Happy new year all. Can I use the .311 diameter bullets labeled as 303 caliber British in my 7.62x54mm Russian? I'd call Sierra, Hornady or whomever but they are not open for business today. What have been your results if these bullets are OK.
Thanks, Ross.

R.P.

I suggest you slug your barrel first. Bore diameter varies a lot on these rifles. I have heard that some of the U.S. ones have .308 bores, some Russian and other versions exceeding .312. I have a Finnish ( Tikka Barreled ) Nagant that mikes .310. I use the sierra .303 bullets and it shoots very well.
Having said that, it will also shoot .308 bullets with acceptable accurary.
Slug the barrel and go for the bullet closest to the measurement.

YES.. On these Russian firearms you MUST slug the barrels because you don't really know what you are working with until you do. Their tolorances aren't always consistant..
It's not bad on the '54mm rifles but I've slugged bores on some AK and SKS, Chinese, Yugo etc., and came up with measurments up to .317"!!
No wonder some of them won't group well..

right on guys , knowing the bore dimensions is very important ! i found out , but with the 762 -54 rimmed , that i could use 311 or 308s safely with the starting loads as long as they chambered . just do not use hot loads till you are sure there isnt alot of extra pressure with the larger bullets . 3 or 4 thousands dont seem like much , but i found out the hard way with an old 8x60 mauser that was marked to be a 323 bore and wasnt ! it was a 318 bore and the starting load froze tha bolt and that was on a 98 with a lot more strangth to it than a russian action , so please err on the side of safety ! we need all of us to be above ground as long as we can . good luck and good day

quote:

and that was on a 98 with a lot more strangth to it than a russian action

Don't be too sure about that. A fellow over on the Cast Boolits board did a "test to failure" on a 98 Mauser and an M44 Mosin a year and a half or so ago. A case full of Bullseye increased the headspace of the Mosin a bit and he finally gave up, as I recall. Don't recall all the details on the Mauser, but it didn't fare as well as the Mosin. Both are good, strong rifles, and if you look at the published ballistics of the military 7.62x54R ammo, it's got to be loaded comparably to the 7.62x51 NATO stuff.

Where's Clark? I'll bet he's tried to blow 'em up, too. I'm sure it's been done many times before.

The 98 Mauser's definitely got better gas handling for the shooter's safety in case of a case failure.