rbernie
Contributing Member
There's a lot of talk about finding the cheapest 7.62x39 ammo and a lot of talk about finding the most effective 5.56 NATO/223 Win self-defense ammo, but what seems to be the most effective 7.62x39 self-defense ammo?
7.62x39 self defense ammo?
- Thread starter rbernie
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amd6547
Member
I've been shooting Hornady Vmax in the Saiga 5.45, and keep a ten round mag full for the HD roll...Hornady also makes a 7.62x39 Vmax....
GojuBrian
Member
With a round that big and powerful, I don't think it makes a big difference.
The most important question is one of threat vector. What exactly do you wish to defend against?
For assailants without body armor, any well-designed expanding bullet will do well. Hornady, CorBon, etc.
I've also heard good things about Tulammo 124 gr SP rounds against deer and other game, so they might do well against humans, but will not be as good with exterior or terminal ballistics as more expensive rounds.
For assailants with level III or lower armor, 7.62x39 FMJ, HP or SP will do well.
For somebody with heavier armor, you'll need a faster round like .308 or 7.62x54.
For assailants without body armor, any well-designed expanding bullet will do well. Hornady, CorBon, etc.
I've also heard good things about Tulammo 124 gr SP rounds against deer and other game, so they might do well against humans, but will not be as good with exterior or terminal ballistics as more expensive rounds.
For assailants with level III or lower armor, 7.62x39 FMJ, HP or SP will do well.
For somebody with heavier armor, you'll need a faster round like .308 or 7.62x54.
I'd go with Winchester Super X soft points.
Norma USED to make a round that was comparable to .30-30 ballistics, but I can't find it anywhere.
Norma USED to make a round that was comparable to .30-30 ballistics, but I can't find it anywhere.
Oathkeeper1775
Member
Depends
Which weapon?
Some Mini 30s are "finicky" with the berdan primers so I have been buying brass-boxer-primed Fiocchi FMJ from a couple dealers for @ $9.79/20. Boxer-primed SP ammo is my back up.
AKs or SKSs, I like the Wolf hollow points.
Which weapon?
Some Mini 30s are "finicky" with the berdan primers so I have been buying brass-boxer-primed Fiocchi FMJ from a couple dealers for @ $9.79/20. Boxer-primed SP ammo is my back up.
AKs or SKSs, I like the Wolf hollow points.
benEzra
Moderator Emeritus
If price is no object, Cor-Bon JHP. If price is an object, Hornady steel-case 125gr VMAX ballistic tip is undoubtedly pretty good. If you can still find the old Russian (Ulyanovsk) 124gr "8M3" JHP (formerly marketed as Wolf Military Classic), that is also very good, but I'm not sure if it's available anymore since the Russian factories reshuffled their branding.
Brown Bear/Barnaul 124gr SP might be worth a look also.
I may be wrong, but I think NIJ Level III is rated to stop non-AP 7.62x39mm. Are you thinking of IIIA?
mortablunt
Member
If you can get the stuff in JHP, you will be okay with correct shot placement. Hitting the lethal mark is what matters the most in these things.
Carter
Member
I'd go with any of the bear's in SP (brown bear, silver bear, gold bear). I remember reading in an AK magazine where they tested fmj, sp, and hp. I don't remember the exact results off the top of my head, but the SP provided the best wound cavity and didn't have extreme penetration, which would be good if you were in a house. They used either wolf or bear. I'll try to find the magazine and post the actual results.
Justin
Moderator Emeritus
In .223 circles, the Hornady TAP ammo has a good reputation as a defensive load.
It turns out that they also make TAP in 7.62x39, as well.
It turns out that they also make TAP in 7.62x39, as well.
Ohio Gun Guy
Member
+1 for wolf HP.
Besides, you get 1 good shot and 29 follow-ups
Besides, you get 1 good shot and 29 follow-ups
Sebastian the Ibis
Member
I've got a bunch of expensive 7.62x39 soft-point hunting rounds I have put aside for SD. But I don't really see the point, Now I just use the same run of the mill wolf/tiger/bear ammo I use for range plinking. I've never had a FTF with the Russian stuff so I trust it, I wouldn't trust the expensive stuff unless I ran a couple of hundred rounds without a hicup-and that would be expensive. Any 7.62 round is going to ruin a BG's day and his combat effectiveness, his hip/skull/rib-cage is going to be shattered no matter what type of bullet it is. It's a slow heavy bullet, not a 55 gr. .223 relying upon speed and fragmentation- it's all going to perform about the same.
Lakedaemonian
Member
Level III Plates are designed to STOP 7.62x51 (.308) and M855 Steel Core Penetrator rounds. Maybe if you can pin your assailant to the ground and dump a Mag of 7.62x39 FMJs into the same spot you can get through. Other than that just shoot where the Armor is not. I.E. Head, Thighs, Hips, Guts, shoulders. I have a buddy that was shot by a Sniper in his plates w/ a 7.62x54R variant and it just knocked the wind out of him and wrecked some of his gear. (magazines, beef jerky, ect)
sansone
Member
^^nailed it..
AR's and mini 30's are not 100% on the primer-strike with hard berdan primed ammo.
I'm seeing 100% reliability with Fiocchi in my AR chambered 7.62x39
HorseSoldier
Member
It's a rifle. The best self-defense load is one you've trained enough with to reliably make hits under stress. Put a round of two of 7.62x39 center of mass, whoever made the bullet, and it's a fight stopper, whether the other guy survives the encounter or not. (Same thing with 5.56mm, though the OP is correct about the internet being chock full of navel gazing about ammo selection for that caliber.)
JustinJ
Member
I don't recall offhand where i read it but in an annual AK issue of some gun magazine they did some testing of AK ammo. Wolf JHP was found to reliably and effectively expand. I don't recall if the same was true of Wolf SP.
benEzra
Moderator Emeritus
It matters which Wolf JHP they were testing, though. Wolf 124gr "Military Classic" JHP (Ulyanovsk) expanded very reliably, but Wolf 122gr "black box" JHP (Tula, IIRC) tended to just yaw and occasionally expand a little from the rear once it turned. The Russian factories just reshuffled their brands this year, though, so I'm still sorting out which factories are producing what brands now.
Art Eatman
Moderator In Memoriam
Self-defense? I'd figure that most any soft-point hunting ammo would work just fine. Anything that gives Bambi a case of the horribles should do equally well on other Bambi-sized critters...
chris in va
Member
My Yugo SKS wouldn't chamber the HP Wolf ammo. The flat nose hit the chamber face every time.
My Saiga on the other hand ate anything I could get my hands on. Kept a mag of Remington SP handy at night.
My Saiga on the other hand ate anything I could get my hands on. Kept a mag of Remington SP handy at night.
harmon rabb
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With a centerfire rifle round, does it really matter? Penetration will be enough to hit vitals no matter what, and bones will break/shatter if they're hit. Just hit your target.
OP
OP
rbernie
Contributing Member
Bullets that reliably fragment and/or expand while still giving adequate penetration are preferable to those that do not, so long as they are also functionally reliable in the rifle. While I absolutely concur that shot placement and reliability trumps all else, I also see no harm in choosing more terminally effective bullets over less effective bullets so long as other qualities are not sacrificed.
Indeed, but since I hunt with 7.62x39 handloads I have/had no idea what factory fodder was working well in the field.
I have a bunch of older Bear SPs and a case of the old Uly HP stashed aside. I had heard that the older (non-bimetal jacketed) SPs tended to shed their jackets and perform unreliably, and had been favoring the Uly.
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