Reloading 7.62x54R

Hey guys, this is my first time post on ATG. I'm excited to be here and I subscribe to most of the youtube associated users that are here.

I just purchased a bunch of reloading gear from MidwayUSA and now I will be working on reading and combining as much data together that I can in order to come up with a good load for the 7.62x54R. I settled on Winchester 8 1/2 large rifle primers and I have a slew of different projectiles I want to fire. I am very interested in developing a coyote load that is probably going to be a 110 or 123 grain varmint bullet that is moving in the range of 3400 to 3800 fps, but I haven't found the recipe yet. I am working on finding a powder that will do what I want it to do. I have read multiple posts on other forums about using IMR 4895 or H4895. Also, for a plinking load I think I may go with a Ed Harris' 13 grains of red dot because I have about 2lbs of it that I got for free. I haven't gotten my reloading manual yet so I can't really see what is available through it, but I am open to anyone's suggestions for a powder that would fill that light bullet that is screaming fast void that I have.

You guys all seem to be a great bunch of guys, and I can't wait to become an integral part to the forum and the reloading community.

this is from the hodgdon data site.
110 GR. HDY SP Hodgdon Varget .308" 2.715" 51.0 3016 34,700 CUP 55.0C 3200 39,900 CUP
110 GR. HDY SP Hodgdon BL-C(2) .308" 2.715" 56.0 3141 34,200 CUP 60.0 3376 42,300 CUP
110 GR. HDY SP Hodgdon H335 .308" 2.715" 51.0 3126 36,300 CUP 54.5 3332 45,200 CUP
110 GR. HDY SP Hodgdon H4895 .308" 2.715" 51.0 3150 35,500 CUP 55.0C 3345 43,400 CUP
110 GR. HDY SP Hodgdon Benchmark .308" 2.715" 47.0 3060 39,700 CUP 50.5 3213 44,900 CUP
125 GR. SIE SP Hodgdon Varget .308" 2.715" 51.0 2967 37,400 CUP 55.0C 3139 45,700 CUP
125 GR. SIE SP Hodgdon BL-C(2) .308" 2.715" 56.0 3094 37,500 CUP 60.0 3298 45,100 CUP
125 GR. SIE SP Hodgdon H335 .308" 2.715" 50.0 2997 36,500 CUP 53.0 3193 45,100 CUP
125 GR. SIE SP Hodgdon H4895 .308" 2.715" 50.0 3036 36,700 CUP 54.0C 3236 45,700 CUP
1

http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp

EMTTACTICAL wrote: Also, for a plinking load I think I may go with a Ed Harris' 13 grains of red dot because I have about 2lbs of it that I got for free.

I hadn't noticed this part of your post. I have never seen (doesn't mean that its not out there) any rifle data using RED DOT powder. My best advise to you is DONT DO IT it is way to fast. And you could end up eating parts of your rifle. I personally have a strong aversion to High Iron diets. The fastest powder that I would even think of using in a rifle with reduced loads using lead bullets is 2400 or H110 a powder like that Maybe Blue dot but i would be very wary of blue dot. Red dot, Green Dot, are very fast powders and IMO should be avoided in rifles. If you cant load a .410 bore with it I would avoid it in a rifle. Good Luck Good Shooting.

i've used the 13grs of REDDOT for cast loads, not jacketed, and "the load" 16grs of 2400 worked WAY better for me with cast.

i think you'll find that 110 and 125 graind jacked bullets make for much better plinking at the bottom of the published velocities anyway, I just keep the 125sierras at around 2500fps and plink allday long with them minute of squirrel

Hey thanks for the responses guys!

I also have been looking at different projectiles, and my mind is starting to do scary things!!! How about the .30 caliber sabot that you can fit a 55grain .223 round in, which then you could hand load into a 7.62x54r case???? This is begging to be done, but can it be done safely to achieve MASSIVE FPS!? I'm talking 4,000 plus. I just want my rifle to be the most devastating thing on the hill when we are coyote hunting.

Any input is great input!


Thanks guys!

