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Thread: Saiga 7.62x39 poor accuracy with reloads

  1. #21
    Boolit Man
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
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    93
    Quote Originally Posted by popper View Post
    You can use H2O as a sizing lube but BLL works so much better. Any liquid wax will do and VERY little is needed. I use about 6 drops of BLL for 50-60 bullets. Drops, not drips.
    Wow, a lot of good info from everyone, thanks!

    Popper, are you suggesting I lube my PC'd boolits with Ben's before sizing, or are you suggesting I don't bother with powder coat? I have one component coming in the mail, then I will have what I need to make Ben's lube.

  2. #22
    Boolit Bub Kevins750's Avatar
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    Feb 2017
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    I use the lee 160tl in my x39 AR with 16" barrel, JP adjustable gas block using AA2230(AA1680 for jacketed). I think around 19gr cycles the rifle. don't really have a speed or any accuracy reports. soft shooting plinking rounds that hit everything between 50-100 yards.
    I shoot them as water dropped with a check and also PC and size to .311 w/gc . both lubed with alox mixed with trans fluid.

  3. #23
    Boolit Grand Master popper's Avatar
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    Jun 2011
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    BLL after PC, reduces friction I do shoot some just BLL 2 coats, only GC bullets.
    Whatever!

  4. #24
    Boolit Master 35 Whelen's Avatar
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    Feb 2006
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    North Central Texas
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    It's been a while since I had my Saiga, but it shot just about everything well. I have a bazillion rounds of factory ammunition, and never did get around to trying cast. But I did piddle with jacketed bullets and found Re-7 to be about the best powder for me.

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    I sold it and bought an AKM247 to which I mounted a Tech Sight aperture sight (helps with the old eyes). I don't recall from which reference I got the load pictured, but it is .5 to 1.0 over max in some references. Works fine in my rifle, but start low and work your way up.

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    As soon as my M1 Carbine fetish passes, I'd like to try some cast in the AKM.

    35W
    The biggest waste of time is arguing with the fool and fanatic who doesn't care about truth or reality, but only the victory of his beliefs and illusions.
    There are people who, for all the evidence presented to them, do not have the ability to understand.

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  5. #25
    Boolit Man
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    Nov 2013
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    Hey guys, sorry I disappeared for a while, life got in the way. So, I finally had the time to try 23, 24 and 25 grains of H4895 in both my Saiga and NPAP with the Hornady 150 grain soft points. Same results: NPAP shoots 4-5" higher than Wolf 123 grain ammo and Saiga shoots about 4" low and 6" to the right of the factory ammo.

    I guess hoping to find similar point of impact for different weight bullets is a no-go with these two rifles, and maybe many others? I suppose it is a bit unrealistic to hope for that.

    Not sure what I am going to do at this point, considering my molds cast 155-160 grains and I have ~350 Hornady soft points. I still have plenty of Wolf left too.

    What do you guys do? Just stick with similar weight bullets for rifles of the same caliber? Or, do you constantly re-zero when you change bullet weights? I suppose I could do just that...but I'd have to count and record how many revolutions my sight tools make when I change up.

  6. #26
    Boolit Grand Master popper's Avatar
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    Jun 2011
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    Anyway, with Lyman #2 alloy, my boolits come out .314"! As I had mentioned above, my rifles' groove diameters are both .310". I powder coat instead of lube, making my boolits about .315" +/- 0.001"

    Question: I have noticed when sizing my boolits with my Lee .311 sizer (it actually sizes to .310"), it takes the powder coat completely off the driving bands. SIZING LUBE WILL HELP

    Will that contribute to leading of the barrel? And, would that affect accuracy? YES and YES

    I do have a .314" sizer, but that is .004" larger than my groove diameter, so I figured it is too big.... MIGHT TRY A 50/50 ALLOY TO GET SMALLER BULLETS
    Antimony and mould temp determine bullet cast diameter so less and hotter might get you something that doesn't need sizing. Then you could use a normal lube so the bullet dia doesn't change much. With PC, try sizing before PC .311, and NOT after.
    Often different weight bullets at different fps will hit at a different place - so yea, pretty much adjust the scope or 'eye ball' compensate. So group size is more important in tweaking a load than where the group hits.
    Whatever!

  7. #27
    Boolit Master

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    Sep 2010
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    Varying the size by changing the alloy works, period. Powder coating can also adjust the size and can be regulated to attain a consistent thickness. I used to ESPC and I got the layers too thick. Once I switched to ASBBPC I learned to meter the amount of powder using Lee powder scoops in the bowl for consistency.

    One of the members here has the pezio pressure testing equipment, and gradually brought the diameter of the boolit to 4 thousandths over size without pressure spikes. Once the boolit got to a certain size, accuracy fell off likely due to the base being deformed by too much squeezing down in the bore.

    I used a Lee C312-155 2R in 300 BO, 308 WIN, and 30-06. They were not sized, but were tumble lubed with 50-50 Alox and mineral spirits. They shot fine. When I ESPC coated the boolits, they were tight in the chamber. I purchased a NOE C309-150 3R SP which worked great in all of the above rifles. Recently, I was gifted a 7.65x53 Argentine Mauser and the C312-155 2R should work fine in that Mauser. I will be doing some ladder loads soon, taking my portable gear to the range. I was also gifted some dies for the caliber by a member here, his only request was that I 'pay it forward.'

    I put 2 sets of dies in 'swapping and selling' and the ad was taken down because I didn't list a price. It was supposed to be more of swap than a sell. I will find the right section to offer up those dies to someone in need as we all know equipment is hard to come by, and all I will ask is that the next guy(s) 'pay it forward.' You have to love the members here, nicest people on the net.
    Common sense Gun Safety . . .

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check