7.62x39 Ruger American

The 30-30 has about the same trajectory and the 7.62x39. But there is a big difference in energy, SD, and performance on big game. !75gr vs 125 gr. at the same speed.

d2wing said:

The 30-30 has about the same trajectory and the 7.62x39. But there is a big difference in energy, SD, and performance on big game. !75gr vs 125 gr. at the same speed.

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Well it depends right?
Old loads and bullets and firearms might even have more pronounced trajectories while modern loads and bullets shoot flatter with 150gr bullets than the 7.62x39 with 125gr ones.
The 30-30 shoots about 250fps faster than the 7.62x39 adn 300 fps faster than the whisper / blackout. But it also has the capability to sustain greater mass at longer range.
Of course this also depends on bullet and firearms choices. Modern bullets are very different form the old ones. We know the old hollow points loads are not the best choice for flat shooting.

CraigC said:

What's the big draw here, cheap ammo?

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Adcoch1 pretty well covered it...

It's not just the option for cheap ammo, but the recoil to downrange energy ratio is just ideal IMO. Lots of folks put a .243 in their kid's hands (myself included) as their first deer rifle, but if I had it to do over again, I would have gotten a 7.62x39 instead. Why? Because the recoil and esp. the muzzle blast is significantly lower than a .243, and the energy downrange is great out to 150 yards, which is really as far as you would ever want any kid to shoot anyway. I don't even like to shoot further than that, which is why my hand loads in my Savage 10 make such a great hunting round. Easy to shoot, and effectively the equivalent of a bolt-action 30-30 with superb accuracy.

Last night, I made a head shot on a mature doe at about 75 yards. There was never any question in my mind the rifle was up to the task. Dropped her where she stood.

Since I've owned that model 10 scout rifle, I've lost track of the game I've taken with it. It just plain works.

Newtosavage said:

I was lucky enough to find a Savage 10 scout in 7.62x39. The rifle has been a ton of fun for me since I've owned it. It shoots everything I feed it into tidy little groups at 100, and 200, and 300 yards. I am handloading for mine, and have found that if you use .308 sized Hornady FTX 160's (intended for their 30-30 LeverEvolution ammo) you can easily achieve sub-MOA groups in that rifle using RL-7 powder. I crank mine out at just over 2200 fps. which keeps me over 1000 ft.lbs. of energy at 200 yards. Last time at the range, I managed a 2" group at 300 with that gun. It's just a great shooter.

But yea, the OP is spot-on about a Ruger American in this caliber. It would sell like crazy. Just look at the sales of the .300 BO, and the "ancient" 7.62x39 is cheaper to shoot AND a better hunting round.

I had intended on buying a CZ, but the deal fell through at the gun shop (they discovered it was on layaway after I made the 1 hr. drive through traffic to get there) and it was a blessing in disguise. I like the CZ but I'll never get rid of the Savage 10.

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Why did you specify "308 sized". Is your bore different?

mshootnit said:

Why did you specify "308 sized". Is your bore different?

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I think he meant using those 308 bullets in the 7.62x39 that is a 310 bore. At least that is the way I understood his comment.

i have several 30-30,s in bolt-lever-single shot and a rem aac model 7 in 300bk, a ruger SS 77 boat paddle in 7.62x39 and a rem model 7 in .308 and i shoot and like them all . but a rem model 7 in 308 with a 18" barrel and syn stock would do every thing the other three will do, weighting maybe a 1/2 pound more. don,t get me wrong i like hunting with different rifles and calibers, but a light weight .308 would do it all. eastbank.

I am resurrecting this thread because Ruger just did announce an American in 7.62x39. I am going to go back and read the thread, but I am definitely on board with this and strongly suspect I will own one. Soon.

lobo9er said:

Anyone make an inexpensive 7.62x39 bolt action? I would think there maybe a niche market there, I would like a Ruger American in x39 anyways. I was thinking of buying another 308 and installing one of those Mace adapters... just thinking

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I have seen Savage scout type gun on used gun rack. Sadly it had handling of a crowbar so I passed on it. In 7,62x39 I would take CZ Mini-Mauser over anything available. The only Ruger I would buy is that classic thing in Baronesque .275 Rigby. Unlike typical Ruger it had excellent fit finish and handling being worth the $1100 asking price.

My shop just got the Ruger in 7.62x39

Now we can all start screaming for the 6.5 Grendel variant. At this point it's just a barrel away.

Double post

swampcrawler said:

Now we can all start screaming for the 6.5 Grendel variant. At this point it's just a barrel away.

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Yep. I'll likely grab one of these too, though.

PabloJ said:

I have seen Savage scout type gun on used gun rack. Sadly it had handling of a crowbar so I passed on it. In 7,62x39 I would take CZ Mini-Mauser over anything available. The only Ruger I would buy is that classic thing in Baronesque .275 Rigby. Unlike typical Ruger it had excellent fit finish and handling being worth the $1100 asking price.