Yes it can be done and it can be done safely. I may be wrong but I dont think that there is any published load data out there for that. In the 7.62x54R. Dart loads rounds like that. But all that being said you may want to slug your barrel to see what the bore diameter is because if it is like most Mosin Nagants It could be anywhere between .308 to .312 most will be about .311. If you have a finish made it may be .308 and those are fine rifles. the others are good rifles but you have to match the bullet to the bore. and all the published data for that round is talking about .308 projectiles.
All that being said the Mosin is a kewl rifle with a very robust history and you should be proud to own one. But they aren't known for tack driving accuracy. In terms of ballistics they are pretty close to a 30-06 Springfield. and I have used reduced 06 data to load for mine I don't recommend doing that now as there is a lot of published data available now. there wasn't when I did what I did. But if you cant find published data for the Accelerator rounds you are talking about you can approach it from that direction. but be sure to reduce your load a lot and check for pressure.
Something I may suggest to you I notice that you are fascinated by speed. And speed is kewl but think safety first and I am sure that a coyote wont mind being killed with a round traveling 500 to a 1000 fps slower. Try for a safe reliable fully functioning round. then for speed. But that is just my own opinion.

I don't know a thing about the 7.62 but just wanted to welcome you to ATG. Your doing the right thing by asking lots of questions first, that's much better than having a near miss or worse. You can't be too careful when reloading, cause the next round if not loaded correctly could get you seriously hurt.

If you want those kinds of velocities and then some, get yourself a 22-250 because they thrive on speed. Mine gets more accurate the faster I push it, and it's neat because it's nearly impossible to over load one. Nearly every powder and every charge I have used is near case capacity which lessens the possibility of a double charge.
As far as using shotgun or pistol powders for any rifle load, just be careful!
That's some wildcat stuff right there, and if it's not published data then you need to be even more careful using it unless you know for a fact that it came from a reliable source.
Since your just getting started in reloading, I would stick with published data only at first. Then you can always graduate into the unknown further down the road when you get some experience under your belt.

With all that said, have fun with it and above all else Be Safe!
Enjoy the ride because once you start, it's really hard to give it up.

there has got to be load data somewhere for sabots, maybe not in the conventional published manor, but maybe. I think i've heard this argument somewhere before...

the diameter of the projectile is a notable concern as i've encountered mosins with .315 bores... and my bore sits at .313 but still shoots close to moa with some milserp believe it or not, not all of it but some of it.

Cheers, good luck, and be safe

P.S. post your results when you find them

My Mosin slugs out at .313 as well and mine is an old Tula Arsenal-refurb that was still soaking in cosmoline when I purchased it and had to fish it out of the 55 gal drum.

All the sabot load info I have is for .308 bore barrels - although I would love to get one of the Fins Mosins with a .308 bore, as far as I know there are no .313 - .315 caliber sabots available.

I shoot a lot of sabots through my .30 carbine, .300 Whisper, and .32-20 T/C and have shot some in rifles near the 7.62x54R capacity such as .30-06 and .30-40 Krag AI.

Even with a .308 Win, .30-40 Krag AI, and .30-06 you are pushing that little bullet way faster than it was designed to go.

For giggles we tried some sabots in a .300 Weatherby and we were shattering the bullets about 25 feet from the muzzle. The little 55 gr FMJ mil-surp SS109 bullets we were using could not take the rotational spin at some of the ridiculous speed we were pushing them.

I have used "the load" in the .30-40 Krag AI with light 115 gr cast boolits for small game hunting and grouse popping. I have never tried "the load" in the 7.62x54R but it is (I am betting) quite similar.

I like a 16 gr charge of H2400 under a 115 gr wide meplat gas checked cast boolit stuffed with the cheapest John Wayne TP and a WLR primer for small game hunting with my .30-40 Krag AI.

It keeps me from having to carry a side arm or a second rifle. When I see a grouse while elk hunting, and even in low light the different feel between the regular load and the cast boolits is sufficient to be able to determine which one is which in my belt.

On paper the ballistics between the .30-40 Krag AI and the 7.62x54R are very similar. I still load for my Mosin but I am shooting mostly crappy corrosive mil-surp ammo I get from the boys at the gun shows by the pallet for pennys a round.

So far, reloading has been a sweet deal to me!! I'm loving it!

I've sent a ballistic tip bullet down range at 3200fps out of the mosin and now I have started on a venture to reload tracer bullets in the mosin. I went to polygunbag.com and purchased 250 tracer bullets that were pulled surplus and have a diameter of .310. The only problem now is that I can't get them to light! I am using H4895 which I believe is a hot enough burning powder. I believe it is a problem with the projectiles themselves. Any suggestions for getting these things to light??? I am kind of at my wits end here.

