7.62x39 loads

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tim

New member
I'm new to reloading and i'm about to buy my 1st batch of powder,brass and bullets. I think i'll go with primed winchester brass, but i'm lost when it comes to powder.looking at my reloading handbooks there are several to choose from. Do I buy them all or what?
thanks for all replies.
 
C

Contender

New member
Tim, Being that you're new to reloading to begin with, see if you can get together with an experienced reloader/shooter at your local range/gun club. As mentioned here by one of the other gentlemen on this forum, there is no substitute for benefitting from another's experience on this subject first hand. Get yourself at least 2 reloading manuals, prefferably 1 of them from a powder manufacturer. Familiarize yourself thoroughly with all the procedures. No, it's not necessary to aquire every powder named in the data. You can choose one or two of the powders listed giving top velocities with the bullet weight you are going to use, AS A STARTING POINT FOR TRIALS. Just remember, ALWAYS start with the starting loads listed in the data. Follow the data exactly with respect to charge wieghts. Stay at the starting loads until you gain confidence in your ability. NEVER EXCEED THE MAXIMUM LISTED LOADS. Hang back here a bit and you should be getting some more advice by some very knowledgable people.

Take Care
 
W

Walt Welch

New member
Tim; the best thing to do in a situation such as yours is to stick with the same brand of components all the way. This is because this is what is generally what is used by the testers who develop the data.

So, my first choice would be a Winchester powder, especially since there is a wonderful powder, 748, that seems to work well in this cartridge capacity range. So, go to Shooter's Gunlinks, at:
http://www.shooters.com/gunlinks/index.htm
click on 'product manufacturers-non firearm,' and download the Winchester Reloading Manual. Check under 7.62 x 39. DAMN! Nothing there.

Now, comes in the crafty part. Being an oldtimer, I happen to know that most Hodgdon powders are manufactured by Olin (Winchester). So go to Hodgdon, and download their manual at this website:
http://www.hodgdon.com/ check the rifle data, and WOW! There it is; a bunch of data, which utilize powders such as H-335 and BL-C2, not coincidintally very near the burning rate of Win 748!

I would start with these data, but would do the following two things first: check with Hodgdon and find out what type of cases and primers they used to develop their data. Second, check with Olin/Win to find out if they have any new data regarding this cartridge.

This is a good way to research any caliber. Go to the shooters' gunlinks website and find out what data exist for a given caliber. Match as closely as possible all the components used to develop these data. Compare other sources of data to make sure that they are all in the same ballpark (if you find a load 3 or 4 gr. higher than anyone else recommends, don't use it).

Remember that data more than a few years old probably used the old copper crusher method, which has been replaced with the much more accurate piezoelectric method. Re-evaluation of existing data by this new method has, in several cases, resulted in dramaticly reduced recommended loads. So, do it the new way; use the internet. Don't bother with reloading manuals unless you absolutely have to (by which I mean the traditional printed ones).

Be careful, and be safe. Walt Welch
 
J

JA

New member
ACURATE ARMS 1680 it sez on can made for 7.62x39mm I use hornaday 123 grain soft points.
 
D

ddunn

New member
Is it cost effective to reload 7.62x39mm at this time when I can order 1000 rnds of fmj or jhp for 110 dollars? I know I can get jsp from Hanson, but I don't know the cost.
Thanks
 
P

pat

New member
yes it is cost effective or i should say IMHO it is because most of the cheap stuff you can get is fmj steel case and a good handload is a much better round no matter what you use it for
 
D

ddunn

New member
If the forum can debunk some of my understandings, I might add reloading 7.62x39 the list of ammo I reload. I shoot 7.62x39 in a Russian SKS and a Bulgarian AK.

I was under the impression that because of the bore size differences great groups were not possible. My best groups were around 4 inches at 100 yards with the latest batch of Russian JHP. The rifle with better sites a proper rest, and a better shooter could probable do better.

I was told with brass casings, I might rip the head off leaving the rest of the brass in the chamber. With the stronger steel casings I would not have the problem.

I didn't want to reload for each gun.

Thanks

PS. If someone knew a load for a case lead load it would reduce cost, but then again the AK and SKS have a gas operated system. How would a lead load effect them?
 
G

Grayfox

New member
Midway is sold out of brass and don't know if they will be able to get anymore as Winchester has discontinued it.
 
D

Darin Pfaff

New member
I'll have to second the post about Accurate 1680. I have a documented, 1.04" 5-round 50-yard group out of my Bulgarian SLR-95, the only mods to the rifle are a US BATF-Legal wooden stock set, with replacement hammer. Long, but smooth trigger takeup and final release. The group was fired from the bench, using the original iron sights. As for the loads, they were made using new Winchester brass, weight-matched, Federal 210M Match Large Rifle Primers, 123 grain Hornady FMJ bullets, moly-coated and weight-sorted, ahead of my favorite charge of Accurate 1680, hand-thrown on a Dillon D-Terminator digital scale. Velocity through the Chrony was 2350 fps. A bit much work to group an AK, I admit, but it was fun trying. If anybody would like the scanned photo of the target e-mailed to them, just let me know...

Darin R. Pfaff, SSgt, USAF
Range Officer, Lincoln, CA
pfaff@ns.net
 
Y

Yodar

New member
You CAN go below the 10 cent a round barrier if you cast your own. Ed Harris has a couple interesting FAQ on cast bullet w/7.62 x 39. His own 150 and 160 gr gas check spitzer bullets are very successful here and Lee offers an atractively priced mould, as does NEI,I understand.
The published powders for this caliber are either too fast or (in the case of BL-c(2) too slow, in my opinion.

1680, and 2015 have a very narrow range of suitable performance w/ the cast bullet here and 2230 is much more forgiving. Tho it's said to be similar to BL-C(2), BL-C(2) seems to require compression of the load that always yielded unburned powder in the gun and gas leakage around the caseneck. I believe the powder needs a longer bbl.

Though Accurate labels 2460 equivalent to 2230 in loading specs, 2230 has a different pressure curve that the short SKS BBL "prefers" . 2460 wil "work" but a wider range of loads seems suitable from 2230 than 2460.
I went thru he entire Accurate line and Hodgdon line of powders labeled for use with this claiber and find accurate's 2230 ( similar to MR 223) is just right for the .30-.30 -style ballistics in the 7.62 x 39 cast load. Use the 150 gr harris design gas check bullet w/ gas check, straight wheel-weight metal with a dash of added tin to bring it up to 2% Sn and use 25 gr 2230 or its recent specialty derivative : Accurate Data 2200(-offerred by Widener's and Natchez for around $56=$60 / 8 lb jug-this powder is labeled specifically for .223 and 7.62 x 30 and similar small case loads)

You'll get dependable repeatable results and no leading has been observed in several years I've shot it. No gas system failures either. It's no tack driver but its pleasant and cheap to shoot
Yodar
 
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