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| Moscow Match | Improving Performance Of 7.62x39mm Ammo On The Cheap |
| Written by David M. Fortier | |
| Tuesday, 27 October 2009 | |
 Although the 7.62x39mm has been almost forgotten when it comes to modern loads, you can easily create some yourself with a little hard work. Modern projectiles include (left to right) Hornady 123-grain VMAX, Speer 123-grain Hot-Cor, Barnes 123-grain TSX and Hornady 123-grain SP. (Photo: David M. Fortier) The concept for a true intermediate cartridge was actually conceived in Imperial Russia by the brilliant weapons designer Vladimir Grigoryevich Fedorov. Prior to the First World War, Fedorov developed a rimless 6.5mm cartridge driving a 131-grain projectile at 2,821 fps. Used in his selective-fire Avtomat, it was intended to increase its hit probability on both semi- and fully automatic, reduce weight and offer a flat trajectory at realistic combat distances. However, due to resistance from the Czar, Fedorov had to make due with the readily available 6.5x50mm Arisaka cartridge. Although revolutionary, Fedorov's Avtomat pretty much disappeared after seeing combat during the Great War and the Revolution. The next Russian attempt at fielding an intermediate cartridge was much more successful. The 7.62x39mm M43 cartridge was adopted in 1943 and remained the Soviet standard until officially replaced by the 5.45x39mm M74 cartridge in 1974. Driving a 123-grain FMJ-BT projectile with a mild steel core at approximately 2,330 fps, it has proven fairly effective. The strong points of this cartridge were reduced bulk and weight compared to a full-size rifle cartridge, reduced recoil, fairly good penetration through intermediate barriers, low manufacturing costs and sufficient terminal performance at common engagement ranges. Widely adopted around the world, the 7.62x39mm cartridge is the benchmark by which all other modern military rifle cartridges are measured. No True Calling Card While the 7.62x39mm cartridge does many things well, it does nothing outstanding. It is considerably heavier than more modern military cartridges such as the 5.56x45mm NATO, 5.45x39mm M74 and 5.8x42mm Chinese. It has a trajectory similar to a thrown bowling ball and its recoil is noticeably heavier than modern small-bore military cartridges. "Accuracy" and "7.62x39mm" have never been synonymous. Lastly, terminal performance could be improved upon. For American shooters, this cartridge's main attraction has always been its inexpensive price.
 Adopted by the Soviet Union in 1943, the 7.62x39mm drives a 123-grain FMJ-BT with a mild steel core at 2,330 fps in its M43 military loading. Terminal performance is lackluster. (Photo: David M. Fortier) Despite the spike in prices, the 7.62x39mm cartridge remains hugely popular among American shooters. However, those who would like to utilize this intermediate cartridge for self-protection face a lack of modern loads in this caliber. Due to the availability of very inexpensive foreign ammunition, domestic manufacturers have largely ignored this round. AK Cheapskates To be blunt, AK shooters tend to be the cheapest shooters on the planet. In years past they were only interested in the best deal they could find leafing through the pages of Shotgun News. So designing a modern dedicated projectile, and developing a suitable load for this cartridge was not economically viable. The introduction of the 6.8x43mm SPC and 6.5x38mm Grendel cartridges, though, stirred interest among many shooters for a modern 7.62x39mm load. Both of these modern intermediate cartridges offer a substantial step up in terminal performance compared to traditional intermediate military loads. One company that responded was CorBon, which brought out an excellent load in its DPX line. Topped with a 123-grain Barnes all-copper hollow-point bullet, it offers both reliable expansion and excellent penetration. The downside to high-end loads is, of course, their high-end price. As good as the DPX load is, it's very expensive. So what can your typically frugal 7.62x39mm shooter do to improve the performance of his or her ammunition without busting the bank? Well, quite a bit actually, if you have some basic reloading equipment and a quantity of steel case ball. Making what I call "Moscow Match" is fairly easy to do, and is based upon the same procedure military rifle teams used in years past to produce what they called "Mexican Match." Mexican Match was produced by pulling the 173-grain FMJ-BT from issue 7.62x51mm M118 Special Ball. The Lake City projectile was replaced by a more accurate Sierra 168-grain MatchKing. Some shooters would dump and then carefully re-measure the powder charge, while others would simply seat the new bullet on top of the existing charge. The result was a more accurate load for military competition. Basically the same thing can be done with 7.62x39mm ball, but to improve terminal performance. To start you need a quantity of 7.62x39mm ball, such as from Wolf Performance Ammunition, a reloading press, a bullet puller, 7.62x39mm dies and replacement projectiles.
 To make Moscow Match, you simply replace the standard FMJ projectile with a suitable expanding bullet, in this case a 123-grain Hornady VMAX. The result is improved accuracy and terminal performance. (Photo: David M. Fortier) Not a Complicated Ordeal The process is fairly simple. Start by pulling the factory FMJ projectile. A press-mounted bullet puller, such as Hornady's Cam-Lock, will make this fairly quick and easy. For very small quantities, an inertia puller will work, as long as your arm holds out. Once the projectile is pulled you have two options: load a bullet of identical weight and bearing surface as the one pulled, or dump the existing powder charge and reload the case with a new powder charge and projectile. That's it. Sound simple? It is, but you do need to keep a few things in mind. The Wolf Performance Ammunition 7.62x39mm loads are on the mild side and are loaded with a steel-jacketed projectile. By loading a copper-jacketed lead-core projectile with a bearing surface equal in length or shorter, there should be a reduction in pressure. For the sake of safety, I recommend weighing the powder charges and finding out what the average is. Then reduce this by 10% and load five rounds. If there are no pressure sign,s then load another five with the factory charge. If again there are no pressure signs, then you are good to go. If you desire to load a different weight projectile, a projectile with a longer bearing surface or a solid copper projectile, then you need to use an appropriate powder charge. Otherwise pressure can spike, leading to bad things. Careful bullet selection and a little work is all that's required to turn a large quantity of inexpensive ball into a top-performing load. Exterior ballistics? Due to its relatively low muzzle velocity and use of projectiles with very low ballistic coefficients, the 7.62x39mm will never be flat-shooting. Accuracy, though, can be improved as well. What the 7.62x39mm does best, though, it to put a respectable amount of power in a small package. Teamed with a modern projectile, the 7.62x39mm cartridge is capable of fully realizing its potential. Sources
Barnes Bullets
Graf and Sons
Hornady
Midway USA
Wolf Performance Ammunition |
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