RE: 7.62x54
 

We have that same gun, its extremly accurate. The recoil isnt that bad at all either.

RE: 7.62x54
 

Wiggy, the 7.62x54R is more than adequate for deer. The performance is equal to, or slightly better than, the .308 Win. If your rifle is accurate then it'll do just fine. I've had two Mosin-Nagant rifles, one was the full rifle like yours, and the other was a carbine (I can't see how they could fight at night with the carbine, not only was it LOUD, the muzzleflash was blinding at dusk, let alone in pitch black). The carbine was not very accurate at all, and the rifle I had wasn't all that much better, but as a 100 yard gun it would have done ok. My biggest gripe are the very poor iron sights on eastern bloc rifles. Not great for precision shooting.

My father-in-law and his brother hunt with SKS carbines with Wolf soft point ammo, and they kill deer just as dead, just as fast as my .30-06 can out to 200 yards. The 7.62x54R is a lot more powerful than the 7.62x39 Soviet.

So if the rifle is accurate, I'd say go for it. Also, I don't think that any of the current production Wolf ammo is corrosive. A lot of the old milsurp ammo in the as-issued bandoleers or Soviet marked boxes was wickedly corrosive, but since Wolf had started making new-production ammo for export they appear to have gone to all non-corrosive primers so it shouldn't be a problem.

Mike

RE: 7.62x54
 

I've had wolf 7.62x54r ammo cause rust a few days after shooting a mosin nagant before. I don't know if it was a fluke to have gotten some corrosive 'non-corrosive' ammo or not. My guess is that Wolf gets their ammo from a lot of former warsaw pact countries and if they happen upon a pile of corrosive primers, they'll use them. I've had Wolf.303 brit cause corrosion too in short order, but I've never had problems with 7.62x39, 8mm, or 6.5x55 Wolf. I stillshoot wolf 7.62x54r ammo, but its no more accurate than the crates of czech silver tip ammo that I bought a few years back and am still shooting.

Accuracy varies greatly. I've never seen or shot a carbine that impressed me, and I own a few. wartime 91/30s are the luck of the draw as to whether that will shoot broadside of the barn or fist-sized accuracy at 100 yards. Prewar 91/30s, 91s, and anything rebuilt by the Finish are much better.

RE: 7.62x54
 

Czech silver tip ammo locks up my bolt for some reason. Accuracy wasn't as good as with the Wolf brand either.

The iron sights are fairly crude, but I have an easy enough time using them. Reminds me of the sights my Daisy BB gun had when I was a kid. It makes good groups, but a little KY windage has to be used since it shoots about 4" to the right at 100 yards. The trigger isn't bad either, about the same as the old Enfields I used to have. I'm planning on using it for the last week of the season here. I've had the thing for this long and only punched targets with it, it's time it got a little real use. I found out quick these things are about impossible to sell anyway.