Reduced loads for Milsurps

[aprayinbear]

Thought you guys might be interested in some of the results I have been getting using reduced loads for my 91/30 MN and my Swedish Mauser.

For the Mosin I've been reloading with Winchester Brass, 12 grains of Red Dot and 135 gn Beartooth cast bullets. This load has proven quite accurate for me and hits right on at 50 -100 yards.

In my swede using Privi brass and 120 grain MatchKing bullets I'm doing quite well with 13.5 grains of Trailboss. The Trailboss is nice because it is extremely light and takes up a lot of case volume, making it one of the safer choices.

The nice thing about these reduced loads is that there is almost no recoil, so I can shoot all day long without needing a chiropractor. And with the reduced loads, the cost per round goes way down. Another benefit so I've heard is that there is almost no wear and tear on the brass, or the gun. That means even more cost savings.

And one more added benefit, because of the light recoil, young friends and family members who are more recoil sensitive can enjoy shooting my milsurps as well.

I'm no expert, but for me, shooting mostly 3 position or off the bench at 50 - 100 yards, these safe reduced load recipes keep me shooting long after full traditional loads would have emptied my wallet. And more shooting is always a good thing in my book.

Happy shooting!

Information

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[Terry N.]

I also shoot reduced loads in at least some of my milsurps, although I go about it a bit differently at times.

I had a bunch of milsurp 7.62X54R ammo that I no longer had a rifle for. The ammo was visibly deteriorating, so I decided to pull it down. I killed the primers with a shot of Kroil and threw the brass into the recycle bucket, and dumped the powder on some bushes for the nitrogen content. That left the bullets.

I neck-sized the appropriate number of .303 British cases, and dumped the recommended starting load of powder for that bullet weight into the brass, and seated the bullets just short enough to function through the magazine of one of my Lee Enfields. When I took the rifle and ammo to the range, I found that I had an acceptably accurate, easy-recoiling load!

I've also used various 110 grain JHP bullets in some of my .30 milsurps for plinking loads. One of these days, I'll get around to trying cast (or paper-patched) bullets in them.

[Andy]

Those are economical reduced loads - I shoot cast as well, and my personal favoyrite is SR4759.

Another route is to use a published H4895 load, and reduce it to 60% of max or higher.

[TDH]

My buddy and I have been using a Lee cast mold, don't know the number offhand, it's a 150 grain flat point that works well in the 03's the M1 the M1A and even the AK with decent results. In my LN 03 I drop it to 44.4 gr of 4895 and it does well. Yeah I know it's not recommended to even shoot it but it shoots so good and I only shoot it once or twice a year.

[smellie]

Many years ago, noted authority C.E. Harris divulged his "Universal" load for any medium-sized military-type cartridge.

He used 13 grains of Red Dot and a 180 Cast bullet.

Good rifles, he found, could shoot acceptably up to 200 yards. MV was around 1800, depending on the rifle, casing, etc.

[jimb16]

I use cast bullets and reduced loads in all of my milsurps. I have for years. Mostly I use 150 gr bullets, but for the aught-six, I use up to 200 gr and for the carbine 110-130 gr.