7.62x39 bear rifle

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yotesmoker

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I've got many rifles in 7.62x39 and was thinking about dedicating one for black bear protection.I don't intend to hunt them but just in case I should ever need it, will that caliber bring one down.I can reload and was thinking about useing the 154 gr head.Please don't suggest another caliber, just the one I was asking about.As I stated I have at least 9 rifles in that caliber and loads of ammo.I'ts the only csliber I now shoot and don't intend to change at my 76 year age.
 
7.62x39 bear rifle
I've got many rifles in 7.62x39 and was thinking about dedicating one for black bear protection.I don't intend to hunt them but just in case I should ever need it, will that caliber bring one down.I can reload and was thinking about useing the 154 gr head.Please don't suggest another caliber, just the one I was asking about.As I stated I have at least 9 rifles in that caliber and loads of ammo.I'ts the only csliber I now shoot and don't intend to change at my 76 year age.
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I'd try it especially with multiple hits. Although I'd try it means, on a hunt I guess if the bear is geared up enough to attack, you mentioned protection, it might be different...


wheres a 154gr slug at? All I've ever seen is 123/25 grs FMJs or SPs

300B.O.? why? statistically same size with less ommpf
 
Please don't suggest another caliber, just the one I was asking about.
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...

Remember 7.62x39 is fairly close to 30-30, which many folks consider to be a very good medium game round. I'd say with a good expanding soft point bullet you would be fine. It is not like he wants to hunt Kodiaks with it. Just to have handy for a overly curious Black Bear.
 
Oh my. Hear come the comments going something like: "AHHH BUT WHAT ABOUT, THE BIG ONES!" :what:

And then there's the crowd that believes: "anything under .470 Nitro Express and you might as well just shoot yourself when that ever so certain bear attack turns into a gruesome mauling!"


Seriously, the 7.62x39 will be fine for black bears. I believe Silver Bear make a 154gr SP bullet that would probably fair quite nicely if you ever had to shoot one.
 
Mike1234567 said:
I did read the OP... but for BEAR?
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Yeah, for BEAR... B.E.A.R. Remember, he is not hunting (although he easily could), but rather, will be using it for DEFENSE. 7.62x39 is more than adequate. Heck, if he sneezes, a black bear will probably run away. Not only that, but he asked for people NOT to suggest other options. Furthermore, how in the world is 300 blackout any better that 7.62x39? Why would he switch to 300 Blackout when he has ammo and rifles in 7.62x39? Your posts and logic are nonsensical at best.

So, if you would like to help instead of arguing, do some research/reading and suggest some bullet options for this gentleman.
 
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Not only did he say he was only interested in 7.62x39 options but you didn't even offer a better alternative. 300 BO is equivalent if not inferior to 76.2x39 but its more expensive and the guy doesn't have any rifles chambered in it.

How exactly was that a good recommendation? You want him to buy a new, expensive rifle in an uncommon caliber to end up.... exactly where he started?
 
ultraperio said:
Not only did he say he was only interested in 7.62x39 options but you didn't even offer a better alternative. 300 BO is equivalent if not inferior to 76.2x39 but its more expensive and the guy doesn't have any rifles chambered in it.

How exactly was that a good recommendation? You want him to buy a new, expensive rifle in an uncommon caliber to end up.... exactly where he started?
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Exactly.
 
The 154 gr. SP should do just fine. Cabela's sell this stuff in quantity real cheap. It is steel jacketed and I'd expect it to shoot through a bear with little expansion. Last year a friend of mine shot through a 300 lb. boar with the Vympel 123 gr. SP, which is a bullet of similar construction and even less weight. I have found that the 154 gr. SP is just as accurate as everything else AK out to 100 yards, though definitely not as accurate at 200 or 300 yards.

Dave Sinko
 
HKGuns said:
No, it is marginal on deer.
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The .30-30 is one of the most popular deer calibers out there and is directly comparable to the 7.62x39. There are also some pretty good soft point and hollow point options for the 7.62.

In what way is it "marginal" on deer?
 
Most northeast black bear will be scared off just by the sound of the rifle.
The 7.62 x 39 should be sufficient to put more of a scare into one, if need be.
 
blackbear aren't the kevlar wearing androids with sky net software that everyone seems to think they are. for several decades the biggest round for killing them was 30-30 and that has very similar ballistics to 7.62x39. I would trust my AK to stop a black bear in it's tracks. I would much rather have a sidearm for bear defense but if I had to have a rifle I would not hesitate to grab my AK.
 
If you're going to reload, you might want to look into the Barnes 3105 123 gr TSX. I switched 8 different hunting calibers over to non-lead bullets back in 2008, and 762x39 was one of them.

Had I not been forced to change by a stupid anti-hunting state law, I would not have loaded Barnes, ever. I would have missed out, the stupid law did have a positive side effect.

The few deer, bear and pigs we have gotten since then have all shown VERY good penetration and good expansion. I've been very pleased with the performance of those copper bullets.

I wouldn't HUNT for a bear with 762x39, but my Dad's 450 Marlin did a fine job on a big (and tasty) black bear. On the other hand, I crawl around in the manzanita with my Mini-30 and I'm not worried a bear is going to ruin my day.

Cheap Russian ammo vs. premium bullets in a handload, no comparison in my book.

Regards,
Brian in CA
 
If you're going to reload, remember the 7.62x39 has a nominal groove diameter of .310". Most .30 caliber bullets are of .308" diameter. All the major manufacturers makes 150-ish gr. bullets in .310 +/- diameter, or at least close to it. Surely that'd do in a pinch for black bear protection.

The .30-30 is one of the most popular deer calibers out there and is directly comparable to the 7.62x39. There are also some pretty good soft point and hollow point options for the 7.62.
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This is repeated quite often though it's not exactly true. The two cartridges perform similarly with 123-125 gr. bullets, but anything heavier and the 30-30 will leave the little Ruskie choking in the dust and given similar construction, heavier bullets always penetrate better. Where the 7.62x39 will just get 2100 fps with a 150 gr bullet, the 30-30 will do this and perhaps a bit more with a 170 gr. bullet.
There's a fella over at the Cast Bollit site that loads a cast 170 gr. FP bullet in his SKS achieving around 1800 fps.

35W
 
A quick thought or two about black bears (most of this learned from my brother who occasionally hunts them in Alaska...). First off the black bears I saw from his kitchen window (along the Matanuska River some thirty miles north of Palmer AK) were one heckuva lot bigger than I expected. I checked out more than a few with butts that were clearly over three feet wide.... with the spotting scope. Bears in the lower 48 are scrawny by comparison....

My brother sees bear sign on his property all the time and explained it to me like this, " I ignore grizzly tracks since they roam so widely that any of their tracks are from a bear that's long gone... Black bear tracks (on his property) are another matter entirely since they're probably local and will be a danger until dealt with." He's real fond of black bear for roasts and stews...
 
I do not hunt bear but I have a friend that used a 7.62x39 rifle on a black bear.
One shot with wolf 123gr HP round in the chest killed it.
I think it was only 300-400 pounds
PA I think has the record for biggest black bears hunted.
 
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