7.62x39 Ruger American

Not sure why the savage didn't make more scout carbines on this round.
With the strong 7.62x39 lapua brass one can safely pump this little round.
Unlike the rather anemic whisper/blackout one has the case capacity to push 125-150gr to decent speeds.
I think a 18"-19" barrel is perfect for this purpose yet very compact and light.

On a side note...
I am working on a project to convert a R700 to a universal thread and tenon for quick calibers and one of the calibers I have in mind is the 7.62x39.
The project consists on a bushing that is also a thread adapter from 1.055x16 to M24x1.5 that is what I choose fo the new tenon.
This way I can take a bunch of calibers I have, some that I never used for many years and convert them to the new system so I can swap them
as needed for the season or whatever. I will be making another bushing/thread converter for the savage so I can use the same barrels in both
platforms. I also cut the bushing with a slot so I can use a sako style recoil lug embedded in the stock that makes things easier.
Think of this like a contender system but for bolt action. I also have a couple of R700 stocks one that takes AR15 mags and the other AI mags so
I have that option too.
I am telling you this in case someone is in the same situation with several seasonal calibers or wildcatters is a good way to reduce the number of actions and
expense.

What's the big draw here, cheap ammo?

I've come so close to getting a 527 in x39 but every time some other gun draws me away.

They seem like GREAT little deer or hog rifles, what you need for the job with no extra weight, recoil, noise or ammo cost.

CraigC said:

What's the big draw here, cheap ammo?

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My CZ 527 in 7.62x39 feels like more than the sum of its parts. The cartridge can carry 1000 ft-lbs to 170 yards, which is further than I need to shoot where I hunt in WV/PA. It's also just really fun to shoot at the range. It's light (5.5 pounds with open sights) and points well.

The cheap ammo and low blast/recoil are just a bonus for me.

CraigC said:

What's the big draw here, cheap ammo?

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Craig,
that might be one reason. The other is that some people might have a truck load of that ammo already.
The other is that with brass like the lapua and a few others it is a perfect for 'wilcatting'... I mean it can be safely pumped up to play with other
bullets like 150gr. There is the capacity to do it and will run ok at higher pressure.
I am using the lapua and grendel brass in a few wildcats and I can pump it safely to 55k psi. If the bolt/firearm can take the heat then I see
no problem in taking advantage of the case capacity. After all this is nothing new and an easy way to get a bit out of the light for caliber anemic
department. With the case capacity one can try things not possible with the whisper/blackout plus the 7.62x39 is inherently accurate once you
take it to decent bores and actions with good brass and bullets.
There are even "hybrid" chambers and specific dies that will run very well with both factory and some 308 bullets given the consideration to
the barrel and bore, bullets, dies and expander buttons. It is probably one of the easiest forms of wildcatting one could possibly find.
In other words, it lends itself to easily come out of the standard portfolio w/o major headaches to achieve superior results.
Of course one needs to understand reloading and all same safety rules apply.

1stmarine said:

Anyway, for budget rifle get any savage axis for $240 bucks. Ptg has the bolt heads and swap the barrels and presto!

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1stmarine said:

...with brass like the lapua and a few others it is a perfect for 'wilcatting'... I mean it can be safely pumped up to play with other bullets like 150gr. There is the capacity to do it and will run ok at higher pressure.

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Sounds like a lot of trouble and expense to me, why not just leave it as a .308 if you want more power than standard 7.62x39?

I'm actually kidding.

I recently posted a comment about loading sabot rounds in a 300 Blackout. Someone said that it sounded like a government project, cutting down 5.56 cases, necking 'em up to .308, then shooting saboted .224" bullets.

I AM NOT ALONE!

CraigC said:

What's the big draw here, cheap ammo?

