.310" bullet in a .311" barrel?

[BullHeadedGideon]

Hello guys & gals.

I'm just getting into loading; & just bought my first AK. The AK is a GF3 Moekov from PalmettostateArmory.

Customer service says the bore is .311". Hornady sells bullets that are .310".

Excuse my ignorance; but can I do this? Lol. Can I buy some .310" Hornady 123gr SPs & shoot them out of my .311" bore with no problems? Again, please excuse my igborance lol.

Thank you for your responses,

Bull.

 

[AJC1]

You can even shoot 308 but accurate rounds will be bigger. Slug your bore to verify.

 

[GBExpat]

Customer service says the bore is .311". Hornady sells bullets that are .310".

If the bore is .311, the groove diameter will be ~.319" and those .310" bullets will be horribly inaccurate.

Ak customer service to clarify if the .311" refers to the bore or the groove diameter. If it is the latter, jacketed .310" bullets should work fine.

And, yes, as AJC1 suggested, it would be best to slug the bore.

 

[somethingbenign]

Since he is new to reloading anyone want to either link to instructions write their own on slugging a bore? I would but honestly I don't know 100% how to do it either.

 

[GBExpat]

I slug bores and/or chambers with Cerrosafe, but that would be a relatively expensive solution for a single use.

I am sure that googling would provide a number of decent YouTube vids that show how to accomplish the task with actual lead "slugs".

 

[AJC1]

Get a 33 cal pellet from double buck shotgun round and drive it down the bore with a brass rod close to diameter. Aluminum will also work. A plastic dead blow hammer is your friend

 

[Jesse Heywood]

By all means, slug the bore. Soft lead balls works best. Less surface area means less friction. Another source is cast fishing weights.
Bullets for .303 caliber are closer, depending on the bore. Jackets are usually .311, cast .313. For best results jacketed bullets should be .0005 to .0010 larger than the bore, lead .001 to .003. Remember that the greater the difference between the bullet and bore diameter, the higher the pressure will be. As usual, start with lower loads and work up.

 

[BullHeadedGideon]

If the bore is .311, the groove diameter will be ~.319" and those .310" bullets will be horribly inaccurate.

Ak customer service to clarify if the .311" refers to the bore or the groove diameter. If it is the latter, jacketed .310" bullets should work fine.

And, yes, as AJC1 suggested, it would be best to slug the bore.

So if this ends up being the case (bore dia. = .311; & groove dia. = ~.319) what diameter bullets would you recommend?
& is it common for AKs to have a .311" bore & ~.319 groove diameter?

. Slug your bore to verify.

I am sure that googling would provide a number of decent YouTube vids that show how to accomplish the task with actual lead "slugs".

By all means, slug the bore. Soft lead balls works best. Less surface area means less friction. Another source is cast fishing weights.
Bullets for .303 caliber are closer, depending on the bore. Jackets are usually .311, cast .313. For best results jacketed bullets should be .0005 to .0010 larger than the bore, lead .001 to .003. Remember that the greater the difference between the bullet and bore diameter, the higher the pressure will be. As usual, start with lower loads and work up.

I googled "slugging ak47 barrel;" & found a video of a guy doing a "chamber cast" with "chamber cast alloy" from Midway. Seems like the way to go, to me. Any of you guys have any experience doing that?
Here's the link if anyone's interested:

 

[mrawesome22-250]

Doing a chamber cast isn't going to give you your barrels groove diameter.

 

[AJC1]

 

[BullHeadedGideon]

Doing a chamber cast isn't going to give you your barrels groove diameter.

Really? This guy stuffed a cloth down the barrel to the point that the cast was able to get down a couple inches into the barrel.

 

[AJC1]

Really? This guy stuffed a cloth down the barrel to the point that the cast was able to get down a couple inches into the barrel.

That process is way more difficult and expensive for no practical gain in your situation

 

[BullHeadedGideon]

That process is way more difficult and expensive for no practical gain in your situation

Ah. Gotcha.

So if my bore really is .311," going with the .310" Hornady bullets would net 'not-so-good' accuracy?

 

[BullHeadedGideon]

By all means, slug the bore. Soft lead balls works best. Less surface area means less friction. Another source is cast fishing weights.
Bullets for .303 caliber are closer, depending on the bore. Jackets are usually .311, cast .313. For best results jacketed bullets should be .0005 to .0010 larger than the bore, lead .001 to .003. Remember that the greater the difference between the bullet and bore diameter, the higher the pressure will be. As usual, start with lower loads and work up.

So if my bore really is .311," going with the .310" Hornady bullets would net 'not-so-good' accuracy?

 

[AJC1]

Ah. Gotcha.

So if my bore really is .311," going with the .310" Hornady bullets would net 'not-so-good' accuracy?

Those bullets may work fine. The other option is to cast your own which you can cast or size any diameter you want. Most people wanted these guns for the cheap steel cases ammunition that was readily available. That is not the current circumstance and those times may not return based on ever tightening laws and import restrictions.

