Anyone into MilSurps and reloading for them?

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Ken G Artillery FO.

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I'v have my father in laws 7.5 x 55 Schmidt Rubin family hand me down in mint condition W/ Bayonet, he brought back from Switzerland after WWII.
Sits next to My dads 6.5 X 50 (Really X 51) Arisaka carbine not quite mint, the "weed" was filled off. Anyhow they are both tack drivers factory Norma ammo sucks on the Jap. Reloading for both gets the job done.
Anyone else into older Military firearms, & reloading to bring out there inherent accuracy? even a smooth bore can be accurate.(within reason)
PS.Just trying to rekindle an old thread.
 
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I am going to change this thread title, just so that people that might be have an interest in participating know what this thread is about. "Chuck Wagon Ken" doesn't really call out to MilSurpers, lol...
 
I got a couple of Mosin Nagants about a year ago. Bought some milsurp ammo in SPAM cans for giggles. Found out it shoots "minute of hubcap" at best. Got a box of Privi Partizan ammo and found out that it went from an 8 to 10 inch group at 100 to 3'ish inches even with my bad old guy eyes and poor bag rest technique.

I've since managed to get all the bits and pieces together to reload my own ammo and I'm looking forward to seeing how well these old war horses can perform.

So all in all I'm firmly with you on the idea that if we can feed these war rifles some good "food" that they'll do far better than most folks give them credit for.
 
I reload 14 different calibers give or take primarily for milsurps and strange stuff.

My 12 year old recently shot a 4" 10 shot group at 100 yds with his M44 (I paid $40 for the gun) using some basic reloads. Reloading seems to really bring out the best in my military guns. I've been getting under 2 MOA with my FAL, a little more with my K98 and turk, awesome groups with my Garand etc. Its also nice to drop the recoil in these guns for my kids and reduce the noise when shooting around neighbors.

Almost seems a shame to shoot the milsurp ammo in my beautiful guns!
 
I have owned, studied, and loaded ammunition for EVERY major military rifle system since the dawn of the centerfire cartridge era (with the conspicuous exception of the trap-door Springfield... I'll get to that one someday).

This has taken over forty years, and I still enjoy it. The loading has morphed into mostly cast-bullet research, and that is even MORE interesting and rewarding.

This pursuit can be either very simple, with components and cartridges that are easily available, or develop into a detective story as you search for oddball brass, bullets, dies, moulds.... you name it.

Along the way, you may well get an education about world and military history, along with a good dose of obscure geography.

Enjoy.
 
I reload for USGI M1 Garands, USGI 1903s, and USGI M1 Carbines. Do they count as military surplus?

I have a Moisin Nagant and dies for it. If I ever get around to shooting it, I will reload for it.
 
I've got a M48 Yugo 8mm that I want to try reloading for. It will do 6-8" groups at 100yds with some spam can 1958 vintage Yugo, and 4" groups with some 196gr Sellier and Bellot SPCE that I bought for hunting. Those groups are with my 53 year old eyes and iron sights. I hope to get some dies soon, but they're not a priority right now. I've got a nice .308 if I need a precision rifle.
 
I reload for M1 Garand, 1903A3, M1A, and .303 British for my No.4's. I have yet to get around to 8mm, 6.5X55, or 7.62X54R. Come to think of it I havent even shot the factory ammo to get the brass yet! Too busy these days.
 
Loading for M1 Garand, .30 carbine, 303 Brit. , K-31 Swiss, 1903 Springfield at this time. I need dies for my K 98 and I'll be loading for all the mil-surp guns I have.

Mark
 
That is why I started reloading....The only thing I shoot surplus in are the Russian bolt guns....everything else I reload....and that is a fair bit. For some of these odd ball cartridges it is just too expensive or flat impossible to get ammo for. The Russian in not bad, so popular, but I do reload for the 54R in my SVT and PSL. I have reloaded quite a bit of 303 british and 7.5 French. Right now the Mas 36 is my go to bolt rifle. I also reload 30 carbine, 3006, 6.5 carcano, Both Arasaka cartridges, Krag, I know I have had to forget a few plus a few pistol cartridges.

