Encore Barrel in 7.62X39

[pistolman44]

I plan on getting another 15" barrel for my Encore so I was thinking about a rifle caliber that I could cast for. A 7.62X39 using .309 cast lead GC. Can anyone here suggest a twist rate and would 165gr boolits be too heavy for this short case. Also could this caliber take deer out to about 150 yds?

[stubshaft]

Just use the standard 1 in 10 twist. It is very similar ballistically to the 30 Herret which HAS been used to take Deer at 200+yds.

[jh45gun]

If it was me I would just get a 30/30 barrel. Brass is easier to get in 30/30 since most of the cases in 7.62x39 are the milsurp steel cases. I also suspect the 30/30 case is more bullet friendly as far as a variety of weights compared to the shorter case. I suggest the 30/30 because both have been compared as the same in performance by some but I think the thurty thurty gets the nod over the Russian round.

[Larry Gibson]

pistolman44

I plan on getting another 15" barrel for my Encore so I was thinking about a rifle caliber that I could cast for. A 7.62X39 using .309 cast lead GC. Can anyone here suggest a twist rate and would 165gr boolits be too heavy for this short case.

I would suggest a twist not faster that 12" and preferebly a 14" twist. This will adequately stabilize cast bullets up through 175 gr. With the 15" barrel cast bullets of 150 gr (the RCBS 30-150-FN is a good one) up through the Lyman 311041 at 170 - 175 gr should work out well.

Also could this caliber take deer out to about 150 yds?

Yes

I would suggest, if you want a cast bullet cartridge of about that case capacity, you look more closely at the 30-30. It has a longer neck which is more conducive to cast bullet use, especially for hunting as most cast bullets can be seated with all the lube grooves inside the neck without the base of the bullet being down into the boiler room or outside the neck to collect dirt. Same twists apply.

Larry Gibson

[softpoint]

I had a .308 factory TC barrel in the 15" It shot everything i put in it pretty well.

[part_timer]

I have one of the bbls from fox ridge. I haven't had a chance to shoot lead through it yet but have shot it with jacketed 150fp and I've been happy with it. They put a break on it to get it to 16 1/4" so it can be used as a rifle as well.

[stubshaft]

I would have to humbly disagree with Mr. Gibson about the rate of twist. When the Contenders first came out in 30 cal they were 1 in 14". The prevailing theory at that time was to get as much velocity out of the Herret and 30/30. Scores of Silhouette shooters (myself included) got dismal accuracy when shooting the "outside" targets. Consequently T/C offered to replace those barrels with the faster 1 in 10" twist that they now chamber ALL of their 30 caliber cartridges with at no charge.

[mcskipper]

Picked up An Encore W/ 7.62x39 brrl @ a gun show a month back.
Both RCBS & Lyman make a 115 Gr. Mould that should be good for this caliber.

All my casting is geared toward hunting.
I will be casting these in Lino to get the speed up.

If I was buying new like you and wonted to stay in that power range I'd get a 30-30
30 Herrett or 357 Herrett. All has 30-30 as parent brass.

I have hunted for years w/ 30 Cal. & 35 Cal. handguns.
The 30-30 & 30 Herrett are EZ on the hand. Using 170 Gr. FPGC, water droped.
Knock the deer down O.K.

30-06 200 Gr. RNGC is better at knock down.
35 Whelen 280 Gr. RNGC is the best BUT VERY HARD TO SHOOT!!!!!!!!! (Hard on the hand)

[BIG GUN]

I had Bullberry build me one with a 12" barrel yers ago for a Contender. Due to the case taper, it set back on fireing and I broke a couple extractors.
I ended up tapping fired cases out with a cleaning rod. It has been resting in a gun case now for a lot of years. Buy a 30/30 barrel!

[OBXPilgrim]

Well, again not an Encore, but I have a HandiRifle in 7.62x39. 165gr cast should work fine.

I've used a 311407 group buy boolit (this one:http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...ghlight=311407) that B747 Honcho'd (sketch in post #13), pushed with H4895 up to 1800fps. It's a 1-10" twist. It's a very accurate rifle, but, the short neck is a pain. I sent my rifle to H&R and originally wanted a 30-30, but it was going to be months before they made more & they had 7.62x39 in stock. The 7.62x39 is rare now - they have an issue with misfiring due to deep seated primers/short firing pin protrusion in the Handi's and lots of them got confiscated by H&R when they came in for repairs. That's probably not an issue with an Encore.

Mine's taken deer just fine at 80 yards, and wouldn't hesitate at 150.

[leadman]

I've shot cast in my Yugo SKS 7.69X39 and in my Contender 21" 30-30.

The 30-30 is much more cast friendly. I also have a 14" Contender barrel in 30-30 Ackley Improved that does very well with cast. Neck is shorter but still long enough.