5.45x39 vs .30 carbine

[xxxleafybugxxx]

I'm not sure if this has been debated. The only similarity between these rounds (as far as I know) is the ft lbs of energy which for both is close to 1,000. Other than that, lets say for mid sized game (deer, cyotes) which would be better? How about in other aspects too?

 

[dogsoldier0513]

I'm considering replacing my M4gery with an M1 Carbine. I've killed deer with the .223, but not the .30 Carbine. Key is bullet design, construction and placement.

 

[gbeecher]

Just one man's opinion...

I would lean toward the .30 Carbine cartridge if only for the larger caliber and heavier bullet weight for hunting. Either one is a good choice for home defense. I've seen similar prices for the Mini-14 in .30 Carbine and the Saiga in 5.45x39. If you can afford it - get both! Happy shooting.

 

[mljdeckard]

In close-range encounters, it's probably negligible difference. My dad has killed two deer in the same day with an M-1 carbine. (But I won't use it to hunt.) But the 5.45 will have a lot more range than the .30, it peters out past 150 yards. (If that.)

 

[jason41987]

neither of these cartridges produce enough power to kill with hydrostatic shock. too little power.. but this is obvious...the 5.45x39 is in fact designed to tumble to make up for this.. the 30 carbine, in relation to its bullet length is a fat bullet and to some extent will probably expand better... but even then its only a 30 caliber bullet.. for either one its going to come down to placement

the 5.45 would have a lot more range though, due to its much better ballistics coefficiency, but inside about 100 yards i doubt it would matter much

ive thought about purchasing a newly made .30 carbine (because i didnt feel it was right to this to an original) and converting it to something with a little more punch... like .357 auto magnum made from taking and chopping .223 brass

but thats off-topic... youre hunting deer with this id choose .30 carbine for reasons no ones mentioned yet... the 5.45 is designed to tumble and do as much possible damage as it can to whatever it hits... simply itll destroy a lot more meat than the 30 carbine will... so for close range, clean kill, and as little damage as possible youd probably be better off with the carbine

 

[firesky101]

I think .30 carbine is legal for deer in more places than 5.45 is.

 

[TurtlePhish]

I've never seen a comparison like this before.

I'd rather get shot with ball .30 Carbine than ball 5.45x39. When you bring softpoints or other expanding bullet types into the equation, it's a toss-up.

 

[HorseSoldier]

Like others noted, 5.45x39 isn't legal for deer everywhere in the US, so I'm assuming where the OP is, it is legal. Neither cartridge seems ideal for deer sized game, though I have a friend whose son took his first 3-4 deer with a 30 Carbine before he was big enough to handle a heavier caliber.

For coyote, I think it boils down to the ranges you plan on shooting at -- 5.45 has a serious edge past 150 meters or so, and a flatter trajectory in general. It's also going to boil down to the specific weapons in question, as well -- there are some seriously clapped out M1 Carbines out there, and some AK74s with dubious quality control and accuracy.

 

[flyskater]

You won't have a problem with the 5.45 killing deer, coyotes. That long bullet pretty much acts like a blender once it hits soft tissue. Don't ask me how I know.

 

[nathan]

Try it on hog's skull , of course, at close range. 5.45 will take em out like Swiss cheese. But deer hunting specify it should be .223 at the minimum. Dont get caught violating the law or your firearm , license, bank acct and what not will be at stake.

 

[xxxleafybugxxx]

Wisconsin law states to that you must use a .22 caliber centerfire or larger. 5.45 is. 221