Reloading for the SKS

Corey · April 10, 2001, 09:14 AM

I have read in reloading manuals that the Mini 30 and some SKS/AK47's use different bullet sizes (Mini 30: .308, SKS: .311). I was wondering if the Chinese Norinco SKS takes the .311 bullet or not. I would rather not find out by the firearm rupturing in my hand.

Poodleshooter · April 10, 2001, 02:29 PM

All foreign made weapons use the .311 bullet size (identical to that of the .303 British cartridge). The mini-14 has a .311 throat (beginning of the barrel closest to the chamber). It tapers to a .308 and allows better accuracy with .308 bullets. This design was done back when the continued importation of foreign factory ammo for the 7.62x39 was somewhat in question. You can shoot all ammo in both of them, however the mini-30 will probably shoot better with .308 handloaded ammo, and the foreign AK's and SKS's will shoot a little better with Wolf or Barnaul milsurplus ammo.

Spectre · April 10, 2001, 04:26 PM

...or, perhaps, handloaded .311 bullets.

Shooter 973 · April 10, 2001, 04:55 PM

Just a siily question, why reload for it at all when bulk ammo is so cheap? The price of slugs alone is as much as live import ammo!

Poodleshooter · April 11, 2001, 10:45 AM

Why reload? Cause soft point is not as cheap as the hollow point or FMJ ammo. Also,it gives you versatility so you can shoot 150gr Nosler Partitions or other custom bullets. Reloading 7.62x39 is definitely of limited value-only for accuracy and versatility, not economy.

Corey · April 11, 2001, 10:54 AM

I want to reload because I would like to reload and I want to hunt deer with the rifle. I have a custom since I started reloading a few years back to only hunt with a high power rifle that I have loaded the ammo for. Some may not understand, but I know some of you will.

Gewehr98 · April 12, 2001, 10:15 AM

1. I reload ALL of my 24 different calibers of centerfire firearm.

2. With a Dillon progressive press, I have no problems cranking out a goodly supply of 7.62x39.

3. I have documented 2" 100 yard groups out of my SLR-95 with my handloads, which to me offsets the attractiveness of the cheaper steel-cased ammo to some degree.

4. Maybe, just maybe, the politicos will clamp down on the cheap 7.62x39 someday, although I pray it won't happen in my lifetime.

5. Ever see a firing range where a lot of that steel-cased surplus 7.62x39 is fired? I've been to some ranges where you could walk to and from the targets on an uninterrupted bed of fired steel cases. Nobody bothers to pick the stuff up, what an eyesore!

Accurate Arms 1680 is to me, THE powder for use in the 7.62x39. Get a couple thousand pieces of brass, and cycle through it, the SKS and AK don't treat it too kindly on extraction and ejection...

**Mike Irwin** · April 12, 2001, 10:59 AM

Gew98,

The politicos have ALREADY clamped down on the cheap 7.62x39 ammo. A couple of years ago they suspended importation of the steel-cored ammo that was so freaking cheap.

I've still got half a case of this stuff sitting around that I'm hanging on to... for just in case.

Gewehr98 · April 12, 2001, 11:52 AM

When Olympic Arms did their bit with that AR-15 pistol to kill the import of the FMJ steel core surplus 7.62x39. I had a case of it, too, but I gave it to my father-in-law for his SKS out in Kalifornia, in the event Feinstein and Boxer come out to his ranch to confiscate those guns that displease them.

Some time later, I bought my SLR-95, and after just a few rounds of the green lacquered, steel-cased stuff, decided I would handload for it, too. For WTSHTF purposes, just like my Y2K setup, I've got several mags and a drum loaded with factory Winchester, and the occasional MagSafe...

MAKilgo · April 12, 2001, 10:59 PM

Along with Accurate Arms 1680, I have had good luck with Reloader #7 from Alliant Powders. I am using Hornady's 123 grain SP in .310 in my SKS. My best groups are getting close to 2" at 100 yards and I can keep them under 3" all day long.
The SKS is hard on brass, and it can be hard to find if the grass has not been mowed in the past five minutes. A solution that works for me is to remove the gas piston and shoot the rifle as a straight pull bolt action. I shoot enough rounds through semi-auto to satisfy myself that they function properly and then pull the piston.
As far as why one should bother reloading when steel cased ammo is so cheap. I am not totally convinced that this foreign made stuff is as non-corrosive as advertised.
The SKS is a strong design. Simonov scaled down an existing anti-tank gun to come up with a reliable weapon the Russians could use as a back up incase the AK design did not pan out. As it turned out, they need not have been concerned.

