Mosin shooters - 7.62x54r that's NOT steel-cored?

[LeoC]

Perhaps some of my fellow California-bound Mosin Nagant owners can help me with this... Where do you go for cheap non-steel-core ammo? The ranges I go to all forbid steel core ammo because they damage their steel targets and because of the steel-hitting-rock-causing-spark-and-fire hazard. I've found plenty of surplus but to my dismay, discovered that all the nearly 2000 rounds of 7.62x54r I bought are steel-cored. At least now I have SHTF ammo, but until I can find some non steel-cored ammo for it I can't shoot the rifle at any of the local ranges

Where have the Californian Mosin shooters been getting their ammo from? I've had the rifle for nearly a month now, and as fun as it's been to take it apart, clean it out, and lube it I'm really itching to finally shoot the thing

 

[benEzra]

The new production Wolf stuff, available in 148-gr and 200-gr varieties, is lead core and bimetal jacket. Shoots fairly well, in my experience (148-gr kicks less, and seems to be more accurate in my M39 than the 200gr stuff) and isn't terribly expensive.

I've gotten it from Sportsman's Guide before, and I'm sure Ammoman also sells it (or you could have your gunshop order some, if mail-order companies won't ship to individuals in California).

 

[DMK]

I believe the old Hungarian heavy ball (yellow tip) is lead cored.

The Bulgarian at AIM is.

 

[Jackal]

The Yugoslav brassed case surplus is not steel core. I have about 700rds and no bullets are magnetic.

 

[DMK]

The Yugoslav brassed case surplus is not steel core.

Good ammo too, if you can find it. My M39s shoot great with that Yugo Heavy Ball.

 

[George S.]

One thing you can do is to buy empty cases and reload using lead-based FMJ bullets. Reloading allow you to control the ballistics and at the same time, insure that you aren't shooting the old milsurp stuff with the corrosive primers.

Wolf, Sellier & Belliot, and Winchester all make good 7.62x54R ammo in soft-point hunting rounds and their brass is reloadable.

 

[silverlance]

The problem is that many ranges in california don't allow steel core OR steel jacketed ammo. Oftentimes, they don't even allow steel TARGETS. This is because of the hazard of fire - a real threat, because that's how my favorite range burned down in the late 90s and was closed for five years.

If people just shoot AT THE TARGET, no fires I think will ever happen - the only rocks bullets would be striking would be the ones in teh berm.

HOWEVER, there are always idiots who (and I admit that when I was a kid i did this more than a few times... but then I got a brain) fire at the surrounding hillsides. I guess they figure that if they can't hit the target at 100 they might as well try to pick off that bluejay at 900..

That said, all milsurp rounds out there right now for x54r are either steel core or steel jacketed. the bulgarian at AIM is lead cored, but the jacket is a bimetal copper-steel much like wolf bi-metal.

I don't know anything about Yugo x54r - that ammo must have sold out long before my time - but the only x54r I know of that is lead core and copper jacketed is WOLF GOLD.

Don't expect to save any money because I paid 90$ for 200 rounds and liked it. To make me get my money's worth I saved the brass and hope one day to get a press.

The only ammo out there that I know for sure is copper jacketed and lead cored in any milsurp availability is Yugo 8mm 1950s (the 70s is too but good luck finding that).

This is probably because they knew their guns lacked chrome bores and so they spent a little more on bullet making.

I'm in Los Angeles too - send me a PM and we can go shooting at my range.

 

[rangerruck]

wolf or olympic. or tmc, or barnal, or monarch, or Sellier & belliot.

 

[Beetle Bailey]

As previously posted, the Yugo surplus 7.62x54r is non-magnetic. I picked up a few boxes at one of the smaller tables at the Costa Mesa gunshow. Worked great in my M39.

Stuff I've tried that is magnetic:

Czech "silvertip" light ball 147 grain
Hungarian "silvertip" light ball 147 grain
Bulgarian "yellowtip" heavy ball
some Polish stuff
some Albanian stuff

Also, Wolf makes two kinds of 148 grain steel cased ammo that comes from Russia. One is "copper FMJ" and the other is "bi-metal FMJ." You want the copper FMJ since it is non-magnetic. Best way to buy it is to bring a magnet with you to a gunshow so you can check it before you buy.

Also, Olympic makes ammo with non-magnetic bullets, but I can't recommend Olympic ammo because I've seen firsthand the low quality of the ammo.