T.A. WORKMAN
Hunter
Mini-30 - AK-47 - SKS - AR-47.
As mentioned in the above posts, its a decent mid-range
As mentioned in the above posts, its a decent mid-range
Commie Round 7.62x39
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Hankus
Blackhawk
I have a mid '90s vintage Mini-30, stainless and wood. It's a great hog gun.
Been thinking about building an AR15 chambered for .300 Ham'r (which was developed by Wilson Combat as a hunting round). Just don't know if it offers enough additional velocity over the 7.62x39 to make it worthwhile - will probably put the idea on the back burner, and see if I stumble across an affordable barrel &/or some cheap brass.
44Squatch
Single-Sixer
$69.00 each, and they came with all the 40-year-old commie dried on grease you could handle. And my dried on grease is now 70 years old because I never cleaned mine … just put it away.
And we all laughed at the crates of Soviet block junk …
I learned just how full metal jacket works shooting an SKS... and that commie ammo. I wanted to sight one of these rifles in and I set a 2x4' up right just leaning against something and proceeded to shoot at it... had to bring the rounds down and then after a couple shots I realized the rounds looked like they were hitting directly behind the standing 2x4 that was just propped up at the bottom against something. I thought that when I hit it it would fall back... I went and checked and I had put three rounds through the 2x4 and it was still standing.... looked like someone had driven 3 16 penny nails in the board and then pulled them out....
Best (most accurate and effective) 7.62x39 ammo is Hornady 123 SST. Son saw some 'sub-sonic' 18? grain Hornady and brought a box home. We haven't tried it yet. Plans for use in the AR 'pistol' during deer season. If it's accurate enough, should be close to the 300AAC w/sub-sonics.
My CZ527 carbine shoots that Hornady 123 exceptionally well. My AR likes it also.
PPU soft points also shoot very well.
I am fairly certain you are referring to the 527.
The 457 is a rimfire, a fine rifle on its own merit.
It is a crying shame CZ discontinued the 500 series of rifles.
The 600 series has no appeal for me.
Hankus
Blackhawk
I've seen first-hand the damage this round can inflict. Back around 2004 I ran into a guy that was with 3rd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment during the Black Hawk Down incident. He had taken a round in his upper thigh which hit bone then bounced around inside and exited from his lower abdomen. The scars were pretty gnarly, and he walked with a noticeable limp. Despite having a lot of experience with the M16 platform in the military I'm just not a fan of the lack of effectiveness of the 5.56 round, and think the 7.62x39 is a much better choice.
I too bought an SKS in the early '90s for ~$100 including a case of surplus ammo. It was reasonably accurate, but nothing special. I sold it off in the late '90s for quite a bit more, after the ban. Years later I picked up my Mini-30 for a good price to use on hog hunts at a local dairy. I had picked up ~20 boxes of Tulammo back when they were $5/box at Wally World. When I took it to the range with that Tulammo the bolt really slammed backwards HARD. After my first magazine it started shooting WAY off point of aim, then I realized the rear sight blade had loosened and one of the screws was gone. I cleaned it after the range, went home and ordered a replacement sight blade with screws and haven't really used it much since. I've looked at the adjustable gas blocks and barrel stabilizer for my Mini, but haven't ever got around to ordering one. I actually took my old Winchester '94 on those hog hunts.
I too bought an SKS in the early '90s for ~$100 including a case of surplus ammo. It was reasonably accurate, but nothing special. I sold it off in the late '90s for quite a bit more, after the ban. Years later I picked up my Mini-30 for a good price to use on hog hunts at a local dairy. I had picked up ~20 boxes of Tulammo back when they were $5/box at Wally World. When I took it to the range with that Tulammo the bolt really slammed backwards HARD. After my first magazine it started shooting WAY off point of aim, then I realized the rear sight blade had loosened and one of the screws was gone. I cleaned it after the range, went home and ordered a replacement sight blade with screws and haven't really used it much since. I've looked at the adjustable gas blocks and barrel stabilizer for my Mini, but haven't ever got around to ordering one. I actually took my old Winchester '94 on those hog hunts.
bookemdano
Single-Sixer
As a Medic 91B in Nam, I know what 7.62x39 and the 5.56 can do. Neither is
pretty. For me personally, I'll take the "commie round". Why? I guess the
M16's finicky nature in Nam has jaded my opinion of the AR. I have 3
AR's, 1 SKS and 1 AK. If the fecal material made contact with the oscillating
device, I'd take one of my "commie" guns. Most likely the SKS.
