Feedback on 7.62x39 AR
- Thread starter randyhub
- Start date
I have an Ar build in 7.62x39 no complaints at all great shooter! 12” barrel, my only negative thing I can say is that your going to have to buy Pmags and mod them grinding down dimples and taking an 1/8th off the followers then re pinning them to hold 5 rounds of 7.62x39 then (re label the mag to 7.62x39) as it stances only 3 rounds fit in a pmag of 7.62x39.
Got a windham and while the bolt has held up the skirt is very thin. NEA uses a bigger bolt with more meat. I run commie crap ammo through the Windham, seeing if I can make it fail, and it refuses to
Buy XCR x39 mags. SFRC has/had them for cheap
Buy XCR x39 mags. SFRC has/had them for cheap
Don't buy NEA's 7.62x39 barrels or bolts, their products have headspace issues. I had to send mine back twice to get them to fix it correctly since I had failures to extract due to overpressure in the chamber, resulting in having to do a mortar clearance and smashing my charging handle against something to get the round out.
My 7.62x39 setup also jammed more than it fed correctly for what it's worth. I had a high-power extractor spring as an attempted fix and it worked okay at best. Shot a few hundred rounds with it and I couldn't deal with the frustrating issues of double feeding and failures to extract using XCR pistol mags. Sold it eventually.
Also not as easy cleaning a DI AR setup using corrosive ammo since you can't really clean the gas system very well, if you're going to be shooting milsurp ammo. YMMV. I initally got it because with milsurp ammo it's pretty cheap to shoot compared to 5.56 but ultimately, the reliability issues weren't worth it for me.
You can go the Windham Weaponry route (don't have personal experience with them) or if you want to build your own, Faxon Firearms and Yankee Hill Machining sell 7.62x39 barrels in various lengths.
My 7.62x39 setup also jammed more than it fed correctly for what it's worth. I had a high-power extractor spring as an attempted fix and it worked okay at best. Shot a few hundred rounds with it and I couldn't deal with the frustrating issues of double feeding and failures to extract using XCR pistol mags. Sold it eventually.
Also not as easy cleaning a DI AR setup using corrosive ammo since you can't really clean the gas system very well, if you're going to be shooting milsurp ammo. YMMV. I initally got it because with milsurp ammo it's pretty cheap to shoot compared to 5.56 but ultimately, the reliability issues weren't worth it for me.
You can go the Windham Weaponry route (don't have personal experience with them) or if you want to build your own, Faxon Firearms and Yankee Hill Machining sell 7.62x39 barrels in various lengths.
I have a PSA 10.5" upper running on a Norc CQ-A lower. It has run 100% for me with no function issues and maybe two dud rounds of ChiCom copper washed surplus through 700 rounds or so. I use XCR x39 pistol mags and they have been trouble free as well.
+1.
Mark
I have a PSA 7.5" runs flawlessly, only bad thing about it is I am not able to shoot steel core ammo at my range. So after burning through the deal I found on factory loaded FMJ 7.62x39 its hard to find non steel core FMJ ammo I am able to shoot for a decent price......For that reason I may sell it
Say what?
Don’t modify 5.56 mags, get 7.62 mags.
Also, buy a Wolff extra power hammer spring for surplus.
I don't clean the gas tube as it is stainless and easy enough to replace after a few years of shooting if it ever needs it. The rest is typical AR. Pull the BCG, clean it, the barrel and the interior of the upper with your favorite cleaning product, lubricate and reassemble. I find cleaning my SKS or vz58 to be more work than the AR.
Also note that both of us live in low humidity southern Alberta. Generally the humidity is so low indoors that corrosion can't even get started and that also simplifies the cleaning requirements. The guys that live on the coasts or in the soggy east have to work way harder at it than we do.
Probably typical for a rack grade lower (the trigger is stock Norc with just use on it, no tuning) with a short barrel upper shooting surplus ammo. I have a TRS-25 red dot on it and my eyes aren't that great, so it isn't a long range beast. I get ~4"-5" groups at 100m off a rest, less than 2" at 50m. The ChiCom ammo is pretty decent but I haven't tried any Czech surplus to see if it does better in this gun. My SKS definitely shoots better with the Czech ammo.
I haven't found it was needed on mine. I have had a couple dud rounds, but both had solid primer strikes and did not light even after repeated attempts.