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That's a shame since you can take that Savage model 10 barreled action, drop it in a "tupperware" Savage stock, swap out bolt handles and bottom "metal" (plastic) and have yourself a 6 1/4 lb. quick-handling rifle with a 20" barrel. Scoped with a 2-7x Leupy, mine weighs exactly 6 3/4 lbs. and is a dream to handle and shoot.

But I agree that in it's factory configuration, that Savage Scout was clumsy.

well with all the new fandangled cartigues coming out, the gun rags get rich trying to push them on the shooting public. and very few of them are much better than the so called old school cartigues, if you want then its your dollar. but don,t let the gun rags-gun makers blow smoke up your arse. with the new powders and bullets available to the reloader most all of the old school cartigues get a pretty good boost in power. eastbank.

PabloJ said:

I have seen Savage scout type gun on used gun rack. Sadly it had handling of a crowbar so I passed on it. In 7,62x39 I would take CZ Mini-Mauser over anything available. The only Ruger I would buy is that classic thing in Baronesque .275 Rigby. Unlike typical Ruger it had excellent fit finish and handling being worth the $1100 asking price.

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I don't see any extraordinay fit & finish advantage to CZ in comparable models and the Rugers tend to have a better polish. This late model Ruger is beautifully polished. The CZ has nicer wood but it also cost 2.5x as much.

Incidentally, I was shooting my Savage 10 7.62x39 at the range just the other day, with 125-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip's loaded over RL-7 powder, and was creating one big fat hole at 100 yards. I actually lost track of how many rounds went through that hole. Anyone who thinks the 7.62x39 isn't an accurate round just hasn't shot it from the right gun.

Bud's says the Ruger American takes Mini-30 mags.

yes

M

Newtosavage said:

creating one big fat hole at 100 yards. I actually lost track of how many rounds went through that hole.

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I can create a big fat hole and lost track of how many rounds went through that hole with my Hi-Point 9mm as well. The only problem is it takes a lot of rounds to connect the holes! I built a 7.62x39 on a Mauser, it likes Speer TNT 125 gr, very accurate with hand load if I do my part! I'm happy with 5 rnds and one small hole.

Did anyone hear whether the new 7.62x39 RAR would have a .308 bore? Didn't Ruger make some x39's with .308 bores at some point? Seems like it would open up a lot of good bullets for reloaders.

swampcrawler said:

Now we can all start screaming for the 6.5 Grendel variant. At this point it's just a barrel away.

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They don't have threaded barrels, but Whittaker's was offering 6.5 G Howa minis for $329 the other day... They also had a sale (15% off I think) that may or may not apply to those... Great deal either way.

my cz 550 American in 6.5x55 didn,t cost 2.5x a ruger 77, but it is heavier and I didn,t have to do any thing to it other than adjust the regular-set triggers and its a solid -moa rifle with most loads. eastbank.

Ruger American in 7.62x39 at about $450 street price has a lot gong for it, especially if you reload.

7.62x39 Ammo is cheap and widely available.
From experience, useful range for 7.62x39 is about 150 Meters, which is probably what 80% of folks have access to in terms of space.
If you reload, you can actually load it up and down for all sorts of applications from quiet roundball loads for Squirrel/Rabbit at 30 meters to full power 150gr spitzer hunting loads that is good thru 150Meter for Deer/Pigs, of course the issue is wether the bullet will expand at that range.
From my experience with CZ527, you can load with both .308 and .311 bullets, in real world the accuracy difference is negligible.
Case prep is a lot less hassle with 7.62x39 compared with .223. (at least for me)
Compact size of this rifle, handling is superb if Ruger get the balance right.
The Ruger has pre-threaded barrel, for $450 buying this rifle would be cheaper and less hassle than getting the CZ threaded.

The only turn-off in the Ruger for me is the trigger, but that's compared to the nice 1lb set trigger on the CZ.

Did anyone hear whether the new 7.62x39 RAR would have a .308 bore? Didn't Ruger make some x39's with .308 bores at some point? Seems like it would open up a lot of good bullets for reloaders.

I called Ruger and they stated that the new RAR in 762x39 is a 311 bore


steve

Makes sense. 90% of their buyers are going to be plinkers and Bubbas who just want to feed their guns cheap Wolf ammo. Hell, I would too. It's smart to prioritize accuracy for those guys over a little cheaper reloading.

I have one on the way...can't wait to get it out to the desert for some plinking...If Ruger uses this magazine set up for the 5.56 Ranch at some point in the future I will get one of those as well. These seem like perfect truck/exploring rifles to me. I am getting ready for a winter's worth of desert time here next month and this Ruger will be with me often.

I think this will be a home run for Ruger. Back when 7.62x39 was selling for under $100 for a spam can I seriously thought of getting one of the little CZ's but I disliked the euro-style stock intensely, plus they were pricy boogers. This rifle would've made the that decision a no brainer.

I think Ruger could also have another winner if they were to adapt the full size American for 7.62x54. A great round that suffers IMHO from being available only in the Mosin Nagant. Have no interest in owning/shooting a Mosin, but an American in that chambering would be a blast given the cheap ammo.