7.62x39 cast hollowpoint loads for deer/hogs

[matthewquigley]

using a lyman mold #311672 @ 160 grains send it to hollowpoint service and ave one side hollowpointed and cast with WW sweetened with some tin and load it with 16.0 grains of 2400 or 13.0 of red dot in an SKS with the op rod removed so it would function like a bolt gun would it do well to 100 yards on whitetails and pigs???

[Larry Gibson]

I've been using HP'd cast bullets in rifles for many years.  Suggest you use 50/50 or 40/60 alloy of WW/pure lead.  It will expand without sloughing off the expansion petals much beeter than your WW+ tin alloy.  Size them .311 or .312 and use a good lube such as Javelina.  Make sure the GCs are seated square on the GC shank.  I'll also suggest for your 7.62x39 that you try H4895.  Start at 22 gr and work up in 1/2 gr increments until accuracy really goes south or 100% loading density is reached.  Your velocity should be in the 1800 - 2000 fps range.  Clean the barrel every 10 shots with that soft alloy to maintain best accuracy. Other wise some leading occurs toward the muzzle end of the bore and accuracy suffers. When hunting if you've not got yhe deer/pig in 10 shots it's time to go home anyways.  I would also try it with the OPROD as a semi.  Accuracy of 4 moa (given a decent SKS that is still tightly bedded) is very possible and more than enough for deer/pigs out to 100 yards.  I use a 50 gr WFN cast bullet HP'd with a Forster HP tool in my Russian SKS with such a load and it shoots very well at 3 moa and is fully funtional.

Larry Gibson

[Badnews Bob]

I am not a big fan of hollow points for hunting anything but on deer you'll prolly be fine for hogs I'd rather have the same load with a solid bullet for penitration. Depends on the size of the hogs thou.

[Dezynco]

If the cast bullets are flat points, you'd be surprised at the amount of shock that can be delivered, even without the hollow point.  Don't believe it, try filling a milk jug with water and having a go at it with the flat points.

I see no reason why you should take the op rod out to shoot cast bullets.  If you work your way up, you'll probably find that the cast bullet loads can operate your SKS reliably.  I read something somewhere about someone trying to foul a gas system with cast lead bullets.  After a few thousand rounds, they finally gave up.  Said there was "no noticable decrease in performance" due to any sort of lead fouling.  I figure that you just need to clean fairly often.

[matthewquigley]

that and keep from chasing brass with the oprod out   and keep my trigger finger calmed down with a 5 shot mag plus i can save all that hard to find reloadable brass!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dezynco]

Good point!