7.62X53
Has anybody ever made a civilian rifle chambered for this Russian round?
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I'LL ASSUME YOU MEAN 7.62X54r? WHOW ABOUT WINCHESTER..........M-1895 0 -
I don't believe the Win. 1895 in 7.62x54R was technically a civilian rifle. Weren't they made on a contract for Russia? 0 -
I don't know of any USA made guns for the 7.62X53. As it was mainly a south American round,
perhaps some were made down in Argentina. now if you are talking about the 7.62 x54R, thats something else.0 -
The 7.62x53Rmm Russian also called the 7.62x54Rmm is a rimmed cartridge adopted in 1891 by the Russian Army for use in the Model 1891 Mosin-Nagant bolt action rifle. It was used in WWII and is still used in the heavy machine gun and SVU Sniper Rifle.
How about the Dragunov SVD?
http://world.guns.ru/sniper/sn18-e.htm
http://www.dragunov.net/tiger.html0 -
Remington, Westinghouse and Winchester all made 1891 Moisin's for the Tsar, as did the French at Chatelleraut (sp) , but those were military as were the aforementioned Winchester '95 muskets . Lots of those American Moisins did not get delivered, so doubtless many were sporterized when sold off as surplus; I don't count that, but some might. It's a rimmed cartridge, so most sporting guns magazines did not lend themselves well to it's use and that I assume would be one reason it was never picked up by a large manufacturer. Add that to the fact 7.62 Russian was not easy to get back before the wall fell, and you see the challenges any firm would have faced trying to chamber it. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by jptatum
Has anybody ever made a civilian rifle chambered for this Russian round?
Given the parameters of the question and the widespread use of the round, its a given that somewhere along the line SOMEBODY has cooked up a civilian rifle chambered in it (particularly in Eastern Europe and Asia where the round is more popular).
I think your question is better phrased as follows: Are there or have there ever been any production single-shot or bolt-action rifles in 7.62x54R *other* than the Mosin-Nagant and variants?
Arguably the current production Romanian (Dragunov-looking) PSL rifles are at least partly intended for a civilian market. The true Russian Dragunovs are probably best considered military guns.
I've actually asked effectively this exact same question on the board here before, and couldn't find anyone who knew of a production modern design rifle in this caliber. I don't think anything like this was ever made or marketed in North America. In Finland?. . .probably.
I ultimately decided that if you want something like this, probably the easiest way to go is to get your hands on a readily available and dirt cheap Mosin action, then just use it to build your own rifle.
Aftermarket sporting-type stocks are available for Mosins in plastic or wood. With some effort you can have the bolt elongated and bent down into a conventional sporting configuration, and a mount installed for conventional over-receiver scope placement. Timney currently offers a good adjustable drop-in aftermarket trigger. With those three things, you should be able to have something comparable to a decent off the shelf sporting gun. Since the base Mosin action can be had for well under $100, the total cost of this project shouldn't be much more than $400 (and possibly less).
Alternatively, you could probably have a custom barrel made for a Ruger #1 or NEF type single shot rifle.
Edit: Here are a few such sporterized guns. These sorts of mods are highly popular in Russia and Finland:
American plastic stock:
Beautiful Finnish sporting conversion with polished turned down bolt, custom offset scope mount, and custom cocking/safety knob:
Incidentally, here is my "stab" at something like this. Its a stock Russian M44 with bayonet removed, aftermarket recoil pad/stock lengthener, SK Mosin scope mount, 2x Leupold pistol scope in "scout" position, piece of foam rubber for a cheekrest overlaid by a generic elastic shell holder. Total cost was about $300 even, including the scope. Unfortunately the trigger sucks (its about 8lbs and rough), so at some point I'll either spring for the Timney trigger, or alternatively do my own trigger job.0 -
Yes, the 7.62X54R was chambered in Model-95 Winchester rifles for Imperial Russia. I actually saw one of those rifles in a small museum in an out of the way place, outside of Moscow back in the winter 1976. At that time I was posted at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. The rifle was in beautiful condition and inside a glass display case. I appreciated it as a curiosity, while the young Russian visitors freaked out on seeing it. They laughed and joked, and my perception was that they thought it was some sort of Hollywood and/or "cowboy" thing. It was apparent that they did not know the history associated with the rifle. 0 -
To my knowledge, No, no company has ever made a {edit:} commercial 7.62x54R (you said 7.62x53)
On the other hand if you meant 7.65x53, then yes, Winchester made them (model 54). I want to say Savage did as well but I can't find what model. I don't see where Remington made them either. It would seem since the round enjoyed some popularity in Europe that there were commercial makers there who chambered rifles in that cartridge. Brno comes to mind. Mauser as well but it seems most of them were military and 8mm. Although it's a clear possibility.0 -
I certainly want to thank everybody for there comments. I did mean 7.62X54 not 7.62X53. It is comforting to know that some of you are thinking along the same lines I am. Given the supply of cheap ammunition it seems that somebody did this. 0 -
I think Remington made Rolling block rifles for this cartride, but that was also a military musket for the Czar. 0
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