A Small Primer on 7.62x54r Ammo...and Cleaning

[PMB]

From the initial primer...

>>>Third is an 184 grain steel core Bulgarian copper washed steel case. Great ammo. Most ranges hate this stuff!!<<<

Why do ranges hate this variety? Sorry for ignorance, we've never shot at a "pay range."

Also, all I've ever bought are the cases of 880 (two tins of 440 each.)

What is (are!) a good source(s) for purchasing different varieties? I generally like to purchase by the full case, or a few cases at a time.
I'd -really- like to get ahold of a few k brass cases in 7.62x545R.

Thanks for the primer- I have enjoyed reading the primers and responses from folks who know their stuff. I've just been doing my own thing for all of my life, or at least after my father taught me how to shoot and clean the pieces.

Regards, Mike

[MadPick]

From the initial primer...

>>>Third is an 184 grain steel core Bulgarian copper washed steel case. Great ammo. Most ranges hate this stuff!!<<<

Why do ranges hate this variety? Sorry for ignorance, we've never shot at a "pay range."

Also, all I've ever bought are the cases of 880 (two tins of 440 each.)

What is (are!) a good source(s) for purchasing different varieties? I generally like to purchase by the full case, or a few cases at a time.
I'd -really- like to get ahold of a few k brass cases in 7.62x545R.

Thanks for the primer- I have enjoyed reading the primers and responses from folks who know their stuff. I've just been doing my own thing for all of my life, or at least after my father taught me how to shoot and clean the pieces.

Regards, Mike

That Bulgarian has a few "strikes" against it from a range point of view:
- Steel cases are usually banned by indoor ranges because they mess with reloading/brass sales.
- Heavy bullet and steel core mean that it has good penetrating power . . . feared by indoor ranges and even some outdoor ranges.
- The steel in the bullet can cause sparks if the bullet hits rocks, which can cause fire danger at some outdoor ranges in certain climates.

In other words: This sounds like great ammo!

There are a few types of brass-cased 7.62x54R out there:
- Any commercial ammo, which will be boxer-primed and reloadable.
- Albanian surplus, which is Berdan-primed. You won't see much of this.
- Yugo surplus, which is Berdan-primed. You won't see much of this around either.
- And . . . I think some of the older Bulgarian ammo is brass-cased too, but I'm not too familiar with it.

You can check out TONS of 7.62x54R ammo info here: http://7.62x54r.net/. Scroll down to the ammunition section.

Most places are going to sell whatever is being imported this month, which right now is mostly Bulgarian and Russian light-ball. I don't really know where you can go to buy the different types of surplus other than Gunbroker, or occasional private sales.

[PMB]

From the initial primer...
>>>Third is an 184 grain steel core Bulgarian copper washed steel case. Great ammo. Most ranges hate this stuff!!<<<
Why do ranges hate this variety? Sorry for ignorance, we've never shot at a "pay range."
Regards, Mike

That Bulgarian has a few "strikes" against it from a range point of view:
- Steel cases are usually banned by indoor ranges because they mess with reloading/brass sales.
- Heavy bullet and steel core mean that it has good penetrating power . . . feared by indoor ranges and even some outdoor ranges.
- The steel in the bullet can cause sparks if the bullet hits rocks, which can cause fire danger at some outdoor ranges in certain climates.

So the only difference I see between examples 1, 2 and 3 is the weight of the bullet.
The difference between 147 and 184 grain makes it more hated?

Or do they hate all of the little steel cased joys equally?

I am starting to do some more searches for brass cased... berdan or boxer, makes little difference to me.

And the only bad round in my book is the type that fails to push the chunk of metal out the end of the barrel.

Sure looking forward to nice weather. The little woman doesn't let me drag her out shooting if it's wet and cold.

[MadPick]

Why are you interested in brass cases? Are you shooting at indoor ranges?

If you're shooting outside . . . then I wouldn't worry about the case type. Just go with the el cheapo steel-cased ammo that's widely available.

