New Member! First Finnish Mosin! M28/30 question

[Jmg11986]

Hi all!
I feel like I have read countless online threads on this but had some questions about my new m28/30. I haven’t shot it yet. I slugged the bore and it’s 0.308” and shiny. It is D stamped as well. Here we go!

1. Is commercial Tula off the table for this gun because they’re .311” diameter? They do chamber in the rifle
2. Will .311” lead core bullets squeeze down to .308 caliber when shot?
3. I bought some 158 grain PPU brass FMJ rounds. Are these .308 bullets and ie preferred for my gun?
4. Lastly, if you have a 28/30, do you shoot commercial ammo (if so, what kind?) or so you only hand load.

I really just want to make sure I don’t hack this thing up. I probably will only put 60-100 rounds/year through it. Also would love not having the rifle blow up in my face. Thanks guys!

[Fledge]

1. I wouldn't shoot commercial ammo in a 28/30 with a .308 bore. It shouldn't blow up on your, but it is more wear and tear on the bore. It will heat up on you more. You should really reload .308 bullets for it.
3. Pull a bullet, and check with a caliber.
4. I slug all my finn bores and only shoot .308 bullets through the tighter bores. I have found my M39's can shoot .311 bullets, as well as Finn captures. It is best to slug the bores of all Finn rifles to be on the safe side. My Tikka M91's and 91/30's have tighter bores.

[Boris Badenov]

Sorry to be piggy backing on this post, but I thought it might be relevant. I also have bought a M28/30, 3 weeks ago, and have been reading whether I can shoot surplus Russian thru it. I have a VKT M39 with a D stamp on the top of the receiver, which I have read was retro fitted for the 7.62x54R ammo & it has proven to be safe to shoot. My M28/30 does not have a D stamp. I have been attempting to slug the barrel, but have been having issues finding the right sized fishing weight to hammer down the barrel. I bought one of those digital calipers to check my slug once I got that done, but I have checked a bullet of my surplus ammo & it read exactly .308, so do I need to do a slug test of the M28/30's barrel? It seems like it should shoot fine. Also, on the top of the barrel, past the wood handgrip in between the wood and the front sight, is a number, "76". Does this mean the rifle was re-barreled in 1976? If it was a new barrel, wouldn't it be compatable with 7.62x54R ammo?

[Lotema]

Sorry to be piggy backing on this post, but I thought it might be relevant. I also have bought a M28/30, 3 weeks ago, and have been reading whether I can shoot surplus Russian thru it. I have a VKT M39 with a D stamp on the top of the receiver, which I have read was retro fitted for the 7.62x54R ammo & it has proven to be safe to shoot. My M28/30 does not have a D stamp. I have been attempting to slug the barrel, but have been having issues finding the right sized fishing weight to hammer down the barrel. I bought one of those digital calipers to check my slug once I got that done, but I have checked a bullet of my surplus ammo & it read exactly .308, so do I need to do a slug test of the M28/30's barrel? It seems like it should shoot fine. Also, on the top of the barrel, past the wood handgrip in between the wood and the front sight, is a number, "76". Does this mean the rifle was re-barreled in 1976? If it was a new barrel, wouldn't it be compatable with 7.62x54R ammo?

The 7.6 (mm) up by the front sight tells you the height your rifle should be using for the front sight. There are a number of different heights available for the front blades. 7.6 is what the folks at the factory determined was correct for yours.

As far as whether you need to do a slug test on the barrel... If it was me, I'd do it but that's just me. If you feel comfortable pulling the trigger for the first time without really knowing, that's a choice only you can make. It might be fine but for me, I feel more confident after doing the measurement.

[bogozzo]

Great question / posts. I had to look up what "slugging" was (not wanting to show my lack of knowledge by asking here) and found a great article on it - http://www.castpics.net/subsite2/HowTo/ ... 20Bore.pdf
I've often wondered how to confirm what a rifle might be chambered in - especially one from an auction that has less than clear descriptions on the gun. Now I know I might be more adventurous in my bidding.

[Boris Badenov]

Well, I got it slugged & the lead is .308 at the widest points, and the ammo is .308, so I'm good to go?

[Boris Badenov]

"Well, I got it slugged & the lead is .308 at the widest points, and the ammo is .308, so I'm good to go?"

Is this mic working? This was a question, not an exclamation. Anyone have an opinion if they would pull the trigger? No pun intended.