Thanks guys! And I'm loving being a part of this great forum!

check out the military surplus sites they have pulled down powder and most of it that is left is hotter and meant for tracer. I'm Thinking Its H335 equiv. there is a designation in addition to the WC8## that says so. I will check into it a little more and let you know.

You can try this web site:

http://www.gibrass.com/gunpowder.html

He sells a lot of pull down powder and offers some suggestions for loads. The powder tends to be cheaper, and I have never had issues with loading it.

Read the description and look for powder that was used in tracer and marker ammo.

I had a few thousand of the old Lake City .30-06 tracers which might have been pulled from WW2 or older ammo. Using H4895, H4340, A4064, and A4350 I could not get them all to light.

I chalked it up to the age of the projectiles, and since I got them so cheap and was just using it for fun plinking in the evenings, I never bothered trying to get them all to light.

Your powder may not be the culprit. You could try some other powders to see if it improves the consistency of ignition.

http://www.patsreloading.com/patsrel/prices.aspx?category=Powder
Yea i thought there was a designation for the hotter stuff its "T" for tracer
so look for WC844T Or WC846T
both are outstanding powders one is equiv of H335(WC844)
WC846T is about the same as BL(C-2) or W-748

in my sabot loads with 30-06 i used 12 grains of unique with 2 grains of poly fill in made decent groups but i never worked up the load id say i could have got a good load out of it eventually but i traded my 06 for a 35 lever gun with the intentions of buying another 06 but havent yet i will eventually lol

KEEP pistol powders in the pistols and rifle in the rifle and you will live longer with out the pane of parts mising and your gun will live longer too trade that red dot to some one for some 4895 or some thing you can use

The pulled tracer bullets that you buy were generally sold as surplus because they have exceeded their useful, or 'trace' life. Trying a different powder may or may not improve their ability to ignite. Tracers are generally a PITA to shoot because they tend to start fires. Many (read most) ranges won't let you shoot them for just that reason.

I just stumble across this site.
But on the 54r tracers, no one I know has gotten these to light but there is an interesting side effect.
Shoot them again thick steel, 1/2" or better, at a distance of course.
There will be a bright red flash the size of a basketball easily seen in daylight. I was hitting a plate at 500 yards and could see the bright flash.
I tried half a dozen different powders, including surplus that is used to light tracers with no luck
When I found the spotter characteristic I bought a good supply to play with.
This only works with steel. not rock for an unknown reason.

XFOXofshogo wrote:KEEP pistol powders in the pistols and rifle in the rifle and you will live longer with out the pane of parts mising and your gun will live longer too trade that red dot to some one for some 4895 or some thing you can use

great advice for noobs...

But in carefully controlled situations it can be done with great results.

ditchtiger wrote:I just stumble across this site.
But on the 54r tracers, no one I know has gotten these to light but there is an interesting side effect.
Shoot them again thick steel, 1/2" or better, at a distance of course.
There will be a bright red flash the size of a basketball easily seen in daylight. I was hitting a plate at 500 yards and could see the bright flash.
I tried half a dozen different powders, including surplus that is used to light tracers with no luck
When I found the spotter characteristic I bought a good supply to play with.
This only works with steel. not rock for an unknown reason.

Cool observation...thanks for sharing...and welcome to ATG

Hi guys...just found this site and it looks like the place to hang out....

Has anybody reloaded the 7.62x54R with an 85gn projectile and if so....was it succesfull.......I use AR2208 powder and was thinking about 51gns to see how it goes.....

I have never seen a 308 bullet under 110 grains but there is no reason not to try an 85gr if you have them I doubt accuracy will be very good. Are your bullets .310? or larger? You could have stability problems. but if the bullets are cheap enough your not going to be anywhere near dangerous.

The 85gn are .311 and I believe they were made for the 32/20 but I am worried that with 51gns of AR2208 (Varget) that they might disintegrate as they leave the barrel......

do a web search for "The Load" and try using some of the Red Dot loads with poly fill. I am personally not that big a fan. But it would probably be ok. Are the bullets your talking about jacketed? If so i would try them. they may not make it to the target but they more than likely are not going to cause you a dangerous condition in your gun or to you the shooter or to those shooting beside or behind you.