7.62x39
- Thread starter Light Infantry
- Start date
I haven't see any SPs, BUT lowest standard prices for 7.62x39 Norinco non-corrosive red box FMJ is $10.99 a box + tax retail. That is per individual box. I see those at Tenda and G4C.
Bass Pro/Cabela's did have a sale where it was $9.99 a box + tax but that ended last week or the week before (I was able to order some boxes of it before that). It is now back to $14.99 at Bass Pro/Cabela's.
Most other stores that sell it have it between $11-$14 per 20 round box.
Of course if you buy in bulk (500/1000) you can get a better price, down to maybe $10.00 to $10.40 a box. These bulk ones have gone up in price recently (a couple of months back they were $249.99 + tax for a case of 500, now it's $259 - $279 or so).
I have been looking on the secondary market for these. Can get them slightly under $10, but you have to be careful what you are buying since there are reports of non-corrosive rounds being actually corrosive. What I have done is buy a bunch of various ones and I can say based on my experience (which may not be worth much), I have found no corrosive rounds in the Norinco 2014, 2019 and 2020 head stamped cartridges. I am very curious what headstamps are on the ones people say are actually corrosive.
Based on my limited experience, I think steel cased Chinese ammo doesn't have a significant price reduction due to age. I still see the yellow/silver boxes sold for relatively close to the 45-50 cents a round that white box and red box seems to command. For non-corrosive anyway. The bigger issue for me would be whether it was actually corrosive or a mixture. I know, some people would say, just run boiling water through the barrel, and gas piston tube every time. My curiosity still is trying to determine which years/lots have been found to have corrosive rounds in it, either fully or a mixture. It is a shame that the Norinco stuff can't have the same confidence as say, Barnaul, Tulammo, etc. in terms of guaranteed non-corrosiveness. After all, we are paying a premium for what we believe are non corrosive rounds. Sure, the nail test can easily determine, but for me, if I find years that seem to be good, I will just focus on continuing to buy those years' lots.
There are deals to be had on the secondary market. Best price lately based on a bulk order I did was $8.33 a box for 2014 white box...but that took some negotiation to get to that.
Because I wasn't buying this caliber years ago, I don't quite have the indigestion that I would have had if I had bought these for what others tell me were $3 - $4 a box way back when. Being normalized on current prices is not a great thing, but thankfully the Chinese non-corrosives have not skyrocketed in price within the last year like 9mm and other popular calibers.
I recently picked up some Barnaul at a great price and have more coming next week - I may just keep those and use them in a museum in the future. I have pretty much stopped buying any other calibers and am fully focused on Chinese NC 7.62x39 now.
There are deals to be had on the secondary market. Best price lately based on a bulk order I did was $8.33 a box for 2014 white box...but that took some negotiation to get to that.
Because I wasn't buying this caliber years ago, I don't quite have the indigestion that I would have had if I had bought these for what others tell me were $3 - $4 a box way back when. Being normalized on current prices is not a great thing, but thankfully the Chinese non-corrosives have not skyrocketed in price within the last year like 9mm and other popular calibers.
I recently picked up some Barnaul at a great price and have more coming next week - I may just keep those and use them in a museum in the future. I have pretty much stopped buying any other calibers and am fully focused on Chinese NC 7.62x39 now.
If you live near many of the ON ammo outlets I've heard of $400+tx cases of Corrisive mil ammo. At $450+tx it's only 0.35/round plus hot water ^O^. Shipped to NB came to 0.41/rnd. and I'm retired. An extra 10 min for cleaning . . . I clean all rifles after range day anyway.
Saving my Barnaul for 'in a hurry days'.
Saving my Barnaul for 'in a hurry days'.
I bought some more Barnaul yesterday from a seller and what's interesting is bundled with these Barnauls was this non-corrosive brand called "Dominion". They were actually non-corrosive hollow points - never seen that before. What's interesting is that the bottom of the boxes said it was made in the Ukraine but also somehow associated with CanadaAmmo in Vancouver. In doing an elementary Google search on this reveals that the manufacturer has long been defunct. I don't see any lot numbers that can pin a manufacture date on these, but I may keep these rounds for posterity. It's not very common place to see non-corrosive steel cased ammo in this caliber that is anything other than FMJ. I suppose one can use the HPs as defensive or hunting arounds if need be. I think these were a "throw in" on the Barnaul deal and I am happy to have received them as I have not seen them around.
