I'll Never Do This Again!

gandog56 · July 25, 2008, 10:31 PM

Just got a Yugo SKS not long ago and was going to reload some 7.62X39. Still had some dies from an SKS I had years ago. Looked through my reloading manual, and the only load I could find I already had the powder was using 2400. Anyways went to the range today, loaded a clip, and fired. Action did not cycle. Hand cycled and shot another round. Action did not cycle again. Emptied the mag and put in a clip of some milsurp I also brought. Worked like a champ. The bad thing is these reloads were printing great groups on the target. But I don't exactly like shooting an SKS single shot. The recoil did not feel much different to me than from the milsurp. Kind of wondering if the 2400 is just too fast a powder and is messing with the workings. Have to shoot off the rest of the 100 rounds I made, then come up with a different recipe. Never going to use pistol powder on a rifle again.

Lavid2002 · July 25, 2008, 10:40 PM

Are the casings dirty? Could be low pressure...
*You see...when the pressure is too low, the brass doesnt expand adequately and create a "seal" between the bore and che chamber around the casing....thus air from the cartridge seeps back into the crack of the casing and the chamber leaving carbon deposit on the walls of the chamber and the casing. Look at the casings, are they more dirty than usual?

*Did the rifle "attempt" to cycle, but only burp a bit and close?

*Were the casings adequately sized? Cartridges to be used in a semi-automatic firearm should be FULL LENGTH sized, not neck sized. Cartridges sticking in the chamber, or failure to feeds will appear if not sized properly.

P.S. Anything else shot after these low pressure loads, IF thats what it is(Wich it sounds like) would come out dirty as well (not as dirty, but a little), unless you cleaned the chamber before changing ammo types.
-Dave

Swampghost · July 25, 2008, 10:54 PM

Good idea to recognize the problem, I don't know if I'd have gone for the second round.

I've trashed 2 Rugers with hot rounds and my gunsmith told me that I'd be toast if I kept messing around. Why not buy the firearm that meets the criteria for what you want/need instead of jacking up something else and getting hurt or dead?

gandog56 · July 26, 2008, 03:53 AM

I looked through my spotting scope and saw the bullet hole before I reshot the rifle. Mrs. gandog56 didn't raise a total fool.

Yeah, the rifle kicked, but evidently didn't open the bolt far enough.The cartridges didn't look all that sooty, either. That's why I'm kind of wondering if the powder just burned to fast to cycle the action fully. Oh, well, I never would have tried the 2400 if I wouldn't have run out of my H4895.

wilson133 · July 26, 2008, 06:03 AM

It may not be your reloads at all. The Yugo 59/66 has a gas shut off valve because it is equipped with a grenade launcher. Either having the valve turned off or having the valve or tube pitted from original use of corrosive ammo can make that rifle a single shot. The way to test this is get a box of Wolf ammo and see if it functions, You can get a new valve pretty cheaply from various people on the net, try an SKS board. I have 3 of them and a 124 gr lead bullet behind about14.5 grains of 24oo will cycle the action.

steve4102 · July 26, 2008, 10:02 AM

It's your handloads. 2400 is a fast pistol powder and it doesn't produce enough "port" pressure to cycle the action of an auto-loader. That's not to say it doesn't produce a lot of chamber pressure, cuz it does. Fast pistol powders burn quickly and don't produce that long steam of gasses that travel down the bore like slower powders. That is why the are pistol powders, designed for short barreled pistols. The opposite is true when using very slow powders in an auto-loader. Slow powders produce a lot of "port" pressure and can cause the action to cycle violently causing damage to certain makes and models of auto-loaders.

Lots of good powders that will work well in your rifle. AA1680, R-7 and the 4198s are some of the more popular ones.

CPTMurdoc30 · July 26, 2008, 10:04 AM

First things first Allient 2400 is for use in the 44 mag and other magnum pistol cartridges. I am going out on a limb here and saying that you only loaded from 2 to 8 gr or around there for your powder charge right? If you did then these are ment to be subsonic loads for use with a suppressor. They will not cycle the bolt just as subsonic loads in an ar will not cycle the bolt.

be careful and you should be ok.

steve4102 · July 26, 2008, 10:25 AM

Quote:

I am going out on a limb here and saying that you only loaded from 2 to 8 gr or around there for your powder charge right?

2400 is fast, but not that fast. There is plenty of load data for the 7.62x39 with 2400, usually between 15-17.5 grains for a 123-125gr bullet.

gandog56 · July 26, 2008, 11:11 PM

Quote:

First things first Allient 2400 is for use in the 44 mag and other magnum pistol cartridges. I am going out on a limb here and saying that you only loaded from 2 to 8 gr or around there for your powder charge right?

