Why arent more rifles chambered in 7.62x39?

bogie said:
Well for one thing if you hunt here in BC you never know what you will run into.
I was sitting watching a game trail up north of Prince George last fall and on my way to look at something else I found a grizz poo pile and it was over a foot across. No effin way will I run around up there with less than a 30-06. Even a 308 feels a little light. As well in deer country a 308 has far more punch and a good deal more range. If I had one it would be a range gun. Lots of small cartridges out there but that one would be the last one on my list Im afraid. Lots of predators here.
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Will this turn into a "grizzly poo defense thread"??????

What gun will it take to stop a grizz that can leave a poo pile over a foot across?
Did you measure it by stepping in it? What is your shoe size?
And when you realized it was grizz poo did you poo too?
 
bogie said:
Well for one thing if you hunt here in BC you never know what you will run into.
I was sitting watching a game trail up north of Prince George last fall and on my way to look at something else I found a grizz poo pile and it was over a foot across. No effin way will I run around up there with less than a 30-06. Even a 308 feels a little light. As well in deer country a 308 has far more punch and a good deal more range. If I had one it would be a range gun. Lots of small cartridges out there but that one would be the last one on my list Im afraid. Lots of predators here.
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Well not all of us live in Vancouver. I live in ON and most deer I see while hunting are under 50m. Heck, most of them are under 20m. And I dont have to deal with grizzlies.

And I like to plink. The SKS just doesnt turn my crank.
 
10x said:
Will this turn into a "grizzly poo defense thread"??????

What gun will it take to stop a grizz that can leave a poo pile over a foot across?
Did you measure it by stepping in it? What is your shoe size?
And when you realized it was grizz poo did you poo too?
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Almost a Dr Seuss style poem in there...Almost. :D
 
blasted_saber said:
So whats the deal? its one of the most prolific cartridges on the planet, with enough punch to be adequate for mid sized game.

I'd pick one up in an instant if a company produced a budget priced bolt rifle (Xs7, Axis, 200, etc).

Off the top of my head we have for bolt guns

Savage Scout
Ruger Compact
CZ compact


Whom else? None of those are "cheap" options either.
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A couple of years ago, I was looking for a cheap bolt gun to shoot this round in, because of already owning an 858 and an SKS.. I did pick up the JW 103. Didn't care for it much, wasn't what I was looking for.

I picked up the Baikal break action. I love that rifle. Need to play with it a little more.

I wound up building one. Check out my thread in "Milsurp," "My 7.62x39 Lee Enfield." I have a 17 second video shooting it.
 
H&R discontinued the 7.62x39 Handi Rifle a few years ago. They were having problems with FTFs from hard primers and sticking steel cases with MilSurp. I was lucky enough to locate a new one through a GBO member in Texas. It is a MOA shooter. I don't use it for deer, but it IS a coyote whacker. Another advantage for me as a reloader is I can load the same bullets for my Handi .32-20 which was built on a .303 Enfield barrel.


Pete
 
10x said:
Will this turn into a "grizzly poo defense thread"??????

What gun will it take to stop a grizz that can leave a poo pile over a foot across?
Did you measure it by stepping in it? What is your shoe size?
And when you realized it was grizz poo did you poo too?
Click to expand...

:D
DSC09897.jpg


To answer the question why the 7.62X39 isn't chambered in more rifles, the answer lies with the only slightly larger .308. You can underload the .308 to 7.62X39 levels, but you can't make a 7.62x39 into a .308. Having said that, an acquaintance of mine, who lurks in the background of these pages but seldom posts is probably chuckling over this thread. While he lived here he carried a Ruger 77 in 7.62x39 and killed everything with it including moose! So while it wouldn't be my choice, it does underline that where you put it matters more than what you put in it. Today Ruger and CZ produce quality bolt guns for the short .30.
 
They probably would not recoup on the necessary investment needed to tool up a line to make 7.62x39 rifles...I dont' think the demand is there....Not everyone buys rifles because there is cheap surplus ammo available.
 
