Pics of 7.62x39 with a 208 grain A-Max

[Dolomite_supafly]

So I am getting ready to do some accuracy testing with my fresh custom build. It is a Savage chambered in 7.62x39 and has a 1" bull barrel. It is also threaded 5/8-24 for a can I will build for it if it shoots well enough. Why 7.62x39?, because it is good enough for what I want it for without the harsh recoil.

The 208 A-Max is about perfect for the 10 twist barrel. According to calculations it will be stabile in flight but tumble i upon impact. Even if the velocity is only 800 fps it will still remain stabile.

This is a dummy round I made. It has a OAL of 2.60" and is .01" off the lands.

The actual ammo is Winchester brass loaded with Winchester magnum primers. It also allows me almost the full case for powder. And of course it will not feed from a magazine.

I am going to be doing some ladder testing for accuracy. I am starting with 16 grains of powder and ending at 20.5 grains providing I don;t see signs of pressure before. The ballistician at Hornady gave me a starting load of 15 grains and a max of 19.5. He said the starting velocity is 1,450 fps but failed to mention the max velocity. A friend put the specs into Quickload and came up with a max of 22.7 grains. If I am still not seeing pressure at 20.5 grains I will load up some hotter stuff for more testing.

Dolomite

[Garufa]

That's just awesome. I'm sure it will work out just like the other loads you come up with.

[hipower]

Awesome. Just awesome.

[William_Munny]

OK.... very nice!

[221 Fireball]

Very cool Dolo.. I'm anxious to hear the results. That might make an awesome whitetail round too. I have two grandsons who will one day be deer hunting, and we know how recoil shy those little guys are at first...heck, I'm still recoil shy now that I think of it...LOL. That's why I sold my .300 Weatherby Ultra Light and bought a Kimber in 7/08!

[Dolomite_supafly]

For our region the 7.62x39 is quite capable providing you choose the right bullet. Ballistics are comparable to the 30-30 which has been taking deer for well over a century now.

Dolomite

[Smith]

Very cool Dolo.. I'm anxious to hear the results. That might make an awesome whitetail round too. I have two grandsons who will one day be deer hunting, and we know how recoil shy those little guys are at first...heck, I'm still recoil shy now that I think of it...LOL. That's why I sold my .300 Weatherby Ultra Light and bought a Kimber in 7/08!

While I love the 7.62x39 you might check out a .357 mag. Out of an 18" barrel the hotter load ballistics are also in the mid 30-30 range with next to nil recoil. My 8 yr old daughter loves my 92 in .357. Ruger makes a m77 in the caliber that is very compact and nice handling.

[Dolomite_supafly]

Might be comparable at the muzzle but the 357 bullets are not as clean in the air as most 308 bullets. There is also a much wider selection of bullets in 308 than 357.

Also, every build I do is on a Savage. Even though it is possible I don't think I would like a bolt gun in 38.

If the bolt gun shoots I will be building a suppressor for it. It will cost me less than $100 in materials using 17-4 and 316 stainless.

Dolomite

[kwe45919]

Just.....wow......if only this were the true ammo the AK47's were built for.......

[Smith]

Might be comparable at the muzzle but the 357 bullets are not as clean in the air as most 308 bullets. There is also a much wider selection of bullets in 308 than 357.

Also, every build I do is on a Savage. Even though it is possible I don't think I would like a bolt gun in 38.

If the bolt gun shoots I will be building a suppressor for it. It will cost me less than $100 in materials using 17-4 and 316 stainless.

Dolomite

Eh, not from what I've read. Either way you're still talking about a sub 300 yrd gun and the energy and accuracy (depending on bullet) is relatively the same. Kinda 6 of one half-a-dozen of the other IMO. True there are more bullets in the .308 but the heavier bullets tend to negate to gains due to the limited case of the x39. Not knocking the idea as I am completley intrigued and think it is a great idea, I was just throwing out another option for the guy looking for something for his grandkids that already existed, offered more support, and had most of the benefits of what you are creating.

[peejman]

That's a HUGE bullet! Reminds me of pics I've seen of some wildcat caliber where the bullet appears bigger than the brass. I'm curious to see how it works.

[mikegideon]

Eh, not from what I've read. Either way you're still talking about a sub 300 yrd gun and the energy and accuracy (depending on bullet) is relatively the same. Kinda 6 of one half-a-dozen of the other IMO. True there are more bullets in the .308 but the heavier bullets tend to negate to gains due to the limited case of the x39. Not knocking the idea as I am completley intrigued and think it is a great idea, I was just throwing out another option for the guy looking for something for his grandkids that already existed, offered more support, and had most of the benefits of what you are creating.

