Looking at reloading 7.62 x 39, is it worth it?

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762Ugh

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So I am thinking of buying an 858, but I shoot at an indoor range and they don't let me use the czech surplus due to the bullet's being steel jacketed. So I'll have to fire the retarded expensive stuff that costs over $1 a cartridge.

I'm thinking reloading might help make this more economical but looking around it seems reloading supplies for that caliber are hard to come by. Is it even possible to find supplies to reload the round and would it even be that much of a savings?

Also I'm pretty new to shooting myself so I don't think I'd do this right away. Luckily I have a friend that reloads and I'm waiting on my book order where I bought a basic book on reloading so I can figure out how it all works.

If anyone has any advice on reloading this caliber or a cost estimate on what the price per cartridge would be, it'd be much appreciated!
 
In addition to having a clad steel jacket, the bullet has a mild steel core. This is likely more of an issue that the jacket.
You could pull the issue bullet and seat a non-steel bearing bullet instead. Cost per round would increase by the cost of the bullet.
 
reloading will save you money compared to buying good rounds. It is however nowhere near as cheap as surplus ammo. My advice to you is to shoot the surplus in the bush! i do reload rounds for my Cz especially for hunting.
 
some outdoors ranges around the are here have banned the milsurp 7.62x39 for all kinds of lame excuses....
so it's not really an option. If i want to shoot x39, i have to reload which is cheaper than the factory stuff
 
Bucknkd said:
reloading will save you money compared to buying good rounds. It is however nowhere near as cheap as surplus ammo. My advice to you is to shoot the surplus in the bush! i do reload rounds for my Cz especially for hunting.
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This isn't bad advice, I do live in the city though. It might mean I end up going to visit my uncle more often since he lives in a small town surrounded by nothingness!

mardig88 said:
some outdoors ranges around the are here have banned the milsurp 7.62x39 for all kinds of lame excuses....
so it's not really an option. If i want to shoot x39, i have to reload which is cheaper than the factory stuff
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Any idea what it costs you? Also how did you find bullets, I've found that to be the hardest thing.
 
I shoot lead out of SKS. Accuracy is much better. That said finding a good source of reloadable brass is where the fun begins. If you were ste up for it shooting lead bullets at your indoor range would be the answer.

Take Care

Bob
 
Any idea what it costs you? Also how did you find bullets, I've found that to be the hardest thing.[/QUOTE]

step 1 buy a few boxes of prvi ammo, shoot the #### outta them and save brass
step 2 Buy some hornady 7.62 123 gr sp ( i got mine at wholesale sports)
step 3 Buy some powder and primers( i use imr 4198 and win primers)
 
I can supply you with a cheap reloading bullet. Either reload them completly or pull the bullets & replace them with these ones.
Berry’s 7.62X39 (.311) 110gr CMJRN $17.00/100

Regards, Henry
 
The Wild West Shooting Centre in West Edmonton Mall sells bags of Winchester 123gr soft points. 100 bullets is around 17 bucks. I use IMR 4198 powder and brass from Igman ammunition.
 
No. Its not worth it at all. I usually load to make a better cartridge. Loading won't be cheap like surplus rounds, but if you want to pay over half of the price of commercial loads and have a huge amount of time to waste, then go ahead. This question regularly comes up, but when they shoot like this, whats the point of reloading?


PVRI Partizans 125 grain soft points fired from CZ527 bolt action on a 3 point rest for 100 yards....

IMG_0406.jpg
 
Reloading for 7.62 x 39

762Ugh said:
So I am thinking of buying an 858, but I shoot at an indoor range and they don't let me use the czech surplus due to the bullet's being steel jacketed. So I'll have to fire the retarded expensive stuff that costs over $1 a cartridge.

I'm thinking reloading might help make this more economical but looking around it seems reloading supplies for that caliber are hard to come by. Is it even possible to find supplies to reload the round and would it even be that much of a savings?

Also I'm pretty new to shooting myself so I don't think I'd do this right away. Luckily I have a friend that reloads and I'm waiting on my book order where I bought a basic book on reloading so I can figure out how it all works.

If anyone has any advice on reloading this caliber or a cost estimate on what the price per cartridge would be, it'd be much appreciated!
Click to expand...

Brass is readily available. I have bought it on CGN in quantity and WSS has it from time to time. Bullets are even easier to find; Henry Nierchlyo and Mystic Precision come to mind. You can get fmj's for plinking or Vmax for predators or more accurate rounds. Hornady also makes a SP bullet for hunting that you can use. It costs me 26 cents a round using a Vmax bullet. That includes the cost of the powder, primer and bullet.

You can certainly improve on the accuracy of surplus ammo with reloads. Someone mentioned that it isn't worth the time as surplus is plentiful but what if it dries up? Reloaders don't care. Most reloads will outshoot most factory ammo. That particular cartridge is pretty straightforward to reload following any reputable reloading manual.

Fiddler, those are nice groups you have happening there. I see it is from a bolt gun however the OP is using a semi. I think reloads will be more productive in a semi.

Then there is the whole issue of cleaning out the residue from corrosive ammo. Does the time used reloading cancel out the cleaning sessions? I just clean my rifle the usual way. Also I like to reload because I can ensure uniformity and consistency so it doesn't seem like time wasted.

Below is a group I shot recently with a 7.62 x 39 AR build. 5 shots at 100 m with IMR 4198. That makes it worth reloading to me.


762x39Group.jpg


AR76239.jpg
 
I have several SKS's and a Remington 799 in x39mm. I shoot surplus ammo in the SKS's, and when I want to hunt with them, I just pull the FMJ and replace with soft points. I do this mostly because the SKS's tned to throw the cases away and, while not a problem at the range, they can be hard to find in the field after shooting a deer. I hate losing brass!!
However, in my 799, I load my own 150gn SP bullets and can shoot them to under 7/8". My SKS's will shoot to 2MOA, so I use them for the close-in shots. They will even shoot the 150gn bullets if you remove a couple of grains of powder from each case.
 
I load 150gr Sierra ,311 in my son's SKS and at 50 yards it rips one ragged hole.Better for deer.Harold
 
could some of those hand-loader tools be used, ether homemade or factory, to seat the bulllet in those czech steel surplus case's, instead of getting a reloader setup with the proper dies?
 
762UGU Shooting lead boolits should be ok at your range. You can load them for galery purposes at around 1100 fps or as I do at around 1800 fps.

Take Care

Bob
 
At the range I shoot through a cardboard box with empties hitting the inside and falling on the bench to collect for reloading ............have a type 56 blade bayo SKS
 
I load for my M77 Ruger M2 in 7.62x39 using Sierra 125 spitzers,(#2120) Winchester brass, Win LR primers and IMR 4198. My reason was accuracy, not cost savings. With surplus ammo, I shot 3-4" groups at 100 yards from a rest. With my handloads, I can easily get 1" and often .75". Note that Rugers have 308 barrels. I have not tried 311 bullets other than surplus.
 
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