But that's just me. I'll tell you one thing, in my neck of the woods, a lot of
deer have been taken with the SKS. Loaded with Hornady's 124gr SST Polymer
Tip and you have one great Whitetail or Hog gun that can take a beating,
any kind weather and bring home the groceries.
Just my opinion. Dano
pretty. For me personally, I'll take the "commie round". Why? I guess the
M16's finicky nature in Nam has jaded my opinion of the AR. I have 3
AR's, 1 SKS and 1 AK. If the fecal material made contact with the oscillating
device, I'd take one of my "commie" guns. Most likely the SKS.
But that's just me. I'll tell you one thing, in my neck of the woods, a lot of
deer have been taken with the SKS. Loaded with Hornady's 124gr SST Polymer
Tip and you have one great Whitetail or Hog gun that can take a beating,
any kind weather and bring home the groceries.
Just my opinion. Dano
I have 5 AR's, (1 is a .308) (1 is a 300K/5.56) 3 are Colt AR15 SP1. 1 - M16A1, 1 - SKS and 1 - AK
Killer Bee
Bearcat
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2011
- Messages
- 41
Killer Bee
Bearcat
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2011
- Messages
- 41
Colt HBAR / M&P10 / M&P15 / Colt M4
Zastava N-PAP M70
Zastava N-PAP M70
I have a lot of experience with the little commie round.
The AK is but a novelty to me. I've done it, and I'm done with it.
The Mini-30 and Ruger American Ranch are different stories and I appreciate the round combined with these rifles.
I've got to separate dump quality rounds to domestic or other quality ammo suitable for deer hunting. The 7.62x39 round is very close in ballistics to the 130 grain .30-30 round I used to load, and it was a very satisfactory deer round. But if a feller is not reloading, quality soft point ammo is more expensive than equal quality .308 ammo.
Now, in a Mini-30, steel cased ammo may or may not work. Out of 4 (I think) Mini-30's, only one would reliably ignite the commie ammo primers. Some folks have increased firing-pin spring weights, but that's not always the whole answer. Firing pin protrusion seems to be the majority culprit. If you've got a Mini-30 with a firing pin of maximum length tolerance, you just might have a winner. I sold a Mini-30 to a feller in the Northwest that made a couple of videos concerning this issue. The Mini I sold him, regardless of his endeavors, could not be altered to make this Mini reliably fire steel cased ammo. Quality brass cased and boxer primed ammo, however, would fire with 100% reliability.
My American Ranch, however, would fire anything I offered it. The accuracy, however, was mediocre with commie steel cased FMJ ammo. It was far better with anything brass cased and soft pointed, and even superb with at least one other offering, Hornady steel cased ammo!
Okay, this is mostly seen as an ammo dump cartridge, so extreme accuracy is a trade off from what used to be the low price of commie manufactured rounds, and folks are willing to trade off their accuracy. At 75-cents a round, that's no longer the case. All the more reason I distanced myself from 7.62x39 firearms and ammo. I really like the American Ranch Rifle as a truck and hunting rifle, but not if it costs substantially more to shoot than a .308 .
One point I've not addressed, but decided it's worth noting... When I complain that quality .308 hunting ammo is less expensive than quality/domestic 7.62x39 hunting ammo, we must not forget there is a compromise. PPU makes soft point, brass cased ammo for less than domestic ammo. I've shot it with very pleasurable results. Used to be 10-bucks a box for this stuff, then 15-bucks a box, until now, I cannot find it available anywhere, at any price.
.
The AK is but a novelty to me. I've done it, and I'm done with it.
The Mini-30 and Ruger American Ranch are different stories and I appreciate the round combined with these rifles.
I've got to separate dump quality rounds to domestic or other quality ammo suitable for deer hunting. The 7.62x39 round is very close in ballistics to the 130 grain .30-30 round I used to load, and it was a very satisfactory deer round. But if a feller is not reloading, quality soft point ammo is more expensive than equal quality .308 ammo.
