[cuesandmore]

Will be loading for a friend soon. What is your pet 7.62X39 loads for fun shooting, and/or accuracy? Any deals out there for surplus powder and bulk bullets for this round?

Have been loading for years, just not this one.

Thanks in advance.

[R.W.Dale]

AA1680 is the only powder you need to look at for 12x grain bullets. If someone actually suggests another powder you can bet they haven't tried 1680

[rbernie]

I have used tens and tens of pounds of AA1680. It works well and is the default powder for 7.62x39, but I got better performance from H4198 for 123gr-125gr and 150gr bullets, and H322 for 174gr-180gr bullets (using Remington cases and CCI primers). Specifically, I found that I could duplicate the velocities of AA1680 using H4198, and got lower SD and better accuracy in my rifles for my efforts.

Having an alternative opinion does not denote a lack of experience, and there have been many folk handloading the 7.62x39 long before you took it up. :)

Any deals out there for surplus powder and bulk bullets for this round?Hornady sells their 123gr SP bullets in bulk, and you can occasionally find deals on those packages. I bought 5K from MidwayUSA a couple of years ago, at good prices.

If you're going to hunt with the 7.62x39, the Hornady 123gr is pretty frangible (good for deer, bad for hog) and the Sierra 125gr is mo' stout (good for hog, not so good for deer).

[steve4102]

I have used tens and tens of pounds of AA1680. It works well, but I got better performance from H4198 for 123gr-125gr and 150gr bullets, and H322 for 174gr-180gr bullets (using Remington cases and CCI primers). Specifically, I found that I could duplicate the velocities of AA1680 using H4198, but get lower SD and better accuracy in my rifles.

This +1.

I will add that My Ruger likes 322 for 125-135gr bullets as well. I also get excellent results with N-130 with 125-135gr bullets. I've burned up a lot of 1680 and it works well, I just find H 4198 and 322 to do it better.

[Gik-tal]

Ive been loading AA1680 with Golden west 124 grain bullets with great results
http://www.goldenwestbrass.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=GWB%2D053

[HOWARD J]

Since '86 or '87 I have been using H335 123 gr Sp
Kick around--30gr
Hunting------31 gr

I used H322 with good results but around here it costs a lot more than H335