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Pathfinder said:
The probably would not recoup on the necessary investment needed to tool up a line to make 7.62x39 rifles...I dont' think the demand is there....Not everyone buys rifles because there is cheap surplus ammo available.
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There is very little 7.62 x 39 virgin brass brought into Canada because no one reloads it. Surplus ammo is too cheap. That attitude screws everyone who is a real shooter who wants a fine caliber to shoot with bullets other than FMJ and primers that are not corrosive.

These same people brought out the short magnum rifles that duplicate existing high powered cartridges. They produce both the .223, and 22/250 when everyone knows the 22/250 will wipe the 223 past 300 yards.

I have a couple of 7.62x 39 bolt guns that are accurate and fun to shoot.
and I reload for them - neither of them has seen surplus ammo.

This is what happens when the back room of large gun companies does market research by looking at ammo sales.

I passed up a Ruger 7.62x39 at a gunshow two weeks ago. I now regret it.
 
Henry/Budget Shooter sells the x39 ammo in reloadable boxer brass for a good deal.

+1 on why reload x39 if you already have a 308/30 cal. rifle (and who doesn't). I plan to reload the x39 for my RA XCR just to see how accurate it is.
10x said:
There is very little 7.62 x 39 virgin brass brought into Canada because no one reloads it...
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10x said:
There is very little 7.62 x 39 virgin brass brought into Canada because no one reloads it. Surplus ammo is too cheap. That attitude screws everyone who is a real shooter who wants a fine caliber to shoot with bullets other than FMJ and primers that are not corrosive.

These same people brought out the short magnum rifles that duplicate existing high powered cartridges. They produce both the .223, and 22/250 when everyone knows the 22/250 will wipe the 223 past 300 yards.

I have a couple of 7.62x 39 bolt guns that are accurate and fun to shoot.
and I reload for them - neither of them has seen surplus ammo.

This is what happens when the back room of large gun companies does market research by looking at ammo sales.

I passed up a Ruger 7.62x39 at a gunshow two weeks ago. I now regret it.
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Agreed, works the other way around...they make ammo for the abundance of old guns kicking around which is why you can find 303 british ammo just about anywhere in Canada. The landscape might be a little different in 50 years.....

Fun little cartrige that 7.62x39...I imagine we will only be seeing less of it over time. (but it wont' be tomorrow)
 
I'd hazard to think that there aren't more 7.62x39 chambered rifles in North America because up until 1990/91 when the USSR collapsed, they were the bullets of the scary Soviets. We're pretty attaced to our 30-06, 308, 30-30, etc because there's plenty of rifles chambered in them, old and new. 7.62 Soviet has been around for less than 15 years here. Maybe if it had been introduced in the late 1800s like the 30-30 or early 1900 like 30-06, there'd be more civilian rifles for it.
Not a professional opinion, but I'd guess most manufacturers in North America are more 'proud' of North American rounds. 6.5 swede seems to be a similar situation.
Or maybe I'm looking too much into the history.
Cheers,
Al
 
blasted_saber said:
So whats the deal? its one of the most prolific cartridges on the planet, with enough punch to be adequate for mid sized game.

I'd pick one up in an instant if a company produced a budget priced bolt rifle (Xs7, Axis, 200, etc).

Off the top of my head we have for bolt guns

Savage Scout
Ruger Compact
CZ compact


Whom else? None of those are "cheap" options either.
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We can bring in the Norinco JW-103 in 7.62x39. PM if interested.
 
Ballistic Experience said:
We can bring in the Norinco JW-103 in 7.62x39. PM if interested.
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I bought mine from Lever in a blow out sale for less than $200.00
It gives very nice groups and seems to be extremely good value.
Depending on the price I would buy a second one, shorten the stock, shorten the barrel and make it into a truck gun.

Norinco guns are great if you have a project in mind.
What would be your sales price?
 
x39 is a fun and cheap rounds thanks lately to Norinco ammo. Chinese/Communist countries must have piles of x39 rifles.

Prefer x39 over 223 in my XCR, like the extra kick.
 
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