The Russian Mosin Nagant Forum

our local ranges will not let you shoot surplus ammo that a magnet will stick to. i was looking a SGAMMO for ammo and their add says light ball lead core magnetic ????. what does that mean. does lead core magnetic mean it has a steel jacket around the lead core. all my spam cans i have bought 188 is magnetic steel core so far. THANKS

It means it's magnetic and will not get past the range officer no matter how it's made. It's like that "slightly corrosive" bullshit. The Yugo was lead core, but good luck finding that, sounds like you will have to go commercial.

Actually "steel core" bullets have some lead in them plus a copper washed steel jacket. Lead core bullets have the same copper washed steel jacket that the steel core bullets have.

Even if the bullets contained no ferrous metal (really old Russian ammo), the cartridge case itself likely will be copper washed steel and some ranges would count that as attracting a magnet even if that part does not go downrange. Often rules overide logic.

This was discussed a short time ago on this thread
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=6266&p=92698&hilit=lead+core#p92698


Here is my response at that time.
[hr]
All of these surplus is lead core (if you can find it now)

Yugo 1976
Bulgarian 1955
Hungarian 1951
Czech 1951

I have 2400 rounds of Yugo that I use at the range here in California. Good stuff, but hard to find.

Some of the Brown Bear is lead core also (not surplus).

Check out
http://gun-deals.com/ammo.php?caliber=7.62x54R


If it is steel casing (not the bullet) and the bullet is lead, you can usually point that out to the range masters here in California and they will allow it. Most of them are not that stupid (notice I said most of them). But if it is the jacket that contains steel, then they will not take the chance.


Darryl

dolk wrote:This was discussed a short time ago on this thread
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=6266&p=92698&hilit=lead+core#p92698


Here is my response at that time.
[hr]
All of these surplus is lead core (if you can find it now)

Yugo 1976
Bulgarian 1955
Hungarian 1951
Czech 1951

I have 2400 rounds of Yugo that I use at the range here in California. Good stuff, but hard to find.

Some of the Brown Bear is lead core also (not surplus).

Check out
http://gun-deals.com/ammo.php?caliber=7.62x54R


If it is steel casing (not the bullet) and the bullet is lead, you can usually point that out to the range masters here in California and they will allow it. Most of them are not that stupid (notice I said most of them). But if it is the jacket that contains steel, then they will not take the chance.


Darryl

I have the Yugo and Hungarian. The Yugo is real good stuff. You'll have to find it in private hands now a days.

Whats the thinking behind no steel core for FMJ?

I would think the lead would be more of an environmental hazard, but thats the only perspective on why a range would limit the type of ammo used.

The reason is the sparks from the steel hiting rocks and sparking a fire. The range here is in a dry dry place.

Junk Yard Dog wrote:It means it's magnetic and will not get past the range officer no matter how it's made. It's like that "slightly corrosive" bullshit. The Yugo was lead core, but good luck finding that, sounds like you will have to go commercial.

Brown and Silver Bear are both steel jacketed, they probably won't work either. My indoor range lets me shoot them but they spark very impressively.

At the risk of asking a dumb question, how does the copper washed steel jacketed rounds affect barrel life when compared with copper jacketed lead rounds?

Steel jackets used are a very mild steel, however over tens of thousands of rounds fired they will slightly shorten barrel life. I wouldn't worry about it as ordinary cleaning will shorten barrel life far faster than the steel bullets

Good to know lol! Thanks

No problem, all the muzzle wear we see on these refurbished Mosins, and the reason for all the counterbores is that ordinance steel cleaning rod hanging under the barrel, enthusiastic soldiers with poor supervision scrubbing away from the muzzle end. Not bullets coming out

That's one thing I know never to do at least

We try to educate people about proper cleaning techniques, many times I wish they wouldn't give away Soviet cleaning kits with the refurbs as some people do use them.