Anyone reload 7.62x39?

Not yet but going to start later this summer. Have a little bit of boxer primed brass but also going to do the berdan stuff as well.

Did you have a question about it or just wondering of anyone has started to reload due to current availability(or lack thereof) and prices?
 
Thought I read somewhere you couldn't reload with the berdan primer or maybe that it was more difficult.
 
Thought I read somewhere you couldn't reload with the berdan primer or maybe that it was more difficult.

A bit more difficult decapping the berdan but doable.

Availability of berdan primers has long been the biggest headache but they're starting to become available. Alot of people are beginning to look at their buckets of "scrap" berdan primed rifle brass as little pots o' gold with today's ammo prices. Same goes for the steel cased stuff.

Its really a shame to let it go to waste when a little effort can turn it into useful ammo.
 
I have a ton of berdan primers, mostly for Mosin, got them a while back, NES groupbuy [laugh] and tons of Mosin and 39 brassy-brass, all the dies. I got enough ammo to keep shooting but mark my word, when ammo completely dries up there will be plenty of jigs and things to make reloading and decapping berdan easy. Again, you can still get 39 at prices not as insane as some other calibers.

Also, I have experimented with berdan decapping and considered making a few hydraulic setups and selling them, but again, there is more opportunity to do something else. At some point I'll get back to it. Decapping berdan could be made easy with right tools.
 
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Only down side to reloading x39 is the bullets are not as cheap as say 223. Not that I have found anyway in. 310 dia. Currently the berdan pimers are not cheap either. I'm tempted to order some of the x39 primers and 762 primers (berdan) I had a "mini Mauser"
Remington 799 back in 2010. I purchased dies and some lapia factory ammo for the brass. I ended up blasting wolf spa through it most of the time as it grouped only slightly worse than the lapua....approx 1.5 moa. I later sold the gun dies and all the lapua brass for a offer I couldn't refuse...

This is from Oct 2012 order
H3147 123gn fmj 149$/1000 (soft points where the same price)
tula berdan primers where 200/5000 shipped.
 
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The reason I ask is I have 23 boxer primed 7.62x39 brass I was going to give to someone if they reload it.
I know that 303-British and 30-30 use .311" bullets that can be used in both x39 and x54R.
There are also ways to convert brerdan to boxer by drilling a center primer hole.
 
The reason I ask is I have 23 boxer primed 7.62x39 brass I was going to give to someone if they reload it.
I know that 303-British and 30-30 use .311" bullets that can be used in both x39 and x54R.
There are also ways to convert brerdan to boxer by drilling a center primer hole.

I reload 7.62x39. Finding the boxer primed cases has been difficult though. I have less than 100 cases from brass I originally shot. I also shoot these with cast boolits. Using a Lee .311-155-2R mold. It has worked out well.

Why some folks ask... I say why not? I thought it would be cool to try and do so I did it. It has been a personal goal of mine to reload and shoot cast boolits for all the firearms I own. I am not there yet. But, 7.62x39 was one more I can say I do.
 
I guess this is partly a bookmark, but I am also interested in this. My Mini-30 doesn't like cheap(ish) ammo. I just got it, sighted it in with Fiocchi brass 123 gr and saved all the brass (I could find) after I ran a bunch of that and 2 diffrent cheap (soft primered) ones through it. I can get this locally for about $0.60/rd and figured I would just get my box limit when I can afford it, save the brass and reload at Dads. If I had the chance to pick up some good brass for it at a decent price somewhere I would.

Anyway, visits only happen about every 3-4 months (Dad lives "away") and I just got back (~400 rd Mousefart 4.0 gr TB under 140 gr Hornady Cowboy lead for the GP-100 as "Training Loads" for friends and just for fun for me), so I have plenty of time to accumulate what I need for it.

What would the great forum gods recommend for reloads in the Mini-30? Which primers, powder and primer combos will work well and shoot nice in a (very) late model Ruger Mini-30? I figure since I have some time I and live in a Free State I will be able to pick up * EXACTLY* what I want before I start...
 
Only down side to reloading x39 is the bullets are not as cheap as say 223. Not that I have found anyway in. 310 dia.


.

Just load them with .223 bullets! They would work great in the run of Polish Tantals that had the wrong barrels on them. No more keyholeing!
 