Mark

Nukem · April 13, 2001, 09:01 PM

Ed Harris did a lot of lead bullet load development for the SKS years ago. I'm sure you can find some links to it on the net.

zot · April 14, 2001, 11:51 AM

I use Lee's 160 gr gas checked bullet with 24 gr.s of
H335. I fire these in all AKs and SKS's, brass does get a dent on ejection, but reloadable, and this load cycles the actions on all, Lee states in their load paper they package with dies, that 2000 fps with 23 gr.s of H335,so I think its
a hard hitting deer load.

zot · April 14, 2001, 11:54 AM

brass and primers are Winchester

dick w. holliday · April 14, 2001, 06:49 PM

i've got 1000 rds IMI brass and 2000Russian 123 gr FMJ jackets that i will sell anyone for less than Weidners.....(Got rid of my AR in 7.62 X 39)>>>>>Dick

Gewehr98 · April 14, 2001, 08:20 PM

Mr. Holliday, please email me, I'm very much interested, my Dillons are such hungry machines to feed when I make a batch of 7.62x39...

Troy · April 15, 2001, 01:24 AM

Note that http://www.natchezss.com has AA2200 powder on sale for $45/8lbs. This powder was specifically designed for 7.62x39, but also works great in .223 and other similar cartridges. This deal is hard to beat!

For load data, see the "Data Powder 2200" link here:

http://www.accuratearms.com/loadinfo.html

-Troy

PDshooter · April 15, 2001, 10:48 PM

Don't WAST your time! At .08cents around it NOT worth it! I buy it by the case. (1000rds)

Nestor Rivera · April 16, 2001, 04:43 PM

I also load 7.62x39 mainly for a bolt gun. The SKS has a free floating firing pin so slam fires can happen with soft primers so I use the CCI Millitary primers which are lot harder than most other primers.

zot · April 16, 2001, 10:06 PM

I've posted this a few times,but,you can use .303 bullets
in your SKS, 180 gr. ,with the right powder you can still
launch 180s at 1700 fps,also using lead heavy bullets sub-sonic are fun plinking loads and also I think would make
good head shots on deer.

April 10, 2001, 04:55 PM	#4
Shooter 973 Senior Member Join Date: February 3, 2001 Location: Home town of John M. Browning, Utah Posts: 499	Just a siily question, why reload for it at all when bulk ammo is so cheap? The price of slugs alone is as much as live import ammo! __________________ The problem with America is stupidity. I'm not saying there should be capital punishment for stupidity, but why don't we just take the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself?

April 12, 2001, 10:59 AM	#8
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,390	Gew98, The politicos have ALREADY clamped down on the cheap 7.62x39 ammo. A couple of years ago they suspended importation of the steel-cored ammo that was so freaking cheap. I've still got half a case of this stuff sitting around that I'm hanging on to... for just in case. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

April 12, 2001, 11:52 AM	#9
Gewehr98 Senior Member Join Date: June 30, 2000 Location: Token Creek, WI Posts: 4,067	Yup, Mike, that was just the beginning... When Olympic Arms did their bit with that AR-15 pistol to kill the import of the FMJ steel core surplus 7.62x39. I had a case of it, too, but I gave it to my father-in-law for his SKS out in Kalifornia, in the event Feinstein and Boxer come out to his ranch to confiscate those guns that displease them. Some time later, I bought my SLR-95, and after just a few rounds of the green lacquered, steel-cased stuff, decided I would handload for it, too. For WTSHTF purposes, just like my Y2K setup, I've got several mags and a drum loaded with factory Winchester, and the occasional MagSafe...

April 14, 2001, 08:20 PM	#15
Gewehr98 Senior Member Join Date: June 30, 2000 Location: Token Creek, WI Posts: 4,067	Wow! Mr. Holliday, please email me, I'm very much interested, my Dillons are such hungry machines to feed when I make a batch of 7.62x39...

April 16, 2001, 04:43 PM	#18
Nestor Rivera Senior Member Join Date: October 20, 1998 Location: San Antonio, Texas, USA Posts: 446	SKS Freefloat FP & CCI Primers I also load 7.62x39 mainly for a bolt gun. The SKS has a free floating firing pin so slam fires can happen with soft primers so I use the CCI Millitary primers which are lot harder than most other primers.

April 10, 2001, 09:14 AM	#1
Corey Member Join Date: February 14, 1999 Posts: 58	I have read in reloading manuals that the Mini 30 and some SKS/AK47's use different bullet sizes (Mini 30: .308, SKS: .311). I was wondering if the Chinese Norinco SKS takes the .311 bullet or not. I would rather not find out by the firearm rupturing in my hand.

April 10, 2001, 02:29 PM	#2
Poodleshooter Senior Member Join Date: August 7, 2000 Location: Floating down the James River in VA Posts: 2,599	All foreign made weapons use the .311 bullet size (identical to that of the .303 British cartridge). The mini-14 has a .311 throat (beginning of the barrel closest to the chamber). It tapers to a .308 and allows better accuracy with .308 bullets. This design was done back when the continued importation of foreign factory ammo for the 7.62x39 was somewhat in question. You can shoot all ammo in both of them, however the mini-30 will probably shoot better with .308 handloaded ammo, and the foreign AK's and SKS's will shoot a little better with Wolf or Barnaul milsurplus ammo.

April 10, 2001, 04:26 PM	#3
Spectre Staff Alumnus Join Date: October 23, 1998 Location: ATL Posts: 3,277	...or, perhaps, handloaded .311 bullets.

