Finally got around to loading up some x25

[jdgabbard]

Well I finally got around to loading up some of the special boolit I had cut for the 7.62x25. Haven't taken it out yet, but plan on it this week or next. It's a 90gr mold that drops at about .3115-.3120 and is a RNFP. 50rds loaded over 5.0gr of RedDot. Should put it close to 1200fps, which is a conservative load in my opinion. We'll see how she shoots in the CZ-52 and then work up from there....
71104
71105

[TheGrimReaper]

Funny you should post this! I too was working on some Tok rounds this weekend with a few pieces of the brass that I have. Spent a little time last night trying to make .223 brass into Tok brass. It is a PITA!!!

[bkbville]

I just had x25 dies and some 30 Mauser brass show up today - couldn't find TOK brass so I settled.
I have some of Hornady 86gn SP and plan to load those, along with (I'm hoping they work) some 100gn Lee's.

[khmer6]

I have been waiting to find some time to cast for my Tok! Got some dies for it a while back, but as time permits. Nice look boolits tho. I'll be running a Lee 311

[jdgabbard]

Thanks. Like I posted above. I designed the boolit, and had it cut. Needed something that would keep the lube in the neck, but still meet the 90g weight and a good nose profile. Came up with this design, which has yet to be tested, and decided I'd jump. We'll get this thing going this weekend, and I'll report back.

[Coldfinger]

I've tried both of Lee's 311 molds (93 grain and 100grain) in my Yugo M57. My bore measures .312" and was a hair too big for sized (.311") bootlits and leading became a problem as I worked the loads upward so the pistol would cycle. I tried using unsized bootlits but then I had trouble with rounds not fully chambering if the throat got dirty with any powder residue. I went to using Hornady 90 grain XTPs and Remington 32 cal (71 grains) and have not looked back. But I may have to see if I can get those cast bootlits to work, you can make so many bootlits with just a little lead.

CF

[jdgabbard]

Yeah, a lot of people have had problems with rounds chambering because of the tight chambers. I think it is a matter of finding the right boolit, hardness, lube, and neck thickness to get the job done, as with any bottlenecked case. Best of luck to you. I hope this works out good enough for the intended purpose.

[khmer6]

I was thinking of using cut down 223 brass, but the added thickness of the cast boolits and brass, it would never chamber

[jdgabbard]

Gotta turn the necks, or ream them.

[JHeath]

Gotta turn the necks, or ream them.

Or both. I am not the OP but working on the same project. Looks I have to:

1) Form cases
2) trim cases
3) anneal cases to get the brass at the neck/shoulder joint to respond to the following steps
4) expand w/.308 plug
5) ream to .311

And I am not sure the reaming will be enough to allow the case neck to chamber w/ .313 boolits. I might need to outside-turn them as well.

I started to outside-turn some cases, but discovered the .311 pilot would not pass the un-annealed neck/shoulder joint because the brass there rebounded after a pass with an .311 M expander. It seems to rebound with a .311 reamer also.

I stalled at annealing the cases but will get back to it. Must be careful annealing such short cases because overheating could anneal the case body too close to the heads.

[9.3X62AL]

Folks--Starline Brass makes 7.62 x 25 and 30 Mauser brass, and unlike other calibers has the stuff in stock. Just sayin'.

JD, would you mind sharing the info on who cut the mould for you? THAT is an intriguing design, sir--and I have 4 pistols that could make use of these castings.

I've had good luck with the Lee 311-100 RN sized at .312" in my Tok and .310" in my CZ-52 and Broomhandle. I roll-crimp them moderately into the middle drive band between the lube grooves, and things stay together for the ride up the feedramps.

[khmer6]

Starline does make brass. My plan was to sell 223 brass and buy some. Are they in stock now? When I checked in Feb it said out of stock No backorder indefinitely. I still have surplus ammo, but eventually will sell it or start loading for it

[dtknowles]

I trimmed the .223's a little long, outside neck turned them before forming and trim to final length. I turned them down to well past the base of the shoulder. I messed with making cases for my CZ-52 before I bought a bunch of surplus ammo, and also got my hands on a couple hundred boxer brass. I only did a handful to see if I could make them work if needed. One could lap the neck area of the chamber to open it up a little if your bore is on the large size.

Tim

[JHeath]

[QUOTE=9.3X62AL;2228434]Folks--Starline Brass makes 7.62 x 25 and 30 Mauser brass, and unlike other calibers has the stuff in stock. Just sayin'.

