Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots Does anyone have a single shot 7.62x54r?

Not a MN bolt, or similar, but a Ruger No 1, Encore, or a Remington FB?

Nope, and don’t want one either. That’s one of those good rounds that are only worth futzing with in order to make use of a good rifle. Otherwise, it’s redundant in a world full of other good .30s.

There is some limit to my loonacy.

You go ahead; I love watching other guys spend money.😛

I am considering a 26 inch, MGM Encore, SS, bead blasted 1 inch bull barrel. One that takes two men and a boy to lift. .308 diameter of course. I could save some weight by wearing a light jacket and using 155 gr. bullets.

The barrel would look something like this.

That seems like a dangerous idea. I hope the barrel is big letters clear with 0.308 warnings. Do you think the neck will be tight enough to prevent accidental factory ammo from clambering or just enough to raise initial pressure before the added excitement begins if a 310/311 bullet gets rammed down a 308 bore? A 6.5x54 would be interesting. Or a 375.

Jesus H Christ...The Finns only made about a 120,000 of them with .308 barrels...they can and were used with Russian capture .310/.311 ammo.

While I understand rifle loonyism, this does beg the "but why" question for me.

That said, who am I to talk anyone out of buying something gun related?!?!????

Winter Biathlon competition pretty well proved the 7.62x54R was easily the equal of the 7.62 Nato, accuracy-wise. But the "why?"...well, you would be the first kid on the block to have one.
I shudder to think of the bolt face modifications required to make it work, .567" rim dia.

A friend of mine had 2 Baikal 7.62x 39 rechambered to .303 British and 7.62x 54r . Both of them shot well

I'm glad to see that this post has generated some responses!



Not at all. Even steel jacketed bullets will squeeze down a couple of thou with no problems. I reload though. That's why I will order it with a 308 barrel.



Yes, all of my MNs are Finnish. I bought them years ago when dealers didn't know the difference between Russian and Finiish rifles.



That would be a custom thing for sure. Fortunately, this isn't a problem with a single shot.



That sounds like fun. The heyday of the 303 British and 7.62 Russian might be over, but not for me! I like rimmed cartridges. Besides, they are perfect for a single shot!

I've considered getting an Encore barrel a few times. Rimmed Lapua brass with good ballistics, lot to like there for break action fans.

Have you used a 26" bull on an Encore before? Factory 26" heavy taper is the heaviest barrel I've used

If you’re looking for a .308 caliber, military power, rimmed cartridge for a single shot, why not the .30-40 Krag?

Also, you might recall some interesting higher pressure, highly accurate, long range work done with the .30-30 cartridge, discussed as “600 yard 30-30” in Ask the Gunwriters.

I have two Bull barrels for the Encore - a 6.5 Grendel and a 30-303 British. They are not hunting barrels though. This is a 6.5 Grendel with a 24 inch bull barrel. The barrels are untapered and 1 inch in diameter.





The Krag is an interesting cartridge, but like the 225 Winchester, brass availability is a problem. At least it is in Canada. That's why I went with the 30-303. The two are very close. In fact, of my single shots, the barrel pictured above on the barrel sock is a 30-303. It is a 26 inch bull barrel that is 1 inch in diameter. I just received it a few days ago, and have not scoped it yet. I have a 10x40 Bushnell mil dot and a Game Reaper mount sitting on the bench.

Some might say that the 30-303 is much the same as the 7.62x54r, so why bother with it? The answer to that is, because I can!

These are fun to shoot, and easy to work on. They also produce good groups. This is a 17 Hornet Contender.

I too often contemplated the Nagant cartridge in a single shot platform. There isn't much to choose from in the world of rimmed .30's. But, the .30-40 would get my nod too. (Easy for me to say as I'm sitting on hundreds of pieces of Krag brass.) Also it would be kind of pointless next to its twin, your .30-303.

Why not a .30-30? Lots of moxie in that old girl in a platform better than a lever gun.

Maybe a .348 necked down to .30? I guess then we're back to the 7.62 Russkie....

Maybe STEVE HAS COUPLE OF CASES OF 7.62X54R he isn't talking about? Mb

I already have a 30-30, but it's a Contender.



No, I don't have any 7.62x54r kicking around. I do have 300 cases though.

Edited to add: I lied. I do have some milsurp ammunition.

Thanks for the link. That should be useful for folks living in the US. I cannot order cartridges directly from the States unfortunately. I wish I could. Things would be cheaper and faster.

I have the same affinity for rimmed cartridges and single shots, especially the No. 1. As I write this, my local smith (who has rebarreled other No. 1s for me previously) has a 1S that's getting a .348 Win barrel and a Winchester 1885 Trapper that will become a 25-35 with a much longer barrel. I also have a 1AB that Roger Renner did a nice job on reshaping the forearm to a Schnabel configuration. That one is likely going to become a 7-30 Waters some day. None of these do anything that can't be done with more modern chamberings, but like you I find these projects fun and enjoy working with classic cartridges. They all have or will go hunting at some point, too. I also thought about the 7.62x54R, but the No. 3 I have in 30-40 Krag shoots really well.. Good luck with the project.

Thanks.

My intention is to order the barrel after Christmas. Between the season and the other projects I have on the go, there's little time for about two months.

I came very close to barreling one of my P-14 single shots to 7.62 Russian but went with a 30-303 instead. The Russian is awfully close to being a rimmed 7.5 Swiss which is, in turn close to a 30/284. My plan for my next single shot is a 30/30 Trapdoor Springfield. GD