@BadgerPowder I didn’t know that either. @GamecockOperator Same.
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I Hunted Iron Co. MO, where I currently live, with a Remington Serbian model 7.62×39mm ,bolt action, a tiny Toy like bolt action at that. But useing The Hornady ballistic tip ammo and A Nikon Pro Staff scope , My nearly Standing on top of the Deer Shot, from My 360° Summit tree stand was , Too say the least, Almost too easy. A Hard Hitting Round, even when useing soft points. I made a V out of the Deer’s heart. The Deer , after being hit by the 7.62 ×39mm from even My shorter barreled rifle, Still hit so hard the Deer ran in a 30 yard diameter circle, returning to nearly the exact spot I shot it at… Then Fell over, not even another twitch. I want to try it out on our close range Ferral Hogzilla problem. I’m thinking solid copper Hollow point Hand loads, for Our Annapolis and Ironton area Hog Problem??
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Slow at best. Most like closer to a 30 carbine round. Lmao, No, not that slow. I agree 100%. There are by far more sensible calibers for Hunting. Those type of rounds depend on shot placement as it is out as far out as 300 yards or more, which is impractical for a 7.62× 39mm out past even 150 yards for hunting purposes… Hornady chart pretty much shows That out at even 300 yards, throwing a Rock may just have less drop, Not the best Hunting choice at all. But, out here where I live, often times, Walking thru My property, or other local Hills, Wooded areas and Hollows, there usually is only a brief moment for a Shot on a Deer, or Hog and most times it’s only 25-35 yards away,My Remington Serbian model Zastava ,modeled after the Mauser 98’s,was super light weight and very easy to move fast upon a target accurately,for close range Hunting only.and with the appropriate Ammuntion. More like Tactical Hunting, Marine Corp style. Completely different than the Hunting I was used to out west. Just stealth walking to a tree stand , for me, usually is when I see the Trophy Bucks. Or, taking a Piss, Lmao! A . 243 cal works out here Shooting from the woods , a tree stand or Blind, into an open field, For Whitetail. But we have Elk here now also. I wouldn’t use My old Weatherby Vanguard mark 4 ,25.06 cal on that. Appropriate Caliber and Round type for the Right job. I absolutely agree.
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It’s not because the 7.62x39 is a bad bullet -
it’s because it’s poorly implemented.
With 37 to 40 grains of a faster burning ball powder,
AND a heavy 24 inch barrel,
AND a decent scope -
like a 308 would -
the 7.62x39 would perform just as well as the 308,
once it’s Apples to Apples.
I would like to see someone come out with a 7.62x39 with a 308 diameter barrel
(which is not exactly 308 in diameter, but anyway).
To get a better bullet selection & higher BC bullets.
Could you use a regular 7.62x39 die, and then do one final tweak on brass diameter with just the tip of a 308 resizing die ?
I’ve done much more extensive resizing, like using 7mm-08 in a 308. The brass didn’t split, it worked great.
Though technically the 7 mm is smaller diameter than 308, and 7.62x39 is slightly larger.
The attraction to 7.62x39 is simply:
- The $ Cost $ of the rifle. (Inexpensive)
- The $ Cost $ of the ammunition. (Cheapest center fire ammo available)
- It Carry’s enough power to take Deer sized game ….within its effective range……PERIOD!}
If within your hunting area……you are regularly taking shots that exceed 200 yards….then perhaps you should opt for another tool for the job……BUT hunting in the woods rarely affords a shot that exceeds 100 yards.
I have hunted in Missouri’s Mark Twain National Forest most of my life and I can only think of two times that I had taken a shot that exceeded 100 yards. I use a .308……it’s effective….but within the close ranges you find yourself in the woods of the National Forest….The .308 is no more effective than the 7.62x39.
Those people who advocate for more powerful cartridges do not have experience hunting in the woods with the 7.62x39 and a .308 (or larger caliber). There are many people that hunt with both of these calibers who do have experience with them. They are both very effective when used appropriately.
Remington 700, .308
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I load my 308 like a 7.62 x 39 because,
it just plain works better.
36.5 grains of 4198 - a fast burning powder - with a 165 grain Barnes TSX copper bullet - yields pressure marks on the brass most of the time.
The next stop is 39.5 grains of 3031. That fills the case.
Of course I can cram in more powder with BLC2, CFE223, 748, etc.
But I’m not sure it performs better.
With the 7.62x39 you can start with a ball powder that burns as fast and faster than the 4198, depending on bullet weight, geometry etc.
In other words, close to 36.5 grains of Accurate 2200 or maybe Accurate 1680, depending on what you can get away with.
There is very little neck on the 7.62x39, so you can get away with amounts of fast burning powder that would max out the 308. Then it’s just a matter of how much you can safely cram in.
Which means a comparable amount of energy.
I’ve sort of maxed out my budget for a while, so I don’t think I will be doing any experiments on an actual 7.62x39.
I think of my PSA 20 inch barrel 308, loaded with the faster burning stick powder, as the world’s almost-Ultimate 7.62x39.
To really compare the foot pounds, it would be helpful to have a lab calorimeter, and chronographs set up at 300 yards.
