adaptation

[offgridbob]

I got an e-mail from my brother and he said that He bought an after market insert that allows him to shoot a 32 acp bullet in his neugent ww2 rifle I think his calibar is 7.62X 59 any one ever hear of such a thing and why would you want to?:fie:

[grumble]

Yep. You can buy several types of adapters. I have one that uses 30 carbine in a 308, and another that uses the 32 ACP in either the Nagant or an '06, I forgot which. All it is is a piece of steel shaped like whatever chamber it's supposed to fit, and a proper size hole drilled through it.

They say bang, and the bullet comes out where it should, but accuracy isn't anything to write home about. I know some guys in the NW like to use them for grouse with the 32 ACP because they're quiet.

Kind of a neat little toy, but as I said, not accurate, and to reload you have to take out the insert, use a stick to remove the 32 brass, load it again, put the insert back in, and shoot another inaccurate shot. A muzzleloader is about as fast. Not for use against the attacking hoards of zombies.

[Echo2]

yup....pretty pointless if you ask me....IMO

[Teg]

Haven't seen that particular one but there all sorts of adapters out there, some left over from Soviet training and youth gear, some new doo dads, to convince folks they can save by firing other ammo. The military used to have a .22 bolt for the M-16 with a special Magazine for ranges that weren't rated for full 5.56, hated that stupid thing, jammed and wasn't accurate for nothing.

[J R Adams]

I got an e-mail from my brother and he said that He bought an after market insert that allows him to shoot a 32 acp bullet in his neugent ww2 rifle I think his calibar is 7.62X 59 any one ever hear of such a thing and why would you want to?:fie:

My reloading book shows 32acp as .311 and 7.62 as .308. Is there any concern about .003 diameter difference?

[grumble]

No, no problem. The bullet will squish down that little bit with no problem. If the bullet is made of steel, it might cause some pressure problems, but I don't think anybody makes a steel 32ACP. And, the case is such a tiny thing it doesn't hold enough propellent to really cause pressure problems in the chamber of a high power rifle.

[Teg]

Something I found that might be helpful, wikipedia so double check with more reliable sources but it gives you a starting point.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7.62_mm_caliber

[Teg]

If what that says is true the size difference between 7.62x54 Russian and .32acp is a bit more than .003, they show the .32acp as .309 and the Russian 7.62 x54 as .300. That seems a bit large of a gap to my way of thinking.

[grumble]

Time to slug a barrel and find out what your diameter REALLY is. Russian wartime rifles are notorious for having some mighty sloppy specs. Same with the non-German Mausers. And pay attention to the land/groove measurements, too. Some rifling is cut waaay too deep.

[Teg]

I'd have your brother check and make sure on that thing, the original manufacturer may have intended it for 7.62x51 or something a touch closer, and now some goober is selling them for the 7.62x54 because 7.62 is 7.62 right?

Personally though, with the size difference on the 7.62x54 and the .32 I wouldn't shoot it, until like Grumble said he gets it gauged so he knows the exact size of the barrel.

Teg

[J R Adams]

While we're adapting, what are the thoughts about about reloading 38 Spec. 125 gr (.357) with 9mm 125gr (.355)?

Then, what about loading the 9mm with the .357 bullet?

[Wyobuckaroo]

A couple things..... Like was said the Russian Moisin Nagant rifle is 7.62x54R

I believe many years ago there were articles written about swapping 38/357 and 9mm bullets back and forth........ Seems NONE of the changes were successful and some could be dangerous because of excess pressures. But don't recall specific details.

chamber adapters are an old idea. I suppose it made sense at one time or another, but not now. With modern loading data and more ammo varieties in a given caliber it would be more a novelty.

Think they also make adapters to shoot like 38 special and 410 in a 12 gauge.
Why I wonder.......... ?

If that's your thing........ Enjoy

[grumble]

.002" difference in diameter ain't a big deal, either too big or too small. Shoot a smaller bullet in a larger bore, and the bullet will only touch the lands of the rifling, and allows hot powder gasses to jet past the bullet. This can vaporize the edge of the bullet and leave some nasty deposits inside the grooves of the bore, where it's the hardest to clean. Get that copper built up in the sharp corner where the groove meets the land, and only concerted attention will clean it out again, and probably at the expense of the sharp corners at the top of the land that's supposed to grip the bullet. So yeah, it can be done, but I wouldn't make a practice of it.

Unless, that is, you have a way to obturate the bullet outside the bore, such as a bullet swage or know how to do it with sizing dies.

Shooting a slightly oversize bullet in a high power rifle bore will increase pressures a bit, but probably not enough to matter. Doing the same in a handgun is a different matter, especially the lightweight guns like a 9mm. I wouldn't worry about it in a heavy old hogleg, like a Ruger, but I wouldn't want to do it in a lightweight concealed carry gun. It might be safe, but then, why take a chance?

All this is about jacketed bullets. If you cast your own, different rules apply. For cast, you almost ALWAYS want the bullet at least .002" oversize. In a gun barrel, a cast bullet is like toothpaste in a tube.

I've never used them personally, but I've known guys who used the shotgun barrel inserts with good results. At worst, they made an old shotgun usable again. If the insert is epoxied in, the resulting gun works just fine. I wouldn't do it on a gun just for grins, though, I'd only do it as a last resort.

[Pitdog]

I would be more afraid of the bore constricting the bullet too much coupled with the fact that attempting to push the bullet out with no more powder than is in a .32 auto round that you might wind up with a squib effect. If not aware, loading a 7.62x54 round behind it could be devastating.

[kypossum]

7.62x54r is not .308; http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinAmmo.htm {scroll to the bottom}. Most cartridges feature bullets with diameters of .310 or .311.