7.62x39 bullets in .303

kawicrash

kawicrash

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Has anyone tried using .311 123gr bullets meant for 7.62x39 in a .303 British?
They are a bit lighter than normal for the .303, so I wonder if they over-stabilize or have any other problems.
.303 bullets seem to be getting scarce, so I am looking for options. I have read about pulling 7.62x54R bullets for use in the .303 as well.
I'm just fun shooting, not hunting so bullet type doesn't really matter.
Thanks
 
FWIW, I use pulled 7.62x54R to reload x54R, .303, 7.7x58, and 7.65 Mauser. I get good results with all. You'll have to play with powders and weights at bit with the lighter bullets, but it should work fine.
 
I have been loading 303 Brit with Hornady 7.62 Cal .310 123gr Z-MAX (#3143) for a few months now. The Z-Max is the same as Hornady's 123gr SST only with a "Zombie Green" coloured tip. FYI: Bullet length is approx. 1.000" for stability calculations.
They shoot well in my 1917 No1MkIII* which has a reasonably good bore for its age. I use these for target only, have not done any hunting with them.
I am loading 50.0gr CFE223 with a COL of 2.900". WLR primer. Velocity approx. 2,900 fps. Excellent stability at a calculated SG = 3.39

PLEASE BE SAFE, don't trust my load data, work up your own!
 
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Don't use all the powder at all. You have no idea what it is.
123gr bullets meant for 7.62x39 are varmint bullets in a Lee-Enfield. As mentioned, slug your barrel first. There's 125 grain data on Hodgdon's site.
Hornady makes 123 grain .310" bullets. Sierra makes .311". And Speer's are .310".
 
I do both the 7.62x54r and 7.62x39 reloading for .303 British and 7.7x58 Japanese. With the pulled 7.62x39 the shots are dead on at 100m with my P14 and there is virtually no kick. Hardest part is actually pulling the damn bullet (I squeeze the shoulder with a set of needle nose pliers to break the seal then put it in my bullet hammer, and they usually come out in one or two strikes). The other really nice thing is that they are flat based bullets so they tend to preform better than most of the .311 bullets you buy on the market (as most of them are boat tail).
 
CanAm said:
pull bullets and dump powder in 303 case and seat bullet. great plinker load
Click to expand...
+1 to this method
The powder is unknown, yes, but in the much larger case it substantially reduces the pressure produced. Nearly all 7.62x39 is loaded with powder somewhat close to the burn rate of 4198 (it isn't actually H or IMR 4198 though).

I've also done 7.62x54R pulled but charged the cases with a known powder. Dumping the powder from a 7.62x54R case into a .303B is a really bad idea. Some guys have experimented with reducing the charge by 10-20% or so but I just put it in my powder disposal jar for Canada Day.

To break the lacquer seal on the bullets so they pull easier you can just seat the bullet a tiny bit further. I also reload 7.62x39 and 7.62x54R so I have the dies available. I seat the bullets a hair deeper which breaks the sealer and then they pull much easier with a kinetic hammer or any other method.
 
with 54r I start with the 303 case filled with half the 54r powder and work up to velocity

using a collet puller or the spring type, press mounted, will save your sanity.
 
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