Pull down .308 bullets for reloading the 7.62X39?

[Russel Nash]

Hi all,

There is a place in St. Louis called Hi-Tech Ammo. They sell pull down bullets from military 5.56 and 7.62X51 NATO military ammo.

Has anyone else here used surplus pull down 147 grain .308 bullets to reload for 7.62X39Russian?

I have an AR (15?), a DPMS Sportical, chambered in 7.62X39. I have been shooting American Eagle brass cased ammo through it. Those bullets caliper out at .308, instead of the usual .310 or .311.

Thanks!

[m.chalmers]

E-mail DPMS to see what the bore is. Some AR's use .308 that is why they have issues with the cheap surplus .311. Also, 147g may suck in an AR ie: mag length and barrel twist. E-mail them.

[gew98]

The M80 ball bullets are too long in OAL and the cannelure cannot be used withthe 7,62x39 brass unless you single load rounds. If you seat the bullet deeper into the case to get the x39 loaded round OAL your bullet will fall into the case as the ogive will be tapered at that juncture.

[Russel Nash]

well, poop!

I was hoping to try reloading the 7.62X39 Russian round on the cheap.

Arghhh.....


I had called DPMS once before and they did say it was a .308 bore. and upon closer inspection, IIRC, the barrel is actually stamped .308.

I can see what you mean about the ogive starting so soon after the crimping cannelure.

http://picturearchive.gunauction.com/238455/9969100/acf44ff.jpg

[Russel Nash]

while in the process of looking for cheap .308 j-word bullets in the 123 grain weight range, I stumbled across this article:

http://demigodllc.com/articles/7.62x39-improving-the-military-standard/?p=1

I thought it was good reading.

well, off to look some more.

[Russel Nash]

I found these:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/337808/sierra-pro-hunter-bullets-30-caliber-308-diameter-125-grain-spitzer-box-of-100

but at 24 cents each. :shock:

so far the imported brass cased stuff (which had bullets caliper'ed at .308") don't run worth a darn.

I have shot some steel cased stuff, again caliper'ing the bullets first to make sure they were .308, and that imported steel cased stuff didn't run either.

So far American Eagle (made by Federal) brass cased ammo makes this gun run like a top.

[Russel Nash]

I am looking at one dealer's website.

I can get the Speer 125 grain TNT bullets for $85 per 500.

Hmmn...???

[BruceB]

I agree that the .308/M80 150-grain bullets are ill-suited for the 7.62x39. This is mostly due to diameter, rather than length. (My SKS handled 211284 nicely....a VERY long bullet which needed deep-seating.

HOWEVER! Keep am occasional eye on the website called www.polygunbags.com

because they often have the REAL 123-grain .311/.312 pulled jacketed bullets from 7.62x39 factory loads. They don't have them listed right now, but watch the site as it's often updated.

It's an interesting site and well-worth frequent visits. It's been on my "Favorites" list for a long time.

[Russel Nash]

Thanks Bruce for chiming in!

My AR, according to DPMS's website, has a .308 bore.

Look at it this way....if you're some American based company making rifle barrels and supplying them to other American based businesses, cost-wise you'e better off making a line of .308 barrel blanks, then later on, you decide which chamber cutting or reaming tools to use to make a .308 Winchester or a 7.62X39Russian barrel.

Instead of having the boring or rifling equipment around to make .310 or .311 bores.

Then the rifle manufacturer just puts out a warning to NOT shooter foreign made (steel cased?) ammo in it which is most likely .310 or .311 in diameter.

[BruceB]

Very interesting. The Ruger Mini-30 will accept foreign-made military ammo; I know this because I owned one, and tried it. The bore diameter was .310, as i recall now.

If your rifle is in fact bored STRICTLY for .308 bullets, rather than some "compromise" diameter, then I would not rule out the 150s too quickly. If it was my rifle, I'd cautiously try some loads with the 150 in spite of their length. It's only an additional 25 grains, and they just might work.

In a bolt-action 7.62x39, I went all the way up to 311284, which is WELL above 200 grains. Pressures were fine, and it would really come down to whether or not the gas-port pressure in your rifle would be workable. I'd certainly get some commercial 150s and see how they run. I strongly suspect there's a workable solution there.

[stana]

I have been happy with "Hi tech", both powder and bullets. I've used their pull down 30 cal 150's with success in my yugo sks. In fact most of the jacketed bullets that I shoot thru the sks are .308. Your sizing die and expanding plug must size the neck down enough to properly hold the bullet. (the only problem I had). I was surprised at how well the yugo liked cast RCBS 150 gr FN.
Stan

[cdet69]

I thought the Rugers were all 308 bore diameter? I know people used both types of ammo with no problem. There was an article in the RCBS manual that showed the 7.62x39 could use both sizes of bullets with no major problems.

[Wots]

I dont know if this is a good price but this .310 works well in my AK

http://www.goldenwestbrass.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=9

500 pcs 7.62x39mm (310 Diameter) 150 Grain Full Metal Jacket
List Price: $110.00
Our Price: $105.00
Sale Price: $90.00
You Save $20.00

That is if they ever get it back in stock...................................

[Baron von Trollwhack]

I built a 7.62/39 AR with an Oly barrel a long time ago. It had a .310 barrel. I used a couple of thousand .308 commercial and pulldown military bullets in it and they shot very well. As well as the .3105 barnauls, and . 311 US commercial bullets. I found IMR 4198 , AA 1680, and AA 2200 to be excellent powders. With care in headspace control I used WLR primers without a problem. One of the few rifles I regret letting go. And a deer slayer too. That corrosive YUGO brass cased ammo in crates was superb.

BvT

[Artful]

http://www.wideners.com/itemview.cfm?dir=278|281|1081|1162

[Russel Nash]

thank you sir!

I will keep those in mind.

I am thinking I will call DPMS, and hopefully get somebody of a more technical position, to tell me fore sure about the bore size.