Got me an SKS

[Oklahoma Rebel]

I got a sks yesterday, made in the norinco factory, it shoots good, and now I am ready to start getting the usual supplies together, mold, dies, etc. Does anyone know much about lee's 312-155-1r? I have plenty of lyman #2 to cast with, does the regular 30 cal gas check fit it? and is it any longer(when crimped in the crimp groove) than store bought ammo( Winchester,remington, or surplus ammo)? your knowledge would give me a great head start to this new endeavor! thanks, Travis

[ukrifleman]

Can't help you re-loading for the SKS, but I can tell you that regular .30 cal gas checks fit the .312/155gn Lee bullet ok.

I use this bullet in my Swiss k31.

ukrifleman

[Yodogsandman]

Be sure to slug that chamber and measure the throat for best results. I needed a mold that cast .314". The Lee 312-155-2R cast at .313" for me with COWW + 1 % Sn added. Your Lyman #2 alloy will cast larger diameter boolits.

The crimp groove length worked great, the mold was made for the 7.62x39.

I like two loads with that Lee boolit, 21.0gr Reloader 7 or 25.0 gr IMR 4895.

[fatelvis]

Does anyone know approx. what port pressure the SKS needs to cycle properly? Looking at Quickload, some potential good loads jumping out, but with differing chamber/port pressures. Thanks for the RL7 and 4895 recipes!

[bmanis]

My favorite cast load for my Norinco SKS is 12.8 grains of 2400 behind a Lyman 308291. I just run it through a .313 sizing die to lube and seat a gas check. I have no idea what port pressures it produces, but it cycles the action without slinging my brass into the next county. It also shoots "playing card" accuracy out to about 70 yards , which is about all I'm good for with its iron sights.

[GhostHawk]

My Yugo cycles fine with 20 grains of IMR 4895 under the .312 185 gr gas checked.

Old eyes and iron sights are not conducive to MOA accuracy. But it will put 10 in a row into a coke can at 50yards no sweat.

[shredder]

Hi Travis. I use that boolit in my sks with 16 grains of 2400. That was the amount that would cycle my rifle. It is a very accurate load and shoots far better than the surplus stuff out there. That boolit was designed (Harris) specifically for the 7.62x39 and will function through the mag and feed no problem crimped in the groove. Yes the .30 checks work on the shank of this one.
My only comment is that you will need to have someone watch you shoot so you can find your brass. My sks will throw them forward backward right left sometimes straight down on top of my head! I have even put out a tarp and only got about half of the brass. I have to say that the SKS is the most efficient brass scatterer I have ever encountered. Start at about 14 grains of 2400 and work up in .2 increments until the gun cycles reliably, or use 14 and run it like a manual bolt to save on the search effort! My problem was that accuracy did not arrive until the rifle cycled reliably at 16 grains.