Now, in a Mini-30, steel cased ammo may or may not work. Out of 4 (I think) Mini-30's, only one would reliably ignite the commie ammo primers. Some folks have increased firing-pin spring weights, but that's not always the whole answer. Firing pin protrusion seems to be the majority culprit. If you've got a Mini-30 with a firing pin of maximum length tolerance, you just might have a winner. I sold a Mini-30 to a feller in the Northwest that made a couple of videos concerning this issue. The Mini I sold him, regardless of his endeavors, could not be altered to make this Mini reliably fire steel cased ammo. Quality brass cased and boxer primed ammo, however, would fire with 100% reliability.
My American Ranch, however, would fire anything I offered it. The accuracy, however, was mediocre with commie steel cased FMJ ammo. It was far better with anything brass cased and soft pointed, and even superb with at least one other offering, Hornady steel cased ammo!
Okay, this is mostly seen as an ammo dump cartridge, so extreme accuracy is a trade off from what used to be the low price of commie manufactured rounds, and folks are willing to trade off their accuracy. At 75-cents a round, that's no longer the case. All the more reason I distanced myself from 7.62x39 firearms and ammo. I really like the American Ranch Rifle as a truck and hunting rifle, but not if it costs substantially more to shoot than a .308 .
One point I've not addressed, but decided it's worth noting... When I complain that quality .308 hunting ammo is less expensive than quality/domestic 7.62x39 hunting ammo, we must not forget there is a compromise. PPU makes soft point, brass cased ammo for less than domestic ammo. I've shot it with very pleasurable results. Used to be 10-bucks a box for this stuff, then 15-bucks a box, until now, I cannot find it available anywhere, at any price.
.
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Hankus
Blackhawk
"The 7.62x39 round is very close in ballistics to the 130 grain .30-30 round I used to load, and it was a very satisfactory deer round."
I was lucky enough to pick up a case of Winchester soft point ammo for a good price many years ago, and still have maybe 20-25 boxes left in my stash.
I was lucky enough to pick up a case of Winchester soft point ammo for a good price many years ago, and still have maybe 20-25 boxes left in my stash.
ProfessorWes
Hunter
I had one of the inexpensive Norinco SKSs myself - 1992 commercial production, not one of the old milsurps - and enjoyed shooting it, but eventually sold it down the road. I needed the money at the time more than I needed the rifle. Have to say I kind of miss it.
I had most of a case of assorted ammo for it, mostly Norinco and Wolf, plus some commercial Remington softpoints and Norma FMJs and a couple of dozen stripper clips. That got sold off as well.
I've played with a couple of the PSA repro AKs and they seem to be nice, well-made guns - their AK-103 looks particularly appealing - but given the price of the guns and especially ammo now that most of the inexpensive import 7.62X39 has gone away I think I'd rather have some sort of AR platform.
Although PSA is reportedly bringing out domestic 5.45 and 7.62x39 to go along with their guns, so that will probably help the ammo situation . . .
I had most of a case of assorted ammo for it, mostly Norinco and Wolf, plus some commercial Remington softpoints and Norma FMJs and a couple of dozen stripper clips. That got sold off as well.
I've played with a couple of the PSA repro AKs and they seem to be nice, well-made guns - their AK-103 looks particularly appealing - but given the price of the guns and especially ammo now that most of the inexpensive import 7.62X39 has gone away I think I'd rather have some sort of AR platform.
Although PSA is reportedly bringing out domestic 5.45 and 7.62x39 to go along with their guns, so that will probably help the ammo situation . . .
"Although PSA is reportedly bringing out domestic 5.45 and 7.62x39 to go along with their guns,"
Hornady has been using steel cases for 7.62 and 5/45 but I've seen some brass cased 5.45 recently. That said, I haven't had any problems at all when shooting the Hornady steel cased ammo.
Hornady has been using steel cases for 7.62 and 5/45 but I've seen some brass cased 5.45 recently. That said, I haven't had any problems at all when shooting the Hornady steel cased ammo.
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I have also found the steel cased Hornady to be the best performer. It is still shown in their catalogue, but I cannot find it anywhere, and have been told it's discontinued. So I guess I don't know the real story.
Both a mini 30 and Ruger American in 7.62x39
