Mosin rifles still everywhere, but the ammo......

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offthepaper

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I've recently joined a new gun club/range due to the fact that my old one burned down last Feb. This one is close to home and a much finer private club than the public range I previously belonged to, I plan to do much more shooting now.:D I have a small collection of Mosins 91/30's M44's, T53's, M38 (gotta get a M39!!!;)) and have realized that I, getting low on 54R. I guess I must have been living in cave or something, because I was a little surprised that when I started looking around that the Mosins are still available by the gazillions (cheap) but that the ammo was another story. Like I said, I had'nt bought any ammo since before last Xmas. It seemed to be everywhere, all flavors, at almost any website dealing with milsurps. Now it seems that all i see is a scattering of the Bulgarian light 147gr, and not a lot of that! I really don't want to buy the wolf or bear Russian ammo because of the cost increase over Mil surplus. Does anyone have a current knowledge or line on surplus 54R at a decent price. I want to learn to load later on, but that wont happen soon enough to get me on the range with my beloved Commie Clunkers (I do enjoy shooting them, despite their shortcomings and rough edges) nothing like the dwelling on the history of some of those rifles. So, can anybody help me feed the Ivans? :evil:
 
Aim surplus only has prvi partisan at $9.50 per box (20) that's 47.5c per round + shipping. No thanks.

Buy the Bulgarian 1950's stuff or the Russian 7N1 for about 30c per round. Otherwise look for cheap wolf/bear/partisan/etc. at about 50c per round (not corrosive, though)

Or reload. Or pray they import more.
 
I just checked the web site for SOG. They seem to have pretty good prices, but again just Bulgarian light. At least thats whats posted on the site, not sure how often they update it. I tried to call, but closed on Sat, have to try Monday. They had it listed for $33.95 for a 300 tin, or $29.95 if you bought a case /4 tins/. They didn't post on their site how much ammo shipping is. Anyone buy ammo from them before recall what the shipping was?
 
As has been told over and over for the last 12 months.... the BATF aren't approving form 6s to allow any surplus to be imported the last attemt was Century they lost a couple containers of 5.45x39 after the BATF canceled the previously approved form 6 cost em a few $$......... The BATF don't answer to voters... only to the President and the current one wants to make the UN happy without Pissin off the Republican party so...... let the BATF be the bad guys unless ya can get the next pres to convince the director of the BATF to approve form 6s then the only milsurps are the ones already stateside and the only Milsurp ammo is what was already imported last year..... nothin new is comming in.......

We even got form 6s denied for Olympic target pistols the reason given by the BATF "has no sporting purpose"

End of subject they don't have to explain any further your simply denied....
 
Thanks for the info dsorm1911! My wife is gonna love hearing that I am gonna stock up on surplus (7.62x54 and 8mm mauser) ammo now after I just bought 4000 rounds (1000 ounds each of .38, .357, .45 and 9x18) ammo before the big spetember price increase!!!!
 
I have no 54R rifles -- my new Saiga is .223 because when I bought it (just recently) it already seemed like .223 (however expensive it was, is, and will be) seemed like something more reliably available, and in brass cases.

However, aren't there sources for 54R brass, so it can be reloaded? Mosins are bolt actions, shouldn't be too hard on brass, correct? I don't want to have any guns in calibers for which it's not practical to at least obtain reloading equipment ...

If anyone *does* reload for their 54R guns, I bet an account of your methods / recipes / tips would be appreciated in the reloading forum.

timothy

EDIT: If it *is* a practical caliber for which to reload, I'd be interested therefore in picking up a Mosin -- have fired a borrowed one, and was very impressed! :)
 
I know somebody makes 54R brass, and I know you can buy several brands of new manufacture 54R.

I don't believe they make a Saiga in 54R... I believe 7.62x51, 7.62x39, .223, 12ga, and .410ga are the only calibers available. I would probably go with the 7.62x39 if I were buying one as you can pick up 1000 rounds of ammo for $179 shipped (a lot more that it used to be, but still cheaper than any other new manufacture centerfire ammo that I'm aware of).
 
Whatever you end up with, stay away from Olympic ammo. The brass is berdan primed (you'll need a separate decapping tool, roughly $50 on ebay and berdan primers) and the ammo is totally hot (to the point of needing two people to open the bolt). I bought in quantity and now have to reduce them all by about 15%
 
Privi partizan is your best in reloadable brass, there are ALOT of Mosins still cause Century brought in 63,000 from Bulgaria initially and are still opening containers of em up!!! Were all set to take on the germans yet again if need be :D cept for the ammo thing .............. they outa require large importers like Century to have to import at least 4 tins of ammo for every rifle they import ;)
 
Check for Wolf, Wolf Gold, Silver Bear, Barnaul, Privi, S&B, Norma, Winchester. There's no shortage of 54R. You can also find brass and components easily on Midway, Graf & sons and elsewhere. A lot of us handload for it. It's not much different from any other military surplus cartridge.
 
I try to keep my brass, but my Saiga .223 shows great exuberance in the removal of spent cartridges, couple that with the fact that I shoot in a field that is mainly stubble and cut down grass that is similar in color to brass, that leads to a lot of lost brass... but the brass I have is reloaded LC 5.56, and it usually shows signs of cracking... so it is not reloadable anyway...
 
Well.....

I called SOG today to confirm my order (I didn't receive a order confirmation notice) and was told the Bulgarian Light in 300 rd tins ($29.95) is now also out of stock. However, they do have some kind of 54R in 250 rd tins for $39.95 plus S/H. Does anybody know what country these might originate in? Not sure who was packing them in 250 tins on stripper clips.
Like I stated in my orginal post, I must have been living in a cave not to notice the upward march of ammo prices. But due to my not having a range available, I had no need to stock up or so I thought (famous last words). I definitly see reloading in my future. :D
 
I guess everybody is buying them by the lot,

AIM, Ammunitionstore were selling the spam cans for next to nothing.

:D
 
As has been told over and over for the last 12 months.... the BATF aren't approving form 6s to allow any surplus to be imported the last attemt was Century they lost a couple containers of 5.45x39 after the BATF canceled the previously approved form 6 cost em a few $$......... The BATF don't answer to voters... only to the President and the current one wants to make the UN happy without Pissin off the Republican party so...... let the BATF be the bad guys unless ya can get the next pres to convince the director of the BATF to approve form 6s then the only milsurps are the ones already stateside and the only Milsurp ammo is what was already imported last year..... nothin new is comming in.......

We even got form 6s denied for Olympic target pistols the reason given by the BATF "has no sporting purpose"

End of subject they don't have to explain any further your simply denied....
Click to expand...

I'm a pretty habitual forum reader. I never saw this. Where was this discussed and documented? I'm not trying to poke at anyone, but I'm a little concerned for my own surplus rifles' sake.
 
I was going to suggest Ammunition Store. They've usually got some hungarian floating around. I hadn't heard of the lack of form 6's either. Makes me cringe. Glad I have my reloading gear now. Thet'll be the next thing to run out.

Forget that. Ammunitionstore has blanks in 7.62x54r, that's it.
 
Last edited:
Where was this discussed and documented? I'm not trying to poke at anyone, but I'm a little concerned for my own surplus rifles' sake.
Click to expand...

The feds are often causing troubles with imported firearms, but I don't know of any efforts to stop 54R from coming in.
 
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