7.62x39 Handloading

[Ranch Dog]

Just as a note , and I'm sure you know gas , slugging is best done with a round ball or egg sinker rather than a bullet .........this as much a reminder to myself as information for future readers ....
Your not the only guy with a bullet stuck in an Arisaka barrel still trying to get it out after months of well that didn't work .

How about heating the barrel with a propane torch? Melt it or at least get it soft enough to give way. A hair drier on the barrel for 15 minutes will let Cerro-Safe let go.

[RBHarter]

I have a piece of brass rod I'm thinking I'll cut a spade type bit on one end and relieve the bullet and knock it out . I tried freezing it -10 for 2 days no luck . I even shot some canned air liquid down it hoping to shrink the lead enough to knock it loose .
It's 7.7 so at least I can use the heavier rod and not worry about having a chunk brass stuck too .

[GasGuzzler]

You shoot .308" bullets. You got to be careful with what cheap ammo you shoot as you want the jacket to be thick enough that you don't get into the steel core. With your Lee dies, check your EzXpander with a micrometer to see what you have. Lee will send you a .307" EzX. You will not be able to pull it out of your 30-30 Win set as it uses the long EzX and the 7.62x39 uses the short.

It is a too bad they don't cut it to the SAAMI spec. They are using their .308" barrel stock, which they probably order rather than bore. The same stock that they use with the 300 Blackout and 308 Win.

I should have added that if you decide to shoot .310" bullets, you will be okay with jacketed/lead core bullets such as the Speer 2213. It will be a little bit of a bump in pressure, and you should see better velocities than you expected. The barrel will also get hotter. Remington made a .308" 123-grain bullet, but it is not offered anymore. PPU makes a .308" 123 FMJ.

I'm still confused.

I'm not sure I shoot any .308 bullets (yet). My waffle top .30-30 shoots an RD/Lee cast bullet that drops at .311-.312 and I size to .310" when the gas checks are installed. I use my RCBS machine for this. My AK (like most AKs) is a .309-.310" bore. Cheap Russian steel ammo generally uses .310" jacketed bullets.

I figure (hoped?) the AR barrel would be a .310" bore as well so I could buy jacketed bullets made to load for an AK to use in the AR. So I tried a "soft" .310" bullet and it stuck. I ASSume I have a .308 bore which to me is dumb. I have not called the maker nor slugged it. I will do BOTH.

Meanwhile the Burris MTAC and mount is here.....and I'm still waiting for the Lee parts I bought online from a guy in California last Sunday.....didn't ship until Wednesday.

[GasGuzzler]

The Lee Pacesetter die set (P/N 90565) has two expander thingies....one .305" at the fat part and one .308".

I found a post by a tech at the maker that stated the groove diameter is .3095". I'm guessing then it's a .308" barrel stock as is pretty much the rule for American made 7.62X39 barrels. It seems only surplus foreign SKS and AK barrels are .310-.312".

[Ranch Dog]

The Lee Pacesetter die set (P/N 90565) has two expander thingies....one .305" at the fat part and one .308".

It has been a number of years since I bought the die set, I forgot that both a .307" and .310" expanders are included. Your measuring stick might be off a bit. I work with the expanders a bit, I've ordered 18 to 20 custom expanders, and never found one more than .0005" off the stated diameter. They should be measured with a micrometer.

I found a post by a tech at the maker that stated the groove diameter is .3095". I'm guessing then it's a .308" barrel stock as is pretty much the rule for American made 7.62X39 barrels. It seems only surplus foreign SKS and AK barrels are .310-.312".

It sounds to me that your barrel is very close to the SAAMI spec of .3100", see attached PDF. You are wrong about the US manufacturers; both Ruger and Savage have learned that no one will buy their rifles unless they are made on spec. Ruger stayed in and added the Ranch, Savage dropped out rather than make the barrel stock.

From what you have added, I think you have no worries. Use the smaller EzXpander for .308" bullets and the larger for the bigger bullets. In that your rifle has the .3095" groove, the best choice is the standard 7.62x39 jacketed bullets and along with any of the Eastern Block ammo.

I had to purchase a larger expander for my .313" cast bullets, +.002" over the .310". That expander was setting the neck back a bit during the bullet seating step.

[GasGuzzler]

"Standard" 7.62X39 bullets are .310" as far as I can see. That's what you suggest, right? If so I'll go back to square one and get THESE

I don't have a mic, just a caliper.

[Ranch Dog]

"Standard" 7.62X39 bullets are .310" as far as I can see. That's what you suggest, right? If so I'll go back to square one and get THESE

I don't have a mic, just a caliper.

Yeap, the PPU .310" FMJ will be a great choice. Don't sweat the micrometer, use the larger of the two EzXpanders.

[reloader762]

A few observations from an SKS I had .
24" 59/66 Yugo grenade launcher cut off sights etc

The first observation is that 6" at 50 yd was as good as it got with wolf steel case FMJ, SP or HP 123s . Cast was better when fitted . It did however get a lot of lead in the piston .

I have three SKS rifles, a 1970 Yugo refurb that I hand picked for a crate of twelve, a 1965 Chinese /26\ I bought NIB many moons ago and a newly acquired 1952r black bolt refurb that was one of three setting in the back of a friends gun safe for the past 15 years in the box, lets just say on the Russian SKS he doubled his money on what he paid for it 15 years ago and I got a nice rifle. I haven't broken it down yet and given it the once over so I haven'r had a chance to try my cast or jacketed load in it yet, but it will be eating lead soon.


As far as the Yugo and Chinese SKS both of those have been getting a steady diet of cast lead for the past ten years or more with a few jacketed load thrown in for good measure. I also have a decent stash of steel case ammo which I tested out in both rifle and found to be the most accurate in both rifles so I have a decent supply of that put back for a rainy day. Here is one of the test targets I did with my Yugo that wears a Choate drill and tap side mount and scope using my favorite steel case and cast load.


As far as cast lead right now I use three different cast bullets. The Lee .312" 160 gr. GC TL, Lee 185 gr. RN and a NOE 155 gr. FN. I have never gotten much fouling to speak of on the gas piston face most cleans off very easy and none has ever caused a stoppage or function issue even after extended shooting secession. I recently started powder coating some of those bullets so at some point I will see if that eliminates the fouling all together.

[Ranch Dog]

Good load work reloader762!

This reminds me! Hey GG, what's up with your AR?

[GasGuzzler]

It's completely assembled and locked away unfired. I finally ordered a replacement crush washer but it's not here yet.