Mosin M39 and Barnaul 7.62x54r 203gr softpoint

[_N4Z_]

Spent a few hours today with my son inlaw at the range working some of our toys.

I got to spend some quality time with my 1942 Sako M39 Mosin Nagant. Had 40 rounds of 203gr Barnaul softpoints that I sighted in at 100 yards. As I understand it the Finns ammo weighed in around 200gr so I was anxious to try this stuff out. Needed a couple windage adjustments to get things lined up right. Fired 4 groups of 3 to accomplish this. All groups hovered around 3". 3 out of 4 groups hit slightly low. This is iron sights only, no scope on this rifle.

Once lined up I moved to the 200 yard 11" gong. Didn't hit it every time, but that bugger was pinging alot!

Then moved to the 300 yard gong. Not sure the size on it, probobly around 24". First try. Ping! Then proceeded to miss the next four shots. Gave it, and my eyes a rest. Came back over 10 minutes later and rang it 2 out of 3 shots. Called it good and moved back to 200...

So in my M39 the 203gr Barnaul did pretty well. Suprisingly though I have shot better groups in the past with surplus Hungarian heavy ball (182gr I think it was).

All in all it was fun. My 65 year old M39 rang the gong at 300 yards with the irons and I was a happy camper. Also tore up a bunch of golf balls and potato's with other toys. Good day.

 

[Davo]

Sounds like a blast! I really need to get my 91/30 properly zero'd. Today I had my SKS hitting the 200 yd. gong about 50% (I need practice).

 

[Stiletto Null]

My M39 seems to love the Igman 150gr SPs. Haven't tried the 203gr stuff, though.

 

[DMK]

So in my M39 the 203gr Barnaul did pretty well. Suprisingly though I have shot better groups in the past with surplus Hungarian heavy ball (182gr I think it was).

Mine also shoot slightly better with Hungarian or Yugo heavy ball than they do with Barnual and Wolf commercial. I found the S&B 180gr SP to shoot the best of the three commercial brands, pretty close to the same POI as Yugo heavy ball actually. Wolf 200gr. was terrible, patterning wide and shooting way high. I'll never buy any more of that.

 

[Antihero]

my 91/30 likes the Barnaul 203gr as well. Good thing i cant find any around here...

Also im loooking at a Brown Bear 203gr box and it says Barnaul on the side of it. Does this mean its the same ammo? Or is it a Fender/Squire situation?


(for those that dont know squier is a company owned by Fender guitars that makes models that are much cheaper than the real Fenders and mostly not nearly as good as Fenders)

 

[Cosmoline]

Keep in mind that the Finnish load was D-166, which uses a radically different bullet than anything the Soviets ever made. Lapua still sells them. The are .308" with strange waist and unusual boattail. I don't know any other rounds like them. The only similarity with the heavy soviet rounds is the weight, and the fact that the Finns made the D chambers big enough to eat heavy soviet rounds with their high ogives.

 

[DMK]

Also im looking at a Brown Bear 203gr box and it says Barnaul on the side of it. Does this mean its the same ammo? Or is it a Fender/Squire situation?

That's a constant debate on the forums. As far as I can tell there are various factories over there (most with names I can't spell or pronounce) that were once all state owned and part of the Soviet war machine (much like Lake City here). Since the communist breakup, they've sort of all gone independent, left to fend for themselves as best as they can. To pay the bills and make payroll, they manufacture whatever various commercial and military products they can under contract. Therefore the same production lines might be making a few million rounds of Barnual, followed by a few million rounds of Brown Bear, followed by a few million rounds of military ball headed for S. America, all dependent on who's paying to keep the lights on that week.