7.5x54 MAS Reloading?

j8064 · Apr 11, 2013

Picking up a nice MAS 36 recently means having another chamber to feed requiring yet another set of dies and load work-ups. That's OK. Reloading 7.5x54 shouldn't be much different than many other vintage military rounds I already load for.

One of my Graf's orders arrived today with a nice batch of Prvi 7.5x54 cases. Time to build some rounds to test!

I've already tried the 7.5x54 Prvi factory ammo w/139 gr bullets. It's reasonably priced, stout and aggressive, but not especially accurate. I disassembled a round to measure the bullet and weigh the charge:
- The bullet is ~ .3075 (not surprising: Privi bullets are often slightly under spec).
- The case was loaded with 48 gr of extruded powder. Don't know what Prvi uses for propellant, but there are several published loads using commercial extruded powder in that range.
- In my experience with similar cases and vintage, this round seems to need a heavier projectile than 139 gr to be accurate.

So, to the bench:
- Like 7.5x55 Swiss, this round should use standard .308 bullets. I have a variety on hand so I picked Sierra 150 gr SPBT, M1A Spec FMJ and some of my 155 gr cast & gc'd .309's.
- I built some test rounds with each projectile using a moderate load of IMR4064 for the JB's and 2400 for the CB's.
- For a crimp I used the Lee 7.62x54R factory crimp die from that set. It seems to work perfecly for these cases too.

Have any of you reloaded this round? If so, please share your experiences.

In the pics below, the a Prvi factory round is on the right compared to my test loads. We'll see how the rounds perform next Hooligan shoot. By bet is they'll be more accurate than factory loads. And I know Mooseman will volunteer to take the first shot... :innocent0

BUFF7MM · Apr 11, 2013

What mold are you using to get the cast 309's?

j8064 · Apr 11, 2013

Buff7mm said:
What mold are you using to get the cast 309's?

This one with the boolits sized down to .309 and gc'd. It also works nice for larger bored rifles like Enfields, Mosins & Arisakas when sized correctly:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/75...2-diameter-155-grain-2-ogive-radius-gas-check

4570inMD · Apr 11, 2013

Maybe we should draw straws for the first shot, since there are so many in line.

We could warm the MAS 36 up for you before you start your load comparison sighting-in. . . .

4570inMD

BUFF7MM · Apr 11, 2013

j8064 said:
This one with the boolits sized down to .309 and gc'd. It also works nice for larger bored rifles like Enfields, Mosins & Arisakas when sized correctly:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/75...2-diameter-155-grain-2-ogive-radius-gas-check

I was eyeing that mold and was wondering if I could size it down to 309, now I know. :thumbsup:

SigMatt · Apr 11, 2013

I have Lee 7.5x54 MAS dies and using Prvi brass. You use standard .308 bullets. I haven't loaded any yet for my MAS 36 since I need to shoot what I have to get the brass first. I've got load data to start from. It appears pretty much like a light .308.

Matt

j8064 · Apr 12, 2013

So nobody else has any "pet loads" for a MAS 36?

That's OK. Us Hooligans will let you know how a variety of dfferent loads perform next Sunday afternoon. :innocent0

Hey Mooseman....there are a few I loaded special for you. Make sure you bring Hooli the Goat!
:party29:

John from MD · Apr 13, 2013

The best loads I made

for my MAS rifles were the lower end 150gn Hornady BT bullets and 4895 powder for jacketed loads and the standard 16gns of 2400 behind a Lyman 311290 bullet for the lead reduced power loads.

I would fire form the brass and neck size to make them last longer.

DocAitch · Apr 14, 2013

7.5x54 French

I was working up a load for my MAS 49/56 and was between 31-34gr IMR4895 when I experienced some slam fires and stopped until I got some harder primers (was using Federal LR).
DA

j8064 · Apr 14, 2013

DocAitch said:
I was working up a load for my MAS 49/56 and was between 31-34gr IMR4895 when I experienced some slam fires and stopped until I got some harder primers (was using Federal LR).
DA

Good point. I don't think I'll have slam fire potential in the 36.

I was able to test my rounds for functionality today. Each and every load/bullet combo I tried performed better than Prvi factory. I think the main difference was using a .308 jb and a .309 cb vs. Prvi's .3075 factory diameter.

