Surplus 7.62x54r , worth...

[D ReedSniper]

reloading and is it possible? Also, I have never reloaded my own ammo before and was wondering, is this a good one to start with?

 

[acarnahan]

Most surplus ammo is Berdan primed which is generally considered non-reloadable. There are a few people on youtube that will say you can put a boxer primer in it along with some super glue but those people are braver than me. Winchester Whitebox 7.62x54 is boxer primed & reloadable.

As far as what's good to start with. 223 if you're gonna start rifle, any common pistol caliber. Some cheap ammo you buy at stores are berdan, so watch what you buy in stores. I generally offer to clean up other peoples brass when at the range, I've got brass for calibers I don't own but it's free brass.

Eqiupment: (simple list)
Two reloading manuals (I always tell ppl to check with two)
Calipers
Single stage press
Die set
powder, bullets, primers
scale

All that will probably set you back around $300+ depending on what brand you choose to go with.

 

[D ReedSniper]

Most surplus ammo is Berdan primed which is generally considered non-reloadable. There are a few people on youtube that will say you can put a boxer primer in it along with some super glue but those people are braver than me. Winchester Whitebox 7.62x54 is boxer primed & reloadable.

As far as what's good to start with. 223 if you're gonna start rifle, any common pistol caliber. Some cheap ammo you buy at stores are berdan, so watch what you buy in stores. I generally offer to clean up other peoples brass when at the range, I've got brass for calibers I don't own but it's free brass.

Eqiupment: (simple list)
Two reloading manuals (I always tell ppl to check with two)
Calipers
Single stage press
Die set
powder, bullets, primers
scale

All that will probably set you back around $300+ depending on what brand you choose to go with.

That is extremely helpful. Thank you very much. I had no idea beginning would set me back so, but in the end, I'm sure it's worth it.

 

[badmac183]

If the only gun you own is a mosin you don't need to reload.

 

[sgreen3]

I plan on starting to reload that caliber here in the next month or so. Just to see what kind of accuracy I can get out of my Mosin's and the PSL when I get it. Midway and brownells sells new reloadable brass.

 

[acarnahan]

There should be a reloading for beginners thread on INGO. But basically it comes down to which powerder & bullet combination works best in each firearm.

Also, keep checking the classified for used reloading gear or if any of your local gun stores have used gear or know of someone who would.

 

[D ReedSniper]

There should be a reloading for beginners thread on INGO. But basically it comes down to which powerder & bullet combination works best in each firearm.

Also, keep checking the classified for used reloading gear or if any of your local gun stores have used gear or know of someone who would.

Thanks! I'll be sure to keep my eyes open

 

[sgreen3]

There should be a reloading for beginners thread on INGO. But basically it comes down to which powerder & bullet combination works best in each firearm.

Also, keep checking the classified for used reloading gear or if any of your local gun stores have used gear or know of someone who would.

There is:

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...reload_but_you_don_t_know_where_to_begin.html


It would be very tough to list what works with every gun, because more times than not every gun even if its the same model or brand will for some reason perform better with different loads.

 

[Leo]

I reloaded for my Mosin about 15 years ago. Mine had a brand new Tikka Barrel from an armory rebuild (true.308) At that time Hanson Ammo company had reloadable brass. Using good bullets that Tikka barrel would flat shoot even if the rest of the firearm looked like abandoned farm implements. That is part of why I reloaded, I didn't want to chew up a good barrel with corrosive, steel ammo. The 7.62 X 54R is no more difficult than a .308. Since I neck sized only, I actually used .308 Winchester Dies with a proper shell holder. I could not find any data then, so the good folks at Winchester-Olin were able to give me some good, safe reloads.

One day, all of this cheap surplus ammo is going to dry up, just like the cheap 7 X 57 Mauser ammo dried up 30 years ago. (my Mauser had a junky barrel so I didn't mind the junky ammo) If you really enjoy the mosin rifle, you better have a back up plan for ammo.

 

[Chance]

Ammo for reloading

Cabelas has PRVI brass cased 7.52x54R for $16.99 a box of 20. This is what I am using to reload. You can get into reloading for alot less than $300. Get a Lee starter kit for around $100, Set of dies for $30 and then your components. Bullets (150gr) Hornady $22/100. You do not need to buy a Cadillac reloading set-up to save money.

 

[88E30M50]

We reload most of the Mosin ammo we shoot. It's a great caliber to reload since there are so many different ways to go. My son has done a bunch of research and came up with some interesting loads. Among them are a load that seats the bullet backwards as a wadcutter. That was what either the Russians or Finns used as an armor piercing bullet back in the day. We've reloaded some that have less kick than an AR and others that are full power.

A good way to start is to buy the PRVI loaded ammo and save the cases. You can just by cases, but they cost about the same as the loaded ammo, so it make sense to buy the loaded to get the cases. I've paid as little as $13 for a box of 20 where as the cases often go for about a buck each empty.

7.62x54r is a great cartridge to reload. Be prepared to screw a few cases up while setting the dies up, but once they are set it's very easy and quick to reload for a Mosin.