New load for the Dragunov

[snayperskaya]

I managed to get to the range yesterday to try out the 150gr PPU SPBT bullets I loaded up.I had run out of primers so loaded them into some primed Egyptian military brass cases I've got and loaded five of each charge weight of Ramshot Big Game powder in 0.5gr increments from 48gr to 49.5gr

After confirming my zero I set about trying each batch at 100m, starting with the 48gr load.The 48gr starting load gave the best group and even though the other groups started to open up as the charge weight increased they still weren't bad and I think the resulting group is pretty good for a chrome-lined barrel made from recycled T-62's and using a 4x scope.

It is actually a five shot group, the hole on the right has had two bullets go through it.......

[WelshShooter]

Nice shooting Tovarisch! Ramshot Big Game is a nice powder to use with these historic rifles, it shoots very well from my 303 and 8mm Mauser so I just need to experiment with the 7.62x54 now.

How does the fouling look on the outside of the cases? I found that starting loads with Big Game did not fully obdurate the case neck and would often get sooty cases.

[polemass]

Is you Drag zeroed at 25m???

[snayperskaya]

Is you Drag zeroed at 25m???

Zero'd at 300m as per the Soviet manual.......and 0.8 MOA is below the maximum of no more than 1.04 MOA required by the Russian military when using 7n1 sniper grade ammo in a 1:320mm twist barrel.It is also less than the 1.18 MOA maximum required by the US military with the M24 Sniper Weapon System with M118SB cartridges

If you feel you could do better be my guest!.

[snayperskaya]

Nice shooting Tovarisch! Ramshot Big Game is a nice powder to use with these historic rifles, it shoots very well from my 303 and 8mm Mauser so I just need to experiment with the 7.62x54 now.

How does the fouling look on the outside of the cases? I found that starting loads with Big Game did not fully obdurate the case neck and would often get sooty cases.

Cheers mate

No sooting on the cases at all, the 54r start load for Big Game with a 150gr bullet is 49gr but as the case volume of the Egyptian brass is slightly less than both PPU/S&B brass and is also slightly less than Russian military steel cases I started a grain lower.I have had sooty cases when using the starting load with heavier 174gr and 180gr bullets.

[WelshShooter]

Excellent

I'm going to try out some 155gr bullets in the Mosina this weekend if I have time to load them up this week. I had some extraction issues on the last outing which I've put down to a dirty chamber so that needs to be sorted first! Still a bit of cosmo left behind despite a good couple of cleans!

Then I'll need to stock up for F range on 10th June. You heading up then?

[polemass]

Erghh...my bad,got my numbers wrong again-0 was missing,250m was in my mind, don't know why...if I get any Drag in near future I will fit ticker barrel just to check if it can be done better...

[North Star]

Is it normal to measure your group size center to center? I always use the diameter that will cover the shot holes completely?

[WelshShooter]

When you measure a group outside to outside you should subtract the bullet diameter to give you the correct group size, which in effectively what our Russian comrade has done. Otherwise, you could shoot a one shot group with a 308 and have a group of 0.3"

[snayperskaya]

Erghh...my bad,got my numbers wrong again-0 was missing,250m was in my mind, don't know why...if I get any Drag in near future I will fit ticker barrel just to check if it can be done better...

No problem my mate

I should have said I checked the zero of the scope with Russian military ammo using a copy of the Soviet Russian zero confirmation target taken from the Soviet SVD field manual.....



The black rectangle is 20cm x 30cm and the small white square is 2cm x 2cm, this white square is the aim point.With the scope BDC elevation turret set on "3" (300m) and the target set at 100m distance the POI should be 16cm above the aim point, once the POI is 16cm about the aim point the BDC is then set.

Incidently the same confirmation target, minus the white square and using the bottom edge of the target as the aim point, is used to zero AK's and also the SKS.If used to zero an AK the rear sight should be set to position "3" and the POI should be 23cm above the aim point at 100m......at 100m the 20cm target appears the same width as the front sight post when looking down the sight line.

On turning the BDC turret to "1" at 100m the POA/POI will be the same, as it will be for other settings/ranges using the same ammunition......the 150gr SPBT bullets impacted below and slightly to the right of POA and as I was shooting for groups I didn't bother altering the scope settings.

A friend in Germany has a SVD fitted with a custom non chrome-lined bull barrel and a dirty great big IOR scope and he gets less than 0.5 MOA without even trying so it can certainly be done better