Trouble finding 7.62x54r

I got plenty of x54r ammo but I noticed that all of the online vendors I've purchased from before, have been sold out for the last month or so. Excluding some of that surplus match/sniper ammo for more $$.

I assume they're still importing crates of x54r?

Don't count that stuff out. Friend of mine has a Hungarian m52 sniper. Real or clone I don't know. He shoots the brass cased Russian "match " ammo and does very very well out to 500 yards. Night and day,compared to the typical 147gn tin can stuff. I wouldn't bother with it unless your rifle shows signs of being accurate
I have enough to have fun for a few years. I would pick up a can anytime you see one for a price you are willing to pay. Reloading is not as cheap at the meeting ment. .312 bullets are north of 20 cents each. I made the switch to loading cast.
 
Here are samples of the bullets I just received from my source in New Mexico (average cost with shipping was 12.5 cents each):
170gr GCSil .30 caliber (.310"), 200gr GCSP .303 British (.313") and 180gr GCRNFP 8mm (.323")
 
Here are samples of the bullets I just received from my source in New Mexico (average cost with shipping was 12.5 cents each):
170gr GCSil .30 caliber (.310"), 200gr GCSP .303 British (.313") and 180gr GCRNFP 8mm (.323")

Not bad. They're all gas checked so I assume you could run these close to jacketed velocities?
 
Here are samples of the bullets I just received from my source in New Mexico (average cost with shipping was 12.5 cents each):
170gr GCSil .30 caliber (.310"), 200gr GCSP .303 British (.313") and 180gr GCRNFP 8mm (.323")
thats a pretty darn good price if they are gas checked and coated! I may buy some to stock up a bit.
 
Not bad. They're all gas checked so I assume you could run these close to jacketed velocities?

Good thing about cast is you dont have to really push them to fast and still be accurate.
Maybe if your trying to hold up the velocity for long range. I pushed my .310" 200 grain cast bullets to 2000fps in my 1903a3 and accuracy suffered vs the 1500-1800fps range.

My most accurate 303 load so far is .314" 200 gn GC round nose Lyman 314399. 18 grains of 2400 and or 27gn of H4895. I need to get back to testing 303. Ran out of powder just before the shortage.

8mm mauser is showing promise at 1600fps so far.
 
Good thing about cast is you dont have to really push them to fast and still be accurate.
Maybe if your trying to hold up the velocity for long range. I pushed my .310" 200 grain cast bullets to 2000fps in my 1903a3 and accuracy suffered vs the 1500-1800fps range.

My most accurate 303 load so far is .314" 200 gn GC round nose Lyman 314399. 18 grains of 2400 and or 27gn of H4895. I need to get back to testing 303. Ran out of powder just before the shortage.

8mm mauser is showing promise at 1600fps so far.

Nice. Eventually I'll get into more rifle reloading other than 30-06 and 30 carbine so I'll have to look into these coated/gas checked bullets.

I got 6 pounds of 2400 but I keep that all for my 357 mag loads.
 
Nice. Eventually I'll get into more rifle reloading other than 30-06 and 30 carbine so I'll have to look into these coated/gas checked bullets.

I got 6 pounds of 2400 but I keep that all for my 357 mag loads.

They (whoever "they" are) claim that coated bullets can be run at jacketed velocities, but since I rarely run full-power loads, I haven't compared accuracy at slow, medium and fast. Not having a working chrony kind of makes it an exercise in futility anyways.
I can say that I've been sampling some of the 170 grainers in a Remington Model 740 Woodsmaster chambered in .308 Winchester. 37.5 grains of IMR 8208 XBR cycles the gun flawlessly. 13.0 graims of Lil Gun is a mild load, but not adequate to cycle an auto-loader. Ideal for easy shooting in my FR-7 bolter. Obviously, you have much more latitude with a bolt gun...just have the bullet exit the barrel!

Darn! Loading for an auto-loader sure makes quick work of a powder canister!

andrew1220, might I suggest you try Lil' Gun and Power Pro 300-MP on your .357 Magnum loads. These powders are more along the lines of W296 and H110 which give true magnum performance, whereas 2400 is more of a mid-range powder (but, still plenty potent). 2400 has plenty of cast rifle applications, too.
BTW, I've ordered twice from Norman and he seems to be a-okay.
Enjoy!
 
