STG57

[Bruce_in_Oz]

What bullet were you using?

GP-11 ammo has an "unusual" bullet that has a VERY short parallel section and the ogive is a Secant type. Thus, it starts decreasing in diameter immediately in front of the neck of the case.

When I bought my K-11, the only GP-11 ammo around was "collector" ammo, no bulk shooting ammo around, here in Australia. It is still hard to find in shootable quantities at a realistic price.

So, I loaded up a few cases with Sierra 155gn Palma Match bullets that I used in my .308" Win chambered target rifle. So far, so good.

It got interesting when I passed this information on to a friend who had bought a K-31 from the same collection.

Next thing, he asked if I could come and look at a "problem". He had made up some dummy rounds for testing and now had a bullet stuck in the leade.

The K-11 has a LONG leade to accommodate the older GP-90, round-nosed bullets that were the standard until 1931. So, The K-11 has a long leade, even though it was introduced with the GP-11 with its MUCH more streamlined bullet.

Thus, If you are loading for a K-31 or a PE-57, you need bullets with a SECANT ogive, like some of the Hornady bullets, exotic "VLD" types or, in my part of the world, the Australian -made BJD 155 grain HBC .308" target bullet. These also work fine in the long leade of the K-11 but have a fairly long bullet "jump".

Can you get GP-11 projectiles from Switzerland for reloading?