7.62 X 39 Which brand of ammo to get or avoid?

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stinger 327

stinger 327

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There are many Russian ammunitions coming in like Tula, Wolf and a few others. MFS which is hungarian that uses real brass casings. So are all of these ammo from Winchester, Remington, PMC to Wolf all the same?:confused:
 
The more expensive ones will generally be more accurate. Boxer-primed ones will generally by more expensive, but are also reloadable and often higher quality.

Me, I alternate between brass-cased and boxer-primed and, more often, Wolf, Tiger, or whatever else is cheap.

Stuff chambered in 7.62x39 generally aren't match-grade guns themselves, and often don't care what you feed them.
 
I usually stick to the surplus metal cased Eastern Block ammo. All I shoot in 7.62x39mm (7.62 Soviet) are AKs and SKSs. That's the type of ammo what they were designed to shoot.

I've got Wolf and Yugo surplus. :)
 
I have heard of issues with the Wolf Military Classic concerning unreliable ignition, but I haven't experianced it. Everything I tried works, especially in AK pattern rifles.
 
Deus Machina said:
The more expensive ones will generally be more accurate. Boxer-primed ones will generally by more expensive, but are also reloadable and often higher quality.

Me, I alternate between brass-cased and boxer-primed and, more often, Wolf, Tiger, or whatever else is cheap.

Stuff chambered in 7.62x39 generally aren't match-grade guns themselves, and often don't care what you feed them.
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There is another kind called Brendian primed? I think Wolf brand is that?
But I don't understand what this means.
What is the best Russian ammo to get?
 
Boxer primed: the usual American way of priming, with a single flash hole in the case and the primer anvil (the part that aids ignition) as part of the primer cup.

Berdan primed has two smaller, offset flashholes and the primer anvil as part of the case. In this form, unreloadable. Common in military surplus and steel-cased ammo.

Depending on your rifle, there may or may not be a 'best'. If you're shooting a x39 CZ bolt action, Winchester or PRVI or Sellier & Bellot brass-cased ammo will make a difference. If you're shooting an AK at the range, the cheapest you can find will probably be just fine.

My AK particularly likes the polymer-coated Wolf, for the cheap stuff.

Just grab whatever's cheap and shoot it. Clean up well with water if it's corrosive surplus.
 
A boxer primer has an anvil built into the primer, thereby when struck by a firing pin it is compressed into this anvil, it is ignited and passes through the flash hole into the propellant.

When it is berdan primed, the anvil is actually built into the case itself, not the primer. Rather than one larger flash hole, there are two smaller ones on either side of the anvil. When you look into the case from the mouth, you see snake eyes if you hold it up in the light.

Reloading berdan primed cases is obnoxious, as knocking out the old primer without ruining the built in anvil is difficult.
 
Yesterday I shot a hundred rds. of PMC in my Mini-30. Brass reloadable, boxer primed.
Great ammo.
My oldest was shooting Chinese steel case, copper dipped( 35 year old ammo) in his AK.
He was shooting 1 1/2" groups at 50 yards--I couldn't believe it !!!!!
I like reloading my 7.62 x 39 ammo---keeps my hobby going.................:)
 
Hornady has imported primed steel case ammo, loaded it with their powders, and 123gr v-max bullets to 75fps faster than mil spec. offered in 50 round lots it's due to hit the shelves soon at a bargin price. The main problem with import milspec ammo is the amout of charcoal mixed in to reduce muzzle flash. Its a cheap shortcut, not a problem in a loose tolerance weapon like an ak. anyone that has fired silver bear or brown bear ammo knows what i'm talking about. clean up is a mess. an ar or m1a(m14) series is far more subject to fouling than an ak. I will say the russian hollow point ammo i have fired is very accurate, although the hollow point isn't very impressive. Reloading berdan primed stuff is a waste of time. I have considered reloading 7.62x39 boxer but it's still cheaper to buy bulk lots than my time to reload it. I am eager to see how this new hornady ammo works out.
 
What's the intended use? For plinking or IPSC/3-gun type shooting, black-box Wolf is great, and cheap. For defensive purposes, Hornady VMAX or Wolf Military Classic 124gr 8M3 JHP. For hunting, Wolf 154gr black-box softpoints (which are reportedly fairly accurate and perform well on deer-sized game). For general target shooting, Barnaul/Brown Bear/Silver Bear, whatever you find is the most accurate in your gun. For price-is-no-object, best-possible accuracy, Lapua.
 
For hunting, Wolf 154gr black-box softpoints (which are reportedly fairly accurate and perform well on deer-sized game).
Click to expand...

I have found them to be accurate in my two 7.62x39 rifles, and the price point is low enough to make it my do-everything round for this caliber. Buy it by the case.
 
HOWARD J said:
Yesterday I shot a hundred rds. of PMC in my Mini-30. Brass reloadable, boxer primed.
Great ammo.
My oldest was shooting Chinese steel case, copper dipped( 35 year old ammo) in his AK.
He was shooting 1 1/2" groups at 50 yards--I couldn't believe it !!!!!
I like reloading my 7.62 x 39 ammo---keeps my hobby going.................:)
Click to expand...
That's the cooper wash Norinco ammo actually I have heard this is the best ammo. But from w hat I understand it is banned for sale in USA now why? I don't know ...
 
benEzra said:
What's the intended use? For plinking or IPSC/3-gun type shooting, black-box Wolf is great, and cheap. For defensive purposes, Hornady VMAX or Wolf Military Classic 124gr 8M3 JHP. For hunting, Wolf 154gr black-box softpoints (which are reportedly fairly accurate and perform well on deer-sized game). For general target shooting, Barnaul/Brown Bear/Silver Bear, whatever you find is the most accurate in your gun. For price-is-no-object, best-possible accuracy, Lapua.
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So for defensive purposes the Wolf Military Classic Hollow Point. I have seen that bullet and that's a very tiny hole.
 
