7.62 x 39 hunting
would it be wise to use 7.62 x 39 for whitetail deer hunting and hogs
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You will be putting more pressure on shot placement. That is primary always, but sometimes you can have a larger margin just based on your hardware. I would not want to depend on the 7.62-39 if I had to make a frontal shot on a big feral that was angry...you would have to put it in a skull opening. Otherwise, you can do fine using the heavier soft point. We have bagged deer with heart/lung shots at about 50 yds with SKS. I guess I respect the hog more when I'm on the ground. I've used the 30-30 for hogs, which is a close to the 7.62-39 performance. So, it is back to how you feel about waiting for the best shot placement.
ENJOY0 -
I'm told the soft point bullets are the preferred choice for hunting deer.
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I know a guy up north who uses a Russian SKS he puts meat in the freezer every year.And yes SP are the prefered bullet over FMJ. 0 -
I use the 122-grain Wolf hollow point on everything from feral hogs and deer done to jack rabbits. It is a great round out to 120 yards or so. Hogs are normally taken inside of 70 yards and at that range it will rival the 30-30. Beyond that the .30-30 has an edge on big hogs. 0 -
I got to agree it's a great round for whitetails and hogs out to 100-125 yards. As mentioned above it is balisticaly similar to the .30-30.
I've got both a SKS and a Ruger Mini-30 that arre my "brush guns". I prefer the JSP made by GA Arms0 -
I don't know which charts some of these guys have been reading, or if they are just repeating what they've heard. According to Reming ton and to the more comprehensive Gunns and Ammo chart, the 30-30 matches the 7.62x39 within 100 yards, but the 7.62x39 out classes it in velocity and energy at any range beyond that.
http://www.remington.com/ammo/ballistics/ballistics.htm
Frog.
RiBBButt...You can't rollerskate in a buffalo herd, but you can be happy if you've a mind to. -Roger Miller0 -
Frog's got it right, guys.
I reload for my hunting SKSs, using the Remington 125gr. soft point for deer and other medium game, and the Sierra 150gr Prohunter for anything else out to 150yds. or so.
Most useful Factory load is the Norma 122gr. or the 125gr Scenar; really accurate, and hits like a small house.
"Qui non est hodie cras minus aptus erit" --OVID0 -
Frog I just used your link to the Remington site to compare the two. Looks to me that the 30/30 has the 7.62x39 beat in energy out past 200 yards, also with the 30/30 using a 150 grain bullet and the 7.62x39 using 125 gr bullets the trajectory differs by a whole .5 " at 200 yards with the advantage going to the 7.62x39. I'd really like to see a load on that comparison table that shows them both using 150 grain bullets or both using 125 grain bullets then we'd see really how bad the 7.62x39 gets outclassed by the lowly 30/30.
Remember a real comparison only works if you compare apples to apples, nothing is learned comparing apples to 125 grain bullets.
By the way, back to the topic, I personally think the 7.62x39 using good bullets ( soft or spire points ) in an approprate hunting weight ( my opinion 150 grains) will do the job on most hogs and whitetailed deer encountered in their typical environments. Shots should be held to 200 yards or less if even that. I'm sure some people will disagree but some folks out there will use pistol cartridges for the above mentioned game ( .357's and 44's ) and then turn up their noses at 30/30's or the 7.62x39's. Believe me I'm no fan of the 7.62x39 but it does appear to be adequate for the task, even though it lags behind the 30/30.0 -
Someone else in a locked thread asked about Ruger making a 7.62X39 bolt gun and yes they do. It is distributed through Davidsons. I have one and it is extremely accurate even with the cheap Wolf ammo. IMO, the 7.62X39 is adequete for whitetails like everyone else said, inside of 150 yds. Just don't make the mistake I did and use hollow points or FMJ. They do not expand. I now use the 154 gr. soft point.
"They call me Don. Dr. Jason Donald Dalinger."0 -
an sks will work for a deer or hog gun, but there is no class in it. There are so many better hunting rifles out there for about the same price, you can find a marlin or winchester for $150 all day long. The guys that are usually hunting with sks's are loading that deer into a 1974 station wagon and taking it back to their trailer and serving it up with Kraft mac and cheese. 0 -
Frog.
RiBBButt...You can't rollerskate in a buffalo herd, but you can be happy if you've a mind to. -Roger Miller0 -
No class in it? Give me a break. It requires you have a higher level of hunting skill for the closer shots. I don't own a station wagon or a trailer, but I do like Mac and cheese.
"They call me Don. Dr. Jason Donald Dalinger."0 -
Apprentice, What about people who hunt deer and hogs with a handgun? No class it in that either I suppose because there are so many better rifle choices available?
"They call me Don. Dr. Jason Donald Dalinger."0 -
On this remington comparison chart, the .30-30 150gr is compared to the 7.62x39 125 gr because that is all Remington sells. You can see, though, that the 7.62x39 outclasses the larger .30-30 in velocity starting at 100 yds and energy starting at 200 yds. It's perfectly legitimate to compare them because I would be able to select either cartridge for purchase and use as I deemed fit for my particular purpose.
Note: On this chart, the .30-30 is always the first entry in each category.
Frog.
RiBBButt...You can't rollerskate in a buffalo herd, but you can be happy if you've a mind to. -Roger Miller0
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