Re: Reloading 7.62x39 Questions
The basic convention is that domestic barrels use .308 and offshore barrels use .311 expanders. Bullets should match bores, and expanders should match bullets.
Measuring PMC, the bullets are .308; TulAmmo is .310-ish.
I am loading for a Norinco SKS and a Savage Scout, but I use the .308 expander and bullets in both, even though most of the ammo I shoot in the SKS is simply basic TulAmmo FMJ.
The SKS doesn't require, or excell, with special handloads. The Savage Scout is showing promise as a much more responsive rifle.
I would not adjust any existing ammo unless the bullet retention is compromised, and I'd just follow the advice contained in my first two sentences here afterward. After all, we're not talking about LR precision here, and the rifles themselves are quite tolerant of all but the very worst examples of bore/bullet mismatch.
As components go, I find IMR-4198 serves all my needs for the 7.62x39, match primers are overkill, and IMI brass is excellent. I give my IMI to a friend who shoots cast bullets, use FC and PMC, and suggest you check all commercial Boxer brass for primer crimps.
I agree that handloading for AK's and SKS's may not be cost effective, and the rifles will not return much of the hard work investment in the form of significantly improved accuracy. For semi's; I am basically committed to TulAmmo; it's cheap enough and certainly works well enough.
But the Savage Scout has both the Accu-Stock and Accu-Trigger, has a floated barrel, and is coming along quite nicely with 110 V-Max and IMR-4198. Not there yet, but it's getting down to around 1MOA, and will probably (hopefully?) go lower.
The differences between the 7.62x39 and a .30PPC are mainly a matter of semantics, IMHO.
Someday, I plan do a build on the Scout and prove that. It wouldn't take much, I'd start with a longer (than 20.5"), and slightly stiffer barrel; and I don't think it would take much more than that at all.
Greg
