Getting geared-up for loading the 7.62x39 in my new Ruger 77 bolt-action, I've bought a brand-new set of RCBS dies on Ebay ($11.50) and 500 rounds of once-fired Federal brass (also from an Ebay source, for $27.50). That should be just about enough brass for a bolt-action cast-boolit rifle, by gum!

This FC brass uses Large Rifle primers. It occurs to me that this might be a primo case (pun intended) for the Large Pistol primer with cast loads, considering the modest powder charges used in the silly little case. I know that some other makes of 7.62x39 brass use the small-diameter primers, and taken all-in-all I can see that some considerable experimenting could be done among the two sizes of primers and both the rifle/pistol types, all in the same chamber.

Omigawd, what if we add in standards, and Match, and Magnum types, in EACH SIZE AND TYPE AND MAKE.....aaagggghhh....my mind is boggling. The permutations are incredible!

This little popgun better be worth the effort. Anyone out there have a surplus 77 short-action MkII WOOD stock for sale? Boyd's lists a nicely-shaped "JRS Classic" in walnut or laminate for about sixty bucks. Might have to go that route. The hogged-out synthetic stock is going to GO (unless it's a tack-driver as-is...tiny groups cover up a LOT of "cosmetic flaws".)

It's raining like crazy....naturally, being my day off, and the day I hoped to be on the range with the .416.....

Regards from BruceB (aka Bren Mk1)

Try em all, and report! Should be fun. ... felix

BruceB...I've shot Large Pistols in the 7.62 X 39mm in a Contender. No problems encountered. I have never shot any Small Pistol in the R-P cases so I'd be a little bit apprehensive about that combo.

Should set off fast burning stuff as the case capacity is small. Just never tried it./beagle

......BruceB, All I've ever used in mine was WLR, except for some R-P and I used WSR in those. Since my rifle is built on a small ring, you may call me a pantywaist, but I've not loaded some of the book data that shows 50K+ pressures :-). I had trouble remembering at first that just because it was a little case, it didn't mean little pressure, ha!

I was intending to ask if you'd shot it yet.

........Buckshot

Bren Mk1,

I have a CZ527 in the same caliber and have been thinking along the same lines. I'm presently working with the Lee 155 grain and Unique powder for a plinking and coyote load. Thinking about beagling a 130 grain .30 cal mold and then sizing to .311. (my bore size) So far I've been getting 2 to 2 1/2 inches at 100 yards with the Lee bullet and Unique powder. I've just mounted a Burris compact 4X and hope to better these groups. I don't think it does as well (accuracy and velocity) with the cases using small rifle primers as with the Federal cases and WLR primers. What other powders and loads are you having luck with. There was also a decent article in Gun World magazine about loading for this round, but he bought his cast bullets instead of making them.

I'm sure that this has been gone over probably 6 or 7 hundred times, but, I went to small pistol primers in my Ruger #3 in K hornet. group size really dropped. Just got me to thinking [scary thought] I'm going to try some of my 90 and some odd grain cast boolits in my 30/30 contender with large pistol VS large rifle primers. k2

Bruce,
I thought that was the whole reason behind the Shuetzenwagen....for shooting in all range conditions ...Never mind the rain,you are inside and dry aren't you ? Holding onto that thought let me tell you that just today I purchased my own chebby van for conversion to duty as a Shoot~N~Wagon. Details of course will be brought along over on Cast Boolits. I gotta have something to talk about over there since most of the time I am just talking to myself. Kinda feels lonely.................45nut

45nut, you are correct, of course.

Shooting warm-and-dry from inside Der Schuetzenwagen is one thing, and very nice it is, too....but there's not much point when the targets are turning to mush. Tell ya what, a dedicated shooting-only vehicle is a truly wonderful thing. Having all the needed "impedimenta" at hand without having to load/unload all the stuff for every range trip makes it all worthwhile, and adding the benchrest and loading bench is even better.

Most of the targets I use are Xeroxed on regular computer paper, and the stuff doesn't take well to baths. Anyway, today was gorgeous and the rest of the week looks much the same.

I intended to handload the next .416 series at the range today, but other considerations took over. Maybe tomorrow.

Dies and brass for the 7.62x39 are en route, and I hope in a week or two to have something to report about it. My research reveals that the 77 has a .311 groove diameter, so I'll make sure to have some appropriately-prepared boolits on hand when the tooling arrives.

Regards from BruceB (aka Bren Mk1)