Langenator
Member
Thanks saands...I'll probably give those a try first then. Now off to search the web for cheap ammo...oh, surfing through gun supply sites is so painful
Handloading for milsurps
- Thread starter Langenator
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Blackcloud6
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Langenator:
I've shot corrosive 8,mm and 7.62x54R in my bolt guns. As soon as I get home I pur boiling water down the barrel (from a funnel stuck in the chamber). This washes out the salts and dries real quick. I then clean the gun normally.
Don't use corrosives in a semi-auto.
I releoad US miltary ammuniton using surplus components. There are many places to buy the bullets and cases. I use surplus powder and get as close to the spec as I can.
TOMAHAWK!
I've shot corrosive 8,mm and 7.62x54R in my bolt guns. As soon as I get home I pur boiling water down the barrel (from a funnel stuck in the chamber). This washes out the salts and dries real quick. I then clean the gun normally.
Don't use corrosives in a semi-auto.
I releoad US miltary ammuniton using surplus components. There are many places to buy the bullets and cases. I use surplus powder and get as close to the spec as I can.
TOMAHAWK!
WyrTwister
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Pretty much everyone else makes 8 mm mauser dies . But , last I looked , mil-surp 8 mm ammo was still pretty cheap .
God bless
Wyr
God bless
Wyr
WyrTwister
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Corrisive in semi-autos
Corrosive in semi-autos is no big deal , gust clean it appropratly .
God bless
Wyr
Corrosive in semi-autos is no big deal , gust clean it appropratly .
God bless
Wyr
Okiecruffler
Member
I used to load 8X57 quite abit when I was hunting and you could only find Remington SP's or Surplus FMJ around here. Now I just buy Turk surplus by the case. I tried pulling the bullets and reloading with SP once, but I was using an inertia puller and doubt if my powder charges were too consistant. Accuracy was just so-so and pulling the bullets was a chore.
I bought a set of Lee dies for the 7.62X54R off of Ebay a while back, but they didn't come with a shellholder, and I don't have a shellholder for my auto-primer either. I have reloaded with a borrowed set of dies, but not enough to really find out what the cartridge can do.
I bought a set of Lee dies for the 7.62X54R off of Ebay a while back, but they didn't come with a shellholder, and I don't have a shellholder for my auto-primer either. I have reloaded with a borrowed set of dies, but not enough to really find out what the cartridge can do.
Langenator
Member
Another question for any of you out there who do the bullet-swap trick with milsurp 8mm ammo: do you use the light (about 150gr) or heavy (mid-190s gr) stuff, especially for deer hunting?
All my 8x57 mil-surp is the 150 grain stuff, so I use that. I'd think that they'd be great for most any deer ... maybe if you were going after an elk or a bear or something, it would be worth an upgrade. I feel fine chasing hogs in the 250# range with a 150 grain SST ...
Saands
Saands
I handload for all my mil-surp rifles. 7.5 Swiss, 7.62x54R, 8mm Mauser, 6.5 Sweede, and .303 Brit.
I also buy cases of surplus ammo. It is too cheap to pass up, but good cheap ammo is not available for all these calibers. 7.5 Swiss is a good example. Surplus ammo is very expensive although it is really premium stuff. Very nice, super quality. I have never run across any great deals on surplus .303 either. It might be out there, but it has never fallen in my lap the way the 7.62x54R and 8mm Mauser do - it is everywhere.
Handloading to me is a hobby in and of itself. I enjoy playing with the loads, seeing if I can improve upon accuracy and performance, try different bullet weights, try cast bullets, try reduced loads for very quiet shooting......................
