Just slugged both my mosins

[Mauser48]

Title says it all. Both my 91/30 and M44. They both came out around 313.5 in the tightest spot. Some parts were around 314.5. I thought they would be more around 313 but guessing means nothing. As I'm about to get started in casting can you recommend me a mold? I'm looking to push these on pistol powder. Preferably 700x bit I will probably need to step up to 2400. I'm looking at something from lee because they are cheap so if I mess it up as a newbie it's not a big deal. Any advice or pet loads? Thanks

[NoAngel]

Best advice, is forget what the barrel slugs and fill the throat. Search here for taking a pound cast, mic the throat and fill it.
My mosin slugs around .312 but will accept a .314 bullet with ease, maybe even .315. It shoots fair enough for what it is, so I leave it be, but if I had a larger bullet, I would be using it.

[Mauser48]

Thanks that's good advice. I've heard things like that before and it makes a lot of sense.

[Mohawk Daddy]

Try the Lee C312-185-1R for a cheap experiment. I got lucky and ended up with a two cavity example that drops boolits close to .315. I size them 314 and run them through a 1944 MN with reasonable success. If the one you end up with turns out smaller diameter boolits, you could powder coat them to fatten them up. 24 grains of IMR 4198 works for me.

[RU shooter]

Any of the 3 Lee .312 offerings should work IF they drop big enough . If not you can easily shim out the block faces with some foil tape

[Blackhawk357]

Foil tape? I like the idea and may have to use it on one of my molds. Thank you

[Kraschenbirn]

Foil tape? I like the idea and may have to use it on one of my molds. Thank you

Try a search for 'beagling'. Technique works quite well but you must use the correct 3M tape.

Bill

[rondog]

Yep, works great! Even I can do Beagling.

[Adam Helmer]

Mauser48,

I have a dozen, or more, Russian and Finnish 7.62X54RMM rifles and never bothered to slug any bore, but I get great accuracy. I "Try" boolits into the rifles' muzzles to sort out which boolit goes with which. I cast the Lyman #311467, #31141 and the Lee C 185RN I size boolits .309 for my Finns and .311 for the Russians and use 2400 and IMR4198.

These old "War Horses" were never made to be match rifles so I never bother myself with "throat" or "bore" numbers and such like. I try boolits, before and after sizing, into the muzzles. If the boolit slides over 50% DOWN, it is not sized for that individual rifle.

These "War Rush" rifles are fine with whatever we load for them.

Adam

[OptimusPanda]

Both my lee 312-155 (for the 7.62x39) and the 312-185 (allegedly for the .303 Brit) drop at .313" when the mold gets good and hot. My 7.62x54r hand loads use the noe 316-299 because I knew I needed a bigger bullet (I normally size these .314"). Although if I were limited to just the lee offerings, I might cast the 312-185, powder coat them to add a couple thousands, then size them.

[res45]

Currently working on some test loads for my new to me 91/30 which has a bore just a bit under .313" I've been shooting the Lee .312" 160 gr. TL bullet as well as the 185 gr. RN bullet both which drop right at .314" with excellent results with 16.0 & 19.0 grs. of 2400. I'm also currently trying out H-4895 using the Hodgdon 60% reduced load and working up from there to get the best accuracy/velocity with those bullets.

On my last test groups I got up to 33.0 grs. with no loss in accuracy up to around 1750 fps. with standard lubed bullets. Chrono results show I I can go higher with no issues charge weight wise and the number are improving as far as shot to shot consistency as case fill increases. While I was doing those test I found 5 of the Lee 170 gr. RNFP bullets I usually shoot in my 30-30 that I had PC'ed and sized to .314" so I loaded them up with my last test load charge weight of 33.0 grs. of H-4895 and I was well pleased with the results. Seems I'm going to have to add more of these bullets to the test groups on my next batch of loads when I up the charge weights.

PC'ed Lee 170 gr. RNFP with check
http://i1042.photobucket.com/albums/b428/reloader7sixtworeloader762/f15cd17a-2c0c-4350-ae7a-7e7c569c5ce2_zps9d1cylqz.jpg

2400 load test
http://i1042.photobucket.com/albums/b428/reloader7sixtworeloader762/92ded9cd-e97f-47b1-8460-d3eccba9eb94_zpsztbf0jlx.jpg

[toolness1]

Those are some nice groups! If you buy enough 91/30's, you'll find some can be quite accurate. I've gotten lucky with most of mine. I also shim the stocks when needed and install Finn two-stage triggers.

[res45]

Those are some nice groups! If you buy enough 91/30's, you'll find some can be quite accurate. I've gotten lucky with most of mine. I also shim the stocks when needed and install Finn two-stage triggers.

Both my M44 & 91/30 which are the only two mosins I have ever had shoot that well or better,I'm still tweaking the loads on the 91/30 as I have room to improve. Both my mosins were in excellent condition especially the bores which on a scale of 1 to 5 I would rate a #2 especially after a couple nights of soaking in Kroil oil followed by a couple good cleaning's. I'm also using the original factory trigger with only a take up spring added to remove the slack.

I did take both rifle completely apart,refinished the stocks as the old shellac was in fairly bad shape,I put the M44 back as close to the original color as possible but I gave the 91/30 to a blonde finish and replaced the original factory rear sight (recently) with a MOJO rear peep sight. Both rifles had the action cork bedded,barrel channel free floated and a cork barrel rest pad on the forend of the stock where it exits the stock. All in all I think I have around $30 in refinishing supplies for both rifles and a couple hours a day for about a week from start to finish,It's really amazing all the markings on the stocks when you get all that old finish off. Denatured alcohol,some 0000 steel wool and lots of rags will remove the old finish and never leave a mark or remove any of the original wood.

I original paid $100 for this 1933 Tula HEX receiver mosin.
http://i1042.photobucket.com/albums/b428/reloader7sixtworeloader762/1Gun_zpsqggp7hzf.jpg

Part of the M44 1945 stock,I got this rifle shipped to me for $85 back about 10 years ago from Dan's Ammo up in PA I believe it was. Wish I had bought two,but back then that was a couple days pay for me.
http://i1042.photobucket.com/albums/b428/reloader7sixtworeloader762/MOJO%20048_zpstna2bf9y.jpg

[toolness1]

Those look nice!

I bedded the tang and recoil lug on my best shooting 91/30 a couple days ago, I'm looking forward to seeing how it shoots now. It had the usual huge gap at the tang, so I hope this helps. I have a scope mounted to the original dovetail under the rear sight, so I can return it to "normal" if I ever decide to.

I put a set of peep sights on a Finn M39, so much better than the stock sights with my crappy eyes. I wish it was that easy to install a cheap peep sight without permanent modifications on all my milsurps.

[CHeatermk3]

toolness,
What peeps did you use and how are they mounted? I can't see how to get the rear close enough to my eye, unless you D&T'd the cocking piece?

[res45]

toolness,
What peeps did you use and how are they mounted? I can't see how to get the rear close enough to my eye, unless you D&T'd the cocking piece?

Well technically it not like the rear peep sight you would find mounted on say a lever action rifle like the Lyman or like a Tang sight. The one I use is made by MOJO I only purchased the rear sight and use the original front sight pin.

http://www.mojosights.com/

If you like on further back you could always make one of these.
http://www.castbullet.com/makeit/rr.htm

[Boolseye]

My 2 Mosins are about the same, .313-.314". I like NOE's 316299.