WTB 7.62x39 projectiles

[gun_slinger_boy]

Looking for FMJ or SP bullets.

Thanks

 

[meketrefe]

I wish I could find some.
2 alternatives are:
-Reload .311 150 grainers
-get a 308 button and die and reload 308 bullets. Many guns with 5 or 6r enfiled type rifling swag 308 just fine.

 

[gun_slinger_boy]

I wish I could find some.
2 alternatives are:
-Reload .311 150 grainers
-get a 308 button and die and reload 308 bullets. Many guns with 5 or 6r enfiled type rifling swag 308 just fine.

I have lee dies with 308 and 310 mandrels and have played with loading 308 pills. Can't speak on the accuracy though as I only chrono'd them. I have steel cased ammo but want to get used to the idea of having to reload for this caliber. I also have a good quantity of brass I either bought or traded ages ago and am glad I did. I can slug my gun no problem but is there some way I would check for the type of rifling it has?

ETA: I suggest anyone with an AK that wants to use brass get a KNS piston. It's fantastic. The rifle (at least in my case) won't mangle the brass like it would before installing it. It also lessens the recoil significantly to the point that the bolt carrier doesn't make contact with the rear of the receiver after firing.

 

[meketrefe]

I have lee dies with 308 and 310 mandrels and have played with loading 308 pills. Can't speak on the accuracy though as I only chrono'd them. I have steel cased ammo but want to get used to the idea of having to reload for this caliber. I also have a good quantity of brass I either bought or traded ages ago and am glad I did. I can slug my gun no problem but is there some way I would check for the type of rifling it has?

ETA: I suggest anyone with an AK that wants to use brass get a KNS piston. It's fantastic. The rifle (at least in my case) won't mangle the brass like it would before installing it. It also lessens the recoil significantly to the point that the bolt carrier doesn't make contact with the rear of the receiver after firing.

Rifling is more likely a 5 or 6R enfield style and why various 308 bullets might work great with little to none measurable impact in accuracy.
The rifling may be seen from the bore using a white paper in front of the breach on a well iluninated place but the ultimate test is to take a bullet like a soft point budget bullet with a relatively soft jacket and swag it down the bore. One might use a dowel and or rod with protection something that can be rammed down w/o scratching the bore so metal to metal has to be avoided.
Some ak rods are pretty hard so one could try those after wrapping them in duck tape and use an old drilled case as sacrificial subject to seat the bullet and guide the rod.
I mean drill a case base and deburr to guide the rod and also small hole in the base of the projectile to thread the rod and perhaps a small brass stop.
Look up in youtube i am sure you will find guidance
Reloaders special catters have been reloading 7.62 with 308 for ever given the rifling and bullets fit well the dimensions.
Remember sometimes bores are not dead on as per specs and a certain bullet is a tad 1/2 thou over 308 and the bore is a tad below 310 and on top the rifling that will expand the jacket as it swags so it creates a pretty good seal as it swags and expands with heat and pressure.
If you dont try things and measure will never know.
I had barrels shoot faster and with less pressure and pretty accurate so .measure and then give it a thought.
With 2 or 3 308 budget bullet models you find in 308 you might have all your needs covered wo dependency on 310 pills.
If you have good feeding ramps also c9nsider 30 carbine fmj for parctice.
Very good value too although the 147gr bulk fmjs are going to be the most plentiful always because of the service 308 ammo.

 

[gun_slinger_boy]

Rifling is more likely a 5 or 6R enfield style and why various 308 bullets might work great with little to none measurable impact in accuracy.
The rifling may be seen from the bore using a white paper in front of the breach on a well iluninated place but the ultimate test is to take a bullet like a soft point budget bullet with a relatively soft jacket and swag it down the bore. One might use a dowel and or rod with protection something that can be rammed down w/o scratching the bore so metal to metal has to be avoided.
Some ak rods are pretty hard so one could try those after wrapping them in duck tape and use an old drilled case as sacrificial subject to seat the bullet and guide the rod.
I mean drill a case base and deburr to guide the rod and also small hole in the base of the projectile to thread the rod and perhaps a small brass stop.
Look up in youtube i am sure you will find guidance
Reloaders special catters have been reloading 7.62 with 308 for ever given the rifling and bullets fit well the dimensions.
Remember sometimes bores are not dead on as per specs and a certain bullet is a tad 1/2 thou over 308 and the bore is a tad below 310 and on top the rifling that will expand the jacket as it swags so it creates a pretty good seal as it swags and expands with heat and pressure.
If you dont try things and measure will never know.
I had barrels shoot faster and with less pressure and pretty accurate so .measure and then give it a thought.
With 2 or 3 308 budget bullet models you find in 308 you might have all your needs covered wo dependency on 310 pills.
If you have good feeding ramps also c9nsider 30 carbine fmj for parctice.
Very good value too although the 147gr bulk fmjs are going to be the most plentiful always because of the service 308 ammo.

Good stuff to know! How do you feel about this stuff?

MidwayUSA Chamber Casting Alloy 1/2 lb

National Metallic Chamber Casting Alloy is the best known material from which to make a casting of the chamber and throat of a firearm - to determine...

www.midwayusa.com

This is what I used (and still have a bunch) when trying to figure out the problems I was having 7.62x25 reloading. The chamber sizes between the pps43 and tokarev were definitely a little bit different. It also helped me figure out issues I was having with the brass. Would this be ok or do you think using a bullet would still be better? I have some cheap berrys plated bullets that measure .312 for x39

 

[meketrefe]

Good stuff to know! How do you feel about this stuff?

