Pulling FMJ's 7.62x39 - replace w/Soft points - How hard ??

[Ohio Rusty]

It seems impossible to find any 7.62x39 soft point loaded rounds anywhere. I have a few boxes of Wolf 7.62x39 FMJ rounds. How hard would it be to get a boolit puller and pull those FMJ's from the steel cases and reload a 125 or 130 grain soft point J-word boolt in it's place ?? I'm not even sure of the steps to do something like this or if it is even worth the trouble.
Ohio Rusty ><>

[DCM]

Any type of puller will work for this. One mounted in a press will make it easier to re-use original powder once you get the feel for it.

They do not pull that hard, the ones I did were sealed with what appeared to be a laquer but the bullets were not crimped.
V-max or Z-max bullets are/were available from Grafs. They expand like regular soft point J-words noe like what one would expect out of a V-Max type bullet.

[Ohio Rusty]

Mounted to a press means a collet type puller ??? I'm also assuming I'll need some dies to crimp the bullet back in place. Can a Lee rifle die put that kind of crimp on a steel case?
Ohio Rusty ><>

[ukrifleman]

I find the easiest way to pull bullets, is to place the cartridge in the bullet seating die and push the bullet further into the case about 0.020. This will break any seal between the bullet and case and a couple of hits with a kinetic bullet puller should be all that is needed.
I have used this method with milsurp ammo and it works every time.
ukrifleman.

[Balta]

Its not worth the trouble..you will see!

[zuke]

I did that in the past,and it worked nicely.

[Ed in North Texas]

Tula produces soft point, and it is made in both Silver and Brown Bear ammo. I haven't looked for Wolf, but I'd suspect they still make it. Problem right now is finding ANY 7.62x39mm ammo. If it appears on a retail website, it disappears in less than 24 hours. Of course I'm talking about buying it by the case off websites. One website I haunted finally came up with a load of Tula HP. I'd have rather had SP, but jumped on a case of the HP while there was any to be bought.

Eventually the panic buying will end (might depend on whether on-line sales are still legal, etc.) and your SP ammo will again be available.

Ed

[Ole]

Ed if you find bullets or buy a mold and just can't find any brass, I can send you some more of those IMI cases that I included with your rifle.

I have a nice sized stash of that IMI brass. I'm not looking to sell it just to sell it, but for a guy that just bought a rifle and otherwise can't find ammo, I'm willing to part with some.

[Fly]

Ole you sound like a great guy.I have no dog in this.Just read your post & think that's a great thing to do.


Fly

[Ole]

Ole you sound like a great guy.I have no dog in this.Just read your post & think that's a great thing to do.


Fly
Thanks for the kind words, Fly. I just want to hear how Ed likes his new rifle. :mrgreen:

[madsenshooter]

Breaking the seal and using a Quinetic Puller works good, I had some 30-06 that I'd put a super crimp in once and took them down that way. A reloader can find a lot of other uses for one of these pullers. And, I can say that the Hornady 123gr V-Max works pretty good at 7.62x39 velocities out of my Krag rifles.

[DCM]

Mounted to a press means a collet type puller ??? I'm also assuming I'll need some dies to crimp the bullet back in place. Can a Lee rifle die put that kind of crimp on a steel case?
Ohio Rusty ><>

Yes a collet type puller.
I have not tried the FCD on steel cases but I bet it would work.
I did not crimp the ones I did.

The kinetic puller will work also BUT it is much more difficult to re-use the powder versus the colet type which leaves the powder in the case if done properly.

[DCM]

I tried the FCD on the steel cases last night, it worked fine.

[Ed in North Texas]

Ed if you find bullets or buy a mold and just can't find any brass, I can send you some more of those IMI cases that I included with your rifle.

I have a nice sized stash of that IMI brass. I'm not looking to sell it just to sell it, but for a guy that just bought a rifle and otherwise can't find ammo, I'm willing to part with some.

Thanks Ole. As I told you in the PM, I'm a happy camper with the rifle. I've picked up a Tech Sight TS200 aperture rear for it, but haven't put it on yet.

Ed

[Multigunner]

Be absolutely sure that the hunting bullets you use are secure in the necks.
I have a few commercial 7.62x39 cartridges with the bullets jammed deep in the case, these were factory loads not reloads. These had been caught on the breech of either an SKS or more likely an AK that belonged to the person who gave these to me along with a sack full of ammo he no longer needed.

If fired these would generate excessive pressure and probably blow out a casehead.

I'll be pulling bullets from all the cases with that headstamp and using those cases only for cast boolit handloads which I'll be single loading.

[Combat Diver]

ED

I've got some Remington 123gr .311 JSP for my SKS that are accurate bullets. I loaded mine up with BL-C(2) and Hansen cases. You might want to be on the look out for these.


CD

[bruce drake]

In the past it was called Mexican Match ammo to highpower shooters who would go get 30-06 ball ammo from the CMP for the matches and they would then pull the bullet and replace it with a better quality match bullet to shoot for score.

I've never done it for a 7.62x39 but I have pulled the FMJs from some Russian 7.62x54 surplus and replaced them with Softpoints (Hornady 150gr .311 jacketed) for hunting loads in a Mosin-Nagant 1944 Carbine for my son. The primers are still corrosive and you have to make sure you clean it properly afterwards, but they worked!

Bruce

[DCM]

In the past it was called Mexican Match ammo to highpower shooters who would go get 30-06 ball ammo from the CMP for the matches and they would then pull the bullet and replace it with a better quality match bullet to shoot for score.
Bruce

We did it with certain lots of 7.62 also.
I was good enough to clean the 2 and usually the 3.

[leadman]

I recently bought an unfired Norinco SKS from the 80s' and was buying different ammo to test. I found the Cabela's Herters brand 154gr soft point was the most accurate in my gun. Velocity is a little over 2,000 fps.
UPS just delivered some more of this a couple of days ago from Cabela's. IIRC it is $6.99 a box of 20.
I did shoot some of my loads with Hornady 150gr .312" jacketed and the Lyman 311291 at .313" and 168grs that did not shoot any better than the Herters. The bore on my gun is large at .303"x 313".