January 29th, 2013

Vintage Military Rifle Match Ammunition from Hornady

Vintage Military Rifle

Vintage Military Rifle

Vintage Military Rifle Matches
Across the country, vintage military rifle matches are growing in popularity. It’s easy to understand why — the matches are fun, the rifles are affordable, and the rules discourage the use of expensive aftermarket sights and fancy triggers. It comes down to good marksmanship… and good ammo.

To help competitors in the Vintage military rifle game, Hornady has devleoped a line of Vintage Match ammunition. Currently available in four cartridge types, Vintage Match ammunition replicates the original military performance specifications of older military rifles. To function safely and reliably in older guns, this Vintage Match ammo is loaded to pressures well below CIP max.

Vintage Military rifle 7.62x54R Moisin Nagant
Vintage Military Rifle Match photo from CMP Zenfolio Image Archive on the web.

Hornady Vintage Match ammunition was developed for shooters involved in the increasingly popular CMP Vintage Rifle and Vintage Sniper Matches. This “Vintage Match” product offers an off-the-shelf, match-grade alternative to surplus or hand-loaded ammunition. The four varieties of Vintage Match ammo are: 6.5×55 Swede, .303 British (Enfield), 7.62x54R (Moisin Nagant), and 8×57 IS/JS (Mauser)*.

Vintage Match Ammo Hornady

*From Norma Website: The “J” in the name originated with confusion over the word “Infanterie”. English translators mistook the Gothic “I” for a “J”. The “J” has no significance as to proper bullet size. In 1905, Germany increased working pressure of this cartridge and switched from a 226gr, 0.318-inch, round-nose bullet (2095 fps) to a 154gr, 0.323-inch, spitzer bullet (2880 fps). The “S” in the designation stands for “Spitzer” and also indicates that the bore was either originally made for, or was altered for, 0.323-inch bullets. It is extremely rare to find a sporting rifle chambered and barreled for the original 8×57 J (0.318-inch groove). However, this is possible. So, if in doubt, have the bore slugged to determine if it is safe to fire loads using 0.323-inch bullets.

Match photos © Civilian Marksmanship Program, used by permission.

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