Russian Ammo ????
I am going to order some 7.62x39 ammo in 1000 rd lots on GB. Is there any real difference in the Russian made TulAmmo, Wolf, Golden Bear, Silver Bear, Golden Tiger or any of the others? Is all the imported stuff about the same for regular target use and long term storage. I will be using it in a SKS and an AK47 Pistol. If I can buy HP as cheap as FMJ is it better to get HP? Frankly, I want something as cheap as possible cause I'm not trying to hit a quarter at 5000 yards. Thanks.
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Better buy it quick, the second coming of the Obama gun and ammo frenzy is starting to manifest itself.
That said if you just want it for blasting ammo. (Neither one of your jewels is known for national match accuracy). Buy the least expensive ammo that you can get your hands on.0 -
quote:Originally posted by msmalley1227
I am going to order some 7.62x39 ammo in 1000 rd lots on GB. Is there any real difference in the Russian made TulAmmo, Wolf, Golden Bear, Silver Bear, Golden Tiger or any of the others? Is all the imported stuff about the same for regular target use and long term storage. I will be using it in a SKS and an AK47 Pistol. If I can buy HP as cheap as FMJ is it better to get HP? Frankly, I want something as cheap as possible cause I'm not trying to hit a quarter at 5000 yards. Thanks.
The different brands are actually made at different facilities in Russia.
In my experience, the "bear" stuff is a little better than the "wolf" (cleaner and a bit more accurate). So all else being equal, I'd go for that. But as Rufe says, at this point, its probably just buy whatever you can find.
Ak-47 pistol. . .don't really think it makes ANY difference what you put in there.
The most accurate of the cheap 7.62x39 is the brass cased Yugo surplus, plus its a little hotter than the Russian steel case, though this stuff is corrosive, and not having seen any for sale in a while, I suspect supplies have dried up.
As to type of bullet, the 7.62x39 hollow points are mostly for decoration. Seriously, the hole is miniscule, and these bullets don't expand in any kind of reliable way. I think the hollowpoint is just there so these can be used as "hunting" ammo in places that ban FMJ.
If you really want something that might be useful for hunting, look for the SOFT POINT ammo. If you can find it, it costs a little more than the FMJ/hollowpoint stuff, but not much more, and this ammo actually will give you some kind of terminal ballistic effect should you decide you need to go hunting with your Simonov.0 -
i like golden tiger ammo[;)] 0 -
Spring for some boxer primed stuff, might be nice to be able to use more than once.
Added I have some Winchester marked ones that I think came from a white box run.0 -
quote:Originally posted by charliemeyer007
Spring for some boxer primed stuff, might be nice to be able to use more than once.
As a matter of practice, in your hypothetical SHTF situation where you need to access your stored ammo cache, if you can't get access to more loaded ammo, you also probably won't have access to reloading components.
Unless you're actively reloading (and most are not), I'd say you're probably better off with more rounds of lower grade cheaper Berdan-primed steel case ammo, then fewer rounds of more expensive higher grade reloadable boxer primed brass case ammo.
If you really want stuff for long term storage/SHTF you might consider getting your ammo in spam-type cans, if you can find them. Wolf was available in these sorts of cans for a while, and there have been other brands.
EG, I still actually have a can of Romanian "hot shot" branded 7.62x39 I bought at the time of the first Obama ammo panic.
Incidentally, although there are a lot of rumors of second term Obama administration gun control efforts, I must say that the most vocal proponents of these rumors are the ones who make their living selling guns and ammo.
Last term Obama managed to pass ZERO gun control laws, and any gun or ammo you could buy in 2008 you can still buy now. There is still a strong Republican house majority standing in his way to do it again. He may try some sorts of backdoor regulation involving the EPA, BATFE, etc (as he did last term), but I wouldn't expect him to be able to get away with a new Clinton-like gun ban, or an ammo ban, as some may be suggesting.0 -
I've shot all of those brands in 7.62x39 and all but the Tiger in 5.56. My only negatives with them had to do with rock-hard primers in TulAmmo used in a Mini 30 that caused an occasional "click" when it didn't ignite. As posted, for blasting away, or long-term storage under good conditions, 1k rounds of any of these will work just fine in your chosen guns.
As for FMJ/JHP/steel cased "soft point"; I say buy what's cheapest. The JHP don't open, and IMO the metal used in the "soft point" bullet jackets isn't close to what you'd expect from a US hunting ammo manufacturer, it seems very brittle and is prone to core-jacket seperations if used against deer+ sized game. If you're so inclined; I'd say buy a box or two of "hunting grade" ammo from Remington, Hornady, Winchester, etc. for hunting, and use the rest for the other uses.0 -
With my SKS (Norinco), Wolf has never let me down. It may not be the cleanest to ever grace a rifle, but every time I pulled the trigger, it said "BANG"!! 0 -
quote:Originally posted by charliemeyer007
Spring for some boxer primed stuff, might be nice to be able to use more than once.
I've heard people say that you have to be somewhat careful with commercial boxer-primed ammunition in some AK-style firearms (particularly those without a "rebound spring" for the firing pin, like many Bulgarians have). The relative "softness" of the primer is supposed to create some risk of a slam-fire.
I know I have seen a definite imprint from the free-floating firing pin on the Berdan-primed stuff I've shot in AKs; because of that, I've taken that warning seriously and would be extremely careful if I were firing boxer-primed ammo.0 -
I've fired a lot of different kinds of the stuff in AK's and SKS', and I couldn't tell any significant difference between the Russian stuff, except with the Golden Tiger, which seemed to shoot cleaner.
Something that you may see at gun shows, is the Bulgarian that was made on an Israeli contract, which according to the Bulgarian Arsenal website, is non-corrosive (of the ten types of x39 that they make). I haven't shot any of what I bought, but it comes in sealed cans so it's good for deep storage, and you might want to buy some if you see it anywhere. Ditto with the Yugo, the crates contain a sealed can.
The Russian hollow points sometimes act like hollow points, sometimes like ball, and sometimes, like frangible. Riomouse911 pegged it right.0 -
I bought 1,000 rds of Russian non-corrosive berdan from AIM Surplus last month. It was $240 delivered. Easiest transaction I ever made. Those folks are great to deal with.
Neal0
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