7.62x39 into 308

johndeeretimex

johndeeretimex

Regular
Rating - 100%
20   0   0
Location
Calgary Alberta Canada
So I found 7.62x39 sp 123g in my reloading table today and I don't have a rifle for that cal so I mesured the built and it measures the same as the 30 cal or 308 built that I have. Witch put a thought into my head, if doth builts measure the same in circumference should I not be able to use it for a 308? Has any ones done this before?

Thanks
 
7.62 x 39 uses a .311" bullet. not a .308" bullet. You measure the diameter, not the circumference. However, if you have a .308" 123, use the 125 grain Sierra SP data on Hodgdon's site. Two grains doesn't matter. It'll be a varmint bullet so don't even think about using it on anything bigger.
 
Judging by your question, I read it as you are a novice or fresh beginner to hand loading. My advice to you is to follow ONLY as dictated in the loading charts.

For your own future reference, 30cal class bullets are not all the same. Eastern European calibers measure from the outside of the groove, where North American calibers are measured from the inside of the groove. These bullets are not the same. Having a good quality set of calipers and understanding the measurements is a safety concern not to be overlooked.

No disrespect to yourself, but some things are not safe, such as what you are suggesting without understanding the proper methods and loading data.
 
a 311 bullet can be fired from a 308 barrel safely (but with more wear on the barrel). they do it all the time in the US because there isnt as many 311 barrel blanks and 308 barrel blanks are easy to come by.
on that note. i would never do it but ask a gun smith, it is safe.
 
If you pull a bunch of those .311 bullets you can use them in a 308 barrel. This has been standard practice for a long time.

The 303 Savage, for example, used 311 bullets in a 308 barrel, as did the Ruger mini-30.

I have a bolt action 7.62x39 rifle made with a 308 barrel.

Just use the same data you find in the book for 308 125 gr bullets. Start with the START load, and work up.

IMG_0618.jpg
 
Not really. Winchester, Remington and Federal still use .308 bullets in their 7.62x39 ammo.
Most milsurp I've miked is .309 and commercial runs from .308 to .310.
 
Last edited:
Actually most 7.62 by 39 have bave .319 bullets and they would should be fine from a 308 However I would hesitate to use the steel jacketed but with a light wash in a good barrel. I'm a Fudd .

Neil
 
Neilm said:
Actually most 7.62 by 39 have bave .319 bullets and they would should be fine from a 308 However I would hesitate to use the steel jacketed but with a light wash in a good barrel. I'm a Fudd .

Neil
Click to expand...

0.319" must have been a typo...

Tight bullets can spike pressure... .311's can be shot from a .308 bore but work up your loads and approach max loads carefully watching for pressure signs... just as not all bullets are the same, neither are barrels... one over sized bullet in a tight bore can be one too many... that's not good for the fella squeezing the trigger, "Stumpy..."
 
I use the .308 expander ball in my RCBS 7.62x39 die set and shoot 150 gr bulk Hornady .308 projectiles in my SKS all the time. There is tested load data for this for several Hodgdon powders. I personally would avoid shooting "over diameter" bullets until you are more experienced, and as another poster said, always use published load data, start "low" and work up, looking for pressure signs.

Hope this helps...
 
.....actually "some" of the surplus x39 that's came into canada measures out at .309-.310, and that's measured with a very nice caliper and then by a very nice micrometer.... Yes you can shoot em thru a .308.... I wouldent unless I was desperate.
 
I don't think you should be reloading... just my opinion
johndeeretimex said:
So I found 7.62x39 sp 123g in my reloading table today and I don't have a rifle for that cal so I mesured the built and it measures the same as the 30 cal or 308 built that I have. Witch put a thought into my head, if doth builts measure the same in circumference should I not be able to use it for a 308? Has any ones done this before?

Thanks
Click to expand...
 
I've heard of some surplus being .309" but he said they were soft points; that means commercial production. I've never heard of a 7.62x39 soft point that wasn't at least .310" if not .311". If that measures the same as a .308 bullet which in my experience tops out at .3085" (with a micrometer), then the calipers aren't close to good enough to use for this purpose.

I always measure bullet diameters with a micrometer. The error on a set of calipers is just too high for my liking. Some calipers are as bad as +/- .002" but the only ones I've come across that are that bad are a really bad set of Mastercraft ones from Canadian Tire. I have a second set of Mastercraft calipers that work decently well but even then that's my wood-working caliper since I still don't trust them. Most good machinists calipers will be correct to less than one thou. I still use a micrometer since bullet diameters are so critical to pressure and performance (especially for cast bullets) and my set is rated for +/- .0002" which gives me a lot more confidence.
 
bigedp51 said:
Ganderite that Remington 788 and Redfield scope dates you to some time after the last Ice Age and Noah's Ark. :evil:
Click to expand...

A heavy & stiff action (small cut out for a single stack mag), fast lock time, fixed power 20X scope with a fine cross hair and a heavy custom barrel. This was built specifically to test the various flavours of milsurp ammo.

Noah would be proud of me.

The OP was basically asking if it is ok to shoot 7.62x39 bullets in a 308 rifle. I said 'sure, just start with START and work up". This advice was not based on opinion or conjecture, but based on shooting a thousand rounds of full power 7.62x39 milsrup ammo in a 308 barrel. Actually, with custom barrel is .307", and even with the full power ammo, there is no sign of pressure.

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/776009-Range-Report-8-different-7-62x39
 
Last edited:
LUTNIT said:
I've heard of some surplus being .309" but he said they were soft points; that means commercial production. I've never heard of a 7.62x39 soft point that wasn't at least .310" if not .311".
Click to expand...

I have some MFS ammo in both soft point and FMJ, that measures .308". This is measured just ahead of the neck without breaking down the cartridge mind you, so they may be a little bigger further down the shank. Norc copper washed measured the same way measures .309-.310.
 
So after a week of being MIA I came back on here to hopefully get a good positive answer. thanks to some guys I did but than again there are always the the guys that say that I should not be reloading! so this is what I did before I even posted this thread! I took 10 bullets out of the 39 and measured them and I came up with a avrage of 0.310. so than with the eight years of reloading under my belt I said hey lets go back to the other 30 cal bullets I have and i went and mesured them out as well! so i came back with the hornady a-max 155 gr at a avrage of 0.310 so than i went over to my hornady interlock 150g and come back with a 0.309 and i did the same for the sierra game king 150 gr spitzer and came back with a avg of 0.310. now after doing this i posted up the thread and ask the question and waited for feed back. But I did stop there I went to two of the gun shops in town and asked for the best reloader on hand and asked again the same question before even checking up on this thread and doth shops say that if they are all the same diameter and you start at they low power count and work your way up slowly than all should be well till you find your best group. so to say that I should not be reloading might be a understatement. Thanks to the guys that had good feed back with a yes or a no and why
 
If you have a lot of of those pills and you're worried with all the conflicting info then just run them through a bullet sizing die. Just make sure to lube them up before running them through. Dunno if you can do it with steel core pills.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom