Cast Bullet 7.62x39

[caperbound]

I see Lee sells a mould for the 7.62x39 but, unless I looked in the wrong place, I cannot find a suggested powder/load in the new lee reloading book for a cast 7.62x39. Question: Assuming you have the brass cases, is anyone successfully reloading these cases with cast bullets or do we need to reload with jacketed/soft points?

 

[Suputin]

I have loaded 7.62x39 down to subsonic with loads of different bullets.

There is probably no published load data but there is load data out there on the internets.

 

[michaelsabre]

On SKS? I say it won't cycle.

 

[Boolitcaster]

Before you buy the Lee mold, slug your barrel. Some SKS rifles have grooves as deep as .314. If you have one of the oversize bores, you could have leading using the Lee mold.

The Lee bullets are a gas check design and the photo of the bullet on the Lee site shows a bullet with a gas check installed. With a gas checks installed and the right powder, cast will shoot fine in a SKS.
Also, if your bore is over sized there are other molds that will work in the SKS.

 

[joebanana]

On SKS? I say it won't cycle.

I can't say if they work in an SKS but my XCR shoots cast just fine.
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=551919

 

[Andy]

Cast bullets work just fine in the SKS. The only loadings that usually won't cycle the action are low MV (i.e. low pressure and/or powder volume) loads - with either cast or jacketed. You can say the same thing with any semi-auto - M14, Garand, AG42B, etc. It's not the bullet, it's the load.

 

[caperbound]

Thanks fellas...I'll slug the barrel and maybe buy a mould. Worth playing with anyway.

 

[squirrelnuttz]

On SKS? I say it won't cycle.

And you would be wrong.I'm using Imr 3031 with a Lee 167gr. GC TL boolit in a Tula SKS.
Check out castboolits.gunloads.com

There is a an article I and many others find very informative on the subject.Entitled " Cast Bullet Loads for Military Rifles" by. C. E. Harris. Very good data here for many different cartridge combos, including 7.62x39 with the Lee cast boolits.Worth the time to read and reference.

 

[frykasj]

I get respectable groups in my Tula SKS (3" or so) using the Lee tumble-lubed bullet over a charge of BL-C(2), runs around 2000 fps and throws the brass 5 feet away. No leading or gas-port fouling, and it's real easy to find the brass afterwards!