7.62x25 tokarev

[BWest]

Anybody have any loads for this they like?

I finally got this load to work with my yugo m57, been trying to work up plinking load with 115 grain lead bullets.

115 grain hi-tek coated .309 bullets from Missouri bullet company, sold as "#1 carbine-coated"
Federal Small pistol primers
Once fired PPU brass
4.0 grains of Accurate #2

I previously tried a lighter charge, but it would not cycle correctly.

This load doesn't seem to throw the brass as far as factory or surplus ammo, which makes it a little easier to find the brass:D

[Schmidty]

When they were about giving them away I bought enough to literally last a lifetime...and none can be fired in an old broomhandle as they are loaded pretty hot.

Good luck.

[WinterSoldier]

A potential problem with lead bullets in a speedy small-bullet-puncher like a Tokarev, is velocity exceeding the structural integrity of the bullet. You would probably have to try pretty hard to blast liquid lead out the muzzle, but I'm pretty sure that could be accomplished... and afterwards you wouldn't like cleaning the bore. As to your load and the bullets you have used so far, if those were O.K., sticking with those might be a good idea. I would mention though, unless you have some really specific purpose in mind, the Tokarev is designed for an 85 gr. bullet and I would stick with that. Anything heavier will tend contrary to the intended purpose of achieving highest possible velocity, within acceptable pressure... and among other things you would be increasing bullet-drop in a gun designed and normally loaded to minimize it.

For whatever its worth, my load for 7.62x25mm is 5.7 gr. Universal Clays under an 83 gr. TMJ Nambu 8mm bullet resized to .308. I used the resized Nambu bullets because I wanted a metal jacket and I could find nothing near 85 gr. in .308-.312 diameter at the time. If I loaded for a Tokarev today I would resize those same bullets to .311... or use a bullet already in that size range if I could find one... although I must say that I have a good quantity of TMJ or FMJ double-ended wad cutters intended for a Nagant revolver, and though they came at .308, I would probably also give them a try in a Tok or CZ.

But... here's where the standard disclaimers apply. If I was you, I wouldn't use my load besides which no way in hell would even I use it with a lead bullet, at least not without working up from a much lower amount of powder, and even then... I'm not sure where that load came from because I didn't record that information at the time... and it may just plain be unsuitable for a lead bullet for all I know. Since the time I came up with that load a number of years ago I've started recording load data sources (book and page, URL, whatever) along with everything else, and, if it was a load that I developed "from scratch", I record that too. From the nature of your question, I tend (rightly or wrongly) to classify you as a "rank beginner" and strongly suggest that you drop back and punt, and not be trying to create novel loads on your own... just because ready-made bullets of the right weight are not readily available.

Still under standard disclaimers, here's what looks to me like a particularly fine load from Lyman's 50th Edition, p. 384: 4.0 to 5.0 gr. Titegroup, under an 85 gr. LEAD (Lyman #2 alloy) bullet (Lyman #313249 sized to .311). The velocity is stated at 1,222 fps at 4.0 gr & 1418 fps at 5.0 gr., OAL 1.290".

With the same bullet and same OAL the same book and page give a Acc #2 load of 4.2 gr. to 5.2 gr. with 1,221 fps to 1377 fps.

Having used both Acc #2 and Titegroup in various loads, and given the higher maximum velocity with Titegroup, the only reason I would use an Acc #2 load is to burn up the powder. Titegroup has SO MUCH MORE TO OFFER in a variety of loads.

Lyman gives no pressure for any of these loads but specifies them identically for a C96 Mauser or a Tokarev (or CZ52)... and I would never feel comfortable firing a factory Tokarev round in a C96, given the potential bolt through the eye socket syndrome with the ancient Mauser design (second semi-auto pistol ever mass produced beginning circa 1896).

But as I said, standard disclaimers apply. Maybe I'm cross-eyed, maybe I'm dyslexic, maybe I just made a typo... or maybe I'm just a mean, dirty SOB who wants you to blow your gun up in your face! You need to buy the current Lyman manual AND the current Lee Precision manual, and READ THE GENERAL PARTS OF BOTH (they take VERY DIFFERENT perspectives on some aspects) before you start making decisions about loads, or making loads, or shooting them.

Feel free to dislike this post if you wish, but I assure you that my sole interest, though I don't know you, is your safety and the safety of those around you when you fire your hand loads.

[WinterSoldier]

One further note... Generally speaking heavier bullets can be substituted with no risk, HOWEVER, there are limits and 7.62x25 is a very small bottleneck design and I don't know your bullet shape for that 115 gr. bullet, but it's most likely designed for a M1 Carbine and/or .30-.30 with a longer nose than the typical pistol bullet... so if you keep within OAL you are pushing the base further back into the cartridge (how far, I have no idea... but it's not good to put the base back past the back of the neck in any case) and potentially affecting pressure unpredictably in a cartridge as small and high-pressure as 7.62x25.

[e.money83]

I have been wanting to get a tok that didn't get the import safety bullshit myself lately. Don't know, the little hotrod rusky fucker just seems like something I'd like.

[BWest]

I have data from the Lyman, Hornady and Accurate's website as well as plenty of "at-your-own-risk" data from forums. I have been starting with very light charges (as like you said, no real published data for 115 grain bullets, only data I found was on handloads.com, and it used trailboss, couldn't ever get it to cycle the action, never upped the charge enough to over compress, http://www.handloads.com/loaddata/default.asp?Caliber=7.62%20x%2025&Weight=All&type=Handgun&Order=Powder&Source) and slowly working up until it cycled reliably.

I appreciate the suggestions WinterSoldier, and you raise a good point of the cartridge not reaching its full potential, The load with the 115 lead bullets is only for plinking cheaply. I Like Titegroup (relatively cheap and avail. locally), but I also have 8 pounds of Accurate #2 so I'll probably stick with that for now.

I have used the loads for Hornady's XTP bullets over blue dot before, but those cost a little more than lead coated bullets.

[Cattle/Horses]

There were 2 different types of commercial surplus ammo for these. The pistol and the rifle (PPSH 41 & 43). The rifle was loaded a LOT hotter.

[BWest]

I have been wanting to get a tok that didn't get the import safety bullshit myself lately. Don't know, the little hotrod rusky fucker just seems like something I'd like.

Mines got the safety, but its on the frame, not the slide, and seems to work pretty well. I generally don't use it, but as the import safeties go its probably one of the better ones. The current (commercial?) "yugo" m57 toks that are being imported have a "trigger" safety, supposed to be pretty shitty, but you can probably drop in a non-neutered trigger.

I love mine, and the ammo isn't so prohibitively expensive to be unshootable, but I wanted to experiment with reloading for it.

I wouldn't mind picking up some more surplus ammo if anybody has any for cheap :rolleyes:

[BWest]

There were 2 different types of commercial surplus ammo for these. The pistol and the rifle (PPSH 41 & 43). The rifle was loaded a LOT hotter.

I have shot mostly ppu through mine. I had some romanian surplus which was fine. I shot some polish surplus, that had cracked case necks (apparently they didn't anneal the brass), but it shot fine.