Mosin Nagant Hunting Zero

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dakota.potts

New member
Doing some work on my Mosin Nagant now. Taking off the Boyd's laminate stock (it was nice, but I wanted to try a refinish of the original) and I've also ordered a Smith Sights target front post to go along with the Mojo rear peep that's on it already.

I'm thinking I might want to take it hunting this year for deer and hog. I understand and appreciate the 300 yard "belt buckle" zero but deer don't have belt buckles and I don't think I'll be happy with that kind of accuracy on a deer since the goal is to humanely kill it, not make it stop shooting at me as the Russians were concerned about.

I'm thinking I'll go with something like a 174 gr soft point and I'm looking for a relatively flat shooting zero. I'd like to have something that doesn't rise or fall more than 3-4" inside 150-200 yards, and then hold over if I took a slightly longer shot. I'm finding it difficult to find trajectory charts for close-range zeroes online. Anybody have anything to help me out?
 
A 25 yard zero should out you about dead on at 200 and about 4-5" high at 150.

This is all off just from what I rememer (off a trajectory chart :D).

The above was with a 185 grain FMJ, so I doubt too terribly much would be different.
 
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Hello,

These are my hunting loads:

smithsightsmosinSST1.jpg


Coyote so far. I'd been hoping to use them on deer this year, but the high power rifle provision for Indiana didn't pass. Maybe next year.

Those are 150 grains, though.

The 174 grain bullets I load are SMK, which are of course not for hunting, and Hornady Match, which I'm not sure about. I'd say no, but I'm just not sure what the terminal ballistics are on that bullet.

I did try a 174 grain long bearing surface from Hornady:

verticalstringing.jpg


As you can see, the barrel heated a lot. The only round that was on was the first one! If follow up shots are a concern, shy away unless you have a larger bore. (Mine slugs to 0.3095").

Sierra has a 180 grain soft point, here:

http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/17644

I've had good luck with their 150 grain offerings. Never shot this one.

Regards,

Josh
 
I don't reload, so I'm stuck with factory loads for it.

I didn't realize there were more 150 grain offerings, I'd be happy to go with one of those since it should stay close to the 147 grain FMJ zero.

What distance do you set your sights at for a hunting zero? 25 sounds good if I'll be 4-5" high at 150 but it sounds to me like I'd then be way high at 60 or 100 or anywhere in between, which I definitely don't want. If I could get a flat trajectory to 150, I'd be OK holding past that.

PS Josh, just placed my order for a target front post tonight. Look forward to receiving it! Still have to refinish the stock (going with a Pine tar mix) and get barrel bands before I put the new sight on it, but I think it's going to be a pretty great set up.
 
If you want to know what YOUR rifle will do at longer distances, with YOUR chosen load and YOUR sights, zero it at longer distances.

If you zero an inch or so high at 100 yards, it should easily hold on a deer to 200.
Denis
 
Hello,

I saw it. Thank you!

The Mosin is zeroed with the bayonet attached. When the bayonet is off, it tends to shoot high.

Zero is properly set to be dead on at 100 meters at the 100 meter setting, 200 meters on the 200 meter setting, etc.

The 7.62x54r is very flat shooting compared to, say, the 7.62x39. With a 200 meter zero, you should have only 2" high at 100 meters, and about 7" or 8" of drop at 300 meters.

Hornady sells the 7.62x54r SST pre-loaded:

http://www.hornady.com/store/7.62x54R-150-SST/

The specs are darn close to the 7n1 sniper load.

Looks like it's a Cabela's exclusive:

That's a danged long address! Click here!

If your rifle likes it, it would be my first choice if I didn't hand load. It should come closest to surplus with that polymer tip.

Regards,

Josh
 
Thanks Denis, unfortunately the public shooting ranges around here only go to 100 yards so no matter where I zero, at that distance I'm not seeing the other end of the trajectory.

I also don't have the rear leaf sight anymore. It's a Mojo click-adjustable peep
 
For almost all "deer cartridges" with muzzle velocities faster than a .30-30 but less than the magnums: Two inches high at 100 yards is right at dead-on at 200 and close to six inches low at 300.

Most deer are killed within 200 yards.
 
Dak,
If your range goes to 100, zero 1 to 2 inches high at 100.
The rear sight type makes no difference, you can still zero at 100 with your Mojo.
Denis
 
I will try zeroing 1-2" high at 100 yards then. I think South Carolina DNR says the average shot is something like 150-175 yards.

Will I have to aim low if I encounter, say, a 40-60 yard shot? That's happened to me with hog in Florida but I'm not sure what the situation is like I here
 
Dakota,

How is the trigger on that one? I find that Mosin triggers tend to be the biggest hindrance to long-range shooting.

I have mine as a true two-stage at 4.5lbs second stage. It's easier to shoot good groups, and my average group has dropped in size.

Regards,

Josh
 
The trigger is "acceptable". I added a 99 cent trigger slack/return spring and that helped. It is a little long and creepy but not too heavy, not unlike some double action pistols on the market
 
With iron sights, you should zero 1" high at 100 and not shoot at a deer beyond 200, due to light conditions when hunting and aiming error. You should know that most distances to game are over-estimated, so don't compound the error by setting a zero that will make the bullet rise too much.

That is, unless you're doing plains hunting, for which you probably need a better aiming device anyway.
 
No plains hunting. My area of South Carolina might as well be North Georgia. Hills and forests, with some open land here and there. I really don't anticipate much over 100 anyways, but did want to be prepared for 150-175 since South Carolina Department of Natural Resources considers this a common shot.
 
Will I have to aim low if I encounter, say, a 40-60 yard shot?
Click to expand...

Possibly. I do not agree with the old method of zeroing 1-3" high at 100 yards and the practice is becoming less common. I'd do it, and have in the past when I hunted in an area where a 300 yard shot would be about the closest I'd anticipate.

With almost any modern center fire a 100 yard zero translates into a bullet being no more than 1/2" either above or below your line of sight between about 50 yards out to 130 ish yards. Exactly where most shots are taken. It means never having to remember to hold low.

Arts advice is correct.

Two inches high at 100 yards is right at dead-on at 200 and close to six inches low at 300.

Most deer are killed within 200 yards.
Click to expand...

But the possibility of shooting over a game animal at closer ranges is there. With a 100 yard zero you're 2" low at 200 and 9-10" low at 300 yards. I hold dead on at anything I estimate to be 200 yards or closer. Hold on the top of the back out to 300 with no hold over needed. It is simply more natural to remember to hold a little high at longer range shots than to have to remember to hold a little low on those quick shots that pop up at 15 yards.

You don't gain any advantage by zeroing higher than 100 yards until you start shooting well beyond 300 yards. Even then most guys today with optics are zeroing at 100 yards and using range compensating optics for longer shots.

I'd zero it dead on at 100 and you'll be good from the muzzle to 300 yards and still hold on hair.
 
When going for a heart/lung hit, one inch one way or the other won't matter. And, I've never found it to make any real difference in some three dozen kills via neck shots.
 
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