Albanian 7.62 X 54R

[rmcc]

Scored 4400 rounds of brass cased/ steel core bullet 7/62 x 54R today. Will report back later on how it shot.

Rich

[Buckshot]

...............Sounds like a pickup truck load! Was it at a garage sale? 8-)

............Buckshot

[rmcc]

No garage sale. It was an ad on on a free " you post it" web site. I called the number on a whim figuring it had been long gone for the length of time the ad had run. Guy said he still had all of it, so I bought all of it. Hope it shoots well!!

Rich

[wrench]

Like any surplus ammo, Albanian has shot very well for me in some rifles, not so well in others.
Quality control can be a bit lacking, as well, with some wrinkled shoulders, and a few with rims so thick they would not chamber.
All in all, though, nice clean brass cased stuff.

[tomme boy]

They are not too thick, the rim is a differant shape than it is supposed to be. This is all machinegun ammo so the rim shape does not matter as the extractor is differant. Also make sure to wear safety glasses. This ammo has had a history of case failures. The brass is really thin and can split.

The Mosins will spit gas an metal right back at you if the case splits. They have no safety features like a mauser does if it fails. There is also 2 types of Albainian. There is the actual Albainian and then there was Chinnese made Albainian. The Clina stuff was in a can that you used a ket like a old sardine can an you roll the seal up un the key. I always thought this was the better ammo.

[RU shooter]

There is also 2 types of Albainian. There is the actual Albainian and then there was Chinnese made Albainian. The Clina stuff was in a can that you used a ket like a old sardine can an you roll the seal up un the key. I always thought this was the better ammo. Would you happen to know if the Chinese make ammo is the steel cased variety ,I had a tin of what I thought was regular brass cased inside there was about two packages of steel cased ammo sorta a varnished green color but had the same exact headstampings.

[tomme boy]

The stuff I had was brass. It had the same 3 number factory code.

[rmcc]

Went and shot the Albanian "88" today. Used 2 different rifles, it all went bang and checked it against the meters on the sights. Went out to 300 meters per Leica LR900, ammo was right with the sights. Can't ask much more out of blasting ammo.

Rich

[Larry Gibson]

Recently test some Albanian 9C 3 with very nice brass cases. This was LPS (light ball w/steel core) having a red band around the bullet at the case neck. The can was opened with the can opener type tool.

Out of my M39 Finn (10 shot test string over Oehler M43) it ran 2685 fps with an SD of 33 and ES of 116 fps. The psi(M43) was 42,000 psi with an ES of 5,100 psi. Accuracy (issuse sights at 100 yards) was right at 3 moa.

The cases, once fired, are excellent for conversian to boxer primers.

Larry Gibson

[JKH]

What are you doing with the empty brass? Would you be interested in getting rid of it (trade/sale)?

I have some Albanian brass but could use more to convert to boxer, tedious process but an interesting experiment :)

[Dschuttig]

Why convert the albainians to boxer? Correct size berdans for that case are available and work well.

[Larry Gibson]

Conversion is simple and straight forward (refer to "sticky" on subject). Berdan primers are not "readily available" in all area's at anything close to a reasonable price. Depriming boxer primed cases is much easier (done the same time when FL or NSing) than any method with Berdan primers.

Larry Gibson

[JKH]

Just as Larry mentioned, its not particularly difficult, and berdan primers are nonexistant where I live, havent seen a single sleeve in 30 years and on-line they are few and far between. I converted some Albanian brass to boxer for cast lead and reduced loads, saving my expensive factory boxer brass for full house loads in my 91/30 PU sniper (I have shot full house loads in converted 7.62 NATO cases with.success but not the Albanians...yet).

So, anyone here with empties.they want to part company with?

[Dschuttig]

I'm familiar with the process, and I just order 15k berdans and live in NY also. I guess my point is, I have a RCBS berdan decapper and can pop out primers with it almost as fast as I can run them through the resizer. If berdans were not available, then I guess I would convert them.

[TreeKiller]

Why convert the albainians to boxer? Correct size berdans for that case are available and work well.

Please list where berdan primers are available for 7.62 X54R

Dan

[Dschuttig]

http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/23431

This is the correct primer for the Albainian 54R./ Dan

[JKH]

Dschuttig,

Where are you in upstate? You can answer by PM if you like, I live in Cuba and I believe we have done some business/trades before if memory serves me right.

If we are in close proximity would you consider selling 1K of the Berdan primers? They have not been available like this before and is the reason so many of us have converted cases to boxer, for the amount I would ever load, and the fact that no one else around here even loads for anything remotely "exotic" so I wouldnt have anyone to share a hazmat fee on an order with, actually I dont even know anyone that buys more than 100 primers at a time ;)

[Dschuttig]

Near Bennington, Vt. But I travel out as far as Herkimer to see family all the time. You're probably just to far away from me. If you ever make it out to albany area let me know ahead of time, and I'll catch up with ya. Dan

[JKH]

Thats a hike! I lived in Glens Falls many moons ago and used to go to Bennington with a friend to his.Grandmas. Anyway, Albany is a hike even BUT, my younger son lives in Auburn, how far is that from Herkimer?

[TreeKiller]

Dschuttig,

I have 5K each of KV-24N and KV-7.62N I missed that TAKVB762 were available.

Thanks
Dan

[Dschuttig]

What is the TAKVB762?

[TreeKiller]

Oops TAKVB762 is the item # for KV762N
I will have to try some of them and see if they for the brass 7.62 X54R cases that i have.
Dan

[TreeKiller]

Got out my invoice from Century Arms the brass I got is Bulgarian light ball 150gr the primer pocket is .245 not .217 item # AM1347. The only brass case 7.62X54R that i found in Jan 2011
Dan

[NuJudge]

I've shot a lot of reloaded Berdan Albanian 7.62x54R, with great results. Every once in awhile you find a case with a thick rim, but that's the only complaint. It's the most accurate 7.62x54R I have tried in several rifles.

Very early Bulgarian 7.62x54R is brass cased and has .217" Berdan pockets, but about 1 in every 30 cartridges has the primer pocket fail on firing, releasing a lot of gas and burning a black .217" diameter ring on your bolt face. The stuff came on chargers ("stripper clips"), which was my main interest in the stuff. I believe I will reload Albanian brass with the Bulgarian bullets and primers, and scrap the Bulgarian cases.

[rmcc]

Were the stripper clips brass or steel NuJudge?

Rich