7.62 nato or 7.62x39

7.62 x39 for cost
7.62x51 for accuracy and distance. Bulk ammo is not a conducive route to accuracy my friend. Depends what rifle you have or want.
 
7.62x51. The other one is for communists! All kidding aside, you can get better quality bulk ammo in 7.62x51 than you can in 7.62x39. Lake City, Federal and American Eagle come to mind. If you're really worried about cost, look into 5.56x45.
 
Accuracy depends more on the individual gun than the ammo.

I'm lucky enough to have found an SKS that will ring a 10x10 (inches, you jokers) gong reliably at 300m with Chinese surplus. Not all guns were made on a Friday...

So I guess the first question is: what will you be shooting it from? Followed by: How often will you be shooting it? What will you be shooting it at? and... will you ever take on reloading as a hobby?

7.62 NATO is an expensive way to make holes on paper under 300m.
 
7.62x39 can do the trick, it's my preferred round. If you're curious about potential of bulk 7.62x39 watch the ak operators union shooting the vepr at 500 yards. They got 1.34moa at 500 with wolf 123 fmj.
If you want pinpoint accuracy you're gonna have to handload anyways. So to me 7.62x39 does the job. I've fired 7.62x51 but the cheaper bulk wasn't impressive and was cost prohibitive.
https://youtu.be/aa2P83BbIOc
 
If shooting 100m or less for the cost the accuracy is good enough on 7.62x39 and it allows for plenty of practise with a pale of surplus. My CZ527 shoots surplus just fine. Don't baby your guns. Also a SKS is a fantastic entry rifle, plus more options from ruger and savage have entered the bolt action market.
If you plan to reload and modify your rifle to shoot thru pinholes get .308
 
Why go with .223/5.56? it is round that is priced between 7.62X51 and 7.62X39, a steady supplies of bulk ammo, better trajectory than the 7.62x39 and variety of bullet weights to play with.
 
Adam134 said:
7.62x39 can do the trick, it's my preferred round. If you're curious about potential of bulk 7.62x39 watch the ak operators union shooting the vepr at 500 yards. They got 1.34moa at 500 with wolf 123 fmj.
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500m is doable if there is a laser range finder, a ballistic calculator and it is aimed at the sky to deal with a drop that is more than double of 5.56. In practicality, the rainbow trajectory is not useful other than range shooting for amusement.

Out of an AK, it is really a practically shootable cartridge out to 230m'ish. After that it pummels like a rock.
 
greentips said:
500m is doable if there is a laser range finder, a ballistic calculator and it is aimed at the sky to deal with a drop that is more than double of 5.56. In practicality, the rainbow trajectory is not useful other than range shooting for amusement.

Out of an AK, it is really a practically shootable cartridge out to 230m'ish. After that it pummels like a rock.
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Valid points but my main point was for most paper punching it'll do what you want on a reasonable budget. Farthest range I have access to is 200m so for me it fits the bill just fine.
 
Hi - I've shot both and reload for both 39 and 51. Then I got a semi auto that shoots 223/556x45 and never looked back! Ammo is plentiful, cheap and of good quality (non corrosive!) and very cheap to reload. 50x 556 cartridges are usually same price as 20x 51. 39 commercial is cheap (MFS) but usually not reloadable. If you're plinking or doing 3 gun 556 is great. Guess it all depends on your purpose.

Melbourbon said:
What would be a better round for someone new to the sport for cost and accuracy
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Both rounds are really good on their own merits. Chances are you'll need to reload if you're looking for accuracy, and you'll have more reloading components and off the shelf options with 308.

7.62x39 is slightly cheaper for good factory ammo. Both will also depend on the type of rifle you're shooting them out of. 308 gives you more range, target and hunting options.
 
Keep in mind that you can put a 7.62x39 upper on an AR15 lower...I have one...works great. If you want to shoot the 7.62x51, you need a whole new and likely expensive rifle. Mixing and matching uppers for different calibers will be an expensive proposition as well.
 
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