Last edited:
They (whoever "they" are) claim that coated bullets can be run at jacketed velocities, but since I rarely run full-power loads, I haven't compared accuracy at slow, medium and fast. Not having a working chrony kind of makes it an exercise in futility anyways.
I can say that I've been sampling some of the 170 grainers in a Remington Model 740 Woodsmaster chambered in .308 Winchester. 37.5 grains of IMR 8208 XBR cycles the gun flawlessly. 13.0 graims of Lil Gun is a mild load, but not adequate to cycle an auto-loader. Ideal for easy shooting in my FR-7 bolter. Obviously, you have much more latitude with a bolt gun...just have the bullet exit the barrel!
andrew1220, might I suggest you try Lil' Gun and Power Pro 300-MP on your .357 Magnum loads. These powders are more along the lines of W296 and H110 which give true magnum performance, whereas 2400 is more of a mid-range powder (but, still plenty potent). 2400 has plenty of cast rifle applications, too.
BTW, I've ordered twice from Norman and he seems to be a-okay.
Enjoy!

Yeah I have H110 and 296 but I try to save that for my 44 mag and 30 carbine loads. I have loaded some 357 mag using H110 and it had a little more recoil and I squeezed out more velocity. But 2400 doesn't require a magnum primer like H110/296 which is a plus since I only have about 1,500 magnum primers.

These were some 357 mag loads out of my Coonan Classic, 14.7 gr of 2400 with a Zero 158 gr JHP. Enough muzzle flash for me haha.
View attachment 142128View attachment 142129

Norman sounds like he's got some good bullets.
 
Last edited:
Fellow mosin fans.......I've been finding a pretty reasonable supple of silver bear and tula commercially available 54r around. Walmart even carries tula 54r......I think it was $11 for a 20 round pack. Not as cheap as surp but still pretty reasonable when compared to 06 and 308. And......non corrosive. Its around.
 
Anyone seen any spam cans around? Just wondering if that well is completely dried up. I want to keep my stuff constantly fed and i don't mind corrosive stuff

Yeah it looks like that well has run dry it seems. I'm kicking myself for not buying the last bit of spam cans I saw online just last month. Budsgunshop had them for $110 plus shipping and I was going to try and get them shipped to my coworkers house in NH - but that didn't pan out. Now they're gone...

Edit: Last time I was at Shooters Outpost, they had crates of Czech ammo for decent prices. That was over a month ago so I'm not sure if they're still in stock. I'd give them a call.
 
Last edited:
Yeah it looks like that well has run dry it seems. I'm kicking myself for not buying the last bit of spam cans I saw online just last month. Budsgunshop had them for $110 plus shipping and I was going to try and get them shipped to my coworkers house in NH - but that didn't pan out. Now they're gone...

Edit: Last time I was at Shooters Outpost, they had crates of Czech ammo for decent prices. That was over a month ago so I'm not sure if they're still in stock. I'd give them a call.

now you know better..... you really need to stock up hard on the ammo you shoot the most. Think about how much you used in the past year. you now need to get ahead by buying 3 years worth up front and every time you crack a can buy 2 more!
 
now you know better..... you really need to stock up hard on the ammo you shoot the most. Think about how much you used in the past year. you now need to get ahead by buying 3 years worth up front and every time you crack a can buy 2 more!

I haven't shot my mosins in over a year but I've currently got 2,000+ rounds of corrosive and new commercial ammo. That should last me a bit as I don't shoot them often as of late. I've been enjoying the K31, Garand, and the new AR too much to shoot my mosins[thinking]
 
I haven't shot my mosins in over a year but I've currently got 2,000+ rounds of corrosive and new commercial ammo. That should last me a bit as I don't shoot them often as of late. I've been enjoying the K31, Garand, and the new AR too much to shoot my mosins[thinking]

yeah, but 7.5x55 is becoming a rarity as well. kicking myself in the ass for not buying more when i had the chance.
 
yeah, but 7.5x55 is becoming a rarity as well. kicking myself in the ass for not buying more when i had the chance.

True. I'm almost done with my case of GP11 ammo - about 100 rounds left[rolleyes]. Not the end of the world as I have 8lbs of powder, tons of primers, and 1,500 Nosler 168 BTHP bullets to reload[smile]. Also had to buy some brand new PPU boxer primed brass - got 500 of those.
 
True. I'm almost done with my case of GP11 ammo - about 100 rounds left[rolleyes]. Not the end of the world as I have 8lbs of powder, tons of primers, and 1,500 Nosler 168 BTHP bullets to reload[smile]. Also had to buy some brand new PPU boxer primed brass - got 500 of those.
At this point If you don't reload for these older cals your doomed if you don't stock up.
I love shooting my milsurp and really can't afford to shoot if I buy factory ammo especially at local shops... A single stage press and one or 2 powders will really cover lots of ground for reloading. I reload but still buy HXP when I have a few extra bucks. I have a few 30-06 rifle I still like to shoot but really are not worthy or reloads.
 
