H
hseaver
Guest
Yeah, I know this isn't exactly a benchrest rifle, but you guys are the only ones I can find on the net that are actually playing around with this cartridge in ways that greatly fascinate me. Basically, I'm trying to find a source for a 7.62x39 "Ackley Improved" reamer to open up the chamber on a Yugo SKS. This gun, to me, is the perfect deer and wild boar gun for my ways of hunting.
And please, resist the urge to send me a million emails telling me that the 7.62x39 is not adequate for deer or boar. I'm an oldtimer, and I couldn't even tell you how many deer I've killed, but I do know that the first three deer -- all bucks -- that I took were all killed with a single-shot Marlin-Ballard in .218 Bee. I then graduated to a Marlin lever-action .38-40. I hunted partridge (ruffed grouse to some of you) with a S&W K-22 pistol, then acquired a .38-40 single action revolver which I handloaded for -- loads too heavy for my old Marlin rifle, and for many, many years ran a trapline and hunted primarily with those two pistols. I also killed several moose with the .38-40, the last one with the pistol. You don't need a powerful gun or even need to be a good shot -- you just need to be able to get close, and that I indeed can do.
So anyway -- to me the 7.62x39 in a semi-auto is an absolutely perfect deer and boar gun. Not too heavy, not bad recoil at all (and my arthritic old shoulders can't take much of that), and basically one of the most inherently accurate cases ever designed. But just a tad more power couldn't hurt, so I'm going to try "improving" an SKS -- and a Yugo is the best choice for this since it has a build-in gas cylinder turn-off valve, making it perfect for experimenting with loads. It also has a 1:9 inch twist, which is perfect for my purposes, because unlike most of you, I don't load short little 112 - 125 grain bullets, but instead load 150 grain to 220 grain jacketed and cast bullets. I also prefer the .311-312 bore, and have purchased a swaging die that does .311 bullets, plus quite a few moulds that cast bullets from 93 grain to 184grain in that size range. My favorite deer load is a 184 grain cast bullet at around 1800 fps. I cast the bullet in two steps with a pure lead nose and a linotype rear for the part contacting the rifling. Plus a gas-check. Although now that I have the .311 swaging die I might change that -- I bought it mostly for loading 220 grain subsonic 1000 fps loads. It's about as loud as a .22LR.
So -- my real question here is what is the best way to proceed. I've got a thousand of new unfired 7.62x39 Winchester cases, and hundreds more Federal ones, so I have no interest in blowing out 6mmPPC Lapua brass. I would like, if it is possible, to buy or rent a 7.62x39 Ackley Improved reamer, and buy would probably be best because if this works as I think it should, I'll be doing the same thing to a number of other SKS rifles for family and friends. If these are not readily available, then I've gathered from doing searches here on these forums that the same thing can be accomplished, more or less, by using a 6mmPPC or a 6.5 Grendel reamer with a .311 pilot substituted for the original one.
One thing I don't understand is the difference between a 7.62x39 Ackley Improved and a 30PPC? And, of course, I do definitely want a case that feeds flawlessly through the magazine and action, although I could care less about any of those high-volume mags -- 10 rounds is enough for me.
And please, resist the urge to send me a million emails telling me that the 7.62x39 is not adequate for deer or boar. I'm an oldtimer, and I couldn't even tell you how many deer I've killed, but I do know that the first three deer -- all bucks -- that I took were all killed with a single-shot Marlin-Ballard in .218 Bee. I then graduated to a Marlin lever-action .38-40. I hunted partridge (ruffed grouse to some of you) with a S&W K-22 pistol, then acquired a .38-40 single action revolver which I handloaded for -- loads too heavy for my old Marlin rifle, and for many, many years ran a trapline and hunted primarily with those two pistols. I also killed several moose with the .38-40, the last one with the pistol. You don't need a powerful gun or even need to be a good shot -- you just need to be able to get close, and that I indeed can do.
So anyway -- to me the 7.62x39 in a semi-auto is an absolutely perfect deer and boar gun. Not too heavy, not bad recoil at all (and my arthritic old shoulders can't take much of that), and basically one of the most inherently accurate cases ever designed. But just a tad more power couldn't hurt, so I'm going to try "improving" an SKS -- and a Yugo is the best choice for this since it has a build-in gas cylinder turn-off valve, making it perfect for experimenting with loads. It also has a 1:9 inch twist, which is perfect for my purposes, because unlike most of you, I don't load short little 112 - 125 grain bullets, but instead load 150 grain to 220 grain jacketed and cast bullets. I also prefer the .311-312 bore, and have purchased a swaging die that does .311 bullets, plus quite a few moulds that cast bullets from 93 grain to 184grain in that size range. My favorite deer load is a 184 grain cast bullet at around 1800 fps. I cast the bullet in two steps with a pure lead nose and a linotype rear for the part contacting the rifling. Plus a gas-check. Although now that I have the .311 swaging die I might change that -- I bought it mostly for loading 220 grain subsonic 1000 fps loads. It's about as loud as a .22LR.
So -- my real question here is what is the best way to proceed. I've got a thousand of new unfired 7.62x39 Winchester cases, and hundreds more Federal ones, so I have no interest in blowing out 6mmPPC Lapua brass. I would like, if it is possible, to buy or rent a 7.62x39 Ackley Improved reamer, and buy would probably be best because if this works as I think it should, I'll be doing the same thing to a number of other SKS rifles for family and friends. If these are not readily available, then I've gathered from doing searches here on these forums that the same thing can be accomplished, more or less, by using a 6mmPPC or a 6.5 Grendel reamer with a .311 pilot substituted for the original one.
One thing I don't understand is the difference between a 7.62x39 Ackley Improved and a 30PPC? And, of course, I do definitely want a case that feeds flawlessly through the magazine and action, although I could care less about any of those high-volume mags -- 10 rounds is enough for me.