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Hey CraigC, the big draw for me is how usable this little cartridge is for the amount of recoil and flash it creates. Think of it this way, If a guy asked you which cartridge you would pick for close range deer hunting that may occasionally stretch to 200+ yards and wanted to practice all the time for not much money, what would you tell him? The 7.62x39 is in 30-30 territory, in a shorter, vastly cheaper cartridge, in fact its one of the cheapest factory cartridges there is! And the cz527 is insanely accurate in a very compact package. So for those that want compactness and low cost over the life of the gun, these are a great option. And if ruger built it it would be even MORE affordable, which is always good. For a close range deer gun 7.62x39 gives up nothing to any other cartridge generally used for the purpose. Just my thoughts.

hahaha ... you know the saying... if you aim far and shoot high enough you might shoot in your own ars. lol.

CraigC said:

What's the big draw here, cheap ammo?

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It's just real nice n' light, and doesn't kick too bad. It also can turn the same AK fodder from a 4 MOA group to half again less or better. Everything I've read on them is that they're made to handle steel cased .311 diameter bullets, so the cheap stuff, and they shoot that same ammo tighter than just about anything else. I only have a small lot of 7.62x39mm ammo saved up from my SKScapades (don't own any SKSs now) but I might well be shooting it through a CZ-527 before too long.

That is, if I can't find a good AK first...

model 7 remington syn stock in .308 win with a 1x4 leupold on it is what i recommend. if you reload you can shoot loads in the celler to loads in the attic, the only extra expence is amount of powder used . a 7.62x39 uses 24-26grs of powder to get 2300-2400fps and are attic loads. the .308 will do that with 32-37grs of powder and are celler loads. not much difference in weight either. i have a rem model 7 aac in .300bkl and rught 77(heavier) in 7.62x39 that i used for a comperence. but its your dollar and nobody said you can,t have fun. eastbank.

I bought the CZ 527 in 7.62X39 about 8 years ago, got it otd for $597. It is a quality rifle that I would never sell.
This ammo shoots very well. http://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/ppu-762x39mm-sp-123-grain-20-rounds?a=1584498

I own 2 SKS rifles, a Chinese and a Russian. My local Wal-Mart has a CZ on the shelf as of the other day, I'm pretty sure I heard my Visa crying for help. I might hold off on hopes that Ruger or Savage will come through with a less expensive alternative.

CornPicker said:

I may buy a Howa mini (available in 7.62x39) chambered in 6.5 Grendel as my go to deer rifle.

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Without saying too much...hold off on that purchase for a few months...you might find a reason to reconsider...

I have made no secret about how much I like my CZ 527M/CSR. It is an absolute dream to shoot with my cast bullet hand loads or full power hunting loads. I does roar with the heavy stuff - people standing next to me often comment on the muzzle blast. Would like to see a brake made for it.
Mine is heavily customized by LAGS Custom Gunsmithing in Mesa, (no, Google won't find him), with a pistol grip stock, (pillared and bedded), with spare mag in the butt and hand made 10 round magazine that's ugly as all get out and as functional as the day is long! This little carbine is far, far more accurate than I am, but it is downright insane fun to ping the steel at 200 yards with iron sights from the standing position while other shooters are using scopes to hit targets at 50 yards. Maybe I'm just evil...btw, in the photo, go straight up from the muzzle - that's a 3/4 IDPA steel at 200 yards.


To answer why I waxed poetic on my CZ rifle when the OP was asking about a lower cost rifle - save up for the CZ, cry once and be happy forever.

I can see the utility in something like the Ruger American Ranch in 7.62x39. It's a neat concept. However, if I'm going to handload for it, then eastbank's suggestion of the same rifle in .308 makes more sense.

..double post..

CraigC said:

I can see the utility in something like the Ruger American Ranch in 7.62x39. It's a neat concept. However, if I'm going to handload for it, then eastbank's suggestion of the same rifle in .308 makes more sense.

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For a Ruger American, yes. For the CZ/Howas, not as much. My CZ 527 is 5.5 pounds and 36.25" long with an 18.5" barrel. There's no common short action that's as light and compact as the CZ and Howa mini actions.

