Anybody Hunt With Mil-Surp Rifles?

from the top is a Yugoslavian M24/47 8mm
second is a Tula arsenal 91/30 Mosin-Nagant 7.62x54r
third is a Yugoslavian M48 8mm
I also have a M48A
Anybody hunt with these? the top one I cut the stock and "bubba'd" it but it was because it was in a garage of a house that caught on fire, no heat or fire damage just water damage it was pretty bad lookin so it was made into a scout rifle with the long eye relief 2-7 pwr scope

If you want to use 8mm, I strongly suggest these loadings, theses are of european specs not the underloaded remingtons wincesters or federal ammo for this caliber. the S&B is very potent, the PRVI is a little less but more potent than commercial us loaded stuff, and its cheaper too

My brother used to hunt woodchucks with a Schmidt-Rubin, I think it 6.5MM.

Lol, I will most likely be doing some groundhog huntin with the 24/47. I have been purchasing that ammo in the picture @midwayusa.com I havent had the pleasure of shooting one of those 6.5's yet

I once heard that the 6.5mm was the most ballisticly coefficient bullet at the time (velocity considered) developed by the Swiss. The 8mm is no slouch energy wise and should be very fine for deer hunting.

From what I have read, that the commercial loaded ammo (remington ect.) underloaded it for one, issues with the bore diameter and two, for liability issues, those rounds pictured are loaded about the same as the original military loading (compareable)

I don't see why you couldn't hunt with any of them as long as you're aware of your and the rifle(s) capabilities. I would agree to stay away from the domestically manufactured ammo as the makers need to be liability conscious when making the stuff.
I shoot competitively and can tell you that the 6 and 6.5mm bullets are still some of the most ballistically efficient projectiles out there. Charlie

has anyone tried the S&B "cutted edge" bullets in other calibers? I have them in 8mm but wasnt lucky enough to harvest with those this year. I think they show them on there web site my phone dosent take a clear enough picture to see the "step" in the bullet

I shot some in 30.06 through a Garand but not at game. They were more accurate than most mil-surp stuff.

Charlie

Thank you for the response, I found that I shot the PRVI PARTIZAN wich are the PPU, and with the other 2 rifles I have with iron sights the S&B hits about 5" higher than the ppu ammo both 196 grain, havent sighted in the scoped mauser to try n see what happens, maybe its just me w the irons, idk

the 91/30 hits about a foot high set at the lowest setting iron sights at 400 yards with mil surp 1970's production Bulgarian Silvertip ammo I had bought a "spam can" 440 rds a few months back...I don't mind shooting that ammo..a orange home depot bucket served as the target in the gravel pit...had a blast...dont forget your Windex when shooting surplus ammo...known a few that have....

recieved my bullet molds and sizing die for 8mm...gunna cast for it gotta lot of lead im smelting...anyone cast and/or reload?

Cast bullets in a rifle are OK for practice and fooling around. I don't know about hunting. If you're going to use them keep velocity down or you'll have a bunch of lead in your barrel.

Charlie

well...I had taken the scope and chinsey mount off the 24/47 went out with iron sights....where I was was like a shooting gallery..I was using reloads with 170grn speer semi spitzers, over 45.5 grn of Reloader 15... I shot up a box out of same rifle and was hitting pretty good groups a few months ago...but....................when I picked up that rifle last year I didnt pay attention to the crown of the barrel or the rifling at that end (stupid me) from the chamber end looks like rifling very sharp hardly shot, after shooting at about 5 deer relized it wasnt me...looked at muzzle hear, about an inch back inside the barrel from muzzle the rifling is corroded away...it was like that for some time and its not from shooting corrosive ammo, I know how to treat one after shooting that type of ammo. I picked it up off a guy for a good price he had a bunch of these but his house burnt, these where in garage, garage didnt burn fire dept saved it by dousing the garage w water, the rifles ended up in an enclosed trailer for about 3 years after that, so in turn water damage and I never looked in the muzzle end till recently, idk if I can have it counter bored and recrowned or just have the barrel cut back to good rifling wich is right around an inch or so, the one pictered in photo here is my M48 wich is dang near perfect inside and out (i made sure when I got this one) the barrel is my 24/47 its hard to see but u can see one rifling groove the other 3 are missing

I fired a big ole military rifle from Sweden once. It was very powerful, no idea what caliper. Very smooth firing rifle, not like a Remington 30.06 or .270. It was certainly larger & heavier in actual weight. I hit the steel plate set up across the other side of the mining pit on an old LC&N strip mine. Iron sites, no scope.