I'm still shooting Wolf fmj's I bought several years ago from CenterFire Systems. It does exactly what it's supposed to do in an AK. It goes BANG every time and shoots in the general area the gun is pointed. Think I paid $79.98 a 1000 rnd case for this stuff. 9mm 115gr ammo (IIRC, Tula) was $69.98 for 1000 rnds. Shot many cases of this stuff in my CZ's.
 
Ky Larry said:
I'm still shooting Wolf fmj's I bought several years ago from CenterFire Systems. It does exactly what it's supposed to do in an AK. It goes BANG every time and shoots in the general area the gun is pointed. Think I paid $79.98 a 1000 rnd case for this stuff. 9mm 115gr ammo (IIRC, Tula) was $69.98 for 1000 rnds. Shot many cases of this stuff in my CZ's.
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$79.98 for 1,000 7.62 X 39 Wolf FMJ? That's a great price. WEll that was years ago you said don't know what it would cost today probably alot more.
 
@stinger 327
Uncle Sam claims it is armor piercing b/cause the bullet has steel insert.
I got 2200 rds. b/4 they banned..............@8 cents each !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BTY--we are still shooting Wolf ammo that I paid $60 for 500 rds.
It costs me to reload our PMC--but---I been retired 11 years & need something to do...........................

steelinsert.th.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
 
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That's the cooper wash Norinco ammo actually I have heard this is the best ammo. But from w hat I understand it is banned for sale in USA now why? I don't know ...
Click to expand...
The Clinton administration banned all gun and ammo imports from Norinco under the excuse of "trade sanctions," including regular lead-core ammo.
 
HOWARD J said:
@stinger 327
Uncle Sam claims it is armor piercing b/cause the bullet has steel insert.
I got 2200 rds. b/4 they banned..............@8 cents each !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BTY--we are still shooting Wolf ammo that I paid $60 for 500 rds.
It costs me to reload our PMC--but---I been retired 11 years & need something to do...........................

steelinsert.th.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
Click to expand...
Armor piercing as in against body armor? A regular traditional 30.06 rifle will defeat any kind of body armor or any rifle round yet these aren't banned.
Better go out and find a ton of Norinco worth more $$$ when banned..
 
HOWARD J said:
@stinger 327
Uncle Sam claims it is armor piercing b/cause the bullet has steel insert.
I got 2200 rds. b/4 they banned..............@8 cents each !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BTY--we are still shooting Wolf ammo that I paid $60 for 500 rds.
It costs me to reload our PMC--but---I been retired 11 years & need something to do...........................

steelinsert.th.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
Click to expand...
Forgot to mention Cabela's sells 7.62 X 39 for $129 and I believe that's 500 rounds?
 
Armor piercing as in against body armor? A regular traditional 30.06 rifle will defeat any kind of body armor or any rifle round yet these aren't banned.
Better go out and find a ton of Norinco worth more $$$ when banned..
Click to expand...
The BATFE considers steel-core 7.62x39mm to be "AP" under the 1986 "cop-killer bullet" ban, which says that any "handgun ammunition" consisting of more than a certain percentage of certain hard materials (including steel) is banned. The Clinton Administration classified 7.62x39mm, and IIRC .223 and .308, as "handgun ammunition" for the purposes of the ban, which addresses bullet construction rather than actual penetration ability. That is a separate issue from Clinton's Norinco import ban, which halted the import of all Norinco guns and ammunition.

.30-06 is not considered a handgun caliber by the BATFE, so .30-06 M2 tungsten-core AP is legal. Not that it makes a difference, since as you state ordinary non-AP in .30-06 will penetrate most anything that AP will.

So for defensive purposes the Wolf Military Classic Hollow Point. I have seen that bullet and that's a very tiny hole.
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A large opening is often necessary for expansion/fragmentation at handgun velocities, but not rifle velocities. A 7.62x39mm may be slow by rifle standards, but it is still traveling twice as fast as a 9mm (2350 ft/sec at the muzzle, or a shade over 1,600 miles per hour). As long as the jacket is relatively fragile (and 8M3's is), it will expand/fragment even if the open tip is not large, and conversely a bullet with a large cavity might not expand at all if it isn't fragile enough.

Here's an 8M3 bullet recovered after being fired into water jugs:

ulyhp0hc.jpg


Black-box Wolf JHP is less fragile and tends to yaw and expand slightly, but not fragment. As a result, black-box tends to penetrate more deeply, which is not always a good thing.
 
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What is the best Russian ammo to get?
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Barnaul has been best for me followed by Ulyanovsk. "wolf" is an importer that mostly imports Tula. Tula is the worst Russian ammo and in the days before wolf and when all Rusian ammo came in plain cardboard boxes I avoided it.

The wolf 'military classic' is Ulyanovsk and is good ammo.

I am still shooting my stock of 7.62x39mm from the late 90s and early 00s. Back when it was $70.00 a case of 1000 and we always got bulk discounts (only way to buy it) 10 cases for $600.00. Not bad, I am still shooting cheap ammo and will be for a minute. I bought ALOT!! I have plenty of Ulyanovsk ball and hollowpoint.

If you can find some old Klimovsk it is also very good, but it has not been made since 01 and that last year it was made it was copper washed cases........
 
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