Thread: 7.62x39 Bullet weight

Hi guys,

Looking to reload for my Howa Mini 7.62x39. According to their website the twist rate is 1: 9.45.
What would be the range of bullet weight it can handle?

Looking at the cast lead projectiles by Robert from Putaruru/Tokoroa.

308 151gr HP https://www.trademe.co.nz/sports/hun...7d2e7d3566-001

303 204gr HP https://www.trademe.co.nz/sports/hun...7d2e7d3566-001

Will try both subsonic and supersonic.

Intention is to use for goats, deer and pigs in the bush.

Thanks

This is the sole listing for gunworks projectile supply in 7.62x39.

No doubt there are more possibilities, but I suspect this bullet weight is the best option.

For full power loads, 123gr is your go to. There is 150gr stuff out there but the velocity kinda sucks. It's by no means the optimal weight for the twist but anything matched to a 1:9.45 with <30gr of powder will be walking down range.

the top ones go great at subsonic and even better and just about subsonic.....

303 is actually .311 due to the way the bore was measured so they should work fine. The British Lee Enfield twist rate was 1:10 so they will stableise.

Originally Posted by Marty Henry

303 is actually .311 due to the way the bore was measured so they should work fine. The British Lee Enfield twist rate was 1:10 so they will stableise.

Indeed. .303, are 311 or 310 bore diameter and 308 are actually slightly smaller diameter. However, the mini 30 had a 308 diameter bore but was still able to use normal 7.62x39 ammo. (Something to do with the way the throat was set up from memory, but please correct me if this is not the case)

I have not slugged a Howa bore to see if it is .311 or .308 as being an American brand there is a chance it could be either. (Last I heard they were actually made in Japan)

Longer heavier bullets such as the 180s etc may need to be checked to see if they fit in the magazine....especially if using longer "pointy" bullets. If going subsonic then velocity will be fixted at around 1000-1100 fps (otherwise it is not a subby anymore and just slow) so to increase the energy the bullet weight will need to come up....

The 7.62x39 lends itself to subsonic loads, it's actually like it's coming into its own due to its the traditional fast twist of barrels chambered for it, which is a quirk of history.

It's the same twist rate basically as in the Mosin Nagant 7.62x54R Russian rifle (later carried over by re-use of tooling to the 7.62x25 submachine guns and then to the 7.62x39 Soviet) and only slightly tighter than the 1:10 .303 rifles' twist. Both were designed for heavy 210/215grain bullets respectively.

The Mosin was designed to shoot 210grain jacketed bullets at 2200fps and the Lee Enfield for 215 grain jacketed bullets at 2060fps (or 1850fps with the initial stop-gap 71grain black powder load).

Note that cast, round nosed boolits are shorter than jacketed spitzers of same weight, so can be stabilised at a slower velocity by a given rifling twist than the (longer) spitzers.

We were lobbing hornadys onto a sandhill at 500m and got some pretty good feedback. There was approx 1.7m drop which i noted for later to try to help my mate sort out his drop chart. I gotta say i was impressed with the transonic performance of these rounds. Hitting the same point more or less

Putting this round through a rifle of greater barrel length and accuracy potential than the aks, skks and sks of the past will suprise many people. It's easy to see why it parented so many of the smaller precision cartridges.