7.62x39
I would like to learn more about this round. It seems to be a very inexpensive centerfire catridge and easy on the pocketbook for plinking. I can't think of any cheaper. What kind of range would it have coming out of an AR Style gun? How would it do on Texas hogs and varmits? Thanks
0
-
I need to find a place where I can buy some 7.62 ammo for cheap. Any suggestions?fuddaddy13@hotmail.com
Dragon's Lair Fighting Arts, Dragon Style Wind Fist Kung Fu.0 -
I'm not the sage when it comes to the history of the round, which is I believe a Russian product from the WWII era, but with proper hunting bullets it's similar to a .30-30 Winchester in power. It'll kill hogs and deer at .30-30 ranges, and from an open sighted AR-15 the accuracy would be at least as good or slightly better than the average open-sighted Marlin or Winchester carbine. For deer/hogs, a name brand ammo maker is the way to go (most JSP hunting bullet rounds are about 125 grains), and the surplus/Wolf etc.. ammo is best for cheapo plinking. I wouldn't trust that stuff to harvest a deer humanely.
As for varmints, it's not going to be a .22-250 making 300 yard shots, but it'll kill them at whatever range you can still hit them.0 -
The 7.62x39 is not equal to the 30-30. It uses a lighter bullet giving it lower performance. For lighter animals this is not a big issue. I have an AR15 w/16" barrel in this caliber that works fine. Accuracy is only fair with the cheap ammo but much better with brass cased handloads. We used this round on deer this year and I would call it a 150 yard deer shooter. Using handloads with Winchester 123 SP provided adequate penetration and expansion on the 2 animals shot. Actual damage appeared to be somewhat more than similar hits with a 243 Win 100 grain. 0 -
I shoot 154 gr.7.62x.39 soft points out of a mini 30 carbine or my encore pistol.Plenty good to shoot a hog or deer. Either won't know if it was shot by a 30/30 or 7.62x39. BTW.. ammo is real cheap compared to 30/30 a box. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by BowGunHunter
I would like to learn more about this round. It seems to be a very inexpensive centerfire catridge and easy on the pocketbook for plinking. I can't think of any cheaper. What kind of range would it have coming out of an AR Style gun? How would it do on Texas hogs and varmits? Thanks
The 7.62x39 round is the round that SKS and AK-47 rifles are chambered in. As mentioned its a Russian military design cartridge dating back to the end of the second world war.
The case is heavily tapered for easy loading and extraction from semi-automatic rifles. The case taper is what leads to the characteristic "banana" shape of AK-47 magazines.
Lots of cheap Russian made steel-case military type ammo is available in this caliber, driving down costs. ("Wolf" is a popular Russian made brand, but there are several others).
Yes, so far as I know this is one of the cheapest of the modern centerfire rifle-caliber rounds. (There are one or two other Communist bloc surplus-type rounds that may be cheaper like 7.62x54R and 5.45x39, though those are generally corrosive, and are quite different ballistically).
As mentioned, ballistically, this round is roughly comparable to the old 30/30 lever action, making it adequate for deer-sized game.
Should be fine for hogs and small game with appropriate bullets. Like the 30/30 you're probably best off keeping things at under 100 yards.
Also beware because the steel-case military type "hollowpoint" ammo doesn't really expand. If you want to hunt with this stuff, you should consider some quality brass-cased American rounds with soft-point bullets.
Despite the "7.62mm" name, the bullets used in this cartridge are nominally .312 in diameter, not .308. This can present accuracy issues using .308 caliber bullets from .312 bore guns (or vice versa). Just something to be aware of if you reload.
Lastly, the military type steel case ammo, also, isn't generally known for accuracy, though its usually reliable and good for plinking.0 -
BowGunHunter...as to the history of the 7.62x39, it goes back to WWII and the Russians wanting to upgrade from their pistol round (7.62x25) which was very effective in their submachine guns (PPsH and others) but suffered from short range. At the same time (1943 or so) the Germans had developed the first Assault rifle, chambered in the 7.92x33 midrange round which the Russian found very effective. Although the Soviets denied it, most military historians think that they copied the German round for their 7.62x39. It first appeared in the SKS which arrived very late in the war and then to the famous AK-47 and we still have it today! Hope this little bit of history helps! Good shooting! 0 -
So long as you get good magazines (I like the C-Products) the round is great out of an AR rifle and you can use the 7.62X39 upper off the same lower as your standard 5.56 - swap uppers only and go from 22 centerfire to 30 cal. I wouldn't use it for serious target work but for plinking and general target shooting its fine. 0 -
While you can shoot for cheap, I have a purpose built AR using the russian 30 short. From my HB 20 inch it will smoke hogs/deer out to 300 yards.
Factory Cor-bon 150gn SP just under 2400fps.
Accurate and will thump them.
Just another option.
LTS0 -
The steel casings can be hard on extractors. Some of the military surplus is coated with a varnish which can add to chamber cleaning time. 0 -
To show how similar they are, here are the Remington ballistic numbers for the .30-30 and the 7.62x39, both with "core-lokt" bullets. Muzzle, 100, 200 300 yds, etc. The lighter 7.62x39 bullet has a better shape (spitzer vs. round nose), meaning a slower rate of velocity loss. The higher velocity at distance means similar energy numbers for the 125 gr spitzer and 150 gr round nose bullets at 100 yards and beyond. A heavier bullet means (most likely) better penetration at impact (the ol' momentum theory), botht e difference between the 125 and 150 is not huge, while the 127 to 170 difference is (obviously) a lot higher. Both calibers show velocity numbers taken from 24" barrels, so yours will most likely be lower.
.30-30
Velocity (Fps)
150 SPCL 2390 1973 1605 1303 1095 974
170 SPCL 2200 1895 1619 1381 1191 1061
Energy (ft.-lbs.)
150 SPCL 1902 1296 858 565 399 316
170 SPCL 1827 1355 989 720 535 425
Short-RangeO Trajectory *
150 SPCL 0.2 zero -2.4 -7.6 -16.1 -28.8
170 SPCL 0.3 zero -2.7 -8.3 -17.1 -29.9
7.62x39
Velocity (fps)
125 PSP 2365 2062 1783 1533 1320 1154
Energy (ft.-lbs.)
125 PSP 1552 1180 882 652 483 370
Short-RangeO Trajectory *
125 PSP 0.1 zero -2.2 -6.7 -14.0 -24.5
Both the 125 gr and the 150 gr hover around 1000 pounds of energy at the same distance, 150 yrds, the consensus minumum recommended energy for rifle rounds for hunting deer. Like I said, it is similar in power to a .30-30, and I doubt that a well hit deer will show any difference in reaction to a hit from either round at the same range....it'll drop dead pretty quickly.0 -
7.62x39 is very effective. Did you ever see the difference between what was used by US (M16) and the "others" in the late '60s and the 70's? It'll kill a hog. 0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
12 comments