chambering a 7.62 or .308 bolt action to fit a 7.62x39 round?

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dealwithit

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hey all, so i've been on the lookout for a bolt rifle in 7.62x39. someone brought up the idea of inserting a chamber spacer into a bigger 7.62 or .308 caliber bolt action rifle, maybe even something abit newer looking, as in something synthetic etc. anyone have any ideas on this? im not looking for something long range, just something fun and cheap to shoot, and the more guns i have on 1 round the easier it is to stock ammo. i think i might start getting some .223 guns as well, being so many different styles of rifles shoot that, and its a reasonably cheap rifle round with good speed. anyways, any thoughts or suggestions are welcome :) thanks

ken
 
Despite both having "7.62" in the name, the 7.62x39 is a different bullet diameter, so the barrels won't interchange. The 7.62x39 round has a 7.92mm diameter bullet, if memory serves (0.310 - 0.311, vs the 0.308 for the 7.62x51).

Welcome to the wonderful world of cartridge / chambering nomenclature.
 
x39 uses .311" bullets .308 win uses .308" proababy cause some funny pressure issues and may affect accuracy

probably be better off using a barrell for .303 brit

there are factory offerings in bolt action 7.62x39
 
I'm currently waiting on an .308 Mauser, and will be slapping a chamber adapter into it for 7.62x39.

Yes..there will a .003 "crush"...

I had this intent a few years ago with a PH in 30-06...ended up with the wrong chamber adapter (.308 not 30-06). Subsequently got a Norinco in 7.62x39, sold the PH. Now am looking forward to pursuing this...
 
dealwithit, I was of the same mindset a couple of years ago. I thought about a chamber adaptor for my Lee Enfield, but the prospect of bullet jump and the subsequent inaccuracies didn't turn my crank. Then I read that chamber adaptors don't stand up too well, but then you can read all kinds of things on the internet.

Except for the fact a Norinco JW 103 only comes in wood, that gun may fit your bill.
 
mkrainc said:
dealwithit, I was of the same mindset a couple of years ago. I thought about a chamber adaptor for my Lee Enfield, but the prospect of bullet jump and the subsequent inaccuracies didn't turn my crank. Then I read that chamber adaptors don't stand up too well, but then you can read all kinds of things on the internet.

Except for the fact a Norinco JW 103 only comes in wood, that gun may fit your bill.
Click to expand...

What insert/chamber adapter did you have in mind for your .303??

Chamber adapters don't stand up well...ESP in semi's. Originally came about to convert 30-06 Garands to 7.62x51. Turns out, a semi can eject brass with adapter stuck to it, "chamber" next round with shooter being un-aware...then quite a few "funky" lookin' brass ejected, or failure.

S'pose the same could happen in bolt action too...watch what you eject!
 
i use adaptors in .303 and 7.62x54r for .32 acp,.32S&W and yes even 7.62x25(i have one of each for both cals) i do also have a x25 to x39 adapter works on in the sks but it turns it into a straight pull bolt action unless you buy that really hot stuff

the S&W round out of a rifle has lower noise then a high vol .22 lr

never seen a adpter to use a rifle round in a gun

there is the little ones you locktite in ive seen one of the to use 7.62x39 in .308 or .30-06 and the .308 to .30-06 i dont know if id trust them to stay in place
 
camster said:
What insert/chamber adapter did you have in mind for your .303??

Chamber adapters don't stand up well...ESP in semi's. Originally came about to convert 30-06 Garands to 7.62x51. Turns out, a semi can eject brass with adapter stuck to it, "chamber" next round with shooter being un-aware...then quite a few "funky" lookin' brass ejected, or failure.

S'pose the same could happen in bolt action too...watch what you eject!
Click to expand...

nope, the idea came out long before that- the savage 99 or 1899 has an adaptor to fit a 32acp to a 300 or 30/30 , amongst others- it was caled either a marples or marbles cartridge converter and dates back to turn of the century
 
I converted a 308 to a 7.62x39. Works like a charm.

I used a Remington 788. The first thing that has to be done is to cut off the chamber end of the 308, since the 7.62 x39 is smaller in diameter. This can't be done to the factory barrel because after the chamber is cut off the remaining barrel diameter is too small to be threaded.

So I took an old match barrel that had a long shank and cut the chamber off. This was chambered to 7.62x39 with a long throat to accomodate 155 gr bullets. A Sako extractor was installed.

I changed the magazine to 22-250 and it holds and feed 3 rounds just fine. The barrel was cut to 20" so that velocities are more like the SKS, 858, etc.

Accuracy with milsurp ammo is just fine. Handloads are better. No pressure problems with the 308 barrel.

sksammotest9.jpg


sksvM94groups5.jpg
 
camster said:
What insert/chamber adapter did you have in mind for your .303?
Click to expand...

