7.62x39 Upper -- What do I need?

[Candyman87]

Been tossing around the idea of picking up a 7.62x39 AR upper for my AR. Long story short, the future father in law buys 7.62x39 in bulk beyond my wildest dreams and loves shooting his AK's. Promised me if I showed up with a gun that could shoot it, I could shoot all I wanted...

Needless to say... converting an AR to shoot free ammo? Sounds like a good deal!

I'm potentially eyeballing this upper... PSA PA47 16" Upper w/ BCG but can't figure out what else will be needed. Looks like it includes everything needed but the magazines.

So the question is... which magazines? Will standard PMAG's work with 7.62x39? Or will I need some sort of AK type mag that will seat in an AR lower?

What else am I missing?

 

[Davek1977]

what you need, IMO, is 7.62x39 AR-15 mags. Normal Pmags won't work, nor will modified AK mags....you need AR mags designed for the 7.62x39 round

 

[Casefull]

The stoner mags that Midway sells work well for me. There are others that work well also. You will love the harder hitting round in the AR.

 

[stoky]

What you need is a .300 ACC instead.

 

[Davek1977]

^^because paying 2-3x for the same ballistics is fun!!!!

 

[ColoradoMinuteMan]

Depending on how much you expect to shoot this upper you might consider having an extra bolt on hand. The 7.62x39 AR15 is known for having a relatively weak bolt since you have to remove so much metal from the locking lugs to accommodate the head of a 7.62x39 cartridge. Another area with potential issues is feeding. The tapered cartridges don't always feed flawlessly in the straight topped AR15 magazines even when they are specified for 7.62x39. The solution to that issue is getting a dedicated 7.62x39 lower that is built to take AK magazines. At this point you'd basically have a dedicated 7.62x39 AR.

 

[Jeff H]

^^because paying 2-3x for the same ballistics is fun!!!!

But converting the rifle over is considerably cheaper since all you need is a barrel. The difference in cost will pay for quite a lot of ammo.

 

[Casefull]

Contrary to all the internet bs, the Russian round works great in the ar platform. I have done 6 of them. I will put them up against the blackout round any day.

 

[ColoradoMinuteMan]

But converting the rifle over is considerably cheaper since all you need is a barrel. The difference in cost will pay for quite a lot of ammo.

The reality is most people aren't "switching" to 300, rather adding it and keeping the 5.56x45 capability as well. This means at minimum you are talking about the entire upper, sans bolt carrier of you are really trying to be economical. So the reality, the only additional cost is the magazines which might be a handful for recreational purposes. $100 saved will be eaten up pretty quickly if you shoot very much. Plus the OP mentioned a supply of free 7.62x39 when hanging out with the in-laws.

 

[stoky]

I'm thinking the days of cheep and plentiful 7.62 x 3commie ammo might be limited, especially in light of current events. Particularly the imports. It's happened before.

 

[Candyman87]

I'm thinking the days of cheep and plentiful 7.62 x 3commie ammo might be limited, especially in light of current events. Particularly the imports. It's happened before.

Yep... looking at some of the regular ammo sites, it appears as though the surplus isn't as prevalent as it was before... not sure if dropping $400 on an upper in 7.62 is the way to go right now...

Maybe a .22 conversion then? That'll save me a few bucks and I've got a stockpile of that.

 

[primalmu]

Edit: Whoops!

 

[M1key]

I recommend reloadable brass ammo. Tailor made loads and I believe it's easier on the bolt.

M

 

[Tirod]

Barrel, bolt and magazines.

For the effort I'd buy a decent AK and shoot free ammo before I'd try tinkering with making an AR shoot something it wasn't intended to handle.

 

[Zach S]

Barrel, bolt and magazines.

For the effort I'd buy a decent AK and shoot free ammo before I'd try tinkering with making an AR shoot something it wasn't intended to handle.

I agree. A decent, used AK can be found for less than a new 7.62 upper and a few magazines.

Edit: If I had to have an AR in x39 I'd probably look into the CMMG MK47(?).

Edit 2, and 3: Trying to get used to my on screen keyboard... Lots of typos...

 

[kimberkid]

My AR works great with 7.62x39 and these mags:
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/59...with-anti-tilt-follower-stainless-steel-black

But there are other options too ...