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Old 01-12-2011, 01:59 PM
David Sinko David Sinko is offline
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.311" bullets in 7.62x39? .311" bullets in 7.62x39?  
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Default .311" bullets in 7.62x39?

Has anybody tried .311" bullets in the 7.62x39? Would it work? These are the bullets that are made for the .303 British and that Japanese cartridge that escapes me at the moment. I'm most interested in the 150 gr. weights that are offered by the various manufacturers. Accuracy is spotty at best with the various .310" bullets I have tried and I feel I need to expand my horizons a bit.

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Old 01-12-2011, 02:43 PM
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.311" bullets in 7.62x39? .311" bullets in 7.62x39? .311" bullets in 7.62x39? .311" bullets in 7.62x39? .311" bullets in 7.62x39?  
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Sir, it kinda depends on the gun. Some are bored for .311 to .312 bullets, and others are bored for .308. If .310s aren't working, I'd try .308s first. IIRC, Ruger bores the Mini-30 for .308 bullets. ComBloc guns typically are bored for .311s.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

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Last edited by Ron H.; 01-12-2011 at 02:45 PM. Reason: forgot something
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Old 01-12-2011, 03:17 PM
kingranch kingranch is offline
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.311" bullets in 7.62x39? .311" bullets in 7.62x39? .311" bullets in 7.62x39? .311" bullets in 7.62x39? .311" bullets in 7.62x39?  
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I’ve got a CZ mod.527 bolt action in 7.63x39mm Russian (.311 bore). I’ve tried some heavier bullets but it shoots best with 124 gr soft point. What bolt gun in 7.62 Russian do you have?
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Old 01-12-2011, 05:20 PM
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.311" bullets in 7.62x39? .311" bullets in 7.62x39? .311" bullets in 7.62x39? .311" bullets in 7.62x39? .311" bullets in 7.62x39?  
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Could it possibly be one of the less commonly encountered Ruger KM77RS's in 7.62x39?
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Old 01-12-2011, 08:46 PM
SKS52 SKS52 is offline
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.311" bullets in 7.62x39? .311" bullets in 7.62x39? .311" bullets in 7.62x39? .311" bullets in 7.62x39? .311" bullets in 7.62x39?  
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I have two SKS rifle one Yugoslavian and the other is a Norinco both bores slugged .312 across the grooves. I get the the best accuracy with .310 dia. jacketed bullet the .311's mostly 150 grs. are a close second.

Five shot groups out of either rifle generally run from one ragged hole with the .310 to 1" using the .311's at 50 yds. My 165 gr. gas checked cast bullet loads usually match the .310 bullets and shoot slightly smaller groups than the .311's.


I tried a few different weights in .308 dia. but they made Russian steel case ammo look like match grade ammo.

Last edited by SKS52; 01-12-2011 at 08:51 PM.
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Old 01-12-2011, 08:50 PM
David Sinko David Sinko is offline
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.311" bullets in 7.62x39? .311" bullets in 7.62x39?  
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This is for an AKM. It was (as I am told) made from an unfired surplus Romanian kit and is not a WASR. I have not slugged the bore but accuracy is generally poor with .308" bullets. It shoots all the cheapo Russian stuff very well. The .310" Hornady bullet works reasonably well with H335. I had high hopes for the Speer 123 gr. Hot-Cor but accuracy is horrific no matter what powder I use. Barnes makes two .310" X bullets but they are expensive, though I am on the verge of buying a box to try. I was thinking of getting a box of Sierra .311"' 150 gr. Pro-Hunter SPT. They are somewhat cheap and the 150 gr. bullet should hold up well at the relatively low velocity when the bullet hits meat. I would like to use this for an upcoming boar hunt where the ranges are expected to be very close in thick cover.

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Old 01-13-2011, 10:56 AM
SKS52 SKS52 is offline
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.311" bullets in 7.62x39? .311" bullets in 7.62x39? .311" bullets in 7.62x39? .311" bullets in 7.62x39? .311" bullets in 7.62x39?  
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First thing I would do is slug my bore before I went any further on bullet selection. Second although the AKM and the SKS both shoot the case cartridge and use similar gas operated system that where the similarities end.

The AK was designed to be a machine gun first and foremost,it has a lot of design features that make it a great weapon but will put limitations on it's accuracy at longer ranges. The SKS is much closer to a rifle and seem to respond more favorably to handloading but the AK can be made to shoot more accurately by feeding it consistent ammo. Since your using your AK at close range that's probably a moot point but you might not always have that luxury and every little bit of accuracy you can gain might make the difference.

As far as component bullets I've tried I get great results with any of the Hornady .310 offerings FMJ,SP and V-MAX,in .311 I use either the Prvi Partizan 150 gr. BTSP or the Speer 150 gr. flat base Hot Core SP. I like the Prvi bullet because it has a large exposed lead tip that expands well at X39 velocities at short range.



On powder my two favorites are AA1680 and Reloader #7,I like Reloader #7 because it works with all bullet weight I tried for 123 up to 185 gr. as well as cast bullet loads. H335 is a good powder but I don't like it in the X39 it not as efficient per grain,requires 4+ more grains to achieve the same MV as the two powder I mentioned and you have to compress the load to get top matching MV.

Another thing to think about is MV vs. bullet expansion in the X39. In a 20" barrel your going to get about 2100+ fps. MV with the heavier constructed bullets at that MV bullet expansion may be an issue if you only hit soft tissue rather than some bone and will do very little damage to the vitals. I would prefer a shoulder or head shot if I hadn't tested the expansion characteristics of my chosen bullet in my rifle. The Barnes bullet would probably be the exception to the rule.

Wolf 154 gr. SP taken for a 180 lb. deer penetrated the chest and lodged in the rear hindquarter.


For primers in my SKS both of which have free floating firing pins I use either the CCI#34 Mil-Spec primer which is rated as a Magnum primer or the Wolf LR and LRM primer,both the Wolf primers are suitable for Mil-Spec type weapons and have harder primer cups. I can use Win LR primer in my Chinese safely,it doesn't put much of any dimple on the primer but I use them as a last resort since I have plenty of the others.



Also none of the reloading manuals data list the use of a magnum primer in the X39 case so work your loads up from the starting load if you use these primers. Make sure regardless of the primer you use that there seated flush preferably a few thousands below flush. you can check that by setting the primed case on a hard flat surface and tip it to one side and watch to see if it wobbles or goes straight upright,you can also use the back depth gage on your calipers to check the primer depth.

Last edited by SKS52; 01-13-2011 at 12:00 PM.
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Old 01-14-2011, 05:50 PM
David Sinko David Sinko is offline
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Very interesting. It seems that 154 gr. bullet expands even less than I thought it would. I keep looking for Accurate 1680 but I'm having a hard time finding it locally. As for primers, I use the CCI 200 exclusively and I've never had any trouble with it. That Speer .311" 150 gr. Hot-Cor looks like a good idea too. Lots of food for thought here.

Dave Sinko
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Old 01-14-2011, 06:17 PM
SKS52 SKS52 is offline
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.311" bullets in 7.62x39? .311" bullets in 7.62x39? .311" bullets in 7.62x39? .311" bullets in 7.62x39? .311" bullets in 7.62x39?  
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Accurate Powders has there new load guide out if your interested in using the AA1680 with 123 to 150 gr. bullets.

http://www.accuratepowder.com/wp-con...d_data_3.4.pdf
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