7.62x54r bullet & velocity to approximate original load?

[Allred]

Does it make sense to think that reloads with bullet weight & type, and velocity that are close to the specifications for the original military cartridge, would shoot closer to the indicated sight picture of the original iron sights for a given distance and appropriate sight setting, than a lighter or heavier bullet, or greater or lesser velocity?

What was the original bullet weight and velocity for the WW2 era when my M98/31 and M39 were manufactured?

I know, mil-surp ammo is cheap, but I am just crazy enough to want to load my own

Information

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[vigilantus]

The original load for the model of 1891 was a 212 grain round nose bullet at about 2020 ft/sec. In 1908 the Imperial military adopted the type "L" spitzer bullet with a weight of 147 grains and a muzzle velocity of about 2800 ft/sec. There was also a type "D" heavy ball adopted by the Soviets alongside the type "L" in 1930 that weighed 182 grains, but I don't know what it's muzzle velocity was.

I believe the standard was the type "L", and that's likely what the sights were calibrated for on the 91/30. 150 grain bullets are a lot more common, I don't know if those 3 grains are going to make much of a difference for you, especially if you're using Comrade Ivan's iron sights.

My information is off 7.62x54r.net but maybe there's some other source out there I don't know about.

Supposedly the Finns used what was basically type "L", but they called it something different. It was probably loaded more consistently as well.

[Bruce McAskill]

A 150 gr. bullet loaded to around the 2800 fps mark will be in the ball park with the standard sights on a Mosin. The 180 gr rounds were loaded to 2600 fps.