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Posted: 3/20/2024 11:39:25 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Pureblood][Edited]
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Save the bullets and powder, and load them in brass cases with commercial primers. I have found that the average powder charges can be as low as 24.5 grains and as high as 25 grains. It makes good cheap ammo.   I load 24 grains in every case and have been getting better results than I expected.  4 shot 1/2" group at 110 yards I have found Bulgarian surplus X 39 just as good. |
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Originally Posted By grendelbane: Wouldn't it be a lot less work to just shoot the corrosive ammunition assembled and clean it afterwards? I can see where getting a uniform powder charge might increase the accuracy but is it worth all that labor? What am I missing here? The labor never even entered my mind, it's so insignificant that it's not worth considering. It takes less effort than cleaning everything with boiling water after shooting. Shooting accurate inexpensive and non corrosive X39 ammo is a pleasure. The group pictured was shot from a sandbag with no rear support on a brand new gong, it was not a fluke. What makes it so accurate is a mystery. When the weather improves I will shoot several groups on paper, I might even record it on video. |
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Originally Posted By Pureblood: 4 shot 1/2" group at 110 yards .  Holy cow, that's amazing! Nice work.Lot to be said about uniformity of powder charge, when I used to reload and wanted match loads, i'd skip the progressive and weigh each charge by hand. I found that even as little as tenth of a grain difference made a difference in POI. |
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Originally Posted By grendelbane: Wouldn't it be a lot less work to just shoot the corrosive ammunition assembled and clean it afterwards? I can see where getting a uniform powder charge might increase the accuracy but is it worth all that labor? What am I missing here? Right there with ya. My time is worth too much to unload ammo just to change the primer. Easier and faster to rinse everything out at the end of the day. I'm not retired though. |
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Originally Posted By Dragynn: Holy cow, that's amazing! Nice work.Lot to be said about uniformity of powder charge, when I used to reload and wanted match loads, i'd skip the progressive and weigh each charge by hand. I found that even as little as tenth of a grain difference made a difference in POI. I'm very pleased with it, but it was more by accident than design. I'm presently in the process of trying to work up a good .223 load that can shoot as well. 
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Originally Posted By Pureblood: How long do you think it takes to unload the ammo ? Takes longer to unload it to usable components than it take for my Dillon to put it back together. Took me 5 minutes to pull 20 rounds the other day between fixturing and dumping powder. Only made it with it as it's already brass 7.62 Russian and only the powder is unknown and the loader has passed away. |
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Originally Posted By Deerhurst: Takes longer to unload it to usable components than it take for my Dillon to put it back together. Took me 5 minutes to pull 20 rounds the other day between fixturing and dumping powder. Only made it with it as it's already brass 7.62 Russian and only the powder is unknown and the loader has passed away. I disassemble four rounds a minute with ease. Do you really think that's time consuming ? It's what's known as a piece of cake.
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Originally Posted By Pureblood: Save the bullets and powder, and load them in brass cases with commercial primers. I have found that the average powder charges can be as low as 24.5 grains and as high as 25 grains. It makes good cheap ammo. https://i.imgur.com/nnLWoV4l.jpg https://i.imgur.com/HmgyJ0Cl.jpg I load 24 grains in every case and have been getting better results than I expected. https://i.imgur.com/cBJObCBl.jpg 4 shot 1/2" group at 110 yards I have found Bulgarian surplus X 39 just as good. @Pureblood How are you removing the bullets? I have a pile of 7.62X54r that I want to break down into components. |
"If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, give it Narcan." ~ AverageJoe365
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“Imagine if the Great Depression and Mad Max had a baby.” ~ KingRat
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Originally Posted By Pureblood: Put the cases in a vise and hit the bullets with a big rubber hammer. I use 7.62X54R for making non corrosive .303 Will do! 
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"If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, give it Narcan." ~ AverageJoe365
“Imagine if the Great Depression and Mad Max had a baby.” ~ KingRat
“Imagine if the Great Depression and Mad Max had a baby.” ~ KingRat
| To me, that’s as lot of work. I’ve been reloading since 1978 or so and I think I’ve seen it all. By the time you pull the bullets, weigh the powder to get an average weight, prep your cases for loading, weigh the powder after getting an average weight, and loading the bullets, to me that’s not worth it. AK’s are easy to clean with a good bore cleaner and Gun Scrubber to wash it all away. Lube it good and your ready. Just my opinion based on my experiences the past few decades. |
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Originally Posted By T18B40: To me, that’s as lot of work. I’ve been reloading since 1978 or so and I think I’ve seen it all. By the time you pull the bullets, weigh the powder to get an average weight, prep your cases for loading, weigh the powder after getting an average weight, and loading the bullets, to me that’s not worth it. AK’s are easy to clean with a good bore cleaner and Gun Scrubber to wash it all away. Lube it good and your ready. Just my opinion based on my experiences the past few decades. You make it seem a lot more work than it really is. Pulling the bullets takes hardly any time, once that is done it's no more work than reloading anything else. |
| Just for grins I made up some Mexican Match with Wolf ammo. Pulled the bullets and replaced with Hornady 123 Zmax. Accuracy was not much better than the original ammo. Never thought about weighing the powder charges and then refilling them with a consistent quantity. Might just have to give that a try. Thanks for posting. |
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Originally Posted By grendelbane: Wouldn't it be a lot less work to just shoot the corrosive ammunition assembled and clean it afterwards? I can see where getting a uniform powder charge might increase the accuracy but is it worth all that labor? What am I missing here? Unless you enjoy doing it or have some specific task to get it just right I don't see the point either. That said OP did some pretty fine shooting if what I'm seeing is a group and not one shot. |
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Originally Posted By JamesJones: Unless you enjoy doing it or have some specific task to get it just right I don't see the point either. That said OP did some pretty fine shooting if what I'm seeing is a group and not one shot. The point is to shoot clean and accurate ammo, but I also prefer loading it as opposed to washing the bore and gas system with boiling water every time after shooting. That is a four shot group shot group shot with a WK 181 
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