I have an M-39 Sako in said caliber, has anyone in here reloaded for it using S&B brass, IMR powder, and CCI, Rem., or Win. Primers? I would like to use IMR powders like 4895, 4350, 4064, or 4831. S&B brass fits my budget parameters. Norma, and Lapua brass I know are superior, but it is a bit spendy for me, TIA for your help, Cledus

Yes, to your question, but get a Lyman, or other reloading manual, and go to it.

BEJ, Thanks, but I was wondering if you might have a recipe or two you might like to share? Cledus

I got a box of S&B 7.62x54R SP ammo and shot it.
I got a ~ 3.5" 17 shot group at 100m while rapid firing. The oil came out of the stock, the barrel got so hot.

I could not fit my CCI200 primers in the brass, so I got a Lyman pocket uniformer, and changed the radius at the bottom of the pocket.

I reloaded with partial neck resizing in Lee dies, and got worse groups than factory.

I got some Lapua brass and loaded it with CCI200, IMR4895, 180 gr Sierra .311" Soft point bullets and got good groups.

Here are my load notes:
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7.62x54R "Modern Relaoding: Richard Lee, 180 gr 38.7 gr, 2.952" 2454 fps

I like the Sierra .311" dia 180 gr SPT bullets the best in my 91/30.

I have also used the Remington 180 gr bullets.

I can neck size the 7.62x54R cases by not resizing all the way. This is in part possible because of the case design's steep taper.

Reloaded with neck sized cases, CCI 200, 2.843" OAL, and IMR4895 powder shooting 3 shot groups:
40 gr 2.7" 41 gr 2" 42 gr 2.25" 43 gr >4" 44 gr 1.2" 45 gr 2.9" 46 gr 1.4" 47 gr >4" 48 gr 2.5" 49 gr 3.3" 50 gr 2.5" w/ sticky bolt

I reloaded again:
43.0 gr > 2" 43.3 gr 2.4" 43.6 gr 3.5" 44.0 gr 2.1" 44.3 gr 1.2" 44.6 gr 2.2" 45.0 gr 1.7" 45.3 gr 1.7" 45.6 gr 4.5" 46.0 gr 2" 46.3 gr 2.6"
46.6 gr 4.6" 47.0 gr 3.2" 47.3 gr 1.3" 47.6 gr 3.8" 48.0 gr 2.2" 48.3 gr 2.7" 48.6 gr 3"

I like Lapua brass much better than S&B. The S&B Boxer brass has two
problems:
1) the base of the primer pocket has too large a radius and needs reaming.
2) The handloads are not as accurate as the original ammo.

The factory loaded ammo:
7.62x54R S&B soft point 180 gr. ammo 2" 3 shot groups at 100 yards

I have been getting the rifle on the paper with surplus ammo from Century.
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Clark, Thank you for your response. And Steve, I don't know which primer you suggest, on the page where you show the loads for this caliber, or specific bullets, I mean, I don't want to run too high in the pressure department. Thanks again.

P.S., This is an M-39 Sako rifle, and hopefully I can find something as far as reloading for it, I want to use it for deer season this year, maybe I'll just buy the LVE 202 gr. ammo and use it, and if it doesn't work, maybe I'll just sell it, who knows. And settle for a .308. My M-39 has a bore slugged to .308" in size, and won't it cause premature wear on my bore if I use .311" bullets? Sorry for not being too specific in my earlier posts, Gentlemen, have a good day.

[ 07-17-2003, 15:47: Message edited by: Crazy Cledus ]

Did you even look at the page?

(geesh)

A .308 bore on a Sako M39 would be very unusual. Almost all of them are around .310. If you got a .308, that's a great find, since you can use standard .308 bullets. It might be worth a double check on your slug size.

I have an instrumented M39, and have done pressure measurements on it. Be aware that different guns will produce different pressures, and that you can be in a lot of pressure trouble in a Mosin before conventional pressure signs are seen, so you can't just use my recipes and assume that it is OK.

Using S&B brass, a 180 grain bullet (.311" in my case), and 53 grains of either H4350 or AA4350, CCI primers, and a 3.000" COL, I get 2645 fps and 51,000 PSI.

Yes, the primer pocket is a little odd on the S&B, but if I firmly seat the primer, it comes out flush with the case. It's better to have the primer .003-.004" below flush, but in a bolt action, I don't worry, as long as it does not protrude.

I find the 180 grain commercial S&B is not very satisfactory. I've beeen known to buy it, and to pull the bullet to get the brass. I've measured those cartridges at 58,000 PSI, and 2600 fps.

Denton, It might be closer to .310", so if it is would it be safe to use .308" as well as .311" bullets? Thank You for your help, Yes Steve I read the page, I'm sorry, but I can't figure it out. Thank You again

A lot of the guys use .308" bullets in bores that are .310", or even more.... very common practice. I'm a little leery of it, because I think it might allow gas to escape around the bullet, and cause metal erosion, but I don't have a bit of data to support my theory.

Ackley did some experiments using oversize bullets, and found that it did not cause any pressure problems. It doesn't take a lot of pressure to swage an oversize bullet down, so the bullet being larger than the bore doesn't cause a pressure problem. I have no idea what it might do to accuracy or barrel life.

So I'm not sure how much help I've been. My opinion is that if the grooves are .308" to .309", a .308 bullet is best. By the time you get to the grooves being .310" or larger, the .311" or .3105" bullets are best.

BTW, my Finnish M39 is extremely accurate. Almost all of them are. It's a very capable firearm. I'm sure you will enjoy it a lot.

I use 52.0g of IMR 4350 with Remington 180g .310 SP bullets in S&B cases and CCI primers. This load generates about 2530 fps in my 1933 M91/30. Accuracy is about 1.5" to 2" at 100 yards (depending on the nut behind the wheel that day).

This load is not max, but shoots best for me.