Just ordered a 7.62x39mm AR upper

[midtennpawnstar]

Since we have such a great collaboration of informed shooters on this forum I thought i would ask if anybody has any experience with AR uppers in 7.62x39mm. I just ordered an Olympic arms 20" bull barreled upper chambered in 7.62x39 to go on my spikes tactical multi cal lower. I currently have a Bravo company 16" in 223 on it now. I have a ton of 7.62 stocked up and all my sks are long gone,so i figured this one be a neat way to go. I have heard of problems with striking softly on the mil surp ammo,but more so than not i have head of positive results with no problems. So basically id like to know what anybody on here has experienced with the uppers in 7.62

post pics of yours if you'd like i would love to see it.

 

[ugaarguy]

Other than difficulty finding good mags, the 7.62x39 AR uppers tend to work if the BCG is kept lubed. C-Products either became, or was purchased by ASC (Ammunition Storage Components). Back when I worked firearms retail we had a regular customer / former employee who had a 7.62x39 AR. As long as he used C-Products mags it ran fine. I'm pretty sure ASC is still making the old C-Products 7.62x39 AR mags. Hope that helps.

 

[midtennpawnstar]

Thanks! ill look into getting a few of those, i have head from a couple of other ar owners that the c-product stuff was of better quality than the other mags.

 

[sansone]

mine will sometimes not strike commie ammo hard enough to go boom. There is an easy fix regarding the firing pin. I just shoot my reloads or fiocchi brass ammo now

 

[GCBurner]

Whenever you find the Colt or C-mag 7.62x39 mags on sale, stock up, they're hard to come by at a local gun shop or sporting goods store. Midway had a sale on them last year, but frequently they show up as "Out of Stock".
The only problem I ever had with my 7.62x39 upper was a broken extractor while shooting some steel cased surplus ammo. I replaced it with a DPMS extractor, and haven't had any trouble since then. Might be a good idea to get one to keep in your spare parts inventory, anyway, they don't cost much.

 

[M1key]

Shoot brass-cased ammo. You will have better accuracy, reliabilty, longevity of parts (firing pins), and reloadability.

Folks are forever shooting steel in guns not designed for it and suffering the consequences, just to save a bit on ammo costs. Stick with brass and you will be better off, IMO. AKs and SKSs for the steel stuff.

M

 

[wnycollector]

Model 1 Sales makes a modified firing pin to insure better quality strikes on hard primers.

 

[DoubleMag]

C-Products mags are fantastic. Call them, they will custom build for you.


In the mean time go out & get STRAIGHT 20 rd Ar223 mags. Pro-Mag in ss is fine. You can get 10-12 rds in there, real easy. This was told to me by a professional builder in a company, which is well known.

Try out different ammo, Fiocchi is plentiful, you should get decent accuracy . Also Prvi is ok. If you want m.o.a. or less get a box of Lapua or handload... I highly suggest sticking with brass cases

Is your barrel & chamber chromed?


Good luck!

 

[6x6pinz]

look forward to a report/review. I have stayed away from the 39 upper as the four that I have seen did not function well enough to justify the cost. I can't say what configuration the lowers were or which mags they were using. With all the troubles they had I just lost interest in them. It has been a few years so hopefully things have been worked out. I really like my 545 upper for just fun shooting.

 

[OldmanFCSA]

I purchased that same upper for shooting cheap Russian ammo I bought years ago for $67 per 1000 rounds - wish I had bought a truckload of it now.
I initially had trouble with a weak firing spring (hammer spring). It would just go "click".
Upon reloading back into magazine and firing again it would go BANG, however that resulted in bent firing pins, from trying to follow original light strike dents in primer.
I fixed all problems by replacing the stock hammer spring with a Wolff Hammer Spring from Brownells. End of problem, although trigger pull is HEAVIER!
After many hundreds of firings, the trigger pull is getting crisper.
I recommend a 40mm housing electronic sight for rapid sight aquisition.

A great gun - that I intend to wear out using cheap Russian ammo !!!!

 

[midtennpawnstar]

Thanks to all posters above i think with the things im hearing i will go ahead and order a enhanced firing pin from model 1 sales, i've heard their name alot since i have been asking questions.

I would have just bought a Ak but the versatility of having different Ar uppers just seems alot better that having multiple guns to me, since i often haul ten different guns around when i go shooting so having two easily interchangeable options that can both fit in a tac case with room for spare mags and ammo just appealed to me,plus i got decent boot for the Russian sks i traded toward the new Upper so i was happy and now im eager to test it.

@DoubleMag my chamber is chromed but not the barrel Olympic arms does some long life finish that is not chrome they call it something different i cant remember.

 

[6x6pinz]

funny when I got into AR's I thought the same thing "nice to have different uppers instead of a whole new gun" I ended up putting together lowers for all my uppers. The good thing was getting to see the upper work before committing to a complete firearm.

 

[DoubleMag]

Thanks to all posters above i think with the things im hearing i will go ahead and order a enhanced firing pin from model 1 sales, i've heard their name alot since i have been asking questions......

.....DoubleMag my chamber is chromed but not the barrel Olympic arms does some long life finish that is not chrome they call it something different i cant remember.

You shouldn't need an extra special firing pin. You already got it in your new upper.

On the chamber chrome that's good, the main reason being ease of cleaning if you decide to use lacquered cases. I wouldn't. That Russian stuff will heat your gun up real fast it's a bit hotter. If you can't stand yourself get the brass-washed cases, it's the best of both worlds cheaper ammo and a bit of lubricity for your chamber with the brass wash, and ease of cleaning.

I have no knowledge of Oly's barrel coating would presume some type of ceramic or possibly infused/bonded molecular lubricant.

Contact them and ask them about the firing pin, and the expected lifespan (# of rds fired) on that special coating that's what I'd do.Also cleaning instructions on the barrel. Should come with instructions if it's anything touchy. I think you'll find they've already incorporated the correct firing pin into the new upper.