I want to pay off my HELOC before I buy any more firearms stuff, because the HELOC is tied to the higher interest rates.
BUT IF I DID HAVE $1000 to spend on a 7.62x39 upper with a 20 inch or longer barrel -
any product suggestions ?
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Might I suggest a fine Rifle with a18.5" barrel
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Do not know if you bought one, but I have lots of experience with the 7.62 x 39. I have a Mini Muaser with the Manlicher stock, a Mini-30, and SKS, and AK and a AR. I have killed over 100 deer, elk and antelope but only big whitetails with the 7.62 x 39.
A couple of points. The 7.62 x 39, is not equal to a 30-30, not close and people who say that are simply ignorant. That said, it is wonderful deer round out to 200 yards. With the Remington 123 grain soft points it will shoot completely through a deer with a 48 inch chest and leave an exit wound bigger than a half dollar. About what I get with the 30-06 or 300 Weatherby Magnum. I do not recommend the 123 grain bullets even though they are great, instead I suggest the 150 grain or even the 154 Russian import ammo. The sell it as Wolf ammo of Cabelas sells it as their Herters brand. It has been used often by meat hunters for cow elk. I would not but that and the 30-30 are commonly used for cows in Colorado.
The SKS was widely used for hunting whitetails in deer drives in Oklahoma, illegal to run them with dogs on drives but the did and the cheap SKS made a name for itself in that role.
The Russian ammo may dry up but other countries are already filling that void, I think Bulgaria is one, and the steel cased ammo is still about 40 cents per round. You can also buy factory suppressor ammo for the 7.62, several companies load it. It is also a very easy round to reload.
I own Ruger model 77 rifles but do not own the Predator, but every person I know says they are great little rifles. My carbine AR in 7.62 x39 is by far my favorite AR, I own two in 300 BLK but they never leave the house because the 7.62 x 39 is just that much better, not much with the small bullets but much better with the 150 grain.
Nothing wrong with other brands, but if I were buying now, it would be the Ruger, small light and accurate. Give us some feedback.
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I have one of these chambered in 5.56mm.
And I love it. It is my favorite rifle. I’d sell every semi-auto I own to keep this one. I’ve used 69, 75, and 77-grain rounds to kill feral hogs, whitetails, yotes, just about every thing that can be legally shot in Texas, and I’ve never had to worry about tracking a kill further than 30 yards. Shot placement is everything.
If anyone has an opportunity to pick one of these up, they should.
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Actually I ended up getting a Ruger M77 in 30-06. I’m happy with my choice. Unfortunately the mini mausers or ruger Americans in 7.62x39 are hard to come by and thus over priced if you can even find them. The M77 shoots like a dream. Took 3 shots at 100 yards and all 3 holes were touching. came with a 3x leupold scope.
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Good choice. The Ruger 77 is a wonderful action. Mine is in 308, the Manlicher version, Model 77 RSI. I have killed deer beyond 300 yards with it. Will never let that one go. Good choice. And the 30-06 is in a whole different category. I once killed an antelope with one shot at 563 yards, and a white tail at 460, both one shot events. That 7.62 x 39 would be hitting the ground about half way there, lol
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This is my son at 9 years old and his first deer. I bought him a Ruger M77 Mark ll Guide Gun in .243 with a Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40. It has a 16" pencil barrel and it is very lightweight. My son was sensitive to recoil so I got him the lightest caliber of rifle that I felt comfortable with him deer hunting with it. We did practice shot placement so he knew where to aim. First I taught him how to shoot a neck shot and then the heart. He wasn’t comfortable shooting the doe in the neck at the range that she was. I let him make the call on where to shoot. I have nothing but praise for his rifle. If I was hunting in the woods or thick brush I would take his rifle hunting instead of my Browning BAR 30-06 simply because of how lightweight it was and the shorter barrel didn’t catch on every vine, briar, or tree limbs.
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I’ve got way too many rifles but I’ve really fallen in love with my bolt action 7.62x39. One big reason is it runs so well suppressed and I’m deaf enough as it is. It did so great last year on deer that it’s my primary for this year, even though I have five or six “better” options. I’m running Lehigh Controlled Chaos handloads (they sell factory ammo too). Fantastic accuracy and surprisingly good trajectory out to 200. And what those dang things do when they hit deer is unbelievable. I had like 11 exit holes one a big doe last year. Bang, flop is my normal experience.
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I like odd ball rounds myself. I have 22arc and 6.5arc oh and 6.5grendal that is pretty popular used to be a lot more popular. Oh and the weirdo 300 Legend. I remember I went to Cabela back in 2020 or so when there was no ammo any where and right there on the shelf was 12 boxes of 300 legend, I was like yeah that one is for me! 
Would be a great deer round down south.
Not that 7.62x39 odd ball but not many non-semiautos
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@austinmsuter Austin, welcome to the forums!!! I personally dont have any bolt action 7.62x39 but i do have some 7.62x51r in bolt.. good ol Mosin Nagants.. what type of bolt is your .39 rifle? I bet its a great deer hunting rifle.. sounds like you had a great time with it for sure. Welcome again to the forums and we hope you enjoy your stay! make yourself at home!