I had some Dominion, they seemed to be non-corrosive to me.
The issue with the corrosive is that you better go out and have a day of shooting, firing 1 shot is exactly the same issue as 100 rounds and to me taking apart the whole gun to fire 1 or 2 shots is annoying as hell.
Very true. I know Barnaul is non corrosive, so been stockpiling that. Norinco I have tried lots 2014, 2018, 2019, and 2020 and all I can report that there no issues of corrosion with these - I leave my gun uncleaned for 2-3 days and then check gas tube/piston, bolt face and barrel and inspect carefully. So far, all good.
Seems like if the Norinco ones have had any issue with uncertainty of whether it is corrosive or non corrosive, it's not with these lots...or maybe I just got lucky. Or some of the internet reviews are for different years...or the reviewers just hate Norinco period. I can't believe how many negative reviews have been put on the Norinco red box from Bass Pro/Cabela's. I have bought a fair amount of this from Cabela's recently and everything so far has shot fine without issues (they are all headstamped 311 / 20, so 2020 manufacturing).
I understand that I can treat all non-corrosive from China as corrosive and clean accordingly but based on the slight premium being paid for these non corrosives, I would like to think I am getting what I paid for. So far that has (thankfully) been the case.
I have been looking in small town gun stores that have no internet presence whether they carry any of the old Russian brands as older stock...so far I haven't found any. I heard Tulammo is decent but Wolf is suspect...can be safe and buy Barnaul on the secondary market, but that's not as plentiful as people selling Norinco.
I got my hands on a pile of Norinco, so passing along my Russian stuff to a guy who does not care about corrosive and has more time than me to clean.
The Norinco I have is headstamped 14, white box, so I assume 2014.
2014 white box is good stuff! I am keeping it like the Barnaul until I absolutely have to use it. Am still looking for red box outside of the years I have already shot just to rule out any issues.
I am hoping to get a Type 81 special edition with gorgeous red stock (or folding) so I can have something else other than my "beater" SKS to shoot the 7.62x39.
There are definitely deals to be had on the Norinco white box whenever it is listed. I managed to buy 1200 rounds recently from seller and after some negotiation and a long drive (for me), the unit price of each ended up something like $8.30. BUT that was in a completely sealed case where the seller had no idea of the headstamp and did not want to unseal it. I took my chances, bought it and when I opened it and found out it was 2014, I felt like I won the showcase showdown on the Price is Right.
The surplus I have is stamped 64
I bought and shot 1000 of these in the past. Here is all the info on them from CanAm's original thread
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/for...-PRODUCT-LCW-7-62x39-FMJ-and-HP?highlight=lcw
Ya, no
Shot any or did autopsies? Ya no........The Ukranian bi-metal HP kill deer dead one rd per customer. Exit wound like a 2x2. One mulie doe at 175 yards. Without first hand experience why bother giving an opinion? Moose with 123gr Privi SP handloads .......yes been there seen that into the freezer.
It is a hollow point match bullet, not a bullet that would leave to reliable expansion on a deer.
I have no problem with the 7.62x39 for hunting, but I would not trust those dominion hollow point bullets while hunting big game, they are likely to just explode.
p.Rundle
CGN frequent flyer
I shot Barnaul and some Norinco white box non-corrosive through an SKS and it rusted the piston. The bore was fine because I always do a quick clean of the bore with a boresnake when I'm done. But the piston rusted over a couple months not days. I rarely shot that thing, so it slipped my mind to clean it. Then I'm doing my annual cleaning, boom rust. I don't know which ammo did it for sure, but I suspect the Norinco. Barnaul has never given me any signs of rust before or after on anything else I own, and I've put up some slightly dirty guns with that ammo. For reference, I keep 10 silica packs in the safe, and I had a dehumidifier in the same room, and I live in a very dry climate.
Thanks for the feedback. I have no doubt it was the Norinco one that caused your rust. Do you by chance either have any of the rounds left from that box or lot or any of the left over casings left (I know few keep steel casings) - I am curious what the two digit date headstamp on those rounds from the white box was.
