need load data for 7.62x39

[bingo]

Ordered a mold from lee,7.62x39 155 gr. My Lymans book does not have that weight.Please help with load data.Boolit is gas check. Been reading a lot on the site as a refresher. Wow what a great place. Want to thank everyone for all the helpful info. I hope to be able to share my knowledge also.

Bingo

[Ole]

Here's a good place to start:

http://www.akfiles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44016

I have used 18-19 grains of WW680 in my Norinco SKS rifle and it worked for me. I have also used 16 grains of IMR4227 and that was safe as well. I'm trying different loads now that I have yet to shoot, because I ran out of the discontinued WW680.

I loaded up some using AA2015, and some using Alliant 2400.

[Leftoverdj]

Bingo, as a rough guide, data for 150 grain jacketed works fine for the 155 grain cast. You might stay a grain under book max from sheer caution, but you can't really get enough rifle powder in that case to be dangerous. You can get too much of the slow pistol powders in, so avoid stuff like 2400, 4227, and H-110 unless you have good data. I do use 16 grains of AA-9 with that bullet.

[Ole]

Also-

If you cast with good tempo and water quench, you can actually mix your WW lead with pure soft if you are trying to conserve your WW lead.

I don't have a tester, but I water dropped some bullets and asked a friend to test them. The 3/1 WW/lead were BHN 19 a day later. The 1/1 WW/lead bullets were 16 a day later.

16 BHN should be plenty hard for this bullet if it fits your barrel well.

[JIMinPHX]

You would think that since Lee makes a pair of molds specifically for that caliber that my Lee book would have loading data for it, but no such luck.

15 grains of 2400 is the only charge that I have ever tried in one of those. It gave me about 1800fps & no trouble.

[bingo]

Thanks for all the imfo.Cant wait for my mold to come, casting some boolits, loading a few diff recipies, and killing some paper.

This site is addicting. Keep it up.

Bingo

[snaggdit]

I have been working on loading the Lee 155gr for my SKS. I was using H4895 so I dug up the following info on the forum. But now I am going to try the pull down 4198 I have so I guess it is back to the search function. Anyway, to save you some time this is what I have compiled so far. Can't swear by any of the info, though.


7.62x39 loading with H4895

H4895 worked great in 7.62x39. I tried up to 25.0gr, but 24.0 shot best.

Tried the Group buy 311407 (180 gr checked & lubed) seated out to 2.220" and it worked great. My chrony says it's doing 1880 fps out of my 22" Handi Rifle, but I wonder about that chrony sometimes - just seemed too high.

And yes, the GC sticks into the case - but I couldn't tell it caused a problem.

I myself load IMR 4895 @ 22. gr to cycle my Yugo (with the gas cutoff valve open) and there is a mod you can do for the gas system to lower the force of ejection. I use the lee 155gr and 180 gr both with GC.
My charts only list H4895 and for a 7.62x39 150gr jacketed calls for 27gr of H4895. For 30-06 155 gr jacketed calls for 47 gr H4895.

There really IS a difference, and I think that is ironic.
Hodgdon started out selling surplus bulk IMR4895 and made a market for it.
IMR was a big manufacturing company and started selling canister IMR4895 to the public,

Decades go by and Hodgdon buys out IMR.

But now H4895 is faster than IMR4895.
I put in 2.5 % less powder for H4895.
That is ~1 to 1.5 gr less powder in a 30-06.

