols, but for the price of ammo, I didn't know if it was worth trying to reload for my new M44 as well. Of course I haven't received my ammo yet so I haven't even shot it yet.

Dave

samuel · 12-15-2007, 11:51 AM

See,if you reloaded you could be out there shooting. sam.

toolman · 12-15-2007, 12:06 PM

I reload for, and hunt with mine regularly. Mine likes .303 cal. Hornady 150 gr. S.P.'s and 48.7 gr. of H4895 in Grafs cases. It will shoot .308 dia. bullets but not as accurately as the .312 Hornady's.

SwedeSteve · 12-15-2007, 12:10 PM

I never stop telling people to Reload! Even beyond the normal press, I have Load Alls for each caliber. They come in handy in the field. And the advantages of tailoring your rounds are obvious. Lots of people I know buy surplus, pull the bullets, dump the powder, and remeasure for more accurate rounds.

cdb2468 · 12-15-2007, 01:11 PM

Yea ive done it a time or two, you'll get more accurate groups. Im not sure on the specifics on each gun but some are .310 diameter instead of .308 or some other odd numbers. id say find out somehow (slug the barrel) then buy the appropiate ammo. I would onyl reload for the gun if it had a decent barrel too, not really worth it if the barrels rusted pitted and shot out, might as well buy the 20 rounds for 4$ deal at gunshows

dgray64 · 12-15-2007, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toolman

I reload for, and hunt with mine regularly. Mine likes .303 cal. Hornady 150 gr. S.P.'s and 48.7 gr. of H4895 in Grafs cases. It will shoot .308 dia. bullets but not as accurately as the .312 Hornady's.

How do I figure out which round to get. Hate to buy a lot of on and it be too tight or too loose. Thanks.

Dave

Quote:

Originally Posted by SwedeSteve

I never stop telling people to Reload! Even beyond the normal press, I have Load Alls for each caliber. They come in handy in the field. And the advantages of tailoring your rounds are obvious. Lots of people I know buy surplus, pull the bullets, dump the powder, and remeasure for more accurate rounds.

I like that idea too. I just need to get the other question answered about determining the bullet to buy.

One more thing, I have an RCBS bullet puller, bought for 9mm so do I buy a 7.62 collet for pulling these bullets? Thanks

Dave

toolman · 12-15-2007, 01:30 PM

dgray, you have a couple of options. You can either slug your barrel by driving a greased, soft lead slug (I use bullet-type fishing sinkers) down the bore with a hardwood dowel and then measure it with a micrometer or caliper. Option two is just to buy the larger bullets for target and hunting purposes and the smaller ones for plinking. this is because almost all M-44's are sized larger than .308. The Finns are the only ones I've ever seen even close to .308. Also, the 7.62 collet will work fine for pulling these bullets. Cabelas has the best prices i've seen on hornady bullets and most of the other brands as well. If you can find any older, small gunshops in your area, they will often have a box or two hiding on a shelf somewhere for a lot less than the larger, newer stores. I found a bunch of 8mm bullets from Hornady, Sierra, and Speer for the grand total of $26.00 for 370 bullets.

SwedeSteve · 12-15-2007, 01:39 PM

Slug the barrel. Mosin Nagant Rifle Bore Slugging Tutorial Should be around .311?
.303 British comes to mind. Eh, Toolman?

toolman · 12-15-2007, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SwedeSteve

Slug the barrel. Mosin Nagant Rifle Bore Slugging Tutorial Should be around .311?
.303 British comes to mind. Eh, Toolman?

Yep, or 7.7 Jap., 7.62x39, etc. I've been wanting to try the Hornady 123 gr. Ballistic Tips for the '39.

SwedeSteve · 12-15-2007, 08:29 PM

Why 123gr.?

toolman · 12-15-2007, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SwedeSteve

Why 123gr.?

Low-recoil plinking for the wife and grandkids. I think they'd make dandy long-range jackrabbit missiles also.

