More than double. $400 for 1440 was the best deal I've found in a year.
Man, I wish I stocked up when you did!
Still think its worth handloading for the chambering though, if not to save money than just like for any other serious hunting rifle.
Bolt action 7.62x39
- Thread starter morp
- Start date
Man, I wish I stocked up when you did!
Still think its worth handloading for the chambering though, if not to save money than just like for any other serious hunting rifle.
Yeah, when I first took it out to zero with hand loads, it scared me a bit lol. Only have a 5x scope on it but was drilling suboa right at POA in the bulls at 100m. Let her cool down and drilled a few more impressive groups and put it away lol.
It's probably too nice for me to take in the bush, and too accurate to ever sell it, gonna be a safe queen I guess, take it out every now and then when someone says 7.62x39 isn't accurate lol
I've got a Ruger American 7.62x39, lots of milsurp ammo, and a bunch of old Mini-30 magazines. Life is good. I've had many of the other bolt guns in this chambering, and the Ruger is overall the best combination of shootability, accuracy and fun for me.
Reload for this thing? Serious hunting rifle??? Please don't make me laugh. I have enough serious hunting rifles in my safe, all vying for my attention...and few enough tags each year...that I'll be in the ground long before I reach for a 7.62x39 rifle for a serious hunt.
Reload for this thing? Serious hunting rifle??? Please don't make me laugh. I have enough serious hunting rifles in my safe, all vying for my attention...and few enough tags each year...that I'll be in the ground long before I reach for a 7.62x39 rifle for a serious hunt.
Great!I've got a Ruger American 7.62x39, lots of milsurp ammo, and a bunch of old Mini-30 magazines. Life is good. I've had many of the other bolt guns in this chambering, and the Ruger is overall the best combination of shootability, accuracy and fun for me.
Reload for this thing? Serious hunting rifle??? Please don't make me laugh. I have enough serious hunting rifles in my safe, all vying for my attention...and few enough tags each year...that I'll be in the ground long before I reach for a 7.62x39 rifle for a serious hunt.
I've had a few dozen and still dont see a reason my 7.62x39 isnt a serious hunting rifle lol.
wallythacker
Member
- Location
- In a .45-70 chamber
For the sake of argument my presses/dies/tumblers have all costs amortized over 30 years and 50,000 rounds of all types.
IF you reload you tend to worry about accuracy. It goes with the territory.
I have no problem getting 1.5MOA out of my reloads.
Small rifle primers, $750/10,000. so a bit over 8 cents/per
cast my 7.62 bullets, I get lead for about $2/lb worst case, best case is free so figure 2c/rd
Powder can be all over the place but figure 0.15/rd overall
so on the cheap about 25c/rd. Not exactly 22LR costs but competitive with corrosive milsurp
For deer this setup suits me fine. Even if I just feel like breaking rocks it's as cheap as surplus.
I can shoot 7.62x39 all day long with zero fatigue. Can't do that shooting .308
IF/when I feel like burning up ammo I grab the SKS and milsurp.
I've put many thousands of rounds through my M77s.
I can't offer opinions on rifles other than my boat oar M77s. I would dearly love new laminated custom stocks but then the whole mystique about the boat oar is lost.
Last edited:
- Location
- Western Manitoba
I have no clue if it was a "good price" - I paid $1425 mailed to me in Nov. 2023 - rifle, total of 3 CZ mags, RCBS sizing dies, Hornady brass and Millet Angle Loc rings - was bought via CGN EE.
Last edited:
Well yes, a serious gun. Just finished reloading some rounds for my Ruger Ranch. Handy dandy, little and light. I Put on a micro red dot. What more would you need to shoot black bear at 30-50 yards?I've got a Ruger American 7.62x39, lots of milsurp ammo, and a bunch of old Mini-30 magazines. Life is good. I've had many of the other bolt guns in this chambering, and the Ruger is overall the best combination of shootability, accuracy and fun for me.
Reload for this thing? Serious hunting rifle??? Please don't make me laugh. I have enough serious hunting rifles in my safe, all vying for my attention...and few enough tags each year...that I'll be in the ground long before I reach for a 7.62x39 rifle for a serious hunt.
Okay, perhaps I stepped on a few toes with that comment. A "serious hunting rifle" is...anything you want it to be, and any shot taken at a live game animal is a serious shot; no offense intended.
A bear at 30 yards? A deer in the back 40? Or even a skunk in the garden? All of these shots can be made more entertaining by using something that turns every trigger squeeze into a bit of an adventure. If I can use a muzzleloader, or a single-shot .45-70, or a classic levergun or some oddball Euro rifle...that'll make it exciting. No, I don't need to use those, but they add to the experience.
Or, at the other end of the spectrum, if I'm far from home, perhaps spending a lot of time/money/effort on a once-in-a-lifetime hunt...I will want to use something exciting and memorable and, most importantly...more than merely capable.
A 7.62x39 is a fun behind-the-barn noisemaker, a plinker, a high-volume practice gun. It's just like a rimfire in that respect...and I personally would never select a rimfire or a 7.62x39 for any shot that I consider truly important. But, again, we're just swapping opinions here; nobody's right, nobody's wrong.
- Location
- Western Manitoba
That is about correct. For years, I hunted white tail and mule deer with 308 Win - our son has that rifle now - both he and I got our first elk with it. That took me "down" to 7x57 for a number of years - perfectly adequate to kill things, I think. Then, to 30-06, 338 Win Mag, 9.3x62, 416 Rem Mag, 458 Win Mag. About no end to it. My wife and son took their first deer with 243 Win. An elderly guy up the road - he might be in his late 70's or early 80's - has his Grandma's "deer rifle" - the old girl used to "pop" deer and coyotes in the farm yard out of her kitchen window - back in the day - the old dude was very happy that I came up with some ammo for that old gun - CIL brand 25 Stevens Long cartridges - 65 grain bullets - the rifle is an iron sighted Stevens Favourite.
- Location
- Southern Vancouver Island
Agreed. My 1st couple of deer back in '70 was with my .22 Cooey 39 from me folks bedroom window. I've put plenty of meat in the fridge
and pests in the hole over the years with that wee rifle and still take 'er out to the range now an then. Best $5.oo I ever invested.
I've owned & hunted using a Ruger 77 Mk II in 7.62x39 that served me well for critters and meat shoots at clubs. Had a CZ 527 for a spell that
shot fine for me as well.
Last edited:
- Location
- Steel Town
Hard to beat a nice CZ 527, if you can find one with extra mags.
