reloading 7.62x39 to feed a VZ-58

[AbHobbyist]

Hello all!!

I see a VZ-58 in my future and as such am looking for advice on how to feed this beast hand loads. Yes I know there is surplus (not as much as there used to be), but I would like to see what good hand loads could do as well.

I am an avid hand loader, and load for rifle, pistol, and shotgun. However, I have never loaded for an autoloading rifle.

From those of you with experience, can you tell me if small base dies would be an asset/required.

I have sourced bullets and brass. Now I am looking for dies and powders to yous.

I thank you in advance for your time, and look forward to your responses.

Regards and all the best

R

 

[CanAm]

Make sure you use military primers as well. Civilian primers are too soft for semi auto military guns and will lead to slam fires and worse.

 

[prosper]

^ awww pssshaw. They said the same thing of my sks, but federal large rifle worked fine

RL-7 and H335 (or the surplus WC-735) are probably your best bets. Hornady XTP 85gr .312 '32 cal' bullets are good rodent getters, and the 125gr SP and 154gr SP .310/.311's are reasonable deer bullets.

I just used cheap Lee dies - I'm not exactly loading for accuracy here. I seated to the cannelure and crimped w/the 'factory crimp' die. They all worked fine. Standard load development rules apply of course, but I used 27gr of RL7 & 125 grainers with no problems in my Yugo

Don't expect anything better than ~2400 fps with the 125's though

 

[willwagspal]

Vz

I handload for nearly every calibre and gauge gun I have but I gave up on reloading for my VZ 858 simply because the gun sprays the empties everywhere and since the range where I am shooting it is grass covered I ended up only finding about 50% of my spent brass.

Because boxer primed 7.62x39 ammo is so much more expensive than berdan primed it rapidly becomes uneconomical to shoot boxer ammo unless you are at a range where the empties are easy to find.

I now use Wolf steel cased ammo which I find to be quite accurate anyway. Also, while there are a few optics setups being developed (some by board members), unless you have one I don't know how much benefit you will derive from handloading if you have to use iron sights.

 

[prosper]

True, rigging up some sort of brass catcher bag would save you a headache or two

 

[AbHobbyist]

Gentelmen:

I thank you ever so much for you imput!!

Canam:

I have already lined up some CCI LR primers. Of all the civilian available component primers, they are the hardest, designed for use in progressive presses.

However, If you would like to help, please track down some more inexpensive 7.62x39 russian, and then I can avoid the problem willwagspal pointed out!! LOL!! (Just a joke!!)

I am looking at using the 123 grain .312 encapsulated bullet offered by Canadian BDX, and hope the brass I find will accomidate large rifle primers.

Prosper:

I have chatted with Andrew @ higginson about the surplus WC-735, hoever at this time he only had data for 223. If you have used it and would like to share it, that would be great. PM me if you would like to discuss this privately.

Thanks agian gentlemen, and please keep the ideas coming.

reagards and all the best

R

 

[prosper]

I have not used it yet, but I did initially purchase it with the intention of loading 7.62x39 with it. I have since sold my sks and my Stevens 200 7.62x39 project is still in production, therefore I have not had the chance to develop any 7.62x39 loads with 735, yet. I have used it in the 30-30, 308 and 45-70 though, and it seems to act a LOT like 322 (moreso than 335). In each of the applications, I get about the same velocity listed for a similar charge of 322. Coincidentally, the max 322 charge weights listed by most manuals in most applications is the same as the minimum 335 charges...

SO: when I start developing 125gr 7.62x39 WC-735 loads, I'll be starting around 25 grains, and working up to around 30 grains (or maybe more as my Stevens action is good for 20,000psi more than the SKS). Of course this is completely untested ground, so tread cautiously, and make good use of a chrony.

 

[hugehodge83]

True, rigging up some sort of brass catcher bag would save you a headache or two

Would it be possible to simply remove the piston from the rifle, which would esentially make it a bolt action? or would the gasses comming back through the open gas hole without any blockers be too harsh and dangerous?

 

[sunray]

"...Make sure you use military primers as well...." No such thing. CCI 'milspec' primers are a marketing gimmick. They're just magnum rifle primers. Slamfires are caused by improperly loaded ammo. Usually high primers, not the rifle.
The only absolute requirement for loading for any semi-auto is full length resizing every time and seating the primers properly. Dies and a shell holder should be readily available in your local gun shop. Small base dies will do, but they're not required if you have an FL sizer die. It's one or the other.
Hodgdon's site has data for 125 and 150 grain bullets, if your manual doesn't.
"...CCI LR primers..." What brass do you have? Some makes use small rifle primers. Remington is one of 'em. Winchester uses large rifle primers. If it's milsurp brass, it may be steel cases with berdan primers and not easily reloadable. Look in the case. Two primer holes is berdan. Berdan primers are extremely difficult(if not impossible) to find and are more trouble than they're worth to reload.