| 7.62 x 39 mm Russian | |
|---|---|
| Jacketed Bullet Diameter (Inches) | 0.310 |
| Rim Diameter (Inches) | 0.447 |
| Base Diameter (Inches) | 0.443 |
| Max Case Length (Inches) | 1.528 |
| Case Trim Length (Inches) | 1.523 |
| Max Ctg Length (Inches) | 2.20 |
Some things to note;
- I am only relating my personal experience with the firearms and equipment that I own and that I am not making any loading recommendations. If you use the loading data here, you do so at your own risk.
- I never use Large Pistol Primers in place of Large Rifle primers for a variety of safety and practical concerns.
- I have never found it necessary to use fillers such as cream of wheat, polyfill or toilet paper to position the powder against the flash hole in a cartridge case.
- Unless stated otherwise, muzzle velocities listed on this page are from my own test data.
Cast Bullet Loads for 7.62 x 39 Russian
| 7.62 x 39 Russian | |
|---|---|
| Bullet | 156 grain Lead Spire point/ Gas Check LEE C312-155-2R |
| Powder | 14.5 grains Alliant 2400 |
| Primer | CCI 34 |
| Cartridge Case | Federal |
| Firearm | PRC TYPE 56 Carbine (SKS) |
| Barrel Length | 20.5 inches |
| Avg Muzzle Velocity | 1721 feet per second |
| 7.62 x 39 Russian | |
|---|---|
| Bullet | 122 grain Lead Round Nose/ Gas Check LEE C309-120-R |
| Powder | 25.5 grains IMR 4895 |
| Primer | Winchester LR |
| Cartridge Case | Winchester |
| Firearm | PRC TYPE 56 Carbine (SKS) |
| Barrel Length | 20.5 inches |
| Avg Muzzle Velocity | 1786 feet per second |
Some of my other cast bullet loads for 7.62 x 39 Russian can be found on the Reduced Power Rifle loads page.
Loading Jacketed 30 Carbine Bullets in 7.62 x 39 mm
or How to Get AK 47 type accuracy out of your SKS
The Lee die set that I use for loading 7.62 x 39 mm came with two decapping rods one sized for loading 0.308" bullets and the other for 0.311" bullets.
Always looking for less expensive alternatives to reload cartridges, I installed the 0.308 inch decapping rod so that I could load some 7.62 x 39 Russian rounds using pulled full metal jacket and new softpoint 0.308 inch 110 grain bullets designed for the 30 carbine cartridge. I found that my test loads fed fine from the magazine of my SKS and that there was sufficient gas pressure to cycle the action properly. Accuracy however was dispointing with pie plate sized groups at 100 yards compared with 2 1/2 inch groups produced by factory ammunition.
As is the case with just about all foreign made guns chambered for 7.62 x 39, my sks has a bore diameter of 0.310 inches. While the rifle will function with 0.308 inch bullets, accuracy does suffer.
That being said, a U.S. made rifle such as the Ruger Mini Thirty with a true 0.308 inch bore diameter may work well with loads using 30 carbine bullets.
7.62 x 39mm Brass Which Use Small Rifle Primers
Every commercial manufacturer of boxer primed 7.62 x 39 ammunition that I am aware of, now uses cases with a primer pocket sized for a large rifle primer. Some years ago however, the Remington and Federal brands were an exception to the rule, utilizing small rifle primers in their 7.62 x 39mm loads.
My observation has been that 7.62 x 39 mm loads using using this small rifle primed brass will have a significantly (-100 fps ?) lower muzzle velocity that those loads using large rifle primers.
| 7.62 x 39 Russian | |
|---|---|
| Bullet | 122 grain Lead Round Nose/ Gas Check LEE C309-120-R |
| Powder | 15.0 grains Alliant 2400 |
| Primer | CCI 400 |
| Brass | Remington Cases using Small Rifle Primers |
| Firearm | PRC TYPE 56 Carbine (SKS) |
| Barrel Length | 20.5 inches |
| Avg Muzzle Velocity | 1762 feet per second |
The Same load as above using a Winchester large rifle primer and Winchester brass produced an average muzzle velocity of 1859 feet per second.
Why produce 7.62 x 39 ammunition using boxer primed brass case that has a small rifle primer pocket?
Robert Hunnicutt in an article1 that appeared in the January 1994 issue of the American Rifleman posits that this was to accomodate benchrest shooters who might wish to neck down 7.62 x 39 cases for use in rifles chambered for 22 or 6mm ppc.
This must have been a pretty small and unprofitable niche market as no major ammunition manufacturer that I am aware of still uses small rifle primed brass to load 7.62 x 39. There is however a great deal of the old Remington and Federal brass still floating around.
I might add that the only times that I have ever experienced doubling or slamfires with my SKS is when I was firing factory ammo or reloads which used small rifle primed brass.
| 7.62 x 39 Russian | |
|---|---|
| Bullet | 156 grain Lead Spire point/ Gas Check LEE C312-155-2R |
| Powder | 15.0 grains Alliant 2400 |
| Primer | CCI 400 |
| Cartridge Case | Remington |
| Firearm | PRC TYPE 56 Carbine (SKS) |
| Barrel Length | 20.5 inches |
| Avg Muzzle Velocity | 1684 feet per second |
| 7.62 x 39 Russian | |
|---|---|
| Bullet | 156 grain Lead Spire point/ Gas Check LEE C312-155-2R |
| Powder | 17.5 grains IMR 4227 |
| Primer | CCI 400 |
| Cartridge Case | Remington |
| Firearm | PRC TYPE 56 Carbine (SKS) |
| Barrel Length | 20.5 inches |
| Avg Muzzle Velocity | 1666 feet per second |
Hodgdon's 2008 Basic Reloaders Manual lists a maximum charge of 18.0 grains of IMR 4227 in 7.62 x 39 Russian for a 150 grain jacketed bullet
| 7.62 x 39 Russian | |
|---|---|
| Bullet | 152 grain Lead Spire point plain base LEE C312-155-2R |
| Powder | 5.0 grains Alliant Bullseye |
| Primer | CCI 400 |
| Cartridge Case | Remington |
| Firearm | PRC TYPE 56 Carbine (SKS) |
| Barrel Length | 20.5 inches |
| Avg Muzzle Velocity | 1046 feet per second |
The flash hole on the cases used for this load were enlarged to 3/32ths of an inch with a No. 42 drill bit.
1. Robert W. Hunnicutt "HIGH-PERFORMANCE 7.62x39 MM LOADS" American Rifleman Jan. 1994 p 42-45