Range day

This is a place to post about the classic Russian bolt action rifle.

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Niner
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Range day

Post by Niner » Tue Apr 10, 2018 9:52 pm

I was thinking about my stockpile of ammo. I recently got the feeling I better start shooting some of it after paying my homeowners insurance recently. My agent has some problems with customer relations and my carrier is Allstate until next year. I know , from what I read, if there were a fire, and I don't expect one, that rounds cook off with the primers shooting off as they explode but the power burns quickly and the projectiles, if they have forward momentum, have little force. No big explosion of rounds kept next to each other in a fire.....so it is said. Think this was written to give fire fighters less fear of working on the fire. In any case... I got more ammo than I want to keep in storage in a closet in my house and I have more Nagant ammo than any other version. This is because when I have been going to the range, less frequently than in former years, I have been taking weapons with less kick so the stockpile has not been depleted.

Today I got the Nagant Sniper out ...also because Miller Tyme mentioned he was going to be in a contest with one and I wanted to experience the firing of mine again after a few years.

The PU scope, in original configuration, has a wheel at the top for distance in 100 meter increments noted as O, 1, 2, etc. On the side is the left to right windege knob with marks minus and plus from 0. My rifle, had been zeroed...or maybe kinda zeroed, some time in the years ago now past.

I didn't fool with the scope and tried a pistol target at 50 meters first. No bulls eye but I was hitting the paper all over the place on it. Then I went to 100 yards and got a bulls eye and some sprinkling other places. Then I looked at the scope numbers. The top wheel was showing between 4 and 5.... as in hundreds of meters. The left right was minus 1. At a 100 yard target 450 meters wasn't a good indication for a really zeroed scope.

I started to adjust the meter range knob working down from 4.5 to 2 and filled up a second hundred yard target with most of the hits being high. Then I ran out of ammo. The big wheel on the sight anchor was continually loosening up but the smaller screws that actually held the sight down didn't seem to move. Need to bring a screw driver next time and try this rifle out again. I think the smaller screws I had put some locktight on way back when.

I left my foam rubber butt pad home.... not good. So after punishing my shoulder bones I got wise and picked up a towel that the range provides and folded it over enough to drape over my shoulder and offer some kick protection. Now my foam butt pad is in my shooting bag and not on the back of another rifle in my inventory.

I was using copper wash ammo that was pretty clean and no sticking. I'll give it a go in another week or two.

The range today was like I like it...not crowded. I need to go regularly for a while to see if I can get some enthusiasm working again. But.. speckle trout season is about to begin as soon as the water clears up a bit and the wind dies down enough to get some calm water.
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joseyclosey
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Re: Range day

Post by joseyclosey » Wed Apr 11, 2018 3:40 am

It's not often I shoot full stoke loads but, for the occasions I do, I have an old DPM sniper jacket that lives in the back of my car, padded shoulders and elbows so just the job.
Looks like you had a grand day for your shoot btw Robert.
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Niner Delta
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Re: Range day

Post by Niner Delta » Wed Apr 11, 2018 7:41 pm

That yellow tip you were shooting is the heavy ball from Hungary, Bulgaria, or Czechoslovakia.
Yellow tip is 182 grain, you need some light ball that is 148 grain, easier on the shoulder.
And if you can find it, the Czechoslovakian hollow core white tip training ammo is only 45 grain,
and they claim it to be pretty accurate out to 200 yards. I have all 3 in stock and there is a real difference
between them, especially the hollow core. But haven't seen it for sale in a couple of years, luckily I
bought a wood case of it..... :D
And I too always use a rubber butt pad shooting heavy or light ball, not needed for the 45 grain.
Don't have a real sniper, but with my eyes, I put scout scopes on my 91/30 and M38 both..... :roll:


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Miller Tyme
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Re: Range day

Post by Miller Tyme » Wed Apr 11, 2018 7:57 pm

The yellow tip is Hungarian machine gun ammo IIRC, Czech silver tip is 147 gr light ball ammo made by S&B and is some great stuff if you can find it, good as Russian 7n1 sniper ammo
“The only real power comes out of a long rifle" - Joseph Stalin
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Niner
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Re: Range day

Post by Niner » Wed Apr 11, 2018 8:23 pm

I've got two 50 cal ammo cans full of surplus Nagant ammo. At least a large portion of that stash is yellow tip...maybe all of it. The good thing is that the yellow tip doesn't stick like the steel jacket stuff that I've had in the past and it is pretty sure fire.

I've had some silver tip in the past and know that people used to rave over it. Never was particularly impressed with it way back when though...although I can't remember exactly why I was of that opinion.
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Niner Delta
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Re: Range day

Post by Niner Delta » Wed Apr 11, 2018 8:28 pm

According to 7.62x54r.net yellow tip is lead core heavy ball and silver tip is steel core
light ball. Yellow tip being Hungarian machine gun ammo wasn't mentioned, but yellow tip was
made by Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria, too. Beside the Czechs, Russia and Poland also made the
silver tip light ball.

Robert, it probably doesn't stick because it is the copper wash and not the lacquer.


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Re: Range day

Post by Niner » Wed Apr 11, 2018 8:49 pm

My guess Hungary. Looks like either a 21 or 27 at the top of the face on the end of the case.

http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinAmmoIDII.htm
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