7.62x39 cast bullet loads ?

[06lover]

i'm looking at hunting with a yugo sks and cast bullets (whitetails & hogs). the bullet i'll be using is a 140 grain, .313 diameter, gas checked, flat nose from beartooth bullets.
anyone have any recipes they'd care to share or any expereince (good or bad) with the bear tooth product ?
i'm targetting a muzzle velocity of roughly 2000 fps to start.

appreciate any feedback. thanks.

BTW, i find i have ~ a quarter inch of jump to the rifling because the magazine forces a too short overall cartridge length. i expect that will work against me accuracy wise.

 

[rcmodel]

Lyman #49 manual has a bunch of 130 grain LRN data that should work with your 140 grain bullets.
Just use the starting load data.

If it will feed LFP bullets it should work fine.

* Make sure you crimp to prevent bullet set-back.

*And make sure you use hard mil-spec primers like CCI #41 to prevent slam-fires.
http://www.cci-ammunition.com/products/primers/primers.aspx?id=30

IMO: Seating to the rifling, even if it were possible, will have absolutely no bearing on SKS inaccuracy.
Too many other factors working against you.
Fogadaboutit!
You have to crimp in the crimp groove.

rc

 

[Duckdog]

The Lee 2nd eddition has reduced load calculations for that caliber, and many others. I am using 19.5 gr of BL -C(2) powder with a 155 and 160 grain lead, gas checked bullet. I am getting about 1850 fps out of it with zero leading. This is an accurate load, but you must use a magnum primer in it, or you'll get hangfires. The mag primer eliminates that. The bullets are straight WW with a BH of 14, or there abouts. I would see no reason that you could not sub a 130 or 140 grain bullet in this load, as it is greatly reduced.

 

[06lover]

thanks everyone for the feedback !

 

[armoredman]

Nice to see more people are doing it, I am experimenting with cast loads in my vz-58...or WOULD be, if I could get to the range when the monsoons aren't flooding the path!
I have been using the Lee 160grain gas check bullet, and so far it does OK, would like to try a lighter grain bullet.

 

[armoredman]

160 grainers did quite well...

 

[06lover]

very glad you were able to get some time and dry weather
can you be more specific about what quite well means in terms of feed reliability, cycling the action, ejecting the empties, shooting distance, sight's used, group size(s), barrel leading, etc ?

 

[NuJudge]

See this thread:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=13453

 

[06lover]

Thanks

 

[Bluehawk]

Using heavy bullets like this in an SKS would tend to produce more recoil so I'm wondering if the bolt and carrier is slamming against the rear of the receiver? Certainly the recoil spring and guide were not made for a steady diet of heavier bullets than 125 grains.

 

[jcwit]

Heres the cast bullet load I use in my SKS.

Cast bullet from a Lyman mould No. 311359 - 115 grain w/gas check
18 grains of 4227

Works great, and accurate, at least as far as the rifle is.

 

[armoredman]

Hoping to get a 130 grain mould sometime soon. No, recoil from this bullet is not bad at all, no slamming.

 

[Bluehawk]

armored...I was referring to the 160 grain bullets and what damage they might incur. )

 

[06lover]

developed 1 load with hornady .312 150 grain spire points that shot into 2x2" inch cluster and one with sierra 150 grain sp, .311, that did 1x4" vertical string at 100 yds off the bench. both were 3 shot groups as i was looking for something worthwhile to build from. Now i need to work up more rounds of each and see which is most consistent over time.

all groups tested (about 40 so far) consistently shoot low and about 8 inches right which i will adjust once an acceptably accurate load is proven. If these jacketed loads don't prove out, i'll start looking more seriously at beartooth's .313, 140gr flat nose. Winchester brass, remington 9.2 large rifle primers, h322 powder. COL = 2.25, light/moderate crimp seems to hold the bullet well enough.

 

[06lover]

finally got to the range saturday. dismal results. nothing that shot well before shot well a second time. :banghead:

to top it off, one case head was ripped off and the body left in the chamber.

these are brand new winchester cases being fired for the first time. go figure !! am now waiting for a case extraction tool to be delivered. i love playing with this sks but it is the most frustrating rifle i've ever owned, so far.

satisfaction will be all the sweeter when i finally conquer this beast !

 

[SSN Vet]

hornady .312 150 grain spire points

I believe this bullet is intended for the .303 British cartridge.

I tried it in 7.62x39 and found that I had to seat it past the cannalure to clear the magazine on my converted Saiga. It had to be seated so deep that I was concerned I was actually out on on the ogive portion of the bullet.

I can't remember the loads I tried and don't have access to my notebook right now.... but I know I only tried one or two combinations and didn't have good results.

I'd love to learn of a load using this bullet in an AK clone if anyone out there has one.