[PMB]

Why are you interested in brass cases? Are you shooting at indoor ranges?

If you're shooting outside . . . then I wouldn't worry about the case type. Just go with the el cheapo steel-cased ammo that's widely available.

Only for reloading... I want to work up some tack-driving loads for my M39. That little honey deserves caviar of ammunition.

I mean, maybe that's gilding the lily. She's plenty accurate with the cheap stuff. Just fun to gild the lily?

[MadPick]

If you're going to reload, then I think you *do* care about Berdan or Boxer primers . . . you want Boxer. That means you need to either buy commercial ammo, or buy brass.

Unless you have a way to reload Berdan-primed ammo...? It is possible, but most people don't bother with it.

[PMB]

If you're going to reload, then I think you *do* care about Berdan or Boxer primers . . . you want Boxer. That means you need to either buy commercial ammo, or buy brass.

Unless you have a way to reload Berdan-primed ammo...? It is possible, but most people don't bother with it.

Well, since it's a labor of love, I would not be looking for speed. When I was in high school an old man (at the time) showed me a pretty quick way to reload the berdans.

His daughter dipped them in a bucket of water and set them into a jig (hole below the primer) and he slid a thick punch in the neck, gave her a whack (the water-filled cartridge, not his daughter) and his boy picked the deprimed cartridge out and dropped it in a bucket. The three of them did about 200 cases in less than 5 minutes, if my memory serves. It's been so long ago that I wouldn't trust the numbers, even if they seem pretty clear memories to me.

[MadPick]

Yeah, that'll work . . . but then you need to have Berdan primers to put back in there. They are available now at some places, so in theory you can do it if you want to.

[PMB]

Why are you interested in brass cases? Are you shooting at indoor ranges?

If you're shooting outside . . . then I wouldn't worry about the case type. Just go with the el cheapo steel-cased ammo that's widely available.

Can somebunny read this? Bulgarian? Russian?






Thanks to Rene for selling it.
Thanks to Mr Oly for finding the variety.

Did that Mother F'ing Rene sell me f'ing brass cased 7.62x54R ammo instead of soap?!
And he smirked at me as I walked away!


I hope there is a special place in hades for French Canadian Ex-Logger Extraordinary Vehicular Transfer Specialists who knowingly and falsely misrepresent their brass cased milsurp Mosin food to hot dirty sweaty unwilling male prostitutes as crumbly military Russian surplus soap tied up in pretty pink paper with a cute sisal twine bow.

If there is such a place sir, send me a postcard.

You got ripped off.... That isnt fine russian soap at all....

3/10/53 with star.... 2nd down, left side... Bulgarian crap. I hope you can get some money back from that shady salesman...

http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinAmmoID05.htm

[movingviolation]

Can somebunny read this? Bulgarian? Russian?

not Russian for sure

[Ops]

Can somebunny read this? Bulgarian? Russian?

[SporkBoy]

Many years ago I met an older fellow at the range shooting an odd looking rifle (Mosin of some sort) and punching remarkable small groups over and over again. I took an interest and seemed personable - NRA lifetime member and marksmanship badge.

He told me of reworking Berdan primed brass by reworking the primer pocket to accept shotgun primers. Seemed to work for him. Anyone hear of such a thing?

[RENCORP]

Better to deprime using a hydraulic deprimer ( youtube for videos, cheap to make ) , and re-prime with commercially available berdan primers.

[tonyquart]

Thank you!! This is what I've been looking for.

[Capn Blood]

Take a thermos of hot water and a bore snake plus a spray bottle of Ballistol or oil with you and use them in that order after shooting. In the field you can use a small container of Windex or generic in place of the water

I've never had issues with the Laquered ammo in a Nagant and I do have a nice collection

My entire collection were hand selected by me and are all 98% or better and they all shoot a consistent 2 MOA with irons and surp ammo