Yeah, I know. My plan was to make cases with longer necks out of 5.56 brass, and lengthen/widen the chamber neck with a .340" reamer. The cartridge will end up as a 7.7 x 28. I think the ejection port etc. will handle that. I might have to file back the ejector lug a little, but Toks are notorious for hurling brass into orbit anyway so that should help (if it works at all!). My first reamer purchase turned out to be defective: marked .340 but measures .327. I ran the defective reamer too deeply into a barrel before discovering why a dummy cartridge still would not chamber, and probably ruined the throat. Bought a replacement barrel, which turned out to be hard-chromed, etc. All of which only proves the greatness of the project.

But "9.3x62AL", you are still right, because Starline makes 9mm Win Mag brass that would be ideal for my 7.7 x 28 project. It's the right length, not over-thick, and the case head is exactly the right size (unlike the 5.56). I would not have to anneal. It would save a lot of work.

But meanwhile I adopted this mislabeled merle puppy I thought was an Aussie Shepherd mix. Turns out he's a dang Catahoula and more work than the Tokarev project for now . . .

[9.3X62AL]

My first brass for the caliber (c. 1990) was reformed & trimmed 9mm Win Mag brass. I still have some of the 500 pieces I processed. A longer neck would be a real benefit for this caliber in terms of bullet stability & retention.

[WRideout]

I have been loading for my Romanian Tok the past few months. I tried Blue Dot, but a load that will get it to function still leaves piles of unburned powder behind. At this point, I am using the Lee 100 gr as cast WW, straight Alox Lube, WW factory brass, WW sp primers and 5.7 gr Unique ( a lee 0.7 cc dipper full.) In my gun, it will handle up to 6 gr Unique, probably more, but I'm only killing paper, so who cares?

This is my first foray into loading for autoloaders. One thing I noticed: this gun is not fussy about OAL, but is very finicky about diam of the neck. I have to be sure I don't roll crimp even a little too much. If the necks are a bit tight, it will jam on feeding. I am using the Lee dies marked Tok/Luger/Mauser. Still working on converting .223 to Tok. Yes I am a certified cheapskate.

Wayne

[9.3X62AL]

My Tokarev variant is a ChiCom Type 54, and its chamber neck is a little tight with the .311" boolits that fit its throat and grooves. I reamed case necks on one lot of brass to accomodate its quirk, and things ran well afterward. The C-96 Broomhandle and CZ-52 didn't need this kink.

Working from memory here......I snagged a Lyman #311419 a few years back. This is essentially a shortened Lyman #311316, a 92 grain flatnose gas check design. Intended for the 32-20 rifle as a high-velocity boolit, I had doubts about its lube capacity for rifle-length barrels--but it seemed near-perfect for the 1500-1750 FPS loadings possible in the CZ-52. Yeah, buddy! Accurate, flat-shooting, devastating on small varmints, and as loud as a 30 Carbine Blackhawk. Delightful.

[JHeath]

Why not hand-ream the chamber neck once, instead of reaming/turning necks 1000 times? Nominal Tok chamber necks dimension is .337". Auto valve guide reamers, and "chucking reamers" are available in .340".

I will probably have to ream both chamber and cases when using formed 5.56 cases and .313 boolits, because the brass is so thick. The advantage is I can create a longer case neck and chamber to match. I started this a while back but it's been sitting on my bench, derailed by a couple of easily-surmountable hitches.

[9.3X62AL]

That is always an option. I may get around2it one of these days. The neck reaming was more about making the pistol reliable than anything else, and did prove what the problem was. The Tok and CZ-52 only get 2-3 range trips per year, and get a varmint trip once in a while as well. The 30 Mauser/7.62 x 25 is a superb varmint caliber, as is the 30 Luger. The 30 Luger gets a bit more use lately, this in a Ruger P-89X. The 30 Luger swap barrel combined with the stiffer 9mm recoil spring enables some very flat-shooting performance with both jacketed and cast boolits. Single-best powder overall with these 30 caliber critters has been AA-7. I read from an unrecalled source that AA-7's formulation was specifically developed in Czechoslovakia as a fuel for the 7.62 x 25 cartridge. Given the powder's stable performance and decent accuracy, I have no trouble believing that.

[Coldfinger]

AA7 left a lot of residue behind in the chamber of my tok reloads and caused a lot of jams and headaches. Is this a pressure issue with this powder? I think I tried with cast and jacketed, accuracy was good until a round got stuck. I started at the lower end for a charge and worked upward, but with little success. That little ball powder gets everywhere. I never made to the upper end of the recommended loads for AA7, just went back to Unique. But I`m willing to give it a try again because it seems to be a popular powder for the 7.62x25.