Ive got a ruger american in 300aac, Im actually thinking about chambering it out to 7.6x40wt, or .30-.223...or perhaps .30-204. performance would be similar.

LoonWulf said:

Ive got a ruger american in 300aac, Im actually thinking about chambering it out to 7.6x40wt, or .30-.223...or perhaps .30-204. performance would be similar.

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If 30 cal bullets is what you want, the 30-223 will get the most because it is not so long and you have brass that you can safely pump to 60-62k psi.
It will not last so many rounds but at the other hand it is very cheap or free and so easy to form. the issue is to see COAL and how bullets will stack
but not a huge problem in most bolt action rifles. Even in the AR will run fine in center stack magazines.

I want to make sure in this thread we make something clear that is reason for a lot of confusion.
The 223/5.56, whisper/blackout, 7.62x39 and 30-30 should not be compared because each is in its own category.
Trying to compare them in a power race is an absurd idea and I even read professional writers in magazines putting comparatives
about these calibers only to find out they were using certain loads to make one caliber/s look better. Or they are simply too lazy to look it up or study
some basic ballistics.

Like I said the 7.62x39 has capacity and modern brass like lapua to give a substantial improvement over the average russian/steel case loads.
The 30-30 with the modern bullets like the FTX and modern brass and actions can be pumped to be half way between the 308 and 7.62.
The 30-30 factory ammo from hornday and buffalo bore will show you just that.
The blackout was intended for subsonic work so it cannot even begin to compare for 125-150gr bullets. There is no case capacity.
The 223R can be used for varmint not too far behind the 22-250 and with 75gr-80gr loads that shoot very flat and far.
Military loads will also penetrate hard barrier up to 3/8 hot rolled steel withing 100 yards where the light for caliber 30 caliber options will fail.

I figure I put this here so we are better informed when looking at all the non-sense disinformation going online.
Some time back Zak Smith wrote a nice piece on the 7.62x39. Everyone should read it. Also the 6.8spc although that chamber and load information
is already obsolete with the establishment of the 6.8SPCII, it is good to understand where the 6.8 comes from.

http://demigodllc.com/articles/7.62x39-improving-the-military-standard/

KansasSasquatch said:

It's not much cheaper than the CZ rifles but check out the fairly new Howa Mini Action rifles. They're about $115 cheaper than the CZ 527. Pillar bedded, a trigger pull around 2lbs, and 5 and 10 shot detachable magazines are available. http://grabagun.com/legacy-215.html

I like 1stmarine's idea or re-barreling an Axis but by the time you buy the rifle, new bolt head, and new barrel, you're into it for about as much as the Howa. And as much as I like the Axis for being so cheap and accurate....the magazines suck and why use a .30-06 length action for a x39 length cartridge. Plus the advantages of the Howa I mentioned above. But if I could convert an Axis and be into it for $400 total I probably would, then take that $100 saved and put it towards a scope or a Rifle Basix trigger.

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Are there any aftermarket mags available. At $55 each, factory mags kill this deal.

1stmarine said:

The 30-30 with the modern bullets like the FTX and modern brass and actions can be pumped to be half way between the 308 and 7.62.

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Which 7.62? There's a bunch of them. In fact the 30-30 is a 7.62 as is the .308.

I think he ment the 762 nagant......

Kidding, kidding, 1stMarine does bring up a good point tho. I went into the blackout originally thinking it could equal the x39 and nip close on the heals of the turtleturtle, poor research and believing internet hype.

What i really wanted was an x39, or one of the longer x45 bassed .30s, that could drive a 125 at an honest 2400-2500
For my uses the subsonic loads arnt a great deal of interest besides plinking do to the fact Hawaii dosent allow the ownership of suppressors. My "sub" loads are 245mbc backed by w231 at about 700-800fps, those i can shoot without hearing protection.