Mark
I have a PSA 10.5" with an Eotech on top. It's run South African, Norinco, Polish, Czech, & Russian surplus in addition to Dominion, and Hornady stuff all very well.
The XCR mags are hit and miss it seams as mine only run with little trouble when they are downloaded to 7-8 rounds. Loaded to 10 rounds there is almost always a mag failure to feed.
The reality is that an AR box mag is an extremely poor shape to try and work with 7.62x39 ammunition.
If I could do it all over again when I bought mine, I would have gone with a CMMG Mutant that takes AK mags.
If I could do it all over again right now, I'd skip the AR and Probably check out an M10x
The XCR mags are hit and miss it seams as mine only run with little trouble when they are downloaded to 7-8 rounds. Loaded to 10 rounds there is almost always a mag failure to feed.
The reality is that an AR box mag is an extremely poor shape to try and work with 7.62x39 ammunition.
If I could do it all over again when I bought mine, I would have gone with a CMMG Mutant that takes AK mags.
If I could do it all over again right now, I'd skip the AR and Probably check out an M10x
ISaidShotgun!
CGN Regular
- Location
- Northern Alberta
I own two 7.62x39 ARs. One is a 7.5 inch NEA and out of the box was WAY over gassed. Lots of extraction problems, I ended up putting an adjustable gas block on it. Runs well, the odd fail to eject now and then. I can live with it. The other is a 14.5 inch I assembled myself using an NEA barrel and A2 stock and buffer. The only stoppage is every 10 rounds.
stormwolf18
Regular
- Location
- Terrebonne
Does it make a good flamethrower with a 10.5" barrel or shorter?
As others have stated...
The AR box mag design only works reliably when loaded to 7-8rds due to the x39 round dimensions.
That is why I hope Wolverine Supplies upcoming WK-180 in x39 will use AK mags.
I have a Windham in x39. Works wonderful. Lifetime warranty. They have a dedicated enhanced x39 firing pin.
https://shop.windhamweaponry.com/products/8448503-762x39
The Windham has digested most x39 ammo with no issues. I've had success with Norinco, Bulgarian, Czech, and Romanian. I did have some difficulty with one batch of x39...but seems the primers were seated too deep, and VZ58 and SKS did not like that one case of ammo either.
I would buy a Windham again.
I think CGN user 9x19 has put 19,000rds of x39 through his XCR. Reliable. You can find his posts. The XCR bolt face is massive with no known failure that I can find. Another good option for x39 user.
CMMG Mutant as mentioned...and the Gen2 just came out. Takes AK mags, which is a strong point. Built around an AR10 bolt for strength:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj__Ga4Y9yQ
I'm looking forward to hear about the M10x reviews.
The AR box mag design only works reliably when loaded to 7-8rds due to the x39 round dimensions.
That is why I hope Wolverine Supplies upcoming WK-180 in x39 will use AK mags.
I have a Windham in x39. Works wonderful. Lifetime warranty. They have a dedicated enhanced x39 firing pin.
https://shop.windhamweaponry.com/products/8448503-762x39
The Windham has digested most x39 ammo with no issues. I've had success with Norinco, Bulgarian, Czech, and Romanian. I did have some difficulty with one batch of x39...but seems the primers were seated too deep, and VZ58 and SKS did not like that one case of ammo either.
I would buy a Windham again.
I think CGN user 9x19 has put 19,000rds of x39 through his XCR. Reliable. You can find his posts. The XCR bolt face is massive with no known failure that I can find. Another good option for x39 user.
CMMG Mutant as mentioned...and the Gen2 just came out. Takes AK mags, which is a strong point. Built around an AR10 bolt for strength:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj__Ga4Y9yQ
I'm looking forward to hear about the M10x reviews.
I have 3 of them.
When SFRC was blowing out their NEA stock they had uppers and lowers on sale for a good price so I bought 3 uppers in black, grey and OD and 2 lowers in grey and OD. I had a spare Norinco lower so I slapped the black one on that one.
They all digested a few thousand rounds each of the Chinese non corrosive copper wash that Lever Arms had for sale without a hiccup. When that supply ran low I swapped to Cananda Ammo's reloaded x39 and I started getting some light strike issues. So I installed Wolf extra power hammer springs and that problem went away.