Nope, 14.5 grains and a 150 grain bullet.

July 25, 2008, 10:31 PM	#1
gandog56 Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 2006 Location: Mobile, Alabama Posts: 979	I'll Never Do This Again! Just got a Yugo SKS not long ago and was going to reload some 7.62X39. Still had some dies from an SKS I had years ago. Looked through my reloading manual, and the only load I could find I already had the powder was using 2400. Anyways went to the range today, loaded a clip, and fired. Action did not cycle. Hand cycled and shot another round. Action did not cycle again. Emptied the mag and put in a clip of some milsurp I also brought. Worked like a champ. The bad thing is these reloads were printing great groups on the target. But I don't exactly like shooting an SKS single shot. The recoil did not feel much different to me than from the milsurp. Kind of wondering if the 2400 is just too fast a powder and is messing with the workings. Have to shoot off the rest of the 100 rounds I made, then come up with a different recipe. Never going to use pistol powder on a rifle again.

July 26, 2008, 06:03 AM	#5
wilson133 Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2006 Posts: 194	It may not be your reloads at all. The Yugo 59/66 has a gas shut off valve because it is equipped with a grenade launcher. Either having the valve turned off or having the valve or tube pitted from original use of corrosive ammo can make that rifle a single shot. The way to test this is get a box of Wolf ammo and see if it functions, You can get a new valve pretty cheaply from various people on the net, try an SKS board. I have 3 of them and a 124 gr lead bullet behind about14.5 grains of 24oo will cycle the action. Last edited by wilson133; July 26, 2008 at 07:49 PM.

July 25, 2008, 10:40 PM	#2
Lavid2002 Senior Member Join Date: April 6, 2007 Posts: 2,568	Are the casings dirty? Could be low pressure... You see...when the pressure is too low, the brass doesnt expand adequately and create a "seal" between the bore and che chamber around the casing....thus air from the cartridge seeps back into the crack of the casing and the chamber leaving carbon deposit on the walls of the chamber and the casing. Look at the casings, are they more dirty than usual? Did the rifle "attempt" to cycle, but only burp a bit and close? *Were the casings adequately sized? Cartridges to be used in a semi-automatic firearm should be FULL LENGTH sized, not neck sized. Cartridges sticking in the chamber, or failure to feeds will appear if not sized properly. P.S. Anything else shot after these low pressure loads, IF thats what it is(Wich it sounds like) would come out dirty as well (not as dirty, but a little), unless you cleaned the chamber before changing ammo types. -Dave

July 25, 2008, 10:54 PM	#3
Swampghost Senior Member Join Date: April 18, 2008 Location: Florida, east coast Posts: 2,106	Good idea to recognize the problem, I don't know if I'd have gone for the second round. I've trashed 2 Rugers with hot rounds and my gunsmith told me that I'd be toast if I kept messing around. Why not buy the firearm that meets the criteria for what you want/need instead of jacking up something else and getting hurt or dead?

July 26, 2008, 03:53 AM	#4
gandog56 Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 2006 Location: Mobile, Alabama Posts: 979	I looked through my spotting scope and saw the bullet hole before I reshot the rifle. Mrs. gandog56 didn't raise a total fool. Yeah, the rifle kicked, but evidently didn't open the bolt far enough.The cartridges didn't look all that sooty, either. That's why I'm kind of wondering if the powder just burned to fast to cycle the action fully. Oh, well, I never would have tried the 2400 if I wouldn't have run out of my H4895.

July 26, 2008, 10:02 AM	#6
steve4102 Senior Member Join Date: December 23, 2005 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,968	It's your handloads. 2400 is a fast pistol powder and it doesn't produce enough "port" pressure to cycle the action of an auto-loader. That's not to say it doesn't produce a lot of chamber pressure, cuz it does. Fast pistol powders burn quickly and don't produce that long steam of gasses that travel down the bore like slower powders. That is why the are pistol powders, designed for short barreled pistols. The opposite is true when using very slow powders in an auto-loader. Slow powders produce a lot of "port" pressure and can cause the action to cycle violently causing damage to certain makes and models of auto-loaders. Lots of good powders that will work well in your rifle. AA1680, R-7 and the 4198s are some of the more popular ones.

July 26, 2008, 10:04 AM	#7
CPTMurdoc30 Senior Member Join Date: February 27, 2008 Location: Stafford VA Posts: 969	First things first Allient 2400 is for use in the 44 mag and other magnum pistol cartridges. I am going out on a limb here and saying that you only loaded from 2 to 8 gr or around there for your powder charge right? If you did then these are ment to be subsonic loads for use with a suppressor. They will not cycle the bolt just as subsonic loads in an ar will not cycle the bolt. be careful and you should be ok.