Thread: future of 7.62x39?

funny how folk think the cartridge will just "go away" there are still some .32/20s in usage...not many admittedly but they are out there.
there are plenty of bolt action options for this simple wee cartridge,the x39mm is going nowhere in a hurry.

Originally Posted by Ben Waimata

Had a conversation with a guy who believes the days of cheap 7.62x39 is coming to an end. Russian stuff not imported anymore, and with no more semi autos the demand for cheap stuff is slow enough to discourage importers. He thinks the quality hunting rounds will always be available, but at the quality cost. Does anyone know anything about this? I had been thinking about another 7.62x39 but maybe a .223 might be better... Thoughts?

@Ben Waimata I wonder if there's a 223 round out there that knocks goats around as hard as 7.62x39.

That might be the next logical step.

I bought a Ruger ranch in 300 blackout and 7.62x39 as I have a heap of ammo for both and reload for both.
My blackout loads are so cheap, that alone makes it a great round.
Shooting surplus 7.62x39 is a great plinking steel gun out to 200m easily.
Both deal to goats and deer out to 150m without to much fuss.


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Ive got mcbeths 3witches in the safe -.303 ,7.62x39, .223 if I cant put a single hole in it then 3"no3 12g up close and personal provides very effective lasting solutions!like a good sweet shop owner i can offer a variety of differing types of delivery of said solution currently ive something like 7differing delivery actions on call.
would i trade any in -no even for a gwyneth paltro vaginal candle good sir.
Ilikes rugged working calibres.and i sure as shit aint no sniper.

Originally Posted by hthomas

I have been shooting a bolt action 7.62x39 for about six years now and have moved to only shooting hand loads. They are more accurate save you a bit of coin. I have also worked up loads for several other people's rifles, always with success with finding really accurate loads. Hornady SST 123gr or Speer Gold Dot with Hodgdon CFE BLK powder have given outstanding results on paper and animals. Lately been playing with Belmont Action Rifle powder and finding that is a winner too.

I certainly don't see 7.62x39 going away anytime soon even if the cheap surplus ammo does. Given the way ammo prices are constantly rising if you're not a hand loader you should become one.

@hthomas interested in the velocities you get with CFE BLK and Belmont Action Rifle. Most other powders I have tried can only achieve lower velocities than factory loads.

x39 will be around for ages. If you can make a sub load for x39 of decent weight shoot, then I don't see any advantage in 300AAC (although the cases can be made out of .223). 300AAC cycled a semi auto AR15 with sub loads, that was where it was king IMHO.

I don't see 7.62x39 going anywhere in NZ as long as people are shooting it in bolt guns. However it might not be worthwhile to import large quantities of steel cased anymore. Prvi Partisan and Sellier and Bellot make brass cased x39 and I think Hornady does as well.

x39 edges 300 Blackout in supersonic performance as I recall, however 300 Blackout uses a wide selection of common 308 projectiles so as far as handloading goes there are more options.

Big advantage of the 7.62x39 over the 300Black is (was) the fact that hunting projectiles used in this calibre where made for the calibre and its velocities.

300Black suffered terminal ballistic performance issues because of the lack of projectiles available that were designed for the lower velocity's as compared to the mainstay 308 Win and all the other higher velocity 300's out there. Hand loaders couldn't get reliably performing projectiles, instead having to rely on bullets tumbling on impact for effect. 300Black is only really coming into its own now that projectiles specific for the round are becoming more available. Problem is, a lot of people have been disappointed with it and moved away. This makes the marketing of the round a whole lot harder now.

Personally, I bought bulk Highland 7.62x39 brass cased 127gr PSP back when .223 ammo pricing went ballistic, and consider it to have been one of my best 'investments' yet.

I found over the coarse of a few goat culls, that nothing killed them quicker than the Barnaul 125gr soft points. It was like the bullet was made specifically for goats. I found it wasn't uncommon to have to plug a goat more than once with the cheap Hornady 55gr Training Ammo (remember that stuff?), but this stuff out of my Saiga was excellent. Used to be able to buy it at my local for $12/20. The good old days.

The hollow point however seemed much harder and not as effective.

Originally Posted by Beavis

I found over the coarse of a few goat culls, that nothing killed them quicker than the Barnaul 125gr soft points. It was like the bullet was made specifically for goats. I found it wasn't uncommon to have to plug a goat more than once with the cheap Hornady 55gr Training Ammo (remember that stuff?), but this stuff out of my Saiga was excellent. Used to be able to buy it at my local for $12/20. The good old days.

Good ol days were me buying Norinco SP for $6 for 20 and that stuff was great on mobs of goats

Originally Posted by hotbarrels

Big advantage of the 7.62x39 over the 300Black is (was) the fact that hunting projectiles used in this calibre where made for the calibre and its velocities.

300Black suffered terminal ballistic performance issues because of the lack of projectiles available that were designed for the lower velocity's as compared to the mainstay 308 Win and all the other higher velocity 300's out there. Hand loaders couldn't get reliably performing projectiles, instead having to rely on bullets tumbling on impact for effect. 300Black is only really coming into its own now that projectiles specific for the round are becoming more available. Problem is, a lot of people have been disappointed with it and moved away. This makes the marketing of the round a whole lot harder now.

Personally, I bought bulk Highland 7.62x39 brass cased 127gr PSP back when .223 ammo pricing went ballistic, and consider it to have been one of my best 'investments' yet.

300 Blackout has under gone a lot of development and understanding since it first hit the market and I think people have a better idea how to get the best out of it. Despite a flood of new cartridges out there hitting the market, 300 BO is well established now. It used to be here in the USA that five years ago 300 BO rifles were harder to find but now any decent gun store probably has some 300 BO stuff on the shelf. In fact I was in a high end gun store the other day and I'd say about 20% of their stock in semi auto guns was chambered in 300 BO. There are also bolt gun options from manufacturers like Ruger and CZ.

Having done a bit of shooting at goats over the years and now using bolt guns i believe the 762 x39 to be more effective than the 223 by a significant margin.
It has the nearly the same energy at 200 yds as the 223 at the muzzle it's accurate
( when not shot out of a semi with loose tolerances and poor sights)
The trajectory is a bit more sloping but mil dot scopes cope with that
I used to be a 223 fan boy (well late middle aged really) but the last couple of weeks have got me thinking that I was influenced more by the ar platform than by any superior ballistics the 223 might possess.
I think the Russian will be with us for the long haul and the likes of the blackout will probably fade into obscurity.