Has Anybody Done 9x54R?

[Outpost75]

Was gifted an M91/30 Tula with shot out, pitted bore. Rifle was free. Thinking about having rebored to .35 cal. with 16" twist and chopping off barrel to handy length around 22" as a spare camp and truck gun. I have .362-260FN mold from LBT already which I plan to use. Looking at installing very rugged ghost ring adjustable peep and sturdy post front like M1 Garand front and 03A3 rear forward on receiver ring, so don't have to bend bolt. May need to open mag box for case necks opened to .35 to pass through.

Anybody done this? Comments, suggestions?

[Blackwater]

I haven't done it, but thought about it too. I have an old M-44 with very oversized bore, and it's bigger at muzzle than at breech, so I've never wasted a bullet trying it out. It's in really great shape, and looks good on the outside, but has that lil' ol' bore problem, and a rebore or rebarrel is going to be the only cure for it. I like the .35's, and I'm betting it should turn out, ballistically, about like a shortened, rimmed .35 Whelen. The expansion ratio is good enough that faster powders should be usable, so muzzle flash should be bearable with a shortened barrel like on my M-44 and your envisioned rifle.

I'd say go for it. Only problem would be the dies, but I'd think some 7.62x54 sizer with maybe a .357 sizer for the neck might pass for the purpose? Might not. Some here with more experience in this could chime in on that part of it.

The old Moseins are really tough rifles, and for a "down and dirty" "has to work or die" type rifle, they're a mighty decent choice. I'd go with a peep sight, probably, because my eyes just don't do well with opens any more, and a low powered or 2-7x scope would be ideal.

Dang it, Outpost! I do NOT need another project, and danged if you haven't got me tempted to start anyway! THANKS!

[LAGS]

I too have toyed with the same idea.
The magazine will have to be widened as will the bottom of the receiver for the cartridge to pop up and feed properly.
The cases will expand to take a .357 bullet.
But you end up with more of a .358 Win. with a rim and a little more case capacity.
Check with McGowen Barrels for what they offer to fit the Nagant Receiver.
Then you have to have dies modified or custom made.
An Improved Shoulder might be in order too, to gain case capacity.
I just wanted to do one in Single shot because of all the trouble fitting the magazine to the catridge.

[Jpholla]

The Russians did improve and neck up the 7.62x39 to 9mm, so you're not too far off the beaten path. Sounds like a good project.

[Frank46]

Go over to the nitroexpress.com site start checking the forums for a thread "best moisin nagant" or something similar. The poster did one in 9.5x54r which takes .375 dia bullets. Thread is about 18-19 pages long with pics. Sorry can't narrow down it's location better but if you find it you'll be amazed.

update, go to the classic firearms photos and archives and see the best moisin sporting rifle project in history. Now up to 20 pages. Was on the nitroexpress.com site and wrote it down so should be easier. You may or may not have to open up the mag as as well as the receiver where the opened up mag sits. Frank

[Outpost75]

Am familiar with the 9.5, but am more into the .35 cal. thing and have molds. Would like to use what I've got. Nothing here big enough to eat 'cha so an LBT 260-grain .360 FN should be enough.

[LAGS]

Hmm, you gave me an idea for a rifle build I am considering.
A Brit. P-14 in 7.62x54R.
I may reconsider using a larger bore ?

[Good Cheer]

Was at a range today that has the ground littered with copper washed empties.
Couldn't help but pick one up and admire the possibilities that the case presents for boolit shooters.

[Tedly]

Finnlanders have bored out many Mosins Nagant and Winchester M95 rifles , both originally 7.62x54R Finn/Russian military arms to 9.3x54R , a necked up wild cat that was developed for sporting purposes in Finnland. 9.3x54R has long ago become a factory round in that part of Europe to accommodate these re-bores...I think ammo was/is loaded by Sako at one time , probably into the 1970's anyway...
HTH

[Tackleberry41]

Yea the fins had several versions of the 54r, some necked down, some necked up. Theres not much options when it comes to the bolt face of a Mosin, except to stick with the 54r case. I have a mosin that after messing with it a while, the way to get it to shoot is to deal with the barrel. It does shoot straight, but obvious it has throat issues as far out as you can seat a bullet for it to engage the rifling. I have the barrel cut back, experimenting, not like its my only mosin. Rough war time production, little about the barrel is concentric.

So do I put a .311 barrel in it so I can use the cheap surplus? Put a .308 barrel in it for the better bullet selection? Or buy a .458 barrel and convert to 45-70?

[Baron von Trollwhack]

Check some of the early VV powder reloading pamphlets when the powder was first sold in the US. There were quite a few wildcats on the Mosin case listed with loading data for the M-N and some of the bores were for American dimensions.

BvT