The combos I loaded and tried were:
- 180 gr Sierra Spritzer FMJBT - 28 gr. H4198
- 150 gr Midway vanilla FMJ - 32 gr H4198
- 150 gr Sierra SP - 40 gr IMR4064
- 150 gr M1A mil spec FMJ - 40 gr IMR4064
- Cast 155/gc sized to .309 - 20 gr 2400
- Cast 155/gc sized to .309 - 24 gr H4198

The IMR4064 jb loads were as strong as, but more accurate than, the Prvi factory ammo. The cb loads surprised me. They were as accurate as heavier loads and very pleasant to shoot. There was little difference between 2400 and H4198.

Today was just a function test. All the loads went bang and were on paper at 50 yds. It'll be interesting when I get the chrony out on a future range trip. Since I can cast for the round cheaper and easier than I can find factory .308 bullets these days, my plan is to work up a nice cb load next.

More to come.

John from MD · Apr 14, 2013

Reduced cast lead loads, can hold their own with the best of them, at least in the 6mm - 30 caliber area. That said, you will run out of elevation if you try to shoot these over the course. :rolleyes:

j8064 · Apr 14, 2013

John from MD said:
Reduced cast lead loads, can hold their own with the best of them, at least in the 6mm - 30 caliber area. That said, you will run out of elevation if you try to shoot these over the course.

Exactly!

The cb loads I've worked up for my M1916 7mm Spanish mauser are starting to get very nice accuracy at 50 to 100 yds. Much better than overly expensive factory ammo and more fun to shoot.

It's all a matter of finding the right load as you and the rifle get to know each other well.

:thumbsup:

John from MD · Apr 14, 2013

I am in the same age group as Ed Harris and was developing cast bench loads during the same time period. I don't think there was any rifle that we didn't try cast bullet loads in.

I used to shoot my 6.5 Swede in 300 meter competitions and won several. Most of the rifles I owned saw reduced cast loads.

Years ago, Paco Kelly came up with the idea of heavy lead bullets in long barrels that will kill varmints around the house. My .44 mag with 1.5 gns of bullseye, and a dead soft 300gn bullet effectively kills within 35 yards without disturbing the neighbors.

The biggest problem facing cast bullet shooting in the future is the demonizing of lead. I doubt anyone would want to try other metals as their casting temps are too high and casting pots would be pretty expensive.

jlnjca · May 15, 2016

What primer you guys recommend for French 7.5 loading?

K31 · May 15, 2016

jlnjca said:
What primer you guys recommend for French 7.5 loading?

If you're loading for the MAS 49/56 I'd recommend you use CCI #34s exclusively.

John from MD · May 15, 2016

Years ago I posted instructions on how to turn down a MAS 49 or 49/56 firing pin to keep it from slam firing. It worked well and enabled us to use standard primers which are much easier to find. Gunboards was one of the places I used to frequent and The High Road was another. My computer name is always john from md so you may be able to google the instructions.

Some guys did this with their drill presses others used grinders as you don't have to take a whole hell of a lot of metal off. There was a weight that we determined that it had to come down to but I don't remember what it was.

Regards,

John

beeker77 · Jun 27, 2018

MAS 49/56 primers

K31 said:
If you're loading for the MAS 49/56 I'd recommend you use CCI #34s exclusively.

I realize this is kinda late, but it caught my eye as I am about to start reloading for both MAS 36 and 49/56. So just curious about the primer recommendation. Why that particular primer exclusively? I'm not questioning the recommendation, but I am interested in the reasoning.
I have on hand the following primers, any of them good for either the 36 or 49/56, or both?

Fed 210M
CCI Large Rifle No. 200
CCI Large Rifle BR2
Remington 9 1/2 M

John from MD · Jun 27, 2018

The reason is that you don't want to have 10 rounds slam firing in your rifle. The firing pins on the MAS 49 series are heavy and will set off normal primers by the bolt closing. There are two ways to address this. 1) you turn the firing pin down to remove weight. I did it many years ago and don't remember what the number is. You can try googling as I know I described the process on some web sites over the years. 2) You use the CCI Mil Spec primers as they are thick enough that they won't go off when the bolt goes into battery.

The primers you have won't stop slam firing, sorry.

7.5x54 MAS Reloading?

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