On some of these old rifles, quality control wasn't there. You might find that the bore size is not what you think it should be. This is where handloading comes into it's own. You can load a bullet that is the correct diameter for the bore. One example would be my first MN 91/30. I paid I think $39 for it. It was really grungy. I cleaned it all up and put a few coats of BLO on the stock. It looked really good but would not shoot for crap. I tried surplus and handloads with no luck. I had it out one day shooting at distant rocks at an estimated 500 yards. One shot might strike 10 FEET to the left, the next three FEET to the right................. I slugged the bore and found that it was grossly oversized. I handloaded for it with bullets closer to the actual bore size and it now shoots pretty good.
One note on corrosive ammo. I think we often make way too big of a deal out of shooting corrosive ammo. Keep in mind that before you got the rifle, it probably only fired corrosive ammo. This was the ammo in use when these rifles were issued by the military. They spent their whole military career firing corrosive ammo. Now we shoot it and handle it almost like some kind of haz-mat incident.
That being said, I clean the bore with Windex. This is no additional effort over using Hoppes or whatever. I just spray the patch with window cleaner and swab out the bore. Then I follow up with regular bore cleaner. I have also used boiling water just like I do for black powder just to give it a try. I boil a big pot of water and pour it into a bucket with dish soap. I put the muzzle of the rifle in the water and pump a patch up and down the bore from the breech end. The patch carries a column of boiling soapy water up the bore with it. I then finish off with boiling clear water (no soap). This is a very fast and easy way to clean but does nothing for copper jacket fouling. Using the Windex right at the range is the best way for me. I run a few patches soaked in Windex through the bore right after I am done shooting. It gets the lions share of fouling out of the bore. I run one solvent soaked patch through and leave the solvent in the bore on the way home. When I get home it is almost completely clean. It really doesn't save any time, but it seems like it because you don't have to do as much after arriving back home.
I also buy cases of surplus ammo. It is too cheap to pass up, but good cheap ammo is not available for all these calibers. 7.5 Swiss is a good example. Surplus ammo is very expensive although it is really premium stuff. Very nice, super quality. I have never run across any great deals on surplus .303 either. It might be out there, but it has never fallen in my lap the way the 7.62x54R and 8mm Mauser do - it is everywhere.
Handloading to me is a hobby in and of itself. I enjoy playing with the loads, seeing if I can improve upon accuracy and performance, try different bullet weights, try cast bullets, try reduced loads for very quiet shooting......................
On some of these old rifles, quality control wasn't there. You might find that the bore size is not what you think it should be. This is where handloading comes into it's own. You can load a bullet that is the correct diameter for the bore. One example would be my first MN 91/30. I paid I think $39 for it. It was really grungy. I cleaned it all up and put a few coats of BLO on the stock. It looked really good but would not shoot for crap. I tried surplus and handloads with no luck. I had it out one day shooting at distant rocks at an estimated 500 yards. One shot might strike 10 FEET to the left, the next three FEET to the right................. I slugged the bore and found that it was grossly oversized. I handloaded for it with bullets closer to the actual bore size and it now shoots pretty good.
One note on corrosive ammo. I think we often make way too big of a deal out of shooting corrosive ammo. Keep in mind that before you got the rifle, it probably only fired corrosive ammo. This was the ammo in use when these rifles were issued by the military. They spent their whole military career firing corrosive ammo. Now we shoot it and handle it almost like some kind of haz-mat incident.
That being said, I clean the bore with Windex. This is no additional effort over using Hoppes or whatever. I just spray the patch with window cleaner and swab out the bore. Then I follow up with regular bore cleaner. I have also used boiling water just like I do for black powder just to give it a try. I boil a big pot of water and pour it into a bucket with dish soap. I put the muzzle of the rifle in the water and pump a patch up and down the bore from the breech end. The patch carries a column of boiling soapy water up the bore with it. I then finish off with boiling clear water (no soap). This is a very fast and easy way to clean but does nothing for copper jacket fouling. Using the Windex right at the range is the best way for me. I run a few patches soaked in Windex through the bore right after I am done shooting. It gets the lions share of fouling out of the bore. I run one solvent soaked patch through and leave the solvent in the bore on the way home. When I get home it is almost completely clean. It really doesn't save any time, but it seems like it because you don't have to do as much after arriving back home.
