Mosin chargers weren't as nice

[Jack Stanley]

The other day when I was out working with some Enfield chargers , I remembered I'd found some Russian surplus packed on chargers . I'd got a can of it from AIM and thought why not get it out and see how the Russian chargers work .

The rifle was a 91/30 in excellent condition and charging the rifle with five at a time wasn't as easy as some other rifles . Some of the time the first round would catch its rim on the case beneath it . When loading pulling up on the bullet of the first round while pushing down the back helped some . The whole process makes charging an Enfield rifle positively lovely by comparison .

If you guys have a smooth and easy way to do this , I'm all ears .

Jack

[sqlbullet]

In general I have found the to only be a small rung higher up that single loading the gun.

But the overall system is WAY better than my experience with my Carcano action.

[I'll Make Mine]

First, if you're getting rim lock, your interrupter isn't working correctly. This may occur because the interrupter itself is misadjusted or worn, or more likely because the wood has compressed where the screws squeeze the receiver and magazine together, leading the magazine floor plate to be too high to let the second round (from the top) in a full load of five get fully under the interrupter.

You can tell the difference because a misadjusted interrupter will cause rim locking randomly, or every time the rim above is behind the one below, while compressed stock wood will cause rim lock only on the first round after a fresh load. The solution for compressed wood is to add 1 to 2 mm of shims under the receiver at the tang and recoil lug. The solution for a misadjusted interrupter, unfortunately, is to rebend the interrupter, more or less by trial and error, and completely reassemble the rifle to test after each adjustment (there isn't a simple way to be sure you've got the correct spacing between magazine and receiver short of mounting them back into the stock).

Lifting the nose of the top cartridge before pushing the cartridges into the magazine appears to be the commonest way to get the strippers to load correctly. I have to do this with mine (new manufacture strippers), though after you've loaded a few dozen magazines it gets to be second nature. I've read that the Russian strippers found on surplus ammunition from the early post-War era are the best, but I've had no trouble with my new strippers in terms of holding the rounds, letting them feed, and fitting the clip notches in the receiver.

One thing that I've found helps the rounds feed out of the stipper easily -- like the Enfield strippers, there's a "best" way to load the rounds in. Unlike the Enfield ones, you don't want to alternate over and under; rather, after the first round, tilt the next two so the rim rides over the previous, then load the remaining two with the rim under the previous. This will cause the outer rounds to tilt inward toward the center one, producing the "Russian pyramid" that you see on Russian arsenal loaded strippers; this doesn't in itself enhance loading, but it makes sure the rounds stay in place well and avoids the need to load the stripper at a particular end -- the rounds will strip out equally well in either direction. And if your interrupter is working as it should, the first two rounds having the rim behind the lower one won't matter.

[NuJudge]

I have found that old Finnish chargers with the fingers work best. Old Chinese brass ones worked well once, then quickly broke at the folds. The recent Chinese copies with and without the fingers don't work very well. The Bulgarian chargers that came in about 10 years ago were OK, and I have not tried any of the Russian chargers that came in about a year ago.

For chargers that work at all, I find using them several times helps, and I believe that using a bit of lubricant on the rim that does not kill primers (eg Imperial sizing die wax) helps. I just stack the rims, so there's only one way to insert the charger, but I don't get rim lock.

[Multigunner]

A friend had some chromed MN chargers that worked equally well in his .303 SMLE. I don't think the Enfield charger will work with the 7.62X54R though.

[I'll Make Mine]

I just stack the rims, so there's only one way to insert the charger, but I don't get rim lock.

If you have rim lock problems with randomly ordered rims, your interrupter needs attention; it's nothing to do with the chargers.


A friend had some chromed MN chargers that worked equally well in his .303 SMLE. I don't think the Enfield charger will work with the 7.62X54R though.

The 7.62x54R is roundly .025 larger in both rim and ahead of the rim than .303 British, though the rim thickness is almost identical; not surprising the Mosin chargers will work (sort of) with .303 ammunition, but not the other way. If you have that much slop, you're going to have trouble getting the .303 rounds to feed from the charger without cranking sideways as you push them down.

[Hang Fire]

I have found that old Finnish chargers with the fingers work best. Old Chinese brass ones worked well once, then quickly broke at the folds. The recent Chinese copies with and without the fingers don't work very well. The Bulgarian chargers that came in about 10 years ago were OK, and I have not tried any of the Russian chargers that came in about a year ago.

For chargers that work at all, I find using them several times helps, and I believe that using a bit of lubricant on the rim that does not kill primers (eg Imperial sizing die wax) helps. I just stack the rims, so there's only one way to insert the charger, but I don't get rim lock.

I got 600 rounds of the 1946 Russian 7.62x54 on the chargers in two spam cans. Ammo and chargers looked new, not 66 years old.

I ran some through a 1937 Tula and a 1942 Sako Finn. The Tula was easest to charge hands down, the Finn had trouble with some chargers. But similar to what you did, I merely very lightly wiped inside of chargers with some HM boolit lube on a rag and the problem was resolved.

[Jack Stanley]

I haven't tried the chargers in the 91/59 yet so I do hope that rifle works well with chargers . I'd like to be able to charge the magazine with cast lead quickly . Though I was using the 91/30 to see how they work I guess I could try some in the Finn too . I'm pretty sure I don't want to shoot ball out of the carbine . Both because of the blast and the fact I've got all the copper fouling out of it and it shoots lead real well . Don't want to mess with what does work ya know what I mean ?

Jack

[craig61a]

I use Polish clips that I got several years ago from AIM with an order of Polish ammo. They seem to be parkerized, but they work just fine. Technique is key:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5cTo4nn_ds

[Jack Stanley]

In each case it looked like he was holding the front of the cartridge up while pushing the back down . It went fast that's for sure .

Jack

[craig61a]

In each case it looked like he was holding the front of the cartridge up while pushing the back down . It went fast that's for sure .

Jack

Yes - thats the trick with the Mosin chargers.