Shaun · 12-15-2007, 11:20 PM

I reload for all of mine and they like the .308dia 180gr partitions for hunting and the 168 grain Nosler J4 HPBT

SwedeSteve · 12-16-2007, 12:17 AM

Ah yes, good 'ol jackrabbits! They feared me mighty as a young boy. I had a Savage M24 .22/.410 and a pocket of shells...

dgray64 · 12-16-2007, 09:27 AM

They feared me as well, but instead of a .22, in the deep Michigan snows on the farm, I had my George Fisher shotgun (see the shotgun forum here for an explanation and picture). It was a heavy 12 gage with Damascus barrels and exposed hammers. For close shots I used the right barrel, for really long shots, I used the left. Sucker was heavy, but I never came home empty handed.

Dave

ninwnc · 12-16-2007, 09:50 AM

I reload for my M91/30s. The Graf brass is the least expensive. Mine like heaver bullets. The 200gr. Sierra HPBT Match bullets seem to be the most accurate in mine. I have shot 1 3/4 inch groups at 200 yards with it. (on a GOOD day).

I normaly load 150 gr. bullets and they do just fine. I slugged the barrel and came up with .311, so .311 and .312 bullets work fine in them.

Nick

billy · 12-16-2007, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samuel

See,if you reloaded you could be out there shooting. sam.

that is why i took up reloading in the 1st place.
backordered ammo is a thing of the past!

now i can shoot anything i own whenever i want!
especially those pesky $2 a cartridge guns

arkady · 12-17-2007, 08:42 AM

Sure, I always reload. 174-gr Hornady #3131 FMJ-BT bullet, pushed by 50gr of BLC2. Very accurate.

SwedeSteve · 12-17-2007, 09:37 AM

akady- do you have good success with BLC2? I've yet to use it.

gandog56 · 12-17-2007, 11:14 AM

Yeah, once I finally got some boxer primed cases. I use Hornady 303 cal 150 gr. SP interlocks sized .312". I charge 'em with 48 grains of H4895. CCI large rifle primers.

arkady · 12-18-2007, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SwedeSteve

akady- do you have good success with BLC2? I've yet to use it.

Sure do. It's what I use in all my rifles, from .223 to 7.62x54r. When I got my first Enfield, my brother-in-law gave me half a jar of BLC2, and I've been using it ever since.

12-15-2007, 11:45 AM	#1
dgray64 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: central Texas Posts: 207 Trader Rating: (0)	Is anyone here reloading their own 7.62x54R? I reload for my pistols, but for the price of ammo, I didn't know if it was worth trying to reload for my new M44 as well. Of course I haven't received my ammo yet so I haven't even shot it yet. Dave

12-15-2007, 12:10 PM	#4
SwedeSteve Grumpy Old Fart Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: AnchorTown, Alaska Posts: 9,169 Trader Rating: (0)	I never stop telling people to Reload! Even beyond the normal press, I have Load Alls for each caliber. They come in handy in the field. And the advantages of tailoring your rounds are obvious. Lots of people I know buy surplus, pull the bullets, dump the powder, and remeasure for more accurate rounds. __________________ Thank God we don't get as much Government as we pay for! -Will Rogers

12-15-2007, 01:30 PM	#7
toolman Mr. Fixit Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: abilene,tx Posts: 5,361 Trader Rating: (0)	dgray, you have a couple of options. You can either slug your barrel by driving a greased, soft lead slug (I use bullet-type fishing sinkers) down the bore with a hardwood dowel and then measure it with a micrometer or caliper. Option two is just to buy the larger bullets for target and hunting purposes and the smaller ones for plinking. this is because almost all M-44's are sized larger than .308. The Finns are the only ones I've ever seen even close to .308. Also, the 7.62 collet will work fine for pulling these bullets. Cabelas has the best prices i've seen on hornady bullets and most of the other brands as well. If you can find any older, small gunshops in your area, they will often have a box or two hiding on a shelf somewhere for a lot less than the larger, newer stores. I found a bunch of 8mm bullets from Hornady, Sierra, and Speer for the grand total of $26.00 for 370 bullets. __________________ Don't be messin' with my gun! Last edited by toolman; 12-15-2007 at 01:34 PM.