Then the grey one started having backwards stove pipes,
Or the case wouldn't fully eject while a cartridge was getting loaded (The case you see on top is the empty)
And of course forward stovepipes
At first I thought it was the ammo change, so I tried the Lever Chinese, Dominion from Ukraine and Barnaul as well. All did the same thing. So I swapped BCG's with one of the other uppers, but same problem, meanwhile the grey BCG in the other rifles worked fine. Then I put the grey lower onto a green upper and sure enough, problems started.
I read up on the problem and it seemed I needed a heavier buffer, so I ordered one from Brownells and installed it but no improvement, so I chucked the lower into the back of the safe and installed another spare Norinco and it works fine. So something is wrong with the grey lower and I don't know what. I tired a couple of different buffer springs with no improvement, too. maybe the buffer tube itself is bent or something, I can't think of anything else on the lower that would cause this. I will eventually get a new tube and spring and try it out.
However, I would say this is more of a rifle issue than a 7.62x39 issue, although when I attach the grey lower to a 556 upper, it seems to function ok. The lower is actually registered as a 300 BLK, so maybe there is something about that, this lower was intended for a 300 BLK and was set up differently? I don't know.
I do know everyone likes to hack on NEA but I have these 3 x39's and 2 in 5.56 with lots of rounds fired, and this is the only major problem I've had with NEA.
My issues with this one rifle notwithstanding, my overall feelings about using a 7.62x39 in the AR15 are is that they require a bit more work and bit more cleaning due to mostly using steel case ammo, and you might want to put a heavy spring in it. Other than that there isn't much reason not to own one if you want to, although with the cost of 7.62 rising and almost on par with well priced .223, the x39 is not as appealing as it once was.
When SFRC was blowing out their NEA stock they had uppers and lowers on sale for a good price so I bought 3 uppers in black, grey and OD and 2 lowers in grey and OD. I had a spare Norinco lower so I slapped the black one on that one.
They all digested a few thousand rounds each of the Chinese non corrosive copper wash that Lever Arms had for sale without a hiccup. When that supply ran low I swapped to Cananda Ammo's reloaded x39 and I started getting some light strike issues. So I installed Wolf extra power hammer springs and that problem went away.
Then the grey one started having backwards stove pipes,
Or the case wouldn't fully eject while a cartridge was getting loaded (The case you see on top is the empty)
And of course forward stovepipes
At first I thought it was the ammo change, so I tried the Lever Chinese, Dominion from Ukraine and Barnaul as well. All did the same thing. So I swapped BCG's with one of the other uppers, but same problem, meanwhile the grey BCG in the other rifles worked fine. Then I put the grey lower onto a green upper and sure enough, problems started.
I read up on the problem and it seemed I needed a heavier buffer, so I ordered one from Brownells and installed it but no improvement, so I chucked the lower into the back of the safe and installed another spare Norinco and it works fine. So something is wrong with the grey lower and I don't know what. I tired a couple of different buffer springs with no improvement, too. maybe the buffer tube itself is bent or something, I can't think of anything else on the lower that would cause this. I will eventually get a new tube and spring and try it out.
However, I would say this is more of a rifle issue than a 7.62x39 issue, although when I attach the grey lower to a 556 upper, it seems to function ok. The lower is actually registered as a 300 BLK, so maybe there is something about that, this lower was intended for a 300 BLK and was set up differently? I don't know.
I do know everyone likes to hack on NEA but I have these 3 x39's and 2 in 5.56 with lots of rounds fired, and this is the only major problem I've had with NEA.
My issues with this one rifle notwithstanding, my overall feelings about using a 7.62x39 in the AR15 are is that they require a bit more work and bit more cleaning due to mostly using steel case ammo, and you might want to put a heavy spring in it. Other than that there isn't much reason not to own one if you want to, although with the cost of 7.62 rising and almost on par with well priced .223, the x39 is not as appealing as it once was.
I have a NEA 7.62x39 upper around 500 rds fired now. Not a single issue never even replaced a part in it. Shot both Norinco 7.62x39 and Canada Ammo's re-primered ones. I checked the headspace with the gauges bought from Brownells and all good. All I can say is I got a lucky one. But yes my Gen1 NEA 556 upper had serious headspace issue... so if you go NEA you are testing your luck.
The nice thing about a 7.62x39 AR is that you can go relatively short, and it will still pack a decent punch. My PSA upper is a VERY compact 7" and has been 100% reliable. It would be my choice if I was doing a course that involved getting in and out of vehicles.
ISaidShotgun!
CGN Regular
- Location
- Northern Alberta
The giggle factor on my 7.5" is high. The blast is impressive.