April 11, 2001, 10:45 AM	#5
Poodleshooter Senior Member Join Date: August 7, 2000 Location: Floating down the James River in VA Posts: 2,599	Why reload? Cause soft point is not as cheap as the hollow point or FMJ ammo. Also,it gives you versatility so you can shoot 150gr Nosler Partitions or other custom bullets. Reloading 7.62x39 is definitely of limited value-only for accuracy and versatility, not economy.

April 11, 2001, 10:54 AM	#6
Corey Member Join Date: February 14, 1999 Posts: 58	I want to reload because I would like to reload and I want to hunt deer with the rifle. I have a custom since I started reloading a few years back to only hunt with a high power rifle that I have loaded the ammo for. Some may not understand, but I know some of you will.

April 12, 2001, 10:15 AM	#7
Gewehr98 Senior Member Join Date: June 30, 2000 Location: Token Creek, WI Posts: 4,067	I reload 7.62x39 because... 1. I reload ALL of my 24 different calibers of centerfire firearm. 2. With a Dillon progressive press, I have no problems cranking out a goodly supply of 7.62x39. 3. I have documented 2" 100 yard groups out of my SLR-95 with my handloads, which to me offsets the attractiveness of the cheaper steel-cased ammo to some degree. 4. Maybe, just maybe, the politicos will clamp down on the cheap 7.62x39 someday, although I pray it won't happen in my lifetime. 5. Ever see a firing range where a lot of that steel-cased surplus 7.62x39 is fired? I've been to some ranges where you could walk to and from the targets on an uninterrupted bed of fired steel cases. Nobody bothers to pick the stuff up, what an eyesore! Accurate Arms 1680 is to me, THE powder for use in the 7.62x39. Get a couple thousand pieces of brass, and cycle through it, the SKS and AK don't treat it too kindly on extraction and ejection...

April 12, 2001, 10:59 PM	#10
MAKilgo Junior Member Join Date: March 13, 2001 Location: Dubuque,IA Posts: 11	Along with Accurate Arms 1680, I have had good luck with Reloader #7 from Alliant Powders. I am using Hornady's 123 grain SP in .310 in my SKS. My best groups are getting close to 2" at 100 yards and I can keep them under 3" all day long. The SKS is hard on brass, and it can be hard to find if the grass has not been mowed in the past five minutes. A solution that works for me is to remove the gas piston and shoot the rifle as a straight pull bolt action. I shoot enough rounds through semi-auto to satisfy myself that they function properly and then pull the piston. As far as why one should bother reloading when steel cased ammo is so cheap. I am not totally convinced that this foreign made stuff is as non-corrosive as advertised. The SKS is a strong design. Simonov scaled down an existing anti-tank gun to come up with a reliable weapon the Russians could use as a back up incase the AK design did not pan out. As it turned out, they need not have been concerned. Mark

April 13, 2001, 09:01 PM	#11
Nukem Senior Member Join Date: January 29, 2000 Posts: 709	Ed Harris did a lot of lead bullet load development for the SKS years ago. I'm sure you can find some links to it on the net.

April 14, 2001, 11:51 AM	#12
zot Senior Member Join Date: April 2, 1999 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 566	I use Lee's 160 gr gas checked bullet with 24 gr.s of H335. I fire these in all AKs and SKS's, brass does get a dent on ejection, but reloadable, and this load cycles the actions on all, Lee states in their load paper they package with dies, that 2000 fps with 23 gr.s of H335,so I think its a hard hitting deer load.

April 14, 2001, 11:54 AM	#13
zot Senior Member Join Date: April 2, 1999 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 566	brass and primers are Winchester

April 14, 2001, 06:49 PM	#14
dick w. holliday Senior Member Join Date: January 13, 2001 Location: NC Posts: 589	i've got 1000 rds IMI brass and 2000Russian 123 gr FMJ jackets that i will sell anyone for less than Weidners.....(Got rid of my AR in 7.62 X 39)>>>>>Dick

April 15, 2001, 01:24 AM	#16
Troy Member Join Date: January 29, 2000 Posts: 96	Note that http://www.natchezss.com has AA2200 powder on sale for $45/8lbs. This powder was specifically designed for 7.62x39, but also works great in .223 and other similar cartridges. This deal is hard to beat! For load data, see the "Data Powder 2200" link here: http://www.accuratearms.com/loadinfo.html -Troy

April 15, 2001, 10:48 PM	#17
PDshooter Senior Member Join Date: March 30, 2000 Location: Indiana Posts: 607	Don't WAST your time! At .08cents around it NOT worth it! I buy it by the case. (1000rds)

April 16, 2001, 10:06 PM	#19
zot Senior Member Join Date: April 2, 1999 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 566	I've posted this a few times,but,you can use .303 bullets in your SKS, 180 gr. ,with the right powder you can still launch 180s at 1700 fps,also using lead heavy bullets sub-sonic are fun plinking loads and also I think would make good head shots on deer.