i have a 91/30 mosin nagant rifle. to get some reloadable brass and have some fun shooting i bought 100 rds of winchester, "metric calibers", 180 grn FMJ, 7.62x54R ammo. it's no fun to shoot!!! these loads are either real stout or i'm just a wimp. i've taken a few apart and they have 45.5 grns of some sort of powder in them. would it be safe to reduce this to about 43.5 grns and reseat the bullets? they are just going to be plinking loads(FMJ bullets) so i'd rather not put up with that much recoil. please advise.

thanks...bud

It would almost certainly be OK to reduce the powder charge.

But instead of doing that, I suggest you get one of the silcone-pad type recoil reducing pads, such as the PAST, that that goes between the gun butt and your shoulder. I have one that I use for everything larger than .257 when shooting at a bench rest. It makes a .375 H&H, for example, completely tolerable, at least fo me. That way you won't have to fuss with pulling bullets, reducing charges, and then reseating bullets.

When you go to loading your own, you can deliberately work with a reduced charge. You will also get less apparent recoil the lighter bullet you use.

It's not a stupid question, but my thoughts are that the felt recoil is probably more from poor stock design than the cartridge load. Several alternatives here. You could try removing a couple of grains of powder as suggest. Probably would be OK as I don't think they're using one of the really slow powders in that cartridge. You might run ddown to a gun store and get one of those slip on recoil pads which would make a difference, or buy one of those past recoil pads. I'd try the latter two ideas first before breaking the ammo down, considering that to be the last resort.
I don't think it's a case of "wimpdom". I shot one of those rifles once a few years back and while I'm not too recoil shy, and I have the very screwed up shoulder to prove it, that Russian rifle was was quite uncomfortale to shoot. I blame it on the piss poor stock design.
Paul B.

I recently shot a #1 in 375 H&H loaded fairly stout.

Rather than mess up the rest of my day with the efect of recoil, I used 2 PAST pads.

No problem.

I've got a 91/30 mosin nagant. I ordered some of those loads last year and I think there very mild recoiling.

Could some batches be loaded hotter than others?

thanks to everyone for responding.

the pad idea is a good one but i really don't want to mess with a pad and i'm stuck at home this evening and need something to do anyway

jarrod...rereading my original post i realize i made these loads sound real bad. not true. recoil is not murderous, just fairly stiff. there may be a difference from batch to batch and the wonderful russian stock design may have something to do with it also(was there different stock shapes?? tighter bore?? i'm really reaching now ). anyway, i'm looking to achieve a "very pleasant" load to get rid of all these FMJ bullets and have some fun.

again, thanks to all and any other advice, experiences are welcome...bud

Is this the only rifle you have shot which has given you such a recoil problem?

It could be stock design, but I've shot a Nagant or two and I think it is a very mild round.

It may be you. Sometimes I've seen people's natural off-hand shooting position as being totally wrong.

The affects of a poor shooting stance arent too noticeable with a 223, but as you increase caliber, it can come back to bite you (no pun intended).

Have somebody demonstrate proper shooting postions and try to emulate what you see. Your shoulder and cheek with thank you.

-Spencer

I think "shopcartracing" is giving you some kindly, good, advice. I have one of those rifles also, and find it both very accurate, and very easy to shoot with either handloads or factory ammo. (Mine is a Finnish 28-30.)

Couple of more suggestions. Try shooting offhand (standing) in a relaxed way. Intend to give with the recoil, not resist it. Don't worry about groups the first dozen times out with it. Just shoot at things like clods, pieces of wood, tree stumps, whatever targets of opportunity present themselves on the safe backstop. Don't shoot it from the bench until you are used to the rifle and your subconscious no longer views it as a threat.

There is a time and place for emphasis on precision, but first just relax and enjoy the inexpensive plinking capability the rifle gives you.

Good luck,

AC

The win 180g fmj are pretty stiff in my 91/30. I got a $4 slip on recoil pad at K-Mart. I use it on the 91/30, 24/47, and k-31's. easier on the shoulder skin than the steel butplate with screw heads sticking out. More importantly, it adds an inch to the butt. I'm 6'4", and I need it, otherwise my nose gets squished by my right thumb. I've seen stars shooting too short shotguns!

FYI, the best groups from my 91/30 have come from surplus Silvertip ammo. Less recoil than win, $2.00 per 20 at the gunshow, but corrosive primed.

I think you're a wimp, but that's OK, most of us are.

The MN can be a fire-breather. A thick jacket helps and for warmer weather I got one of those strap-on recoil pads.

Anyone who would give you guff about recoil protection doesn't shoot enough, and this is what I would politely communicate to them:

quote:

Originally posted by budiceale:
i have a 91/30 mosin nagant rifle. to get some reloadable brass and have some fun shooting i bought 100 rds of winchester, "metric calibers", 180 grn FMJ, 7.62x54R ammo. it's no fun to shoot!!! these loads are either real stout or i'm just a wimp. i've taken a few apart and they have 45.5 grns of some sort of powder in them. would it be safe to reduce this to about 43.5 grns and reseat the bullets? they are just going to be plinking loads(FMJ bullets) so i'd rather not put up with that much recoil. please advise.
thanks...bud

I doubt that a 2-grain reduction in that charge is going to cause any problems. But I am not sure that such a reduction is going to be enough to make it any more pleasant to shoot!

However, merely substituting a lighter bullet, while leaving the powder charge alone, might make more of a difference. Try a 125 or 130-grain bullet with the same powder charge.