load for the 312-185 lee and the sks

[Oklahoma Rebel]

I am looking for a good load for the lee 312-185 boolit in 7.62X39. I will be using reloader 7, but I also have imr4198. I am hunting hogs, so I am looking to get it moving pretty fast without getting into dangerous pressure levels thanks, Travis

[GhostHawk]

My Yugo SKS loves that bullet sized to .312 or a hair bigger and set as long as will still fit in the magazine with a little wiggle room. I shoot mine with a light load of 20 grains of IMR 4895 but I am sure you can find a load with those powders.

Just remember that big (as in 50% bigger than standard 124 gr boolits) does NOT need to go fast.

Anything from 1400 fps up to 1800 fps will give you good results with fewer problems and likely less leading.

Good luck and Enjoy.

[Oklahoma Rebel]

I figured 17 gr max for rel 7 and 15 for imr4198

[GhostHawk]

Looks to me just offhand like you figured right.

[Oklahoma Rebel]

ok thankyou, of course I am going to start at 15gr of rel7

[Oklahoma Rebel]

if anyone else has shot this boolit out of an sks, id love to hear your opinion too, I want to make sure I am still in the safe pressure range or that this load (17g rel7-312-185) hasn't shown signs of excessive pressure, I am going into town probably tomorrow to get the mold so I have time. thanks!

[fivefang]

O.R. it shoots well in my typ.56 Norinco, I use 24.0 gr. W.C.846 with a OAL to magazine feed, also Lyman #311291 with same loading/OAL, am experimenting with H.F. Red & Shake & Bake with both, Fivefang

[Oklahoma Rebel]

is wc846 slower or faster then rel 7 or imr 4198 and by how much, sorry for all the questions
ddont have a chart nearby

[Maven]

Will this help? https://www.google.com/search?q=smok...HQRLAs8QsAQIOQ

[Oklahoma Rebel]

well I thought I was missing it but I don't see it at all ( wc846) and I have looked at several

[Oklahoma Rebel]

id like to get the boolit going at least 1650, maybe 1700, I don't think that's unrealistic, but it might be, I just need help getting as close as safely and accurately possible, I have never had absolutely no written load info for a load I wanted to put together, usually I could do some math and get pretty close, not this time though,

[Thekid]

I just tried the lee 312-185 in 7.62x39 in my Yugo SKS loaded over IMR 4198. It seemed to shoot well. I didn't put it on paper but was able to hit a steel silhouette at 200 with boring consistency...

[Oklahoma Rebel]

how many grains?

[Oklahoma Rebel]

also I don't PC I just use conventional lube

[hutch18414]

I have been using that 20 grs of 4895 with that bullet in my Yugo. I really really like it. Haven't run it across the chronograph, but it does very well at 100yds, about a 2.5" group. And it cycles the action flawlessly. I can't say how it would work on the factory sight scale because I am using a little fixed 4x scope. If I was hunting hogs it would be my go to load. And hog hunting is one place an SKS really excels. Hunting hogs in Ga is what gave me a new appreciation for that weapon.

[Thekid]

Here is one of my complete rounds..

[RU shooter]

About 20 gr of 4895 was what I remember using with the heavier bullets in mine when I had it . Out shot the 155 bullet with just about every load I tried in it .

[hutch18414]

About 20 gr of 4895 was what I remember using with the heavier bullets in mine when I had it . Out shot the 155 bullet with just about every load I tried in it .

It is kind of funny, but I also am getting good accuracy with this load and a heavy for caliber bullet. The best it will do with Wolf 123gr hp ammo is about 3 1/2 to a 4" group. And I am getting about 2 1/2" average groups with the 185 gr bullets and 20 grs of 4895, go figure. Of course the SKS was never supposed to be a target rifle, and the trigger, even after a little work is still more minute of head than minute of angle.

[GhostHawk]

I wonder sometimes why the 7.62x39 ended up with such small bullets.

It seems like they offer a few (very few) in 150 gr soft tip hunting loads. But 95% of all ammo for it is 123/4 gr fmj.

Did the Russians originally use a larger bullet with this caliber and dropped to the small ones for weight considerations?

50 grains times 200 starts adding up.

For whatever reason, every SKS I have ever seen loves those big Lee 185's, and they seem to like them set as far forward as will still fit in the magazine with a smidge of wiggle room.

[hutch18414]

That's how I load them, too. I follow the advise that cast does better set right up to the barrel. With the SKS I am about .35 off because of the magazines. If I were willing to single shot it with tighter fit it would probably be more accurate, but then that isn't what I use the SKS for. And GhostHawk, thanks again for the tip on the load. Since I have tried it, I have never searched for another load for this rifle.