[Regarding post of 160gr tumble Lube Lee mould sized at .311] Shot from a Ruger 77 in 7.62x39 , 22 grains of Alliant's Reloader 7 makes honest and repeatable 1 inch groups at 100 yards. I've been meaning to try IMR-4895 because I have quite a bit of it. I've read, but not tried, that a full case of 4895 (up to the base of the boolit) works well- somewhere around 26 grains. Supposedly, the burning rate and bulk of that powder make it impossible to put too much in the case and cause pressure problems.

today I shot the bullets I cast 3 weeks ago, and holy cow what a surpise, I'm using a ideal 311415, wieghed in at 172 grains gas checked, with liqiuid alox, and IMR 4895, boy was i surprised to find 5 shots in bound at 50 yards with open military sites.
I stared out with IMR4895 and as a starting point used 25 grains of powder, and had to hand cycle the action, bumped it up to 26 grains and the action closed on all 5 empty cases causing nasty gouges and cuts on the brass, bumped it up to27 grains and action started to function right and drop brass on the bench right by my hand, it printed roughly 5", then bumped it up to 28 grains funtioned great dumped brass off table ablout a foot from tble (table is 2feet wide and I take half),group size shrunk to roughly to 3-4", then 29 grains smooth running and load tightened to 1", wow I'm excited,then 30 grains same powder,one ragged hole, and I'm totaly excited, I did not want to go to work, loaded 31 grains and she opened up to 2" well I guess I found my guns sweet spot, by the why I was using the info from a sticky that was posted 02-19-07 by c.e.harris, also loaed 2400 and got board with hand cycling acon on my china sks, was using win brass, win srp's it was fun.

Here's how I modify the gas tube for less violent ejection with standard ammo. With loads using the Lee 312-155 or the GB WFN 150 gr bullet and 4895 the cases are ejected out about like an M1/M14.

Joe, in the next few days I'll try some 7.62x39 rounds with the fat 311041 group buy we had a few months back. RTL they weigh 181 grs. As cast, nose = .302"; bands = .312". I'll use LLA and push-through size them .311". I'll use 23 grs surplus 4895 and should get around 1685 fps.

My Yugo SKS 7.62x39 has a 1 - 9.5 twist.

I'm just starting into the cast bullet deal and would like to find a starting load using H4895 and a National 155 grain bullet. Bullet is moulded on the NEI design
and is 18 on the Brinell scale according to National bullet co. Rifle is a Yugo sks
scout scoped until bullet testing is completed. Any help with this is greatly appreciated.

25 grs of H4855 or surplus 4895 is a good starting load. I ended up at 26.5 grs. Buckshot I believe stuffs more then that in his different brass then mine. But anyways start at 25 and go from there. H335 is good also and it's cousin surplus 844. I started at 23 grs with the surplus 844. Both these powders mentioned will move that 155 right along. By the way Buckshot and I used the Lee 312-155 so results should be close. We've also used lighter and heavier bullets. If you type 7.62x39 and/or Yugo SKS in the search you will pull up some of the old threads with loads.

762x39 10 grains unique
308 14 grains unique
30-06 15 grains unique

I have been shooting my 7.62x39 with 175 to 220 grain bullets using 6.2 grains of Red Dot for years. I load the bullets backwards to take up case volume and drill out the primer holes to 9/64ths. Velocity is around 1040fps. 1.5" groups at 100 yards. Good out to 250 yards. No recoil. Sounds like a 22 LR. It is a fun round. Devastating on coyotes.

The Lee 312 155 is made specifically for this round. I have and shoot it out of my Yugo to the tune of 2 inch groups at 100 yards at 2300 fps. Feeds and cycles great and can't ask for more accuracy then that from that type of firearm and issue sights.

You can shoot just about all 30 caliber cast bullets from them, alot of us have for example shot the Lyman 311284 and the Lyman 314299 which both are long heavy bullets.

My load for the Lee though is 23 grs of surplus 844 and 25 grs of surplus 4895.

I said a couple days ago I use a 165gn NEI but I never gave a load.I finaly went and dug out the load card from about 10 years ago. I think on the NEI chart it is # 74 and says 7.62x39. It says 155gn x.311 but as all my NEI molds do it runs a bit heavier and over at 165 x .313" Yup the card is dated 9/29/95 and the load
case - WW
boolit - NEI 165 @BHN-20
primer - CCI #200
powder - 22gn AA # 2230
This load shot as good as the gun would. I also had a Ruger 77 7.62x39 at the time and it shot this load very well.