Anyone make 7.62x39 insert for .303 British?

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Northman999

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Hey fellows, any of you smiths know if someone makes, or would make, a 7.62x39 insert for one of my Lee Enfields?

With the growing popularity of the 7,62x39 cartridge, and plenty of Enfields out there, this might be the best way to get an inexpensive 7.62x39 bolt gun. And if someone was to make a run of them they just might sell well, as cheap mil-surp 303 ammo is pretty much all gone, but 7.62x39 is still out there. I could see quite a few people wanting one for plinking with the cheaper ammo, or hunting coyotes or whatever.
 
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Check out www.mcace.com but I don't think you can do the 7.62x39 in a .303 british chamber with an adapter because of the rimless case in the rimmed chamber. The diameter of the body of the 7.62x39 is about the diameter of the body of the .303 so you would have to use a locktited chamber insert to shorten the chamber , this can be done with 7.62x39 in .308 and .30-06 chambers. But even if you shorten the chamber you may have problems extracting the spent cartridge. For a lot more info Goto http://members.shaw.ca/cronhelm/762Page.html
 
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Chamber inserts rarely work properly. You'd have the same issues trying to get an Enfield to work with a 7.62 x 39 that are raised when converting one to shoot .308 Win. Magazine, bolthead, extractor/ejector. While anything is possible with enough time and money, this one would cost a fortune. Be cheaper to have a custom barrel made and you'd still have a single shot.
"...shooting a .308 bullet..." Right. Except that Warsaw Pact milsurp 7.62 x 39 ammo doesn't use a .308" bullet. It uses a .311" bullet. Only American made commercial ammo does.
"...The body of the 7.62x39 is about the size of the body of the .303..." The whole 7.62 x 39 round with a bullet is shorter than the .303 cartridge alone. 2.193" for the whole round vs just the .303Brit. case 2.212".
 
BEARMAN said:
Check out www.mcace.com but I don't think you can do the 7.62x39 in a .303 british chamber with an adapter because of the rimless case in the rimmed chamber. The diameter of the body of the 7.62x39 is about the diameter of the body of the .303 so you would have to use a locktited chamber insert to shorten the chamber , this can be done with 7.62x39 in .308 and .30-06 chambers. But even if you shorten the chamber you may have problems extracting the spent cartridge. For a lot more info Goto http://members.shaw.ca/cronhelm/762Page.html
Click to expand...

Thanks Bearman, they did not have 7.62x39 to .303 listed, but they did have adapters to go to 308 win and 30-06, which I thought was wierd considering the 7.62x39 shoots a .311 bullet and not a .308 bullet. Anyways, I sent them an email to see. Seems like they do custom jobs..

Thanks for the info everyone. I did suspect that other components like extractors and mag may be difficult, but looking at the chamber had to be done first I think. Any more ideas, keep them coming!
 
Just set back your lee enfield barrel by .700" and rechamber to 7.62x39 Rus. I have a long branch that I did this to. The .303 extractor works fine. At the moment my rifle is a single shot. I have a Romanian single stack mag. but have not had time to fit it to make the rifle a repeater. My rifle shoots 2'-3'' groups at 100yds. from the bench rest using unknown military ammo.
 
I do the exact same thing as canAm does and surprisingly not that bad of accuracy. The only thing you are out besides your time is the cost of a new primer for the .303 round. Most of the 7.62x39 surplus rounds are lacquered into the case and so you will be pounding enough to build a home trying to get the bullet out of the case with an inertia type hammer thing. Just run the round up into a seating die with just enough pressure to push the bullet into the case a few thou. , just enough to break the seal and then is no problem pulling the bullet with an inertia hammer or a collet bullet puller.
 
How about neck sizing the .303 case to .308 :eek:

Then you can use all the entire .308 surplus and match bullets available.

In my early years with the DCRA and ORA, I was doing this before Sierra brought out their Match .303 round. I spoke to fellow from the British NRA. They had also been doing this for years.

2,4 and 6 groove barrels all work exc.

Back in the early 90's I spoke with a Sierra Ballistician at Camp Perry.
Sierra was in the process of developing their Match .303 ,because of the large influx of surplus
.303's that where making their way to the U.S.A.
We talked for hours about the wonders of neck sizing .303 to .308

I would not use any WW1 era rifles, just WW2 No1 mk3's and No4 mk1,2,5
 
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Bruno Gross (Bullseye Shooters Supply - Fairview AB) sold me one years ago.
the 7.62x39 from it gives the same groups as .303 brit, just a tad lower at 100 metres.
Load the 7.62x39 into the insert, chamber the loaded insert, close the bolt, shoot, eject, use a rod to remove the 7.62x39 case from the adapter, do it again.

I also use a hammond game getter in 45/70 in a 45/70 to 577/450 addapter and it works well as well....
 
I've had an Ace converter... shot great and was very accurate for about 100 to 200rds... then it became to over sized to rechamber any more. Would be good as a survival tool but is limited in it's life span.
 
CanAm said:
I just pull the bullets on surplus X39 ammo and load them and the powder into a 303 case. Make for cheap shooting.
Click to expand...

Jeeze, the last time we suggested that, you'd have thought that we were suggesting filling the cases with bullseye and seating 215 grain bullets.

I guess in the past couple of years, since our dicks haven't fallen off, everyone else will try it too.
 
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