.308 bullet in a 7.62x39?

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Xcobra122

Xcobra122

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So, I have some 160 grain .308 diameter bullets intended for reloading 30-30 but I don't actually have a .30-30. However, I do have an SKS. Would it be safe to load my 7.62x39 brass with these bullets assuming I can find load data for a bullet that heavy? I know it may not be ideal, but I really hate for these bullets to go to waste as they were fairly expensive.
 
troy fairweather said:
Ya they should work, like you said look for load data, I would make a dummy round to check it feeds fine. You will lose some fps but I've shoot 308s out of a few x39s and shot fine.

Welcome to THR.
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Thanks Troy, I'll do that. I found load data for a 158 grain bullet, so I think I'll begin a touch under the recommended starter load for that and work from there.
 
You won’t have a problem safety wise. You may or may not get the desired accuracy. Each rifle is a bit different. But yes, find data, and work up a load as you would any other loading. Let us know what bullets you are using and how it goes.
 
depending on what SKS you have it may have a .311 bore. If it does you will have terrible accuracy with .308 bullets.
 
jak67429 said:
depending on what SKS you have it may have a .311 bore. If it does you will have terrible accuracy with .308 bullets.
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If his SKS does in fact have a true .311 bore, I would not hesitate to try .308 projectiles in it and expect accuracy to be on par with .311 projectiles. Now if his SKS's bore exceeds the standard .311 bore then all bets are off. But to say that .003" difference in projectile diameter is going to attribute to terrible accuracy when within the confines of a standard .311 bore diameter, is a little strong wording. There are plenty of people that are utilizing .308 bullets in their .311 bore 7.62x39 rifles.
 
If your AK is a .311 in bore then shooting heavy for caliber bullets shouldn't be much of a problem. In fact some guys do it all the time. However it is going to be plinking ammo and accuracy may or may not be affected so it's up to you. I say run em and dont expect much.

just make sure your post and results...lol.
 
There was a write up about using .308 projectiles in a 7.62x39 with a .311 bore here maybe ten years ago or so on this forum. The poster who did the tests concluded that with heavier projectiles there was hardly any difference in .308 and .311 diameter bullets. With lighter bullets - 110-125 grains, accuracy was noticeably off. I loaded a batch of 150 grain .308 diameter bullets for an SKS about that time just to see. I remember not being to tell much of a difference.
 
I’ve gotten a couple questions, so I’ll address them. Unfortunately, I don’t know a great deal about my particular SKS as far as origin. It’s in great condition and all the serial numbers match. It has a blade type bayonet and the grenade launcher attachment with sights. I was told it is Russian, but don’t know how to confirm that. My bore diameter is .310 on the dot. I went ahead and loaded up 20 of the .308 bullets based on load data I found on a Sierra 158 grain bullet. The bullets I’m using are Hornady FTX 160 grain. I’ll try them out tomorrow and post the results. Thanks for the replies everyone.
 
I'll be interested to read of your results.

I have two rifles in 7.62x39: a very nice SKS and a Ruger Mini-30 (with a .308 bore and long throat to allow for use of .311bullet diameter ammo). Without running downstairs to the reloading room, I can't remember what brand of dies I have for that caliber and for what bore diameter they're designed for...
 
My SKS is a norinco that I bought in the late 90's came warped in brown paper and totally covered in cosmoline. when my son wanted to take my SKS on his first deer hunt we tried several different factory hunting loads and none of them would group better than 5 inches at 100 yards. A friend and milserp collector told me that all american maid ammo used 308 dia bullets. but my rifle was probably 311 or 312. So I had a gunsmith slug the bore and it was actually 312. I found some Winchester hunting ammo that was supposed to be 311 and those held to about 2.5" at 100yrds. I now load a sierra 158gr 311 dia bullet for it.
 
jak67429 said:
depending on what SKS you have it may have a .311 bore. If it does you will have terrible accuracy with .308 bullets.
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Many, many folks have fired .308” bullets in .311” bores without “terrible accuracy.”