At this point If you don't reload for these older cals your doomed if you don't stock up.
I love shooting my milsurp and really can't afford to shoot if I buy factory ammo especially at local shops... A single stage press and one or 2 powders will really cover lots of ground for reloading. I reload but still buy HXP when I have a few extra bucks. I have a few 30-06 rifle I still like to shoot but really are not worthy or reloads.

Yep. I have 8lbs of IMR-4064 but also have ~1,300 rounds of HXP and PPU 30-06 so I decided to hold off on reloading 30-06 until I shoot the rest of that ammo. All the powder and bullets will go towards making 7.5x55 instead since that ammo is unobtainable.
 
Yep. I have 8lbs of IMR-4064 but also have ~1,300 rounds of HXP and PPU 30-06 so I decided to hold off on reloading 30-06 until I shoot the rest of that ammo. All the powder and bullets will go towards making 7.5x55 instead since that ammo is unobtainable.

Swiss is still out there although it took a jump in price since last time I bought some.
From 61 to now 78 cents each shipped. Even 54r I don't shoot any corrosive anymore. I shoot cast more than anything from my 91/30 I do how ever have some tins in the bunker.
 
Swiss is still out there although it took a jump in price since last time I bought some.
From 61 to now 78 cents each shipped. Even 54r I don't shoot any corrosive anymore. I shoot cast more than anything from my 91/30 I do how ever have some tins in the bunker.

Yeah I was referring to the GP11 ammo being impossible to find. But PPU ammo is readily available but at a higher cost of course.
 
Yeah I was referring to the GP11 ammo being impossible to find. But PPU ammo is readily available but at a higher cost of course.

Nothing new, but save your GP-11 and when you can do a group order, stock up on the KV762N primers. These guys are easily decapped and reloaded once you have the primers. Granted, boxer-primed brass is less hassle, but it definitely keeps you in feed for your Swiss rifles.







Once you get the berdan primers, the Albanian 54R brass cases are a snap to reload, too.



 
Nothing new, but save your GP-11 and when you can do a group order, stock up on the KV762N primers. These guys are easily decapped and reloaded once you have the primers. Granted, boxer-primed brass is less hassle, but it definitely keeps you in feed for your Swiss rifles.







Once you get the berdan primers, the Albanian 54R brass cases are a snap to reload, too.




Yeah I just said f*** it and bought 500 brand new PPU cases to make my life a little easier. They ran me about 50 cents each shipped.

I had a guy on the CMP forums interested in buying my GP11 brass but it seems he isn't responding to my messages so he may have changed his mind...Once I shoot the last 100 rounds of GP11 ammo, I'll have like 450+ cases. All 79' and 81' headstamp.
 
Yeah I just said f*** it and bought 500 brand new PPU cases to make my life a little easier. They ran me about 50 cents each shipped.

I had a guy on the CMP forums interested in buying my GP11 brass but it seems he isn't responding to my messages so he may have changed his mind...Once I shoot the last 100 rounds of GP11 ammo, I'll have like 450+ cases. All 79' and 81' headstamp.

Considering all the gimmicks to convert some cases with berdan primers to boxer primers (mostly 54R shooters), I don't know why more Mosin guys don't just buy some Prvi ammo or brass and save the energy. (Yes, I realize many just love to tinker...).
In most instances, just a neck-sizing of the GP-11 gets you back in service. Use the Lyman 311410 (130gr RN) or any of the host of inexpensive cast, coated or plated bullets with a sparse charge of pistol powder and you'll have about a 1000 rounds per pound of powder.
Enjoy!



 
How is the accuracy on PPU match ammo? I've been thinking of buying some boxes from Collectables because i saw boxes of the stuff there. I am wondering because i want to see how accurate my vepr is.

One thing i see from the spent cases of surplus stuff is there usually is noticeable gash on the shoulder. I have a box of soft point PPU, might try a round or two to see if my vepr gashes it too. If it does then saving those cases so if i ever get into reloading is probably a very stupid proposition.
 
Can't say, since I don't shoot this caliber, but the Prvi ammo is an economical way to accumulate some boxer-primed brass for the 54R. Minor dents aren't generally an obstacle to reloading, but I don't know how badly your VEPR damages the brass. I wrapped some foam on the brass deflector on my Hakim to minimize dings on the case body, but you say you get crushed/gashed shoulders? It looks as though you'll just have to give it a whirl and see if the brass sizes correctly to chamber and whether it will last for a few reloads.
 
I tried PPU match ammo through my Finn, and I really did not notice any improvement in my groups over surplus. Now, I have not shot a ton of it, and I am not exactly a marksman, but I was really hoping it would group tighter than surplus, and it didn't.
 
Back
Top Bottom