Anyone reload for their SKS?

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FLYBYU44

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Kind of stupid with all the surplus around. But I don't like using surplus mine. I have a 1951 Tula, unissued, unrefurbed, and unfired until I got it. Shoots like a dream, so deserves the good stuff. I'm going to hunt with it too, so want to load up some soft points. Where do you get brass and such from? What brand of primer's work best?
 
yes. I reload for mine.. hunting rounds.. take the steel case with the hard primer, pull the FMJ's and put in a proper bullet for hunting..

it's still corrosive so I have to clean it,, but I prefer the harder primers as the soft primers tended to have a bit dent in them when I closed the bolt.. I didn't want to worry about a slam fire due to the floating firing pin..
 
I reload for sks. I use 150 gr hornadys sp and 23 gr of IMR 4227. Shoots well and relatively cheap. Some people have problems with slam fires, but it all depends on proper primer setting in the case. Any way its the only way to get reliable and accurate ammo that is ok for hunting and indor plinking.
 
I've reloaded for 7.62x39 but mostly for my cz527. although they shoot better than surplus loads in an SKS, its not an inherently accurate rifle by design. The other problem with the SKS is that it is hard on damaging good reloadable brass.

In my opinion, its not worth the bother to reload 125gr soft points for X39 when you can purchase factory PVRI cartridges that shoot through a dime at 100 yards. However, as mentioned, a different story if you choose to shoot a heavier load than commercially available.


Do I reload for my SKS? No
 
This SKS shoots 2 MOA all day long, pretty good for a semi auto military rifle. That is with Barnaul ammo too, which is less than accurate in my experience. So that is why I want to try reloading. Doesn't bash the cases, but they are not brass too. Might have to try some Winchester ammo and see how it is.
 
I don't reload 7.62x39 but if I were to make hunting ammo for my SKS or make match ammo, I would buy surplus, pull the bullets, weigh the powder, make ever case powder weight exactly the same, press in a Hornady SST, then do a ladder test with the lowest weight to the highest weight I measured to find which one shoots the best. Then after that, just make every load exactly the same.

I once made the rookie mistake when I started hand loading for my .270. I found two loads 34 and 34.5gr of IMR 4064 both shot .50" in the ladder test so I loaded 40 rounds not caring if it was exactly 34 or 34.5. Well... It wasn't .50 anymore after that but then after inspecting the ladder test targets, I realized the group for 34gr was over here, and the 34.5gr group was over there..... It was still okay though. 1.5moa was fun for fast loading and there was still the occasional .50" group and a few 1.00". I've had no one to teach me how to reload so I've been learning this crap though trial and error.

2moa hey? Wow. My 5.56 Vz 58 with a scope is 2moa with federal eagle. I haven't yet tried to work up reloads for it but I plan to get .223 dies soon and try and find a load that will reduce it even further down to say like 1.5moa - 1.75moa.
 
I use 21gr of IMR 4198/150gr Sierra .311 as well as 25gr same powder and a 123gr SP. Twenty four grains of Win 748 and the 123gr SP is VG as well......Privi or Win brass and strangely more accurate with magnum primers..........Harold
 
I haven't shot either one of mine lately but I did work up some good cast loads a few years ago. Can't remember ( I do keep records) what powders. Bullet was definitely Lee 155 gr probably sized 312. I'm not a fan of gun cleaning and have never fired a single corrosive round through any of my military rifles over the past 35 yrs. I do remember my cast SKS loads shot as well as any jacketed loads I put together. No problems with function and/or leading either.
 
I reload for mine I have a good hunting load . With reloader 7 and hornady 123 softpoints . I have tried cast loads for mine but my lee molds cast to .3125 and my bore is .313 . They actually shot pretty good for being undersized . At the time I was using to fast of a powder and groups went to hell before I got enough powder to cycle the sks . I am working on lapping out the mold to cast .314 , between this and a slower powder I have high hopes for cast in the sks . Federal primers are supposed to be the most sensitive but I have used them in the sks with no slam fires . Surplus ammo is great but hand loading gives one so many options I can't imagine owning a centerfire rifle and not hand loading for it.
 
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