7.7x58 from 30/06

[skneub]

Anyone here done this ?
I also read that you can pull the bullets from 7.62x54r and load them for this cartridge.

Since i bought a Type 99 i am gonna want to shoot it.
as I am waiting for the rifle to get to me , i have not cast it (yet)

I also bought a set of lee dies , am I going to need more than these to move the neck back ?

I know I need to shorten the 30/06 brass and assume i will have to heat the neck aria up to soften it.
Also bought a case lenght set (lee)

 

[sunray]

Bullets from or for .303 Brit will do too. Speer and Sierra make .311" bullets. Hornady makes .312".
There's how-to here for using .30-06. Lot easier to get than 7mm Mauser. No W's.
lagniappeslair.########.ca/2011/11/how-to-make-your-own-77-jap-rifle-ammo.html

 

[LUTNIT]

I've converted 30-06 to 8x57mm. The neck was bumped down far enough that it was too thick near the bottom and had issues chambering sometimes. I had to get a neck turning tool from Brownells to turn all the necks down to a uniform thickness. It didn't happen with all the cases and didn't seem dependant on manufacturer either.

Milsurp bores can vary quite a bit. If it's a late war rifle it may have a real oddball bore but if it's earlier it could be more consistent. I'd slug the bore to determine groove diameter and try to find bullets to match. It might be a .310" or .311" bore or could possibly be a .314" or larger. You run into the same issues with Lee Enfields and even late war Mausers; pretty much any milsurp. Most of my pulled 7.62x54R bullets have been .311" and they work in only 1 of the 3 303B rifles I've owned. The other two had bores around .316" (huge!) and anything under .312" would tumble at almost any velocity.

 

[Old Ranger]

I have "created" 7.7 Jap from both 3006 and 8x57. Just ran them full length into Lee full length 7.7 die. 3006 will need to be trimmed. 8mm is a little short but worked fine. My 99 is early war production with nice bore. Mum is ground.dust cover and A/C sight wings long gone. I bought it to enjoy as a shooter. Never tried jacketed bullets but had good success with Lyman 311299 sized 314 over 4198, 2400 and 5744. Well built rifle and fun to shoot. Attracts some attention at the range as good shooting examples are not all that common in my area.

 

[bjmurata]

Tradex has 7.7X58 Jap. brass listed on their website if you decide to go the new brass route.But it is an easy conversion from 30-06 brass if you have a whack of it laying around.

 

[skneub]

Tradex has 7.7X58 Jap. brass listed on their website if you decide to go the new brass route.But it is an easy conversion from 30-06 brass if you have a whack of it laying around.

I do
We hunt with it , and I picked up plenty to reload
Also have a mosin , so it seems like a win win to me.

Worst case i wreck a few trying my hand at it lol.

Very excited to get this gun , it shipped today.

Also aware that i need to examine it .
just incase it is a late war production rifle that was not properly hardened

Thank you all for the very helpfull info