So i got this crazy idea how to get cheap 7.62x39 tracers and cheap .308 ammo

zZ_denis

zZ_denis

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So I was sitting in my gun room and realized that I have two problems :
1) Cheap .308 plinking ammo is hard/impossible to come by. I don't have enough. Austrian and even Chinese surplus is still VERY expensive compared to x39 surplus.
2) I like shooting tracers for fun. x39 tracers are hard to come by and are expensive/overpriced.

So I came up with a solution to both problems. I have tons of Czech x39 surplus that I was smart enough to stock up on when it was dirt cheap ( 13 cents/round). I also have a decent stash of pulled .308 tracer projectiles.

What I wanna do is this:
1) Pull the bullets and powder from x39 surplus.
2) Work up a load for x39 with a .308 tracer projectile using the pulled powder.
3) Resize pulled x39 bullets to .308 and load them in .308WIN.

For somebody only interested in cheaper .308, you could:
-Resize the x39 bullet and load it into .308 using pulled x39 surplus powder. You will obviously need more powder for a .308 than a single x39 case holds, but the savings will still be significant...


Even if you buy x39 surplus at current prices (not sure what the cheapest is right now, but lets say .20$/round), that's already cheaper than a single, cheapest .308 projectile for reloading! Last time I checked, cheapest .308 "plinker grade" bullet was around 25 cents each. If you just pull the x39 bullets, push them through a .308 sizing die and load in .308, you are already ahead. You can probably sell primed x39 surplus cases on EE for 5-8 cents each (my guess), and use x39 powder in your .308 loads to save even more.

I realize that x39 powder is not ideal for .308, but I'm sure a safe plinking load could be worked up. Resized 123gr FMJ bullets will not win any target competitions, but I see no reason why they wouldn't work for general plinking or gong shooting.

As for loading .308 tracer tips in x39 cases.. .308 diameter bullets can be used in .311 barrels without any issues. I see these tracer tips popping up on EE once in a while for 50-70 cents each. Loaded x39 surplus round is 20 cents. You can probably use the existing powder (smaller charge, of course, due to .308 being heavier/longer than original x39 bullet). So you end up with a 70-90 cent x39 tracer round (compared to $1-1.5 that people are asking for surplus tracers) AND a pulled plinking bullet..

Any thoughts?
 
Yea, it'll work.

There will be about 30.0 grs of powder in the pulled 7.62X39 with a Burn Rate near H335. The bullets will be about 0.310" and will work fine in most 308 chambers, but could be sized down if they made the neck too tight. The MV will be quite low, likely about 2200 fps, based on the last time I did this. Top 308 loads with a H335 and a 123 gr bullet typically go about 3100 fps.

In all likelihood you could use the powder from three 7.62X39 rounds to load two 308 rounds, but you'd need to work up and employ a chrony which almost no-one who poses such questions owns.
 
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I find pulling apart components OK for some applications....surplus 7.62x54 bullets and powder for .303 Brit loading, and the old Marstar deal of 8x63 for bullets and powder for 8x57.
 
FYI, Berry plated 150gr FP is less then 20cents each per 1000.

Seems like a lot of work for marginal gains. Much of the surplus I pulled was sealed into the case making removal a big PITA and also some bullet damage.

So with that and sizing, you may get a high percentage of mucked up bullets of questionable value...

Or you could just cast wheelweights, water quench and stick on a gas check for real cheap projectiles that can be surprisingly accurate.

YMMV

Jerry
 
Seems like an awful lot of work just to make some rounds that aren't much good for anything other than making noise.
Why not just shoot more x39 and save the 308 for when you're feeling rich?
To me my time is worth something, I have too many things to do when I'm not at work and television isn't one of them so if I'm not loading I'm taking care of work around the acreage, loading for other cartridges or prepping equipment or playing with one of my other hobbies. When all else fails and I can't find something else that needs my attention the wife always needs a little quality time to keep her happy.
Taking on a project like this seems silly to me, I'd rather just cough up the money and load some decent rounds rather than spend four times the amount of time to put together some crap loads made from chinese surplus components just to save a few cents per round.
If money was that tight I'd be looking for ways to save money somewhere else in my life like less beer or if you're a smoker then kick that stupid habit. Maybe it's time to start looking for a better paying job or a second job.