I've been reloading the x39 for awhile, although I long since sold my Yugo SKS's.
Boxer brass is out there, just find some affluent shooters that don't reload and scavenge their brass, if they agree.
Otherwise, save the berdan-primed cases and get the .217" primers available at several online vendors. The Yugo M67 (?) is brass, as is the Lapua. In a pinch, you can even reload the Wolf, Norinco and others (although not the best choice). I find the polymer-coated keeps best.
Decapping is easy with water and the basic Lee decapping set sans the pin on the punch.
Most die sets may have two expander pins, since some loads use the .308" bullet others .310/11"
Bullet choices are fairly simple, but I've used the .310" Sinterfire frangibles and an 18gr plastic riot bullet, .30 caliber sabots, as well as cast. The Yugo is great, since you can close the gas port and shoot it like a bolter with light loads.
Yes, surplus and cheap Russian ammo makes it almost not economically feasible, but why not do it because you can!
 
i wanted to try loading 7.62x39. i don't want to fool around with berdan primers, you can get boxer primed from starline but it ain't cheap. $92 for 250 pcs. or ~.37 cents each. i just want to see if tailoring a load for my ak is possible in such a way that it would be an eye popping moment. gonna be pricey to start up getting dies, brass, bullets....
 
i wanted to try loading 7.62x39. i don't want to fool around with berdan primers, you can get boxer primed from starline but it ain't cheap. $92 for 250 pcs. or ~.37 cents each. i just want to see if tailoring a load for my ak is possible in such a way that it would be an eye popping moment. gonna be pricey to start up getting dies, brass, bullets....
the best i ever got out of my mak 90 or SKS from a suppoted position was with Norma 762x39 stuff is expensive now.
2nd best was Yugo surplus brass cased stuff. PPU does ok also.
I had one of those Remington/russian imported mini mausers at best i could sneak just under 2moa , the problem is the lack of bullet choices. Back then everything seemed to be .308 and not .310 plus finding boxer brass cheap or free was still hard. I had fun casting and shooting cast loads in my sks , was no worse or better than anything else i put theough it.
 
How does the brass hold up? I'd imagine in an AR it doesn't get damaged too badly but what about in an AK/SKS?
 
I load it. You can buy 7.63X39 boxer primed brass and it's just .30cal bullets available everywhere. I usually only shoot the reloads from my AR pistol.
what kind of deals you getting on your .310 bullets. Best i was seeing recently was .20 ea for common FMJ 124 . I was getting some bulk 7,62x39 .311s from the old wideners years ago that where PPU I believe even back then they where a little costly at .09-.11 cents each
 
what kind of deals you getting on your .310 bullets. Best i was seeing recently was .20 ea for common FMJ 124 . I was getting some bulk 7,62x39 .311s from the old wideners years ago that where PPU I believe even back then they where a little costly at .09-.11 cents each
Cheapest I can find is .310" 123 gr FMJs and SPs for $21 per 100.
 
what kind of deals you getting on your .310 bullets. Best i was seeing recently was .20 ea for common FMJ 124 . I was getting some bulk 7,62x39 .311s from the old wideners years ago that where PPU I believe even back then they where a little costly at .09-.11 cents each

Grafs usually. Sometimes Natchez too. Other than that it's pay to play. I don't even bother looking at prices any more. I just buy what I need. I'm still stuck with pre 2008 prices in my head.

I was just loading some 30-06 with IMR 4064 and both bottles were $21.34. I thought the .34 cents was odd since stuff usually ends with .99. It's around $30 now.
 
Used to be the .310" variety of 123g bullets were not too badly priced (~15¢), but now they retail for around 30¢ a pop. Hard to reload this caliber when Wolf/TulA is still had for 25¢ or so per round.
It still may make some sense to reload, if you want frangibles or other less common bullet types. Getting a supply of boxer-primed brass may cost a bit. Finding berdan primers for the typical fodder will be even harder.
Berry's and X'treme offer some bullets suitable for the 7.62x39mm, but one of these has a flat point that may cause grief in some firearms. You'll have to check it out for yourself.
Some rifles may dent the case body slightly during ejection, but these minor dents reduce when sized and don't alter the quality of the reloads.
Enjoy!
 

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Got all kinds of brass load them with a 123 gr gas check bullet sized .312 under a charge of IMR 4227. Of the brass I have only Reminton uses small rifle primers. Rifle is a CZ 527 carbine.
 
Good deal. And no they don’t ship to us peons.
I dont know if its a deal or not. Although Im thinking you must have a extra special x39 platform to reload because your really not saving any money or creating anything special with plain old soft points?
Still see steel cased fodder under .30 each and some brass cased options for around .41 each
IDK ? If your sitting on a boat load of x39 brass yeah tou can reload some good ammo. ? I dont ser x39 worthy of the effort.
Sks, mak 90 are minute of black of SR1 target with even some of that lapua expensive stuff.
Snuck in a good amount of groups under 3moa back in the days when I could see my sights.
So if your loading x39 post some results
 
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