Any down sides to a 7.62x39 AR?

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The bolt face and the extractor for a 7.62 X 39 is not as strong as a 5.56 bolt face as there is less 'meat' to contain the rim. The quality of consistancy is not as great as 5.56. I know about this because I shot a 6 RAT for a few years which is based on the 6.5 Grendle which has the same bolt as a 7.62X39. I had a dozen magazines and maybe 5 of them were reliable.

I am not saying the 7.62 doesn't work - I am just saying this gun was designed for the 5.56.
 
rtz - I was just about to post a link to that exact page!

An other thing I will point out is with the generous taper, at least chambering and extracting should be very easy for the rifle.

From what I have read, seems the curved 7.62x39 AR mags have come quite a bit along in reliability. Here's a source. Best of all, they are stainless steel and not aluminum, so they should last a bit longer.
 
Actually, I have aluminum AR-15 mags that date to a long time ago. It has been the followers that wear but many of the original aluminum followers have held up. My problems with steel mags is that they don't always drop quickly.
 
+1 on looking at 6.8SPC and 300BLK.

300Blackout has almost the same ballistics as 7.62x39 (close range anyways). parts are easier to find; I know a few places like CMMG still have barrels in stock.

But in my book, stick to 5.56 in AR's and 7.62 in AK's. The 300BLK is the compromise between the 2.
 
Keep in mind that 6.8 ammo is basically not available and neither are the mags commonly available. I've been looking at alternate chamberings since I'm a little short on uppers right now. I've got BCG for 5.45, 7.62, 6.8, and 5.56 as well as mags for all but no 6.8 ammo so I'm ditching that prospect. If you're just looking for a blasting rifle, the 5.45 is fine but hunting ammo for it is slim pickens. BTW I don't consider the steel cased 5.45 HP to be suitable for hunting and I'm not certain about the Hornady V-Max for anything but varmints.
 
I disagree with the availability of 6.8 ammo. I've seen more of it at Palmetto State armory than 5.56 ammo. Same for midwayusa. Granted both are out now just as most everything in 556 is too.

Another real good place for 6.8 ammo is Silver State Armory, they make some of the best 6.8 ammo. Federal is close to releasing their 6.8 offerings, 115gr FMJ, and a Gold dot load. Hornady has some great 6.8 loads too with a vmax, SST, and match load offerings.

Right now, midwayusa has 10 rd mags and PSA has 25rd mags.

I love my 6.8 SPC rifle, took a nice buck with it this year using the Barnes 95gr TTSX.

Best wishes and keep shooting!
 
SSA had some 6.8 ammo in stock a couple of months ago. The website was too busy to let me order that night. Tried for hours.

Was sold out the next morning, except for the most expensive stuff.

John
 
I wouldn't build an AR15 style rifle in 7.62x39 too much hassle not to mention personally I think they are a bit ugly.

If you would consider a new rifle a good rifle to look at is a Sig 556R. it's 7.62x39 and offers the best of both worlds
 
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Mobuck said:
Keep in mind that 6.8 ammo is basically not available and neither are the mags commonly available. I've been looking at alternate chamberings since I'm a little short on uppers right now. I've got BCG for 5.45, 7.62, 6.8, and 5.56 as well as mags for all but no 6.8 ammo so I'm ditching that prospect. If you're just looking for a blasting rifle, the 5.45 is fine but hunting ammo for it is slim pickens. BTW I don't consider the steel cased 5.45 HP to be suitable for hunting and I'm not certain about the Hornady V-Max for anything but varmints.
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Bull butter.

Look at MidWay
 
GCBurner, thanks, but have you ever tried it the other way? Tried one of your large cap 7.62 mags in your .223" AR?
 
I'm really interested in the 545x39. Anyone hear anything good or bad about AR's chambered in that round?
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They are great but the inexpensive (it used to be cheap :( ) ammo is corrosive and the AR has a lot more nooks and crannies to clean than an AK. The non-corrosive is usually a bit more than Wolf 7.62x39, and at the end of the day the 5.45x39 is Russia's answer to the 5.56 and shoots about the same. You need 5.45x39 AR mags to get full capacity although you can usually get 5.56 mags to feed at reduced capacity.

As to the RRA, its not really an AR as the upper and lower are not standard like the 5.45x39, 6.5, 6.8, 300 Blackout, or 7.62x39 variations are. Although I'd very likely buy one if I could ever find one at a decent price.

The reliability of the SIG 556R doesn't seem to be what most folks expect from SIG. My has lots of Failures To Fire with some brands of ammo, others have lots of feed and ejection problems, but mine been fine it that department.
 
ive had a bushmaster 762x39 for about 4 years now. Its a good reliable gun. Had some teathing problems at first related to magazines but once i started useing cproducts mags with wolf ex power ak47 springs in them its been about flawless. Thing i like about it is i can buy cheap wolf steal cased ammo take it to camp and blast away and not worry about having to find my brass. I shot a couple whitetail with it and it no doubt hits them with more authority then a 223. If i had to get rid of all but one of my ars this one would stay.
 
Lakecity,

The original AR was designed for the 7.62 Nato to replace the M-14, not for 5.56. It was re-engineered for the 5.56 when they wanted it to go full auto (M-16).

Jim
 
SabbathWolf said:
OK. I'm not saying you're wrong. But the last time I looked, x39 ammo was harder to find and priced crazy too.
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Well, you haven't looks very hard. 7.62x39 is, at least, half the price of .223 and is widely available right now.

Based on my observations...

Average price of .223/5.56 = 75 cents/round

Average price of 7.62x39 = 33 cents/round
 
Another option I haven't really thought about is 17HMR. Anyone have any experience with those uppers? I see a lot of 17HMR sitting on the store shelves.
 
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