 

[armoredman]

Is this the Hornaday 123 gr spire points? I have used them with great effect for years in an SKS, vz-58, CZ 527M and now my BREN 2 MS pistol. My jacketed bullets in this caliber are always .310, and my CAST bullets in this caliber are always sized to .311. BTW, this is my go to hunting bullet/self defense bullet.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1165186764

 

[BullHeadedGideon]

Those bullets may work fine. The other option is to cast your own which you can cast or size any diameter you want. Most people wanted these guns for the cheap steel cases ammunition that was readily available. That is not the current circumstance and those times may not return based on ever tightening laws and import restrictions.

So, if my bore is .311, & the grooves are ~.319 (like GBExpat said could be possible), would I kind of be screwed unless I started casting my own bullets?
My bad for all these questions, man. Lol

 

[BullHeadedGideon]

Is this the Hornaday 123 gr spire points? I have used them with great effect for years in an SKS, vz-58, CZ 527M and now my BREN 2 MS pistol. My jacketed bullets in this caliber are always .310, and my CAST bullets in this caliber are always sized to .311. BTW, this is my go to hunting bullet/self defense bullet.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1165186764

If my barrel likes these bullets, I'll definitely keep a good stock of these around. Thanks, man.

 

[BullHeadedGideon]

With PSA customer service saying their barrel is .311," I should get .315" diameter lead balls for the barrel slug, right? Not .310" diameter.

 

[ballman6711]

You want them slightly larger than the muzzle opening. When slugging the barrel you should just get a tiny ring of lead shaved off the slug as it starts down the barrel.

I just used fishing weights when I slugged my 45acp barrel. Just be sure to use lead since fishing weights are also available in harder metals and could/would damage your barrel.

chris

 

[GBExpat]

So if this ends up being the case (bore dia. = .311; & groove dia. = ~.319) what diameter bullets would you recommend?
& is it common for AKs to have a .311" bore & ~.319 groove diameter?

Quite frankly, I would be very surprised if the bore diameter is actually .311 ... but, IIRC, PSA is the vendor that advertises a removable-handle AR-15 as a classic "A2", so ...

Odds are that the bore diameter is actually ~.303" and the groove diameter, ~.311, a result of the CS Rep (like many) being sloppy in their use of terminology.

Historically it has been a good thing to "slug" barrels that are chambered for 7.62mm Russian anything. That began with the original rifles & handguns because their "7.62mm" (.300", or .30cal) varied so-o-o-o much, even in like firearms.

Add to that some confusion (and possibly poor mfg choices) with some commercially made US products that kept us all guessing (the original 7.62x39 Mini-14 comes to mind) so when dealing with firearms chambered for several of these Russian cartridges it is a good idea to slug the bore to make sure of the groove diameter.

BullHeadedGideon, .310" bullets will likely shoot just fine in your rifle.

 

[AJC1]

Quite frankly, I would be very surprised if the bore diameter is actually .311 ... but, IIRC, PSA is the vendor that advertises a removable-handle AR-15 as a classic "A2", so ...

Odds are that the bore diameter is actually ~.303" and the groove diameter, ~.311, a result of the CS Rep (like many) being sloppy in their use of terminology.

Historically it has been a good thing to "slug" barrels that are chambered for 7.62mm Russian anything. That began with the original rifles & handguns because their "7.62mm" (.300", or .30cal) varied so-o-o-o much, even in like firearms.

Add to that some confusion (and possibly poor mfg choices) with some commercially made US products that kept us all guessing (the original 7.62x39 Mini-14 comes to mind) so when dealing with firearms chambered for several of these Russian cartridges it is a good idea to slug the bore to make sure of the groove diameter.

BullHeadedGideon, .310" bullets will likely shoot just fine in your rifle.

This. I find it highly unlikely that any barrels are not made to a spec. Wild caliber claims are just that wild. I would bet the groove is .311 just like a ton of other guns.

 

[BullHeadedGideon]

You want them slightly larger than the muzzle opening. When slugging the barrel you should just get a tiny ring of lead shaved off the slug as it starts down the barrel.

I just used fishing weights when I slugged my 45acp barrel. Just be sure to use lead since fishing weights are also available in harder metals and could/would damage your barrel.

chris

See, I just don't know which sized lead balls to buy since I don't know the diameter of the bore. On the website I'm lookin at right now, I have 2 choices - .310" & .315" lead balls. Both advertised as .32 caliber.

 

[Random 8]

You guys are making this way too complicated for the poor OP. He's new to reloading. He has an AK.

To the OP: .310", 123 grains is the correct bullet for your rifle. Load up the Hornady 123 gr .310 SP, FMJ or Vmax with reputable load data, preferably Hornady to their suggested Overall Length and be happy. As you gain some experience, you can try some other brands, especially the Lapua .310 123 FMJ if you wish to attempt to wring more accuracy from your rifle.

 

[armoredman]

Wait till you start CASTING for 7.62x39mm!