7.62 x 39 Rifles other than...

[Okiecruffler]

Slightly OT, but

add the 7.62X54R to the mix and things get really weird. Half the time you don't know what your bore is until you slug it.

Now to get things back OT, what bore is the CZ, .308 or .311?

 

[Tamara]

Pretty sure that any 7.62x39 rifle you buy these days (especially one made in a former EastBloc nation) is gonna have a .311 tube.

 

[B27]

The CZ 527 has the proper .311 bore.
When American Rifleman did a review of these carbines they incorrectly reported them as being .308.
AR then proceeded to test the gun with ammo loaded with .308 bullets and pronounced them to be of mediocre accuracy.

Well, duh!

This is what a CZ 527 loaded with the proper diameter bullets can do at 100 meters-

http://www.fototime.com/B2821D142B30854/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/E2EE020BBE0421E/standard.jpg

My current favorite load is the Winchester Super-X 125 gr. softpoint.
Number X76239.
It has the proper .311 bullet and is quite accurate.

 

[PAC 762]

B27- What kind of accuracy are you getting with Wolf, or other surplus stuff?

 

[B27]

The only milsurp I have tried is some South African brass cased stuff that I bought a pantload of in sealed battlepacks years ago.
At 50 yards I got 3 shot groups of 1.7 inches.
Because of my atrociously bad eyes, this means the carbine is capable of considerably better at that range with that ammo.
Until or if I put a scope on it I will never know what it is truly capable of in my hands, rather than the tech firing the factory test target.
But it is such a sleek and trim package with just the iron sights on it that I am reluctant to bulk it up with optics.

 

[Digex2]

Is it ok to use steel-cased ammo (i.e. Wolf) on some of these fine rifles mentioned so far without worrying about damage?

 

[waynzwld]

Just for grins & giggles, I picked up a 7.62x39 Adams & Bennet close-out barrel from Midway and put it on a Savage 110.

I tried Silver Bear ammo, both their "match" and their hollow points and both sucked! Inconsistant velocity and grouping with them.

Wolf standard FMJ shot better, but had variations in velocity and groups, but it would at least look like a group, not a pattern.

I finally got to try some Barnaul in it and I felt much better. There are still variations in velocity, but now I can ger 3 out of five touching at point of aim, and another 2 touching about an inch below the the three. At least I know I can hit a 2-1/2" target at 100 most of the time, and it's not me, it's the ammo.

I will have to look for the Winchester ammo PAC762 reccomended and give it a try.

 

[fallingblock]

What about the trusty utility break-action single barrel?

http://www.eaacorp.com/firearms/rifles/sidebyside/izh18mh308t.shtml

 

[Domino]

B27?

B27, my father has a CZ 527 and he has had quite some difficulty finding ammunition that shoot's under 2". He has recently tried Sierra .303 bullets (I can't remember the weight but it was over 150g) that he has loaded into a 7.62X39 case and has finally achieved sub MOA accuracy. He believes this to be due to a longer space in the chamber resulting in poorer accuracy with shorter bullets. He has tried bedding the rifle with no results, only the longer bullets seem to help. QUESTION- Does your rifle shoot anything over 2"? Since he bought the rifle slightly used, he wonders if someone had tried it and found it useless for their requirements. This is a question regarding the consitancy of these rifles since I was considering one in .223. I really like the CZ's but I wonder if I'm not better off going with a Savage 10fp. Any advice would be great, thanks!

 

[B27]

Domino-
At 100 yards I would be very surprised if mine did LESS than 3 inches with the South African milsurp I have, and would be happy with 3.5 inches.

On the other hand I would be disappointed if it did a whole lot more than 2 inches at 100 yards with the Winchester X76239 load.

In any case, unless and until I put a scope on it I'll not know for a fact what it will do at 100 yards.

I have the factory 100 meter test target, and I have my own fifty yard groups, and from that all I can do is make a reasonable estimation of what it should be capable of.

 

[chevrofreak]

If H&R/NEF made one of their Handi-Rifles in 7.62x39, with a synthetic pistol grip/thumbhole stock and an integral scope mount, I would be all over it.


Cant decide if I would prefer the .308 barrel for accuracy potential, or the .311 barrel so I can be a cheapass and shoot Wolf through it.....

 

[BruceB]

Gents;

My Ruger 7.62x39 is a Model 77 bolt action which I bought specifically for use with cast bullets because of the reduced case-capacity. Its barrel slugs at .3105", tested several times to make sure. It is NOT the same as a couple of other Ruger 77s we have here in .30 caliber, which slug .3085" and .308" even, respectively (a .308 winchester and a .30-06). BTW, the 7.62x39 M77 shoots cast bullets very well indeed.

My experience with the .303 British spans five decades and MANY rifles. Their barrel dimensions vary all over the map, which is not surprising considering their manufacture spans at least seventy years and half-a-dozen countries, and throwing in some deadly-serious wartime emergencies as well.

It's not uncommon to find Lee Enfields with groove diameters as large as .315" or even more. The NOMINAL diameter at the top of the lands is supposed to be .303", but this also is a highly-variable figure. On top of all this, it's virtually impossible to accurately-measure a five-groove barrel without equipment that most of don't have.

To say that a .303 British has such-and-such a groove or bore diameter as if it were cast in stone is inaccurate, to say the least. Nominal dimensions are one thing, but what we find in individual rifles can be a LOOOOONG way from "the ideal". I still love 'em, though...wonderful pieces of history, and still great shooting entertainment.