7.62X54R, crazy question...

[Commander Guineapig]

my wife and I might be going to hawaii for a while...
and I wouldn't mind doing some pig hunting while I am there.
My question is this:
could a 7.62X54R be reloaded down quite a bit?
I know this cartridge is likened to an -06, could it
be brought down a generous amount?
Why, you ask?
Overall noise, and I don't need that much power up close,
also, I don't want the round going as far as it might should it
ricochet or something of that nature.
Why 7.62X54R? Because I can afford a rifle that shoots that cartridge.

I've read about "cowboy action shooting" and the dangers of reloading
to velocities too low...how low can you go safely on a 54R and still
have enough punch to nail a pig?
thanks, and if this is a stupid question, go easy on me!
GP

I might add, if anyone has a better idea for a budget pig cartridge/rifle combo, feel free to speak up.

 

[Virginian]

Ever consider a shotgun ? If the cover is close, say up to 100 yards, it's hard to beat a slug, and they don't ricochet or fly too far. If you don't have one you ought to be able to get a used 870 cheap and sell it when you get back for a net cheap rental.

 

[Bartkowski]

I have some 7.62x54r practice rounds that use light bullets are loaded down a bit; they are every bit as loud as full power loads from my gun and my friends.

A shotgun isn't a bad idea, but if part of the reason you want the 7.62x54r loaded down is recoil, you won't really like slugs. A marlin 336 is another good choice, and they can be found used for about $250 when in decent condition.

 

[fireflyfather]

Yes, you can load down a Mosin. First thing I'd try is Ed Harris' "The Load" of 13 grains of Red Dot. Do a search for it, and you'll find PLENTY of info here and on the cast boolits forum. Bottom line, if you use the Prvi SP bullets from Grafs and give the round a decent crimp in the crimp groove, you can get magnum handgun velocities without rifle-style recoil & noise. Probably be just perfect for a small-medium pig (disclaimer: I don't hunt). Just make sure you use Red Dot or similar pistol powder. Loading rifle rounds with small charges of slow powder is bad juju. I used that load myself before I started using cast lead bullets w/out a gas check (now use 7 grains of Red Dot). Another bonus is that your brass will live longer with that lower-pressure load.

You CAN reduce the charge in the mosin using normal rifle powders like BLC-2, Varget, etc. See the Lee Manual's cast bullet section and use the column for .308 winchester, working down slowly. Just don't use VERY SLOW powders. If you are using jacketed bullets, however, don't load it down too much, and ALWAYS make sure the round left the barrel before firing another one during your load workup. Once you have tested a load, that probably isn't necessary, but stuck bullets with a second shot followed mean a kaboom.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Hodgdon has a formula using H4895 for creating reduced power Youth rounds. They tell you to take the Max charge and multiply it by 60% to get the proper charge. They recommend using only H4895 with this formula because in their tests they found it to burn uniformly even with this light charge. Here is the link to that information.

If you use a 150gr bullet this would be the drill:
150GR. NOS BT H4895 2.875" 46.0gr 2769 38,000 CUP -- 49.5Cgr 2938 46,300 CUP

The Max recommend charge is 49.5gr. Multiply that by 60% and the charge would be 29.7gr. That round should give you ~2000 fps or a little less. I'm sure you can up the charge to get the bullet to ~2200 fps which would probably do a good job with a 150gr bullet.

 

[loop]

can't find my dang Lyman manual, but I'm sure there is a pipsqueak load for a cast bullet in 7.62X54R.

I have a 30-06 load I use over six grains of Unique. Sounds like a cap gun but accurate as heck out to 100 yards (of course it drops about eight inches by then).

 

[dmftoy1]

I'm having good luck with 200 grain LRN's over 18-19 grains of 2400. The only knock is that I have to set the rear site to 500 meters. The bullets are moving around 1400-1500fps I believe. (I'm going to chrono once I get the accuracy part dialed in)

FWIW.