MidwayUSA Chamber Casting Alloy 1/2 lb

National Metallic Chamber Casting Alloy is the best known material from which to make a casting of the chamber and throat of a firearm - to determine...

www.midwayusa.com

This is what I used (and still have a bunch) when trying to figure out the problems I was having 7.62x25 reloading. The chamber sizes between the pps43 and tokarev were definitely a little bit different. It also helped me figure out issues I was having with the brass. Would this be ok or do you think using a bullet would still be better? I have some cheap berrys plated bullets that measure .312 for x39

That is intended to cast a chamber.
You dont care about chambers just the bore and finding out a good fit between bullets and your bore/s thus the swagging.

 

[meketrefe]

I would not take this categorically and why you want to measure and test so you know exactly what you have.
Still this is why some people find out a well seated 308 bullet might work better than the factory ammo.

7.62x39 Reloading Data - Guns and Ammo

The typical military load for the 7.62x39 uses 123-grain bullets. Our pressure barrel, which was 1:10, shot these and bullets up to about 150 grains very well. We did shoot some 160-grain bullets and noticed some evidence of yawing on the target.

www.gunsandammo.com

It is hard to give precise advice wo knowing the dimensions and fit but initially is safer by concept to try slightly "smaller" bullets in a "larger" bore than the other way around.
Peak pressure should be lower by design.

If the mandrell and button give you decent neck tension that is a great start.

 

[redtail]

Watch Grafs.

 

[gun_slinger_boy]

Watch Grafs.

I saw they had some and procrastinated. I'll check bore diameter tomorrow and hopefully 308 bullets will work out.

 

[meketrefe]

I was thinking about this and you could swag a small sinker or a small cast easily just to get the max od. This will be easier of you dont have a soft jacket 308 around. Or just plug the bore 1/2 inch or so with a tight ball of tin foil and pour some of that cerrosafe.
Whatever you find easier. A 110gr speer varminter would be great for the test and they are also awesome screamers eventually one could pump to ~2800 fps with something like 1680 or benchmark.
This round leaves the blackout in the dust with carefull reloading.
Not the main objective for an akm but just saying..

 

[meketrefe]

Any chance to measure this?
What's the verdict?

 

[gun_slinger_boy]

Any chance to measure this?
What's the verdict?

Not yet. Life got in the way. I did load up 10 rounds of 150gr Hornady FMJ over H4198 though. What's strange is that the Hodgdon website gives min and max of 22.5 - 24.5 of H4198 under a Hornady soft point while my Hornady manual has a min and max of 17.4 - 22.9 for both Hornady soft point and FMJ. I split the difference at 23 so that it would at least just be at max according to Hornady. I got an average of 1950fps (16 inch barrel). Hodgdon used a 24 inch barrel (max 2122 fps) while Hornady used a 20 inch (max 2100 fps). So the velocity seems to be about right. Can't say anything for accuracy. I'll see if I can get the measurement today.

 

[meketrefe]

Oh! ... So you already loaded and shot some 308 diam. Bullets?
If so, Velocity seems good and can probably pump those loads to 2100-2200 paying attention to pressure signs.
Most likely starting pressure is lower for 308 bullets but assume nothing.

Reloading manuals are worthless.

One can get a starting load from powder and bullet manufactures and work it up from there.

 

[meketrefe]

This is a great article by our friend Zak Smith from THR ...

7.62x39: Improving the Military Standard

demigodllc.com

 

[gun_slinger_boy]

Oh! ... So you already loaded and shot some 308 diam. Bullets?
If so, Velocity seems good and can probably pump those loads to 2100-2200 paying attention to pressure signs.
Most likely starting pressure is lower for 308 bullets but assume nothing.

Reloading manuals are worthless.

One can get a starting load from powder and bullet manufactures and work it up from there.

Right. I've loaded some other 308 projectiles as well in the past just to see velocities. It looks like the velocities are always on par if not a bit faster when using them. I'm guessing because they are much slicker going through the barrel due to not engaging the rifling as much. The question is are they engaging enough to make them accurate. This is also why I felt comfortable going to max right from the beginning because I figured the pressures would be less due to the slimmer bullet. The brass came out nicely. No soot and the primers were in tact. The KNS piston is a big contributor to that I'd imagine. The casings only eject about 3 feet away in a nice little pile. I'm pretty optimistic that 308 projectiles will work just fine but still want to test for accuracy before committing. Been a busy weekend so still haven't used the cerrosafe but I still want to do it to confirm. I'm pretty sure it will be .310 though.

 

[gun_slinger_boy]

I took measurements taking the cast from the muzzle. Right after the cast I got .3115 and after an hour .3135. I think I'm gonna slug the barrel using soft lead just to confirm. The cerrosafe is supposed to be measured 1 hour after at room temp but it was a bit chilly in the room I did the work. Either that or the barrel is a bit worn. If so I'm guessing a 308 projectile is sailing through the barrel.

 

[meketrefe]

calipers can be tricky but if you don't have a micrometer that is better than nothing.
see if you can swag a soft 308 bullet. see how much extrusion you get.

 

[gun_slinger_boy]

I slugged a confirmed 308 soft bullet through the barrel and got defined rifling on the projectile. High spots measured at .313 and low .302. I think really all that's left to do it test stabilization at longer ranges.

 

[meketrefe]

I slugged a confirmed 308 soft bullet through the barrel and got defined rifling on the projectile. High spots measured at .313 and low .302. I think really all that's left to do it test stabilization at longer ranges.

They should stabilize just fine. Don't drink too much coffee!