Quite a bit of fun.
 
MilSurp is what got me back into handloading/reloading. I stopped loading many years ago because I stopped shooting as much. In fact, I rarely shot at all for several years (life got in the way). When I did start again about 10 years ago, I noticed a diminished availability of 7x57 Mauser ammo. Still wanting to shoot my excellent '95 Chilean Mauser, I started loading for it. Then I found a cherry low serial number '03 Springfield for a great price, and I started loading "soft" loads for it.

I now load for every caliber I own, with the exception of the rimfires, of course.
 
The only way I get to shoot my SMLE #4mk1 is to handload 303BRIT.
I was going to get the dies for 7.92x57 but I sold off all the rifles that used that round. And I have been loading .30'06 for M1s and M1903A3. Just recycling doing my part for the 'Green Movement'.
 
I load .30-06 for my 1903, 1903A3, 1917, and M1 Garands, .30 Carbine for my M1 Carbines, and .303 British for my Enfield No4 Mk2. Saves me a lot of money, and keeps me out of mischief.
Tinpig
 
I handload for my .30-40 Krag. She does ok with 180 gr. semi-jacketed round nosers. Money I've saved has been minimal, but the quality of ammunition you get from loading your own is better (if you're careful). I have .30-06 dies for my M1 but haven't gotten around to handloading those yet. Someday...
 
I am a mislurp junkie. I bought lots of ammo when it was cheap. I am equipped to reload all of my calibers when the surplus runs out. I don't reload for my M39 Mosin Nagant. It shoots under one inch at 100 meters with Privi ammo. So, why bother.....chris3
 
Right now I just load for my .303 British. I have yet to shoot a factory load that comes close to my reloads as far as accuracy goes.
 
Several but tops for me is a Chilean contract (1895) Mauser in its original caliber.

Funnel
 
I load for 8x57, 7x57, 7.62x54R, and 30-06, all for milsurp rifles of one form or another. Some still in the original form, others have been sporterized or even bubbafied. All of them seem to shoot better with handloads. Some shoot a little better, others a lot better.

Matt
 
Yugo 24/47

8 mm......

Reloading, i get 1.2 to 1.5 inch groups at 100

Hoping to tweak the loads some more to bust MOA
 
7.62x54R..MN 91/30.. I did a handload which resulted with an 1.5" group at 100 yards, with Iron sights. could barely see the target, but prevailed quite well.
 
reload milsurps; YES!

reloading for three-8x57 mausers (2-yugos & 98k) and two Spanish 7x57's.
Best I can manage with irons is 3"-4", but the scoped Yugo does 1-1/4" on a regular basis.

Them old guns shoot better than me.
 
Good morning
Yep, I reload my own cast bullets and happily launch them downrange when I am up north in the US of A. My cast reloads will function all my semi autos. I figure it costs my 10 cents a round and I am never out of ammo.
Bolt rifles are just the same.. at least as accurate and most far better.
Oh course the muzzleloaders have always been reloads.
Mike in Peru
 
I reload alot of calibers, I don`t know why you would not, when a good set of die`s rarely cost more than 40 bucks....................
 
I reload for my Garand and a friend's M48. That's the only way we can afford to shoot those two. My other milsurps (91/30 and an SKS) get fed surplus or Wolf. With the price of consumables it doesn't seem cost effective and I have no brass for either. Would have to build that supply up too.
 
Love Mosin Nagants and just picked up my first couple boxes of reloadable brass ammo for them. I was given a couple of old .308 die sets and have read they can be modified for 7.62x54r. That's one of my over the winter projects. If not a new set of 54r dies will be in my future. Looking forward to making some accurate target and hunting ammo along with some trail boss light loads.
 
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