The SKS isn’t a precision platform in general, such I’ve not really seen much difference in shooting .308’s and .311’s in the past when I have doneso. I’ve heard the legends of poor accuracy, excessive fouling, even destructive flame cutting of the bore by using undersized .308” bullets - admittedly, I have not fired what I expect would be sufficiently enough to flame cut the barrel, but in the days I was doing so, fouling and poor accuracy were not symptoms I experienced.

My first Mini-30’s were .308” bores, and it was a challenge finding good bullets in .311” in those days, so I most frequently loaded .308” pills meant for the Mini’s, and used the same loads for my SKS’s. Not saying it’s a proper practice, rather simply sharing my experience.
 
troy fairweather said:
Most does will come with a 308 and 310/311 expander ball.
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My RCBS die set does have both a .308" and .311" expander as Troy guessed.

Unlike Varminterror, I think I have only fired .311" bullets through my SKS and .308" bullets through my Mini-30, only because 7.62x39 ammo was dirt cheap back in the day and I stocked up on FMJ and soft point ammo for the SKS when I bought it. I had my FFL then and I bought three very nice SKS rifles for $69 each. I sold two (for $99) and kept one.

I deer hunted with the Mini-30 using what I remember to be Federal hunting loads with .308" soft point bullets.
 
I reread the OP and realized I forgot to address the extremely heavy bullets in question. I’m certain there are folks out there who have loaded 150-160grn bullets in x39, although I am not one of them, so I expect you’ll be able to find load data, dubious as it may be. That is, naturally, assuming the ogive is short enough they could be loaded to SKS mag length without slipping past the end of the bearing surface.

If they were expensive, then someone will likely buy them from you, or trade.

Which bullets are they and how many do you have?
 
So I tried the first batch of 20 .308 diameter 160 Grain Hornady FTX bullets in my SKS yesterday at 100 yards from the shooting table. They all fed just fine from my 10 round fixed magazine. The groups I got weren't noticeably larger than my usual 123 grain FMJ brass cased ammo, but the point of impact was nearly 3" lower and slightly left. I used load data from a 158 grain Sierra bullet. I didn't get any gas blow by, no pressure signs (not that I expected any), and extraction and ejection worked perfectly. All in all, I would have to say they impressed me. I'm going to load up some more of them and increase the charge a little to see if I can improve the point of impact. I'm nowhere near the max charge so I have some room to play with as far as powder goes.
 
Varminterror said:
I reread the OP and realized I forgot to address the extremely heavy bullets in question. I’m certain there are folks out there who have loaded 150-160grn bullets in x39, although I am not one of them, so I expect you’ll be able to find load data, dubious as it may be. That is, naturally, assuming the ogive is short enough they could be loaded to SKS mag length without slipping past the end of the bearing surface.

If they were expensive, then someone will likely buy them from you, or trade.

Which bullets are they and how many do you have?
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When I was researching load data, I actually found a recipe for 174 grain 7.62x39. I was plenty surprised to find what I did at 158 grains, let alone 174.
 
Xcobra122 said:
When I was researching load data, I actually found a recipe for 174 grain 7.62x39. I was plenty surprised to find what I did at 158 grains, let alone 174.
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Would you let me know the source for the 174 grain - 7.62x39mm load? Currently I shoot a 150 grain (.313" bullet) in 7.62x39mm from a bolt action CZ. I get about 2250 fps without pressure indications. I'd like to try a 170 or so bullet, but am not ready to strike out on a guess.
 
Archie said:
Would you let me know the source for the 174 grain - 7.62x39mm load? Currently I shoot a 150 grain (.313" bullet) in 7.62x39mm from a bolt action CZ. I get about 2250 fps without pressure indications. I'd like to try a 170 or so bullet, but am not ready to strike out on a guess.
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I don't remember what the source was for the 174 grain, but accuratereloading.com has recipes for 7.62x39 going all the way up to I believe 240 grain projectiles.
 
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