Mosin Nagant Ammo Recommendations

So I have a Mosin 91/30 in the back of my safe that I bought a couple years ago cuz I figured I should get one before they shot up in price. I’ve finally gotten around to thinking I should drag it out and see what it’s really capable of. I don’t shoot surplus ammo out of my milsurp rifles. Not cuz of its corrosiveness but due to poor quality and accuracy. I know there’s guys out there that reload or only shoot decent quality ammo.

Can anyone recommend a good bullet weight or brand for accuracy out of the Mosin?

Hi Amadeus,

I normally use Sellier & Bellot FMJBT 180 grs. bullets.
Also Hornady or other high-end brands will be ok.
PPU also. I think they even have a 150 grs. bullet.
I lately reload it with 44 grs. of Lovex S060-2 (43 on the M44, to reduce the fireball).
The results are very good.
Since you might not find that powder in TX, you can use Vihtavuori N140. I use 45 grs. and have the same results as with Lovex, with the advantage that the powder is much more stable and does not play crazy if temperatures change.
WLR or CC200 primers.
OAL 77,0 mm (3,031 inches).
Works fine. You can then start looking for the pet reload of your rifle.

Greetings from Sin City...

Depends on how much you want to spend on Ammo. For me I have had great luck with Prvi Partizan Match 7.62x54R 182 Grain Full Metal Jacket and for the price it’s pretty hard to beat. I get mine from Target Sports for $14.49 a box. If you buy bulk shipping is free.

https://www.targetsportsusa.com/prvi-partizan-match-762x54r-182-grain-fmj-ppm7-p-3091.aspx

Amadeus: I've got pretty good accuracy with handloads using the PRVI 159grn FMJ BT bullets. They were the cheapest I could find. One pleasant surprise has been the accuracy of Barnaul's cheapest 174grn FMJ ammunition- have had nery good grouping with rifles ranging from Finn M91's to PU Snipers. Up here it is cheaper than PRVI FMJ, which is good but doesn't seem to shoot any better in many of my Mosins than Chinese surplus. I think the stuff I currently have dates from the 50's or 60's and it will shoot close to MOA in my PU and dirt cheap.

Ridolpho

Milsurp rifles require the same trials as any rifle you're not reloading for. You must try a box of as many brands as you can to find the ammo your rifle shoots best. The cost of said ammo means nothing.
If you plan on reloading, you need a .311"(.312" is close enough. The 7.62x54R is tainted by being the same diameter as the .303 Brit, but without the barrel diameter issue.) bullet. Fortunately, there are all kinds available now. Hornady makes a .312" 150 grain SP. And a .3105" 174 grain FMJ.
Speer makes a .311" 180 grain RN and a 150 grain SP. Sierra makes a .311" 174 grain Match King, but supposedly not on a regular basis. Don't think I'd spring for match bullets unless the rifle is a sniper. Lots of choices. Data is on Hodgdon's site.
Prvi and Sellier and Bellot are probably the best bet for live ammo. A little as $15.99 per 20 at Midway.
"...due to poor quality and accuracy...." Good for you. Couldn't agree more. I wouldn't trust all the Russian commercial steel case stuff either.

In a world of overpriced commercial ammo (and overpriced reloading components) the availability of good surplus shouldn't be overlooked. A big part of accurate shooting is getting lots of practice which is painful at over a buck a pop. With the price of bullets, even reloads are pricey. The Chinese surplus I currently have will shoot 1.5" groups from several different Mosins and, from my PU, 5 shot groups around an inch are easy. I wish similar good surplus was easily available for other types of surplus rifles- it is a real boon for Mosin owners.

Ridolpho

[QUOTE=Ridolpho;459283]In a world of overpriced commercial ammo (and overpriced reloading components) the availability of good surplus shouldn't be overlooked. A big part of accurate shooting is getting lots of practice which is painful at over a buck a pop. With the price of bullets, even reloads are pricey. The Chinese surplus I currently have will shoot 1.5" groups from several different Mosins and, from my PU, 5 shot groups around an inch are easy. I wish similar good surplus was easily available for other types of surplus rifles

Try getting Chinese surplus in the states these days. Russian surplus is hard to get. But it does pop up though.

Not always as cheap as getting surplus. At least with PPU you get a brass case that can be reused, and its not corrosive. A lot of the surplus I can find is actually more expensive as PPU

Good stuff, love that Chinese surplus.

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Originally Posted by Ridolpho

In a world of overpriced commercial ammo (and overpriced reloading components) the availability of good surplus shouldn't be overlooked. A big part of accurate shooting is getting lots of practice which is painful at over a buck a pop. With the price of bullets, even reloads are pricey. The Chinese surplus I currently have will shoot 1.5" groups from several different Mosins and, from my PU, 5 shot groups around an inch are easy. I wish similar good surplus was easily available for other types of surplus rifles- it is a real boon for Mosin owners.

I have had exactly same experience with Chinese surplus 1" and sometimes better at 100yds, 5 shot troops with my 44 Tula PU on a dood day.So cases at $200 during sale a few years ago.
Ridolpho

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I have used several different brands of ammo in my 2 Mosin 91/30's. I too like the PPU Match ammo. I have used a few differing weights, 159 and 182 grain bullets. My Mosins are very accurate with both.

I've had good results with steel case 148gr Tulammo. Also PPU 182gr. Then I reload the brass. I use Sierra 150gr soft point bullets with W748 Powder. I can't remember off the top of my head how many grains of powder I use.

Also In my early reloading days I did something most would probably consider stupid. I pulled some military surplus (147gr steel core iirc) rounds apart one by one and moved the powder and bullet over to a PPU case and loaded it up. I loaded about 50 and fired 40. I didn't have any issues or pressure spikes, but thinking back I feel like there was too much unknown. I still have 10 left in the bottom of my ammo can that I'm not sure what to do with, and praying I'll never actually need to shoot them :lol:

Can't see why reusing propellant and bullets from military cases as you describe is stupid. You know bullet weight, propellant weight, primer and case. Just as you normally load.

Taking due care of course, knowing the ballistics of the lot you are breaking down.