I was still searching for an insert, when I realized another solution was more to my liking. I studied up on rechambering the Lee Enfield.

It was surprisingly easy, as I own the tools to do the job. All I needed to buy was the reamer.

After it was tested and the bugs worked out, I purchased a synthetic ATI stock, bedded the action and put a scope on it. I have posted the results on its performance on other recent threads, but to save you some searching, I'll review here.

After load testing and reading different suggestions for powders, this one likes Lapua brass, CCI primers, 123 gr. V-Max with 24.5 grains of Reloader 7. (I love CGN)

That netted me a one inch four shot group at 100 yards. The group was that large because I pulled one shot, otherwise it would have been a half inch.

The rifle itself works flawlessly. It was what I was after in a 7.62x39 in the first place. Now I'm contemplating selling some of the other x39s I bought while searching for my holy grail.

As a side note, I didn't ruin a restorable relic. This rifle was pooched when I got it. Someone had taken a drill to the chamber. The barrel was cocked about half a degree to the right, off line with the action. In .303 form, the brass was ruined and for the life of me, I couldn't get it to sight in.
 
Hmmm I really like what you did with that remi 788, that's exactly what I'm looking to do. Shooting 7.62x25 would really be cool too, that's an even cheaper round, once I get a tok I'll look more into that. Hmmm I did see a local old .303 Brit for sale, rounds were pricey tho so I didn't bother, would make something good to butcher and practice with tho?
 
The Rem788 project was built by JP, a CNN member. The purpose of the rifle was to calibrate the ammo, because I wanted to make my SKS and 858s shoots as good as possible, but I knew a rifle does not shoot any better than the ammo you feed it. With the 788 I can figure out how good the ammo is, so I can figure out how much room for improvement there is the other rifles.

I have started to develop pure handloads for it. I just got some H322 for it and will see what it can do. I expect to see 5 shot groups around 0.5". The limiting factor might be the 12X scope.
 
that would really be impressive numbers for a 7.62x39 round. i wonder about doing a savage axis? would it be possible to remove the barrel, cut off the chamber, and rebore a new chamber in it to the new size casing? obviously it would have to be refitted to the gun, but wondering if its possible? thanks everyone for your insight :)
 
dealwithit said:
Hmmm I really like what you did with that remi 788, that's exactly what I'm looking to do. Shooting 7.62x25 would really be cool too, that's an even cheaper round, once I get a tok I'll look more into that. Hmmm I did see a local old .303 Brit for sale, rounds were pricey tho so I didn't bother, would make something good to butcher and practice with tho?
Click to expand...

do not and i mean do not cut up a surplus rifle unless its soo far gone(bubbaed) thats theres no point to restore it

.303 can be had loaded for about $1 a round for soft point i reload and do necksizing only this saves brass (i also have a little trick but i dont have pics right not and thats a oring infront of the rim this keeps the case on the bolt face after that neck size and it headspaces on the shoulder) my adapters for the .303 work quite well for the indoor handgun range

for guns in 7.62x54r ive taken some steel casings fired in those guns and cleaned them to get rid of the corrosive salts in the case then drill them out to use .209 shotgun primers then i charge with a small amount of shotgun powder(red dot) i put some polyfill on top to keep the powder on the primer and use a lead round ball that will just fit into the bore(it should ingrave the rifling just a bit) cover it with white lithium grease(could be any grease even petrouleum jelly) stick this into the case and then you cant shoot. the round ball will pick up a slower twist because it just ingraves the rifling the grease acts some what like a sabot something i found in a older finish write up these back then where used in the mosin to hunt small game
 
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The Italian Solution to the 7.62x39 Rifle.

A $75 Cooey Carcano can be rebarreled easily using a decent .303 British barrel. The barrel I used was already cut but the bore was good. A loaded cartridge was dropped into the chamber to act as a "rough" guide on how much to cut off the back end of the barrel and a bit more was added to this dimension for the cut.

A small steel block, about 1/8 inth thick with a rounded edge on the back, was inletted into the wood stock at the front of the magazine to act as an extension to the feed ramp, otherwise the cartridges are too short and jam. With the block, it lets the cartridges feed into the chamber. It does not interfere with the magazine platform that pushes the cartridges up. The bolt head already has the right size for the 7.62x39.

A brass bushing was turned in the lathe to make a "steady" that fit over the reamer extension, and the rifle was chambered by hand with very little effort, as the front of the .303 chamber is very close to 7.62x39 dimensions.

So this is my "walking around" rifle. Light, short, and will take a deer if needed. Surprisingly, the double set triggers work very well with about a 3 pound trigger pull when not set, and a very light trigger pull when set.
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