12-15-2007, 01:39 PM	#8
SwedeSteve Grumpy Old Fart Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: AnchorTown, Alaska Posts: 9,169 Trader Rating: (0)	Slug the barrel. Mosin Nagant Rifle Bore Slugging Tutorial Should be around .311? .303 British comes to mind. Eh, Toolman? __________________ Thank God we don't get as much Government as we pay for! -Will Rogers

12-15-2007, 08:29 PM	#10
SwedeSteve Grumpy Old Fart Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: AnchorTown, Alaska Posts: 9,169 Trader Rating: (0)	Why 123gr.? __________________ Thank God we don't get as much Government as we pay for! -Will Rogers

12-15-2007, 11:51 AM	#2
samuel Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 5,056 Trader Rating: (0)	See,if you reloaded you could be out there shooting. sam.

12-15-2007, 12:06 PM	#3
toolman Mr. Fixit Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: abilene,tx Posts: 5,361 Trader Rating: (0)	I reload for, and hunt with mine regularly. Mine likes .303 cal. Hornady 150 gr. S.P.'s and 48.7 gr. of H4895 in Grafs cases. It will shoot .308 dia. bullets but not as accurately as the .312 Hornady's. __________________ Don't be messin' with my gun!

12-15-2007, 01:11 PM	#5
cdb2468 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Susanville Ca. Posts: 9 Trader Rating: (0)	Yea ive done it a time or two, you'll get more accurate groups. Im not sure on the specifics on each gun but some are .310 diameter instead of .308 or some other odd numbers. id say find out somehow (slug the barrel) then buy the appropiate ammo. I would onyl reload for the gun if it had a decent barrel too, not really worth it if the barrels rusted pitted and shot out, might as well buy the 20 rounds for 4$ deal at gunshows

12-15-2007, 11:20 PM	#12
Shaun Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 8,585 Trader Rating: (0)	I reload for all of mine and they like the .308dia 180gr partitions for hunting and the 168 grain Nosler J4 HPBT __________________ "Homeland Security is the responsibility of an armed citizen" ME http://webpages.charter.net/s.s.v/

12-16-2007, 12:17 AM	#13
SwedeSteve Grumpy Old Fart Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: AnchorTown, Alaska Posts: 9,169 Trader Rating: (0)	Ah yes, good 'ol jackrabbits! They feared me mighty as a young boy. I had a Savage M24 .22/.410 and a pocket of shells... __________________ Thank God we don't get as much Government as we pay for! -Will Rogers

12-16-2007, 09:27 AM	#14
dgray64 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: central Texas Posts: 207 Trader Rating: (0)	They feared me as well, but instead of a .22, in the deep Michigan snows on the farm, I had my George Fisher shotgun (see the shotgun forum here for an explanation and picture). It was a heavy 12 gage with Damascus barrels and exposed hammers. For close shots I used the right barrel, for really long shots, I used the left. Sucker was heavy, but I never came home empty handed. Dave

12-16-2007, 09:50 AM	#15
ninwnc Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Western North Carolina Posts: 435 Trader Rating: (0)	I reload for my M91/30s. The Graf brass is the least expensive. Mine like heaver bullets. The 200gr. Sierra HPBT Match bullets seem to be the most accurate in mine. I have shot 1 3/4 inch groups at 200 yards with it. (on a GOOD day). I normaly load 150 gr. bullets and they do just fine. I slugged the barrel and came up with .311, so .311 and .312 bullets work fine in them. Nick

12-17-2007, 08:42 AM	#17
arkady Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 45 Trader Rating: (0)	Sure, I always reload. 174-gr Hornady #3131 FMJ-BT bullet, pushed by 50gr of BLC2. Very accurate.

12-17-2007, 09:37 AM	#18
SwedeSteve Grumpy Old Fart Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: AnchorTown, Alaska Posts: 9,169 Trader Rating: (0)	akady- do you have good success with BLC2? I've yet to use it. __________________ Thank God we don't get as much Government as we pay for! -Will Rogers

12-17-2007, 11:14 AM	#19
gandog56 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Montgomery, IL. Posts: 3,433 Trader Rating: (0)	Yeah, once I finally got some boxer primed cases. I use Hornady 303 cal 150 gr. SP interlocks sized .312". I charge 'em with 48 grains of H4895. CCI large rifle primers.