Worth it to Reload 7.62x39?

[Smokey Joe]

SKS brass

Thx, GaryL, for the endorsement!

Re SKS brass: Any autoloader is going to be somewhat rough on the brass it ejects; it's the nature of the beast.

The SKS is even rougher than most. Almost all of my SKS brass is dented when I recover it. The body dents fire-form back out next time I shoot it. The neck dents get ironed out by the resizing die. I just don't worry about it, except for really major dents in the case shoulder area, where the round headspaces. If the shoulder is badly dinged up, I consider scrapping the case. Oh, or if the rim of the case is actually bent back where the extractor grabbed and yanked it, to the point where the bolt might have trouble closing all the way on the case next firing--those I scrap, too.

Aside from that, I just FL resize 'em, load 'em up, and shoot 'em again. What with getting flung hither and yon and getting lost, and with getting dinged on every ejection, the life of an SKS case can truly be said to be short and brutal.

BUT--No reloaded SKS case has ever actually malfunctioned on me.

 

[Ohio Rifleman]

I'm not really thinking about reloading any other caliber in the near future. I only personally own two guns, the SKS and a Ruger 10/22, and you can't reload 22LR. My dad shoots 9mm, but it's so cheap and plentiful, why bother? And money, not accuracy, is the main reason why I'm considering reloading. I can't afford to pay $150 for ammo, even if you get a thousand rounds or something. If I reload, I can get exactly as much ammo as I want or need for cheap.

 

[Joe in KY]

Another plus with reloading is that you can "tailor" your loads to do what you want to do. Most 7.62x 39 ammo seems to be loaded pretty hot and this will contribute to dinged up cases. You can work up from the minimum load listed( which you should ALWAYS do anyway)just until the load functions the action and don't go any hotter, this way you usually have less violent extraction and ejection. I have found this to be true with most semiautos I have reloaded for. Joe

 

[Matt Dillon]

If you have a Yugo SKS, you can turn off the gas port, which turns it into a bolt action rifle, then your brass doesn't get dinged up nor lost.

 

[FieroCDSP]

Lee Anniversary Kit w/Lee Reloading book:$90 at Midway. $65 without book
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=820810
They're out of the three-die sets, but figure $20
$15-22 for powder
$20 for primers
$26 for 100 bullets FMJ


$160 give or take, not including any other books which you might need. Surplus is cheaper, but I understand the cleaning hassles. Reloading keeps me shooting for cheaper, but it'll be a very long time before I break even with my investment. Sometimes you have to weigh the component costs against your cleaning supplies for using the cheap stuff. If you're looking to go accuracy, then reload. If you just want to shoot cheaper, save up and get a crate of surplus steel case. That'll keep you going a while. I have a yugo SKS, and I know how that brass flies out everywhere. At least I can set it on bolt-action and save the brass.