Difference in Surplus ammo?

[Wolf74]

I'm kinda new to the mosin community and was wondering about surplus ammo. I'm looking to buy a crate of surplus but I've noticed there are different types. They're either from different manufactures or were manufactured on different years. Is there a big difference between the years the manufacture? Should I keep an eye out for one type over the other or are they pretty much on par across the board? Thanks in advance for the info!

[Rongo]

I'm out of the Surplus ammo buying loop for 7.62x54r. Got mine years ago & have no need for more. Most of whats out there is Soviet IIRC... I love the Yugo, Hungarian, Czech & the Polish too. Unfortunately you can't find any of it anymore.

[WeldonHunter]

Yeah most of the surplus available now is Russian or Bulgarian. The Russian usually is from plant 188 Novosibirsk LVE and the Bulgarian is usually Circle 10 plant. I actually don't have anything other than Russian but that's simply because that's what my supplier had. I know the Russian is fine ammo from experience and I have it from the 70's up to the 80's and have 4 crates of 40's coming. I can't say how either compares to the stuff Ron mentioned because I wasn't shooting these when it was available. If you're not trying to shoot the eye out of a nat at 50 yards I'd say most of what's available now is fine for fun at the range. I mean it's a Mosin Nagant. Hard not to have fun with one.

[Wolf74]

Thanks! Yea I had been curious because the majority of the ammo I'm finding is Russian, with the occasional Bulgarian thrown in there. Usually the price is the same but on occasion a crate of one might be 5-10 bucks more. I figured they were pretty much all the same but I was curious why it would be slightly more or less depending on the year or factory. I'm guessing its just supply based. I"ll just get a crate of the less expensive stuff and call it a day.

[WeldonHunter]

Thanks! Yea I had been curious because the majority of the ammo I'm finding is Russian, with the occasional Bulgarian thrown in there. Usually the price is the same but on occasion a crate of one might be 5-10 bucks more. I figured they were pretty much all the same but I was curious why it would be slightly more or less depending on the year or factory. I'm guessing its just supply based. I"ll just get a crate of the less expensive stuff and call it a day.

I get all mine from SGAmmo because he has flatrate shipping and it's the best deal for me in Louisiana. The-Armory has a good price but they're in Virginia Beach and shipping can be a killer depending on where you are. If you're on the east coast it's usually the best deal. Look here to compare, http://gun-deals.com/ammo.php?caliber=7.62x54R , but keep in mind the shipping unless it says free or flatrate on the charts is only an estimate and you need to check the vendors site to get an exact shipping figure. The prices are so close now shipping usually makes all the difference. AIM is another one that has a good deal as well as Military Shooters. To bad you missed the weekend special SGAmmo had going. $128.90/880rds and $26SH.

[Jolly Green Chopper]

I just got a new catalog from The Sportsman's Guide @www.sportsmansmansguide.com with ammo deals in it that looked OK .I bought From AIM, SOG and Lucky Gunner too. Recently got the newest deal from AIM for 60 clips and 300 rounds of 7.62x54R for $69.95+ shp AIM sent me Good Bulgarian For about $75.00 per 440 couple months ago.JGC

[kermit]

i bought 2 - 440 spam cans of russian in rusty cans for $68 each and shipping was $9.95 cope's distributing. i also bought 1 spam can from lucky gunner for $70 i think,but shipping was more, $85 total one can.i traded a guy an unissued cleaning kit for a spam can opener so i do have one now.

[Wolf74]

I was thinking about picking up a case from SGAmmo, however there's going to be a gun show at the end of the month here. Do you guys figure it might be better to just wait for the show and see if I can score a deal there, or just go ahead and order it through the mail?

[desdem12]

You would have to ask the cali guys but for here it is always cheaper at SG and probly everywhere else too. I like SG myself.

[Jolly Green Chopper]

Sometimes on the last day of a gun show I have been able to buy smaller quantities of left over ammo from the dealers.If they have an odd number of some calibers they don't want to haul around or store until the next show they might let it go at bulk rates or less. My dealer told me he will usually discount for cash. If you buy large quantities from states that don't charge out of state tax that helps off set the cost of shipping. Some dealers(like SOG) charge a fee to accept credit cards.AIM ,J&G Sales,and others do not.Gun deals .com has a big list of ammo but I sometimes have trouble contacting the dealer through them. I 'm new, so it's my inexperience with them that's the problem,I think. Good Luck. JGC

[Shawnc]

Is there any 54r that's considered "the best"? Not just surplus, but commercial. My groups are like a 12 gauge at 50 yards from the bench, and I want to see if it was both my guns or surplus Russian ammo that was the culprit.
And before any of you smart alecks pull the "blame the operator" card I was dead on with my other toys .

[Junk Yard Dog]

That's the deal with milsurps, these weapons were used in at least one, and sometimes two or more major conflicts plus years of service in between, in short "history" . Some of them will have seen light use and still shoot like it's 1935, but others will be worn, they simply will not shoot like a brand new sporter, worn bores, worn crowns from years of cleaning rods scraping in and out. On average a refurbished Mosin is a 4-6 MOA shooter at 100 yards, the Soviets considered if it could hit a man sized target at 250 meters it was acceptable. Mosins do react differently when swapping ammo around, some will perform well with Hungarian light ball, but not Russian , or maybe like Czech better than brown bear. This is caused by the slight variations in manufacture between different countries at different times, bullets might be a tiny bit wider, of powder charge a little bit hotter or colder. Only way to find this out is to acquire a sample and try different types of ammo in the rifle and note the results. Just don't expect unrealistic performance from a 80 year old museum relic unless it's a Finn M39.

[desdem12]

I have had good results with winchester white box in 2 different finns. Those 2 are the only ones i have really checked for accuracy and that was because i was helping to sight in other rifles. I have been able to hit paper with every one of the others i have shot with a man size target at 100%. My groups are 5'x2' approximately and man was it a freeken blast to shoot like that. Took 5 mosins out one time. 2 m38s and 3 91/30s. oh ya good times...till i had to clean all of them by my self.

[Junk Yard Dog]

My Finn built Mosins, especially the M39's shot well no matter what ammo I used, Albanian surplus to commercial loads. There probably are variations between how the different ammo types perform, but they are small enough to be past my ability as a shooter to notice. If I manage a 2MOA or better group at 100 yards I do a little dance and don't question it, the M39's tend to bring out a better than normal performance level in my shooting.