Savage 10CM 7.62X39

[MrMajestic]

Thought I had to have one because of the availability of ammo should the "end of the world" come and God wants to sub contract!
Started by cleaning the bore and man was it a mess! Black and reddish brown crude from, I'm assuming, the phosphating or coating applied to all metal surfaces. JB scrub and KG products, brass brush and elbow grease got it reasonably clean.
Lapua cases, Hornady 110 grain V-Max, Federal 210M, IMR and H4198, IMR 4227, Reloader 7, and A1680 got me started. leade is long so there was no touching the rifling with this bullet, maximized neck engagement and ended up about .125 short but they do fit in the magazine.
All powders shot well except IMR 4227 however the load was showing pressure signs at the amount I chose and I haven't tried reducing it yet.
I mounted a Burris 3-12X extened eye relief scope in Leupold PRW rings.
This afternoon I was greeted by the group below with A1680! Still breaking in, hope it repeats.

 

[jonbearman]

That proves out what I have always imagined ,that if you chambered it in a decent rifle with handloads it would probably be quite accurate. The ak's are a joke and the sks is a step up. I am glad you did this experiment,now I have to have one,LOL

 

[Larryh128]

H4198 is a great powder for that round. The 125 Ballistic tips shoots well also. I have a mini-mauser in 7.62 x 39 & it is much more accurate than it's supposed to be. The .308 bullets shoot well in even a .310 bore.

 

[2644ever]

I'm not surprised. After all, we worship the .30 BR, right? and what could come closer to the 6 PPC or the 6.5 Grendel than the soviet round? I think the Sav 10 CM uses a .308 barrel and with decent cases and precision bullets, there's just no reason why this little cartridge could not challenge other more prestigious cartridges accuracywise.

 

[MrMajestic]

Yes the Savage runs a .308 bore and I am assuming the leade is long to reduce pressure when .311 bullets are run down it. I should have added, that load chrono'ed at 2604 fps for 5 rounds. I bought it to put a .264 LBC barrel on it as a match for my AR barrel coming from Les. If it keeps this stuff up it will make a nice switch barrel. I really like the V-Max bullet for its accuracy and terminal ballistics and wish it had a slower than 1 in 10" twist. Might affect velocity but doesn't seem to hurt accuracy. That big furrow in the dirt doesn't know, or care, how fast the bullet was going when you missed the chuck!

 

[davemastrianna]

How is the over all quality of the action and the rest of the gun? Keep us posted with more range updates. Thanks

 

[MrMajestic]

Typical Savage. Accustock and trigger, large tactical bolt knob and plush recoil pad. A muzzle break would be handy to stay on target better. At 6 3/4 lb., bald, the mild recoil brings it off target. Something threaded to swap with a can would be in order. Seems like this caliber would throw a 200+ grain bullet sub-sonic nicely. I will update after the holiday when more range time is in order. Family time at the camp this weekend!

 

[davemastrianna]

I think that gun would be great for a young hunter. Savage is doing a good job in making a practical gun that is affordable. Has any one seen Nosler 125 BT's for sale?

 

[MrMajestic]

I got out around lunch today and fired the A1680 load again. It wasn't quite as tight however still impressive for a lightweight sporter. I bumped up the H4198 load a half a grain without any pressure signs. Accuracy remained 1 1/2 MOA and unless further testing with the 110 grain V-Max proves different it looks like A1680 is the powder. I have a box of Nosler 125 grain I bought for my .30-30 AI but I won't work up a load for them until after chuck season.