hunting with 7.62 X 39

survivalofthefittest

survivalofthefittest

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Has anyone ever shot a deer, etc with their 7.62 X 39mm rifle? I know it may seem like a ridiculous question but the round is enough to bring a big man in body armour down, I'm just curious if anyone has.
 
2 does and a small buck in last 2 years. Used cheep Igman soft point ammo and was more than happy with results. SKS makes a good bush rifle, accurate enough for short ranges, lots of power for deer and no one will care if it gets beat up a little in the bush.
 
Juster said:
You can get a clean deer kill with an arrow. Lots of deer taken with 7.62x39. You have to know what your maximum range is accuracywise.
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i would not shoot at anything over 100 yards away due to my eyesight not being the best.
im thinking 75-100 yards would be my limit.
 
In the CZ858-2 sticky there's pic of a buck taken with x39. 100 yards and under the knock down is almost identical to the 30-30.
 
Yep - there's at least one cgn'er that seems to hunt mostly with an sks. Seems pretty good for him.

In dense brush would be my preferred area of use, as it's nice and short, and doesn't matter if it takes a beating. Carried both it and the 858, and since my main preferences for the 858 are cool factor, long term longevity, and better accuracy past 150 m, all those are negated when hunting with a bullet that's only reliably effective within 100 meters for a clean kill. Plus I find for some reason an sks gets stuck on less things... I guess maybe just less protrusions??
 
You could use the bayonet for field dressing too :D Plus since its a semi you could always double tap if you're worried about missing.
 
I dont see how a 858 would get hung up more unless you were using a 30rnd mag, get yourself a 5, or even 10 and it shouldn't be a problem. As for accuracy of sks it'll be fine for a deer bush rifle, 858 for a surplus x39 rifle is a ####ing tack driver, can't even compare them IMO, even under 150.
 
Pics of successful hunts on Deer and Black Bear using SKS, and 858 have been posted on this board the past few years.

In the US the SKS is turning out to be quite a handy whitetail rifle.
 
Jimbobob08 said:
In the CZ858-2 sticky there's pic of a buck taken with x39. 100 yards and under the knock down is almost identical to the 30-30.
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I hear that said often, but I can never find loads where a 7.62x39 approaches even the rather timid 30-30:

7.62x39
123 gr (8.0 g) Spitzer 710 m/s (2,300 ft/s) 2,010 J (1,480 ft·lbf)
154 gr (10.0 g) Spitzer SP 641.3 m/s (2,104 ft/s) 2,059 J (1,519 ft·lbf)

Caliber: 30-30 Winchester
Bullet Type: Fusion
Bullet Weight: 170 GR
Muzzle Energy: 1825 ft lbs
Muzzle Velocity: 2200 fps

Quite a gap IMO.

Sure both will take a deer, but please know your bullet placement, and your ammo/rifle/shooter limitation.
 
Myself, I will hunt this year with my 858 exclusively in the bush. I have taken deer with my SKS, but the 858 is a tad shorter overall and more reliable. If I am going to hunt a field edge I will take the 7mm RM so I can do crazy long shots.

Shot placement is key in any hunting situation, just cuz you have a 300WM you still want to aim in the bread basket, so why not do the same with you're 762x39. The kill will be just as humane as any other caliber or arrow for that matter. Just don't take those hail Mary shots, learn some patience. You are limited to 100 yards or so. Hunting is just as much about being able to get close enough to the game to take the shot as it is the shot itself.

I'm excited for deer season now, and its only June :(
 
carbonrod said:
I hear that said often, but I can never find loads where a 7.62x39 approaches even the rather timid 30-30:

7.62x39
123 gr (8.0 g) Spitzer 710 m/s (2,300 ft/s) 2,010 J (1,480 ft·lbf)
154 gr (10.0 g) Spitzer SP 641.3 m/s (2,104 ft/s) 2,059 J (1,519 ft·lbf)

Caliber: 30-30 Winchester
Bullet Type: Fusion
Bullet Weight: 170 GR
Muzzle Energy: 1825 ft lbs
Muzzle Velocity: 2200 fps

Quite a gap IMO.

Sure both will take a deer, but please know your bullet placement, and your ammo/rifle/shooter limitation.
Click to expand...


Ok i've checked a few different sites, seems to be a 350lbs difference between 125grain x39, and 150grain 30-30 at muzzle. By 200yards the x39 over takes the 30-30 by about 30lbs. Guess I was wrong, there's a little difference between the two, not sure how much 350lbs would make. But i'd be fine hitting a deer with 1500lbs.
 
also if you chrono x39 loads they usually meet or exceed factory numbers. i have yet to see a .30-30 load going as fast as it says on the box. so for real life numbers they're about the same

carbonrod said:
I hear that said often, but I can never find loads where a 7.62x39 approaches even the rather timid 30-30:

7.62x39
123 gr (8.0 g) Spitzer 710 m/s (2,300 ft/s) 2,010 J (1,480 ft·lbf)
154 gr (10.0 g) Spitzer SP 641.3 m/s (2,104 ft/s) 2,059 J (1,519 ft·lbf)

Caliber: 30-30 Winchester
Bullet Type: Fusion
Bullet Weight: 170 GR
Muzzle Energy: 1825 ft lbs
Muzzle Velocity: 2200 fps

Quite a gap IMO.

Sure both will take a deer, but please know your bullet placement, and your ammo/rifle/shooter limitation.
Click to expand...
 
I've shot a few deer with mine, yeah it's a 150-200 yard gun. A damn gun bush gun, open sights, not scared to scratch it . But bullet placement is real important, its not a powerhouse by any means.
 
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