Just bought a pristine FN49 in 8mm Mauser with visions of reloading for it (already had everything I needed since I had previously reloaded for a Yugo Mauser). Soon discovered that my 8mm reloads (by my figuring) cost 3-and-a-half times more than what I could buy loaded ammo for. Like 444 said, squirt some Windex on the pieces you plan to clean, then clean and lubricate as usual. There's plenty of good surplus ammo (and Windex) out there.
Langenator
Member
My intent is to purchase a second Yugo Mauser-one that's not as pretty as the one I now have, put a Scout-style scope on it and use it for hunting. That's about the only reason I would be doing any reloading at all. The surplus ammo is just too cheap for it to be worthwhile otherwise.
Guess I'll just have to buy some of all the different kinds and figure out what my rifle likes best.
Always such a pain to have to do more shooting.
Guess I'll just have to buy some of all the different kinds and figure out what my rifle likes best.
Always such a pain to have to do more shooting.
klover
Member
Got some great looking turkish brass rounds. Trouble is, 1/3 of em seem to need a second hit with the firing pin! The pin does hit quite hard and the pin protrusion and headspace seem to be fine.
I've setup to reload .375 and .38/.357, but have not yet had time to do it.
Several guestions:
The brass is two hole bernan primed. I have a small lathe and can drill the hole for primer ejection so I can later reload with new more reliable primers and softpoint ammo.
Have any of you done this. I'm not sure if I want to reload 8mm. My reason is that I have 2,000 rounds and 3 rifles of the stuff. Reloading for reliabillity and new bullets could make sense if the cases aren,t too way lot of work to get ready.
I've setup to reload .375 and .38/.357, but have not yet had time to do it.
Several guestions:
The brass is two hole bernan primed. I have a small lathe and can drill the hole for primer ejection so I can later reload with new more reliable primers and softpoint ammo.
Have any of you done this. I'm not sure if I want to reload 8mm. My reason is that I have 2,000 rounds and 3 rifles of the stuff. Reloading for reliabillity and new bullets could make sense if the cases aren,t too way lot of work to get ready.
Well ... drilling out the flash hole is certainly NOT standard practice. IF the boxer primers fit (which is doubtful ... not all berdan primers are the same) and IF you blindly follow the published loads for the 8x57, you will likely have VERY different results from those published due to the different flame propagation that your 3 holed primer pockets will generate. I'm not saying it won't work, but this is NOT the way I'd recommend for a reloader without a LOT of experience and a SOLID grounging in internal ballistics. I feel that I have both and I wouldn't go there personally. Just my $0.02 ...
Be safe,
Saands
Be safe,
Saands
P95Carry
Moderator Emeritus
Tend to agree with Saands here. That hole you want for a center boxer hole .. will mean having to remove Berdan anvil ... that in itself makes for more hassle even in lathe .. just getting center.
Then too .. you have a primer cup with extra holes and indeed .. not only will flame propogation be different but so too will back pressure on the primer during ignition.
Seems a great deal of trouble, and considering .. just got a batch of Turk 8mm .. 3360 rounds for $125 .... that's getting into cheap shooting!
I think the furthest I'd go would be perhaps pulling some FMJ 150's and reseating with 150 JSP's .. if I had enough enthusiasm and not so many other damn calibers to feed!
Then too .. you have a primer cup with extra holes and indeed .. not only will flame propogation be different but so too will back pressure on the primer during ignition.
Seems a great deal of trouble, and considering .. just got a batch of Turk 8mm .. 3360 rounds for $125 .... that's getting into cheap shooting!
I think the furthest I'd go would be perhaps pulling some FMJ 150's and reseating with 150 JSP's .. if I had enough enthusiasm and not so many other damn calibers to feed!
klover
Member
Figured. Thanks a bunch gentlemen.
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