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If anyone has any 150gr .311" bullets (.303) and quality once fired 54r brass, preferably already full length resized.

Let me know what you have

You have a PM comrade!

Are you in "perestroika " state snayperskaya???imperialists bees in your "vintovka"???gee,sounds like KGB has to move in....

polemass wrote:Are you in "perestroika " state snayperskaya???imperialists bees in your "vintovka"???gee,sounds like KGB has to move in....

Not an issue now Tovarisch......especially now Glorious Spetsnaz units are usings imperialist AI rifles.Imperialist bullets sanctioned by FSB so no problem.

.303 reference was to jog memory of L-E reloaders in case they have any bullets lurking in depths of cupboard

What twist rate do you have in your rifle (presume Dragunov / Tigr? ) 1:240mm or 1:320mm?

I think if I have the rifle right that based on the reading up I've done (not reloaded any 54R yet) it'll be 1:320mm (12.59") and that dependant on the BC it'd be more stable to shoot a 190gn projectile?

Can I be nosey and get some insight into the research you've done as I appear to be going in the opposite direction to yourself? What I've found suggests that the 7N1 round or one made to similar specs - will be very stable out of a 9.5" twist rate, but out of a 12.6"~ it's quite poor with the figures suggesting that a 190 grain bullet (PPU FMJBT for eg although PPU does do a match target in 182gn with a BC of 520) is a good starting point for the heavier projectiles.

Are you looking to replicate the 57N323 and then work up to the 7N1 or perhaps something else altogether?

I've toyed with the idea of getting mine re-barrelled with a 9.5" twist but also as the ring in the chamber is another variable I think I could do without (and might contribute to why S&B brass in Tigr's tends to split the neck?) the ring on the neck of my brass is very pronounced fwiw - is yours?

The 7n1 is more accurate out of a 1:320mm barrel, when the rifling was tightened to 1:240mm there was a 19% reduction in accuracy with 7n1 rounds.Worth noting that Dragunov barrels aren't rifled over their full length.
When talking about Dragunov accuracy it should be remembered that it was very rarely used to engage targets beyond 800m and is used to engage centre of mass rather than for precision shots.

If I can get something loaded that is close to the 7n1 I'd be happy as the BDC on my Soviet optics are calibrated for a 150gr bullet so I'd be looking for much the same trajectory as milsurp but with a tighter group size if thats possible.Most of the time the Dragunov is shot a Sennybridge at Fig11s out to 700m with milsurp which it does well, the reloading is just to experiment with what it will do on paper at 100m initially.

Interesting, mine is a 1:320 twist - and yet using all the calculators I can find for bullet weight in .311 - heavier than 180 comes out better?

I'm not expecting a tack driver out of this but I'd like some more consistency, like you mine gets shot out to 700m plus at senneybridge f range but for eg the target between the tyres at circa 675m - my ability to knock it over on a flat calm day is about 80%.

Shooting it at paper at 100mards reveals why, it's doing circa 3" groups at that distance. At 675 The groups have opened up significantly - to about the width of the ally fig 12.

If I can get to about 1.5/2" at 100m I'd expect to be able to knock it down every time at 675 on a flat calm day.

I'm gonna double check my barrel twist and will post my research because the maths still says that 7n1 is awful out of 1:320mm barrel.

Mine also has the 1:320mm twist and has the 620mm barrel, is yours 620mm or the shorter 530mm barrel?. One thing I have noticed and not sure if it is psychological but if I put a dozen 2" sticky targets on a backing board at 100m and take my time I can pretty much put one round through the centre of each one......but if I try to put 4 or 5 in the same target it opens out considerably.

According to the Soviet Dragunov manual the average marksman was expected to defeat a "head to waist"-sized target in two shots at 700m, so if you are dropping the Fig11 between the tyres 80% of the time you're doing OK.

Interesting site about Russian 54r military ammo.....

http://gunrf.ru/rg_patron_7_62x54_eng.html

If you are going to start re loading my guess is with a bit of experimenting and some good advice you will be able to tigten those groups up. I have all ways used the 170grain bullet normally used in the .303 in my Mosins nagants. Im guessing you are not talking Nagants though.

Alpha1 wrote:If you are going to start re loading my guess is with a bit of experimenting and some good advice you will be able to tigten those groups up. I have all ways used the 170grain bullet normally used in the .303 in my Mosins nagants. Im guessing you are not talking Nagants though.

No....a Nagant is a revolver Tovarisch!!!.

Seriously though my Mosin happily shoots milsurp, as does the Dragunov but the reloading for the Dragunov is just to see what I can get out of it accuracy-wise.

After doing some reading I have settled on the 174gr SMK Hpbt bullets as they seem to be very accurate based on what I've read and if I can find some 150gr bullets these will be made into a "7n1 clone" of sorts.