Looks like some ruffled feathers. Never said an SKS would never kill anything, I have heard tale of desperate folk defending themselves successfully from a Grizzly with a knife. Guy near me got arrested by game and fish for killing a black bear throwing a piece of fire wood at it when it wandered into his campsite. What I said is that for a general purpose rifle as the OP asked about, an SKS is not even comparable. Nor is 7.62x39 comparable to .308. I pulled these numbers from same reference for consistency. That said, my reference at hand may be different than your but the numbers are going to be close.
Muzzle
154 grain 7.62 x 39 velocity 2,104 fps with 1,516 ft/lbs energy
150 grain .308 Winchester 2,820 fps with 2,648 ft/lbs energy
Bullet drop/Energy with rifles sighted in at 150 yards:
7.62x39 .308 Winchester
50 yds +2.38"/1200...............50 yds +1.12"/2152
100 yds +2.76"/951..............100 yds +1.39"/1751
150 yds 0.00"/750................150 yds 0.00"/1412
200 yds - 6.00"/595..............200 yds -3.46"/1126
250 yds -18.51"/481..............250 yds - 9.51"/891
300 yds -36.46"/404..............300 yds -18.82"/703
350 yds -61.75"/352..............350 yds -32.26"/559
400 yds -95.46"/314..............400 yds -50.91"/454
Looking at the "numbers" we are comparing apples to oranges. Other than outside diameter the ballistics of the two cartridges are not even close.
The 308 makes more roughly the same energy at 200 yards as the 7.62x39 in a SKS does at 50 yards. At 250 yards the 7.62x39 has roughly double the bullet drop as the 308. Math is not personal, it is just math. Double the energy at conceivable hunting ranges and half the bullet drop is just better.
That is not to say that getting shot wih an SKS at 200 yards isn't going to suck. Sure it would be a real buzz killer. A shot through the heart with an SKS at 200 yards would be better than a shot in the butt at the same range with a 308. But the inherent accuracy of a milled turn bolt in 308 is much greater than a stamped SKS.
I based my choice on the OP's direct mention of a .308 turn bolt of a particular flavor. The weird thing is his idea is almost a dead ringer for the truck rifle I have been using for over a decade. Thus my affinity for and knowledge of how well that combination works. With my full size government model carry pistol I can hit 10 out of 10 shots at 100 yards. It is part of my regular drill. Of course a .45 acp is not toting much energy at 100 yards but if someone is that far away I am probably not in defensive mode as most defensive situations happen in the less than 25 foot range.
So all I was questioning is why so many people started shouting SKS, SKS, SKS, SKS when thread started with idea of turn bolt rifle. It seems like the majority of the shooting community is in either a AR-15 or SKS frenzy. Why take a marginal mass produced military weapon hunting unless it is the only gun you own. It is like framing a house with a chinese hammer out of the 99 cent bargin tool bin.
An SKS makes for a fine general purpose defensive weapon. Its why I bought one a month for over two years when they were less than 100 bucks. Once they went over a c-note per unit I stopped buying them. Putting a plastic stock and a big magazine on it does not change what it is. If I were putting that type weapon in my truck i would choose an AR-15 long before an SKS. Better yet my M1a Scout but then we are back into a 308, oops.
Cal30 sniper wrote:
I don't know why you went nuts hating on the 7.62x39 cartridge either. It fires an equivalent caliber and weight bullet faster than the .30-30, and due to the respective shapes of the bullets, the difference only continues to grow in favor of the 7.62x39 as it moves downrange. If you don't like the 7.62x39, you must hate the traditional American sportsman's round of choice: the .30-30.
No, I am not a hater. Just a realist. I own a few very nice 30-30's. One Henry Brass & Blue with Octagonal barrel, a 99% pre 1964 Model 1894 Winchester, a NIB 94 manufacture date 1969 and an old beater Marlin that was my Dad's. That said, I have the same opinion of the 30-30 ballistics of the standard SKS. Given the choice between the two for the only gun I could own, I would take the Model 94. That said, last time I shot a 30-30 was over 25 years ago with my Dad. Respect the rifle/caliber combonation as the most produced centerfire rifle in America I believe but not going to put one in the truck and carry it around. Anything I can do with a 30-30, I can do better with something else. Doesn't mean I don't want someone proficient with thier old lever gun shooting at me either.
So yes, you can kill an animal with any of the discussed calibers. You can even do it at a fair range if your a decent shot. That said, the 308 Winchester in a turnbolt will do it better than the other two from 75 yards on any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
