7.62: Regular Wolf or Wolf 'Military Classic'?

[Dollar An Hour]

I'm new to the caliber but need to stock up for my new rifle. What's the difference between these two, and is one typically better ammo than the other? Price is the same at Ammoman: $199/1k rounds delivered.

Planning to order the 124gr JHPs...

And how about the Golden Tiger stuff, is it worth a look, or stick with Wolf?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[AndyM]

I have used both regular Wolf (black box) and the Golden Tiger stuff. I haven't has an issue with either.

The Golden Tiger definitely has some of glossy coating on it that the Wolf doesn't have.

Neither presented any issues in my Yugo SKS.

Cost was about the same and accuracy was also about the same to my untrained eye. I have shot both at 50 yds and 100yds and I have to say I couldn't tell any difference.

I have not tried the Wolf Military Classic.

Andy

 

[takhtakaal]

Andy, try the Wolf MC.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=217268

Do a search for "sapsan" and "7.62x39" and "Wolf." It fragments reliably and penetrates to at least 15" in gel.

 

[nalioth]

The Military Classic has a lacquer coating.

The Black box has a polymer coating.

 

[SVT93]

The Military Classic has a lacquer coating.

The Black box has a polymer coating.

All MC Ive bought in the last year has a polymer coating.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Golden Tiger has a lacquer coating. The Wolf MC had lacquered cases when it first came in, but the manufacturer changed it to the same polymer as Wolf in the black boxes.

I prefer the lacquered cases because they resist corrosion much better than the Wolf polymer coating. I've had the latter rust in storage.

The Golden Tiger is good ammo, better than Wolf IMO.

 

[Gingerbreadman]

Golden tiger has worked good for me, but the local gun store doesn't carry it much, I use wolf.

 

[Frog48]

I've shot regular Wolf and "Military Classic" out of my SKS and AK. I cant tell any difference between the two.

 

[Anteater1717]

They are pretty much the same, all the new MC I've seen has the polymer coating.

 

[takhtakaal]

I've shot regular Wolf and "Military Classic" out of my SKS and AK. I cant tell any difference between the two.

From http://goldismoney.info/forums/showthread.php?t=84599 :

Wolf Military Classic HP is loaded with the 8m3 effect bullet. Unlike other Russian 7.62x39 HP, the 8m3 effect bullet works and works well. Due to its comparatively large mass and energetic fragmentation at ranges out to 100 yards or more with reliable tumbling at ranges far beyond that, this is probably the single most effective bullet for this caliber that is commonly available. Don't go paying any ridiculous premiums for this stuff as it isn't really a specialty load and the bullet is available in a few other products, but if you have the option to buy the Wolf Military Classic Hollow Point I'd choose it over all the other loads in common circulation out there right now.

This is pretty much what I've heard from everywhere else, too.

 

[Dollar An Hour]

So, lacquer coating vs polymer coating... Which is more difficult to clean out of the rifle?

 

[MIL-DOT]

I've been bitten by the AK bug in the last year,so i've been doing a lot of reading up,asking questions on this and other forums. Though most seem to say all the wolf works fine, they also seem to have the most quality control issues, especially lately with the military classic. Wolf also seems to be considered among the dirtier burning ammo.
Golden tiger, which i have the most of and have fired the most of, seems to be about the most well spoken of x39 ammo around right now,hardly a bad word can be found about it, and i concur.It doesn't hurt that it is (or was) the least expensive,either. I believe Copesdistributing sells cases for around $185-190,delivered.
The Barnaul ammo is also well spoken of. They manufacture the Brown bear,silver bear,golden bear, and some just called "barnaul". I have some brown and silver stashed, and have had no issues firing either.
If you want to stash away some "nicer" stuff that's re-loadable, Aimsurplus,last i checked, has some brass cased,boxer primed, ammo for pretty reasonable prices. I've stashed a few rounds each of Sellier & Bellot,Yugoslavian Igman, and Fiochi.
Regardless of what you get,problems seem to be pretty few and far between. With this stuff, i'd probably recommend getting whatever's cheapest.

 

[the naked prophet]

So, lacquer coating vs polymer coating... Which is more difficult to clean out of the rifle?

Neither will stick in your rifle.

The thing that makes it difficult to clean your rifle is the fact that the steel case won't expand and seal the chamber as well as brass does, so you get more carbon gases passing through the chamber, and depositing on the cold (relative to the hot gases) chamber.




I thought the difference was that the MC had that red/pink sealant on the primer and/or the case mouth?

 

[takhtakaal]

I thought the difference was that the MC had that red/pink sealant on the primer and/or the case mouth?

Nope. The HP bullet used in the Wolf MC, the 8M3 "sapsan," is manufactured at Uly and is a devastating performer against both steel and soft tissue.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=158778

 

[Tokugawa]

Brown bear or golden tiger halves my groups compared to wolf.

 

[Anteater1717]

My personal favorite 7.62x39 is Barnaul's. It's accurate and feeds in strippers well. Plus it has the zinc wash coating.

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/AMM644-63612-258.html

 

[RockyMtnTactical]

I like Bear ammo personally. Oh, and Barnaul.

 

[TexasRifleman]

The Military Classic has a lacquer coating.

Not if it's been made in the last 2 or 3 years it doesn't. There is no current production Wolf with the lacquer coating, that's been gone a long time. Other companies may still be using it, though it never cause me any trouble anyway.

 

[Paul Gomez]

Uly was tasked with developing enhanced performance ammo for the Russian military. The 8M1 [124gr w odd nipple supposed to function like a ballistic tip], 8M2 [124gr FMJ] and 8M3 [124gr JHP] all came from Uly.

Until Uly was bought by Wolf, Uly produced ammo as part of the same coop [Barnual, Vympel, etc] for sale in the US under the Bear brands [Silver, Brown, Golden] imported by Zander & Sons. Barnual also produces ammo under the 'Monarch' name exclusively for Academy sporting goods.

The 8M3 ammo offers performance similar to the Winchester 123gr JSP at much less cost.

 

[takhtakaal]

For those of you registered there, the AK Forum dot net has a stickied comparison of Brown Bear and Wolf MC HP in the Ammunition & Reloading subforum.

 

[Dollar An Hour]

I'm gonna order a case or two and have a couple questions guys...

Should I stick with FMJ for practice? I of course don't anticipate needing HP's for any soft tissue targets.

Or is FMJ pretty devastating anyway?

Looking at Golden Tiger FMJ, Wolf HP, and Barnaul FMJ / HP / SP...

 

[dm1333]

I'd go with the Wolf 124 gr HP over an FMJ for practice. The price and accuracy differences are negligible from what I have seen and the new HP is rumored to be a pretty good manstopper.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

I've seen a picture of a sectioned Golden Tiger FMJ bullet, over on Arfcom. It had an air pocket under the tip. This makes the bullet long for its weight and should result in it tumbling sooner when it hits something.

 

[Dollar An Hour]

Is the Barnaul generally regarded as higher quality than Wolf / Golden Tiger? It costs a bit more and is Russian if it matters (I know Wolf is too).

 

[MTMilitiaman]

I've seen a picture of a sectioned Golden Tiger FMJ bullet, over on Arfcom. It had an air pocket under the tip. This makes the bullet long for its weight and should result in it tumbling sooner when it hits something.

I don't know about the new Wolf MC FMJs, but the older 122 gr FMJ are the same way, and most definitely do tumble in tissue.