I'm sure what you're proposing will work but to me it's not worth the time involved for what you'll end up with in the end.
YMMV
 
cr5 said:
Seems like an awful lot of work just to make some rounds that aren't much good for anything other than making noise.
Why not just shoot more x39 and save the 308 for when you're feeling rich?
To me my time is worth something, I have too many things to do when I'm not at work and television isn't one of them so if I'm not loading I'm taking care of work around the acreage, loading for other cartridges or prepping equipment or playing with one of my other hobbies. When all else fails and I can't find something else that needs my attention the wife always needs a little quality time to keep her happy.
Taking on a project like this seems silly to me, I'd rather just cough up the money and load some decent rounds rather than spend four times the amount of time to put together some crap loads made from chinese surplus components just to save a few cents per round.
If money was that tight I'd be looking for ways to save money somewhere else in my life like less beer or if you're a smoker then kick that stupid habit. Maybe it's time to start looking for a better paying job or a second job.

I'm sure what you're proposing will work but to me it's not worth the time involved for what you'll end up with in the end.
YMMV
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Gotta love the condescending life coach tips. Makes me want to have a beer and watch TV.
 
Andy said:
Gotta love the condescending life coach tips. Makes me want to have a beer and watch TV.
Click to expand...

http://3.bp.########.com/-w_7PJXZTm4o/UrI3ctj9u6I/AAAAAAAAbvw/Lm-pUq-NH6s/s640/you're+not+allowed+to+have+opinions+on+the+internet+dr+heckle+funny+wtf+cartoons.png

Opinions are like....well you know the rest
 
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I think most of you guys misunderstood me. Some comments are downright funny. For example Andy assumption that I would be too cheap to own a chrony or Yomomma's silly comment considering some AP testing I did many years ago and documented on this very forum : http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/367072-308-AP-Testing

I enjoy reloading as a hobby. I like experimenting and tinkering. If I can save a bunch of money while doing it, even better.

I like semis. I also like plinking/shooting gongs on crown land. Problem with x39 is that there aren't many NR rifles out there that shoot it. I only own one. In comparison, I have 3 different .308 semi non restricted rifles (and 1 bolt action) that I shoot regularly. So to me, shooting .308 is a lot more fun. Cheap plinking .308 ammo is non-existent.


My main point is that x39 surplus is worth A LOT more as components. I think a lot of you are underestimating the savings here. Here's the breakdown:
- Bullet: worth 25 cents (based on the cheapest available .308 bullet)
- 30 grains of powder: worth roughly 20 cents at $45/pound
- Primed steel case would probably sell for 7 cents on EE (my guess)

Total: 52 cents... I paid 13 cents for each of my x39 rounds.
I can probably dismantle and resize a case (1120 rounds) in 3-4 hours (my guess). So I would "save" $436 in 3-4 hours of work. I find it hard to believe that fellow reloaders would consider this a "waste of time"
 
Go for it. Thanks for sharing.

have you tried the SKS bullets in the 308?

The slightly larger diameter does not much matter, so long as the 308 does not have a tight neck.

Make a test round ( I would use the original SKS powder charge) and fire it. Then take a SKS bullet and see if it drops easily into the fired case neck. If it does, this means your rifle chamber does not have a neck too tight for this load.
 
zZ_denis said:
I think most of you guys misunderstood me. Some comments are downright funny. For example Andy assumption that I would be too cheap to own a chrony or Yomomma's silly comment considering some AP testing I did many years ago and documented on this very forum : http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/367072-308-AP-Testing

I enjoy reloading as a hobby. I like experimenting and tinkering. If I can save a bunch of money while doing it, even better.

I like semis. I also like plinking/shooting gongs on crown land. Problem with x39 is that there aren't many NR rifles out there that shoot it. I only own one. In comparison, I have 3 different .308 semi non restricted rifles (and 1 bolt action) that I shoot regularly. So to me, shooting .308 is a lot more fun. Cheap plinking .308 ammo is non-existent.


My main point is that x39 surplus is worth A LOT more as components. I think a lot of you are underestimating the savings here. Here's the breakdown:
- Bullet: worth 25 cents (based on the cheapest available .308 bullet)
- 30 grains of powder: worth roughly 20 cents at $45/pound
- Primed steel case would probably sell for 7 cents on EE (my guess)

Total: 52 cents... I paid 13 cents for each of my x39 rounds.
I can probably dismantle and resize a case (1120 rounds) in 3-4 hours (my guess). So I would "save" $436 in 3-4 hours of work. I find it hard to believe that fellow reloaders would consider this a "waste of time"
Click to expand...
I load pistol for volume shooting, rifle for accuracy. The end result of this x39 to 7.62Nato bullet swap would not be very good ammo for either cartridge.
 
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