7.62x39 for Deer

I’m surprised the S&B soft point hasn’t been spoken of much. I shot a bunch of it into duct seal and bundles of wet paper. I gave me some of the best looking expanded bullets I’d ever recovered. It shot over 2500fps out of my NR 858.
 
So guys , im in the club now, was posting before on the fence.. was good to re read the thread about some successes etc.

Im not sure what sort of bullet to go for hunting, it seems like the SST is a good choice, but is there a more common Size projectile that works here? is it .310? .311 .312???

Thank you
 
From what I've read, the effective range of 7.62 x 39 rounds is 400 meters, but only 150 meters for deer. For comparison, the effective range of .308 rounds for deer is 300 meters.

I've thought about getting a 7.62 x 39 rifle, maybe an SKS, because of their stopping power and the relative affordability of the ammunition, but I ultimately prefer the .308, because cheaper 7.62 x 39 rounds are corrosive, and non-corrosive ones aren't that much less expensive than the .308
 
I have used the Federal Fusion, 123 grain load for a bunch of deer and all were one shot, full penetration hits. Most dropped in place and none went more than 30 yards. All shots were less than 150 yards, closest was about 25 yards. I rarely shoot factory loads any more but these were awesome. Always meant to pick up the same component bullets to load. I don't want to like the little CZ carbine and 7.62x39 cartridge but it has proven itself over and over.
 
MY ZASTY is eree!!!!!! in the big town, an hour away- So with the forecast ahead, ill drop in an pick it up once my permit arrives if it hasnt already yeeeeee yeeeee...

itl be on deer asap
 
only at the range. preferred the barnaul but since the war you can t be picky ...

ok, nah down here, of 2 lgs, one had a reasonable supply of SB 124 SP only. lol

i shot some test rounds, at 50m, they are within an inch, but on the tree... not the target :)

after the rains ill re asses, i bore sighted it now lol. the nikko pos is cooked. long story video will explan it but , we needa replacement before Xmas holiday period :)

kids guna love it
 
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170m sb 124g pass thru
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7.62X39 works just fine on deer.

But, it's not a 30-30, never will be.

If you don't believe me, load it up with a 170 grain bullet like a 30-30, and compare.

to be fair it seems like the 308 / 3006 saga.......... with all things equal, one has an advantage almost every single situation..... however out in the field , Zero differences for intended purposes.

seems logical to me.
 
Load a 170gr in a 7.62x39 and it will not come close to 30-30 velocity. it's not even close.

i googled the #### out of this

"quote"
Step Aside, .30-30

The .30-30 Winchester Center Fire is a venerable caliber that has been used to take just about every game animal in North America. It has benefitted from heavy, high sectional density bullets with reliable performance and good recoil characteristics, as well as having light and handy rifles chambered for it, and as a result has become an extremely popular caliber in the United States for use against most medium game animals. Once upon a time, before the magnum craze, it was considered one of the best general purpose game calibers there was, being acknowledged as suitable for game up to and including moose and bear.

Perhaps it’s for the best that we don’t live as dangerously now as our forefathers did, but there’s no doubt that the .30-30’s characteristics make it one of the best hunting calibers available. Today, though, it’s showing its age: A large rim, and (by today’s standards) long overall length mean that the .30-30 is essentially in the same size bracket as the .308 Winchester, a much more powerful round with far better ballistics. This has led to its strict relegation to the lever-action market, where the .30-30’s stubby round-nosed bullets allow the use of low profile tubular magazines.

It may not be well-known, but it is a fact that the better ballistic shape of the 7.62×39 gives it vastly better energy retention characteristics than the .30-30 with its round-nosed bullet (although innovations like Hornady’s flex-tip bullets have improved .30-30’s ballistics). With a standard-weight 123gr bullet, 7.62x39mm from the 20″ barrel of an SKS outpaces .30-30 in energy from the same length barrel by just 50 yards, so poorly shaped is the bullet of the old WCF.
 
reading here, compares them well...

170gr?
What could this projectile do from the 7.62×39 case? I calculated an estimated muzzle velocity of 2,085 ft/s from a 20″ rifle barrel, such as that of an SKS, just a hair’s breadth away from the 2,130 ft/s nominal velocity of the comparable load for .30-30..

The 170gr load beats .30-30 for energy by a mere 25 yards; the 154gr beats it by 50 yards, and the disparity only increases from there. By 200 yards, commonly regarded as the maximum range for the .30-30, the 170gr 7.62×39 enjoys a massive 51% energy advantage with 1,178 ft-lbs, while the 154gr pulls ahead of the WCF by 34% with 1,046 ft-lbs. To put it another way, the 170gr 7.62×39 load enjoys the same downrange energy at 360 yards as the .30-30 does at 200; the 154gr likewise at 330 yards!

Even if granddad did hunt bear with the modest round-nosed .30-30, though, I must admit that times have changed, and even the technology of the world’s first commercial smokeless round has advanced. Hornady’s 160gr FTX load for the .30-30 is both tube-magazine-safe, and much superior to the classic round nosed loads in ballistics. Let’s see how it compares to the improved 7.62×39 hunting loads:



https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog...ped-potential-7-62x39-around-hunting-caliber/
 
i dumped a nice young Doe on last light tonight after a afternoon 'still hunt' through some nice bush, the sambar did not want to stick around to find out if the 762 was guna bite... an the fallow, well i pulled the pin 20 seconds too early before they popped out..... but i did see one in the shadows over other side of the clearing, 140 meters bang flop litereally

fast becoming the Best Fallow deer cartridge ive ever used on them...

Taking it out in the morning for some Dingos i heard Howling this evening as i walking out!!!! they cleaned that stag carcass up already!
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probely should of bought more than the 1 pack of factory tho eh
 
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reading here, compares them well...

170gr?
What could this projectile do from the 7.62×39 case? I calculated an estimated muzzle velocity of 2,085 ft/s from a 20″ rifle barrel, such as that of an SKS, just a hair’s breadth away from the 2,130 ft/s nominal velocity of the comparable load for .30-30..

The 170gr load beats .30-30 for energy by a mere 25 yards; the 154gr beats it by 50 yards, and the disparity only increases from there. By 200 yards, commonly regarded as the maximum range for the .30-30, the 170gr 7.62×39 enjoys a massive 51% energy advantage with 1,178 ft-lbs, while the 154gr pulls ahead of the WCF by 34% with 1,046 ft-lbs. To put it another way, the 170gr 7.62×39 load enjoys the same downrange energy at 360 yards as the .30-30 does at 200; the 154gr likewise at 330 yards!

Even if granddad did hunt bear with the modest round-nosed .30-30, though, I must admit that times have changed, and even the technology of the world’s first commercial smokeless round has advanced. Hornady’s 160gr FTX load for the .30-30 is both tube-magazine-safe, and much superior to the classic round nosed loads in ballistics. Let’s see how it compares to the improved 7.62×39 hunting loads:



https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog...ped-potential-7-62x39-around-hunting-caliber/
The article relies on calculations, not real world, and if you're going to compare cartridges, you should eliminate things like barrel length, rifle design, and bullet design. Fire the 30-30 with the same bullet from the same length barrel, in the same rifle design. IE: bolt gun.
 
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