Mosin-Nagant 7.62x54 Bullet Weight Questions

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Smw421

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I own a Mosin-Nagant 91/30, and I was wondering if the weight(grain) of the various kinds of 7.62x54 ammunition would negatively affect the barrel's rifling?

For example would a 203(or 174 or 180) grain bullet wear the barrel's rifling out faster than a 148 grain?

Also will steel core ammo wear down a barrel's rifling faster than lead core?
 
Generally speaking, what wears barrels is gas. The higher the pressure and temperature, the more gas erosion you will see.

If your rifling is in good condition now, I doubt you will ever shoot the rifle enough to wear the rifling to the point it impairs accuracy.
 
Steel core ammo is still covered with a copper jacket or heavily copper plated metal jacket, just like the lead core stuff. Wear would be pretty much the same in either case.

As previously stated, if your bore is in good shape now, you ain't gonna live long enough to wear it out unless you shoot a couple hundred rounds a day, every day. Wish I could do that, both get to the range and afford the ammo! :D
 
It is unlikely anything you can shoot in a Mosin-Nagant 91/30 hasn't been shot in it before.
A lot.

Don't worry about it.

Most of them had way more wear at the muzzle from steel cleaning rods then all the shooting added together did to them.

Many you see now have the muzzle counter-bored to get past the cleaning rod damage.

rc
 
I've seen someone making 600 yard shots with ~200 grain bullets using a Mosin Nagant. The gun can take the heaviest bullet weights you can throw at it. You'll wear out your shoulder long before you wear out your gun. There's only two main factors to consider when shooting modern ammunition: barrel heat, and your shoulder. Excessive barrel heat will cause premature wear as it softens the metal somewhat. This is unlikely, though, as your shoulder will generally be screaming for mercy before 5 rounds are cycled.
 
Thanks for the replies, I managed to get a 91/30 with a great barrel and I just wanted to make sure I didn't wear it down too fast or screw it up.


The 203 grain soft points look vicious. Does anyone know how much and how quickly they expand?
 
Well, I can't tell you from experience, but I do know the Russians have taken polar bears and Kamchatka brown bears (think grizzlies on steroids) with Mosin Nagants. Short answer: if you can hit it, it can kill it. It will take down anything in North America.
 
I've shot the 203 grain wolf ammo... its not too bad actually, less recoil than a 12gauge. and they chronograph about 2300 fsp out of my 91/30.
 
You won't wear it out by shooting it no matter what the ammo. However you may ruin the barrel in relatively short order if you shoot corrosive surplus ammo and not clean the barrel properly after each use. All the available mil-spec surplus ammo is corrosive. Some folks even say that even the Wolf ammo is semi-corrosive. I don't know though cause I don't shoot that junk.
 
Yeah I clean the gun right away when I get home from the range. I use hoppe's 9 with a boresnake for the barrel, and I unscrew the magazine and clean that with hoppe's as well. The barrel and magazine then get coated in remmington oil to prevent rust. I even put desiccant packs in the gun case when i store it.

I never disassemble the bolt though, its just too much of a pain, but I use hoppe's 9 on the bolt face, and then use a generous amount of remington oil.
 
Prvi-Partizan and Wolf Gold ammo are made in the same factory, and offer the same bullets and have great boxer primed brass for reloading. The 180gr is a soft point boat tail, with plenty of lead showing, and should expand well on any big game encountered. They have proven to be accurate in many different Mosins and have great reviews at MidwayUSA.


www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=989895



NCsmitty
 
Several people I know that shoot Mosin's and other milsurp swear by just pouring boiling water through the bore after shooting corrosive to get rid of the acids from the primers, then a good standard cleaning with Hoppe's or the like. I have read a lot of posts on the internet where people pour Windex through it, but I would think that would get expensive fast if you shoot a lot, and probably upset the wife quickly when she buys a bunch and then can't find it anywhere in the house...
 
My experience has been that boattail bullets will allow more gas erosion of a barrel bore than flatbase bullets but are also more accurate at longer ranges.

If you intend to shoot your rifle mainly at 100 meters/yards I would suggest reloading using flat base bullets for longest barrel life.
Buying and shooting a few boxes or five of boattail loaded ammo to get the brass will not harm the rifle.
 
My experience has been that boattail bullets will allow more gas erosion of a barrel bore than flatbase bullets but are also more accurate at longer ranges.
Click to expand...

Onmilo, do you have any data to back that up? I'm not doubting you, it's just the first time I have ever heard that.
 
[bold emphasis added]
Excessive barrel heat will cause premature wear as it softens the metal somewhat. This is unlikely, though, as your shoulder will generally be screaming for mercy before 5 rounds are cycled.
Click to expand...

I can attest to this. I have an M91/30 and its a great gun but the recoil is wow. I put 65 rounds through mine straight one after another on one range trip. I was sore for two days and the rifle stayed in the safe for 5 months before they next range trip.
 
I just bought a 91/30 at a gun show. How can I tell if it has been counter-bored?
Click to expand...
Fit a tight patch on a jag, and attempt to push it from the muzzle to the breech. If you encounter a tight spot an inch or so from the muzzle, it has been counter-bored.
 
This is a helpful thread as I have been thinking of getting some wolf ammo for the non corrosive properties of them vs the surplus ammo.
 
There's a lot of misconceptions out there about corrosive ammo. I'm a chemist, so I can speak at least semi-intelligently about this. With "corrosive" ammo, it's the primers that are the problem. They leave behind mercuric salts. Not acids, not bases, but salts. You can't wash away salts with petroleum based solvents (like Hoppe's). You have to use aqueous solvents (like Windex, or better yet, plain old H20).

The best way to clean a milsurp after shooting corrosive ammo is to squirt some water or Windex down the barrel from the breech with the bolt removed (really wet it) then run a few patches down to dry the barrel. Then, clean normally....Hoppe's, whatever. Just make sure you use something with water to clean out the salts.

If you don't, even if you clean with bore solvent and oil the barrel afterwords, you've only covered the salts with oil, and the barrel will still rust.

You might want to wipe the bolt face with water or windex, as well. Dry, then oil.
 
To the person that asked about data backing up the flatbase vs boattail bullet post I made.
Several reloading manuals and I also believe Cartridges of the World have chapters devoted to bullet design and will attest to what I said.

I believe the first time I heard any reference to bullet design impacting barrel wear was in the Army Small Arms Repair School.

Just because it is the first time somebody relayed the information to you does not make it untrue,.
 
duns said:
I just bought a 91/30 at a gun show. How can I tell if it has been counter-bored?
Click to expand...

Just look at the muzzle end. If the rifling extends all the way to the muzzle, it is not counter bored. The counter bore is done using a drill bit larger than 7.62mm to remove damaged rifling.

Another way is to stick the bullet end of a cartridge in the muzzle. If it goes in up to the brass, counterbored. If it contacts the rifling and you can see some bullet between the muzzle and the brass, no counterbore.
 
I love the 203's, but you need to know this; if you use the regular sights for this, you will get a noticeable drop at impact at 100 yards. shoot your 148's, and even your 170s at 100, and they will be probably right on point of site/ point of impact. You switch to the 203's, and you will see a several inch drop probably, like 3 inches.
 
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