The difference BC between that AMAX and a normal .357 Magnum bullet is real significant

[Smith]

The difference BC between that AMAX and a normal .357 Magnum bullet is real significant

That's why I said "depending on bullet" If you use one of the Buffalo Bore loads or even a hotter variant of a Nosler tip in the .357 mag then they are relatively similar. But yes, if you are comparing a wildcat one off load with a standard off the self load then the difference is apples to oranges.

[221 Fireball]

I hear what you're saying Smith, my .243 is also a good, mild shooter for kids and has taken a fair share of whitetails. Like Dolo though, I kind of like the 'odd' off the wall stuff when it comes to interesting firearms. I just think his idea is pretty unique. But in reality, they all work with the right shot placement!

[Smith]

I hear what you're saying Smith, my .243 is also a good, mild shooter for kids and has taken a fair share of whitetails. Like Dolo though, I kind of like the 'odd' off the wall stuff when it comes to interesting firearms. I just think his idea is pretty unique. But in reality, they all work with the right shot placement!

Oh, no doubt that A-Max is an awesome round!

[TnShooter83]

Come on and shoot it already. I tired of checking this post every day to see what happens.

I have access to a Ruger M77/MKII in 7.62x39 (grandfathers) and I'd like to see just how capable this "military" round can be.....

I've debated on buying it from him a few times as all my other bolt guns are have to much recoil and cost too much to shoot.

[Dolomite_supafly]

I have another thread with the groups and fps of factory ammo. I just found out it has a LONG throat. Probably 1/2" long so factory ammo isn't going to be really accurate. These loads should do better.

I have been having a rough couple of weeks. Hoping to hit the range this week.

Dolomite

[mikegideon]

That's why I said "depending on bullet" If you use one of the Buffalo Bore loads or even a hotter variant of a Nosler tip in the .357 mag then they are relatively similar. But yes, if you are comparing a wildcat one off load with a standard off the self load then the difference is apples to oranges.

Dolomite making wildcat loads? Say it ain't so

[Dolomite_supafly]

Look at my avatar.

That is the 7.62x25 Tokarev, a Russian pistol caliber, loaded with a 168 SMK. It is next to a 45 ACP for comparison.

That is another build that is coming as soon as I find a Remington 591, 592.

Dolomite

[221 Fireball]

Dolomite, how's that work building your own 'can'? Still have to get a stamp, right?

[Dolomite_supafly]

Yes, you still have to get the stamp approved prior to starting the build. It is illegal to have any parts for your suppressor made without the form in hand. Just because it has been approved doesn't mean anything until the form is in your hand.

Basically fill out a Form 1, it is about as hard as the paperwork for a civillian passport. Give the can you intend to build a model name, length, serial number as well as caliber on the form. Send it off and wait. Once you get the approval you begin building your can.

And just so you know you can legally go shorter but you can never go longer. So it is always best to over estimate the length then shorten it as needed.

For my 22 can I used a 1" 316 for the tube and 17-4 for all other parts. It is threaded 1/2-28. And so you know those materials are what is normally used for centerfire guns. I used 8 "K" baffles because the concensus is they seem to be the best for subsonic rounds. For the centerfire rifle most say cone baffles are the way to go. Most centerfire cans also have a very large through hole, I know most 22 cans run holes larger than .26" and to me this allows fast, hot gases to make it past baffels and eventually out the end. In my 22 can the first 2 baffles are .234" giving .006" clearance. The next 2 baffles are .24" followed by .25" and the final 2 are .26". It is what that call tapered baffles and they prevent baffle strikes in the event the can isn't exactly square. As long as the threads on the firearm are concentric to the bore it works great. And even if the later baffles are a bit large I belive the initial "K" baffles having such small clearance make up the majority of the cans effectiveness. And it is quiet as some on here will verify.

For the 30 caliber can I think I might try a combination of cone and "K" baffles. It is going to be threaded 5/8-24 and have either a 1.375" or 1.5" tube. I will have a cone baffle as the blast baffle, then K baffles after that. I might even try my hand at machining iconel or some other high end alloy. The 30 caliber can is going to be 10" long. The initial blast baffle is going to be 2" in and a 17-4 cone baffle, the next baffle, which will be a K baffle, is going to be 1.5" then the rest are going to be equally spaced K baffles. I plan on shooting mostly subsonic rounds through the can and K's work best on subsonics while cones work best on supersonics. I think if I keep the fit very tight it will help out a lot. Maybe have a .312" to give me .002" clearance all the way around. I will again taper the baffles to prevent strikes.

Dolomite