Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting 7.62x39 for deer

I agree that if possible, get a .308 bore. Your bullet selection will be better.

Length? I'd not go for more than 20" as I don't think you'll gain much after that and whatever you do will be at the expense of a handier rifle.

Twist? Mines a 1:9.5" or 1:10".

Launched from a 308 at 2850 or so I've found the current issue 150 Ballistic Tip to be an excellent deer bullet. I'm not hesitant to put one in or out through a shoulder depending on the quartering angle.

Oh yeah, I'm well aware of that. they changed and are called TSX/TTSX. LOL.

Well I'm done with the federal fusion as well as the winchester pdx
Rounds.

Has anyone tried the federal powershok?

Can anyone reccomend a great factory loading ?

The PowerShok and Remington SPs work fine. Those bucks I posted earlier all fell to those, as have the other deer I've taken with the 7.62x39.

1680 looks like the best powder for it. Anyone else have other preferences?

4198, 4227 and RL-7 should get a look. I've considered trying VN-120 and Lil'Gun as well.

I tried H322 and H335 with heavies but didn't get the speed I was hoping for. In the #1, given that you can lean on things pretty hard, the 174s should get a shake. I suspect you could get them to 2100 or so; 154s to 2250-2300; 123s up to 2500+.

lean on it hard? Moi?

Didn't say you would, only that in the #1 one could...

You can get the 174s to better than 2000 in the little mini-Mauser, so besting that in the Ruger ought to be no problem. '335 won't do it, though, as you run out of case capacity first. 1680 or one of the other powders should get you the top speed with the heavier bullets, though. The 174 Hornady SPs and similar 154s would certainly get a look, were it me, with a No. 1 in the little Russian.

The kick is that all the banter about the .30-30 being superior to the 7.62x39 assumes the factory listed (and incorrect) velocities for both rounds in hunting rifles. The .30-30 velocities of 2300 for the 150s and 2100 for the 170s are from listed 24" barrels. In actual 20" barrels from 336s and 94s, the velocities that I've gotten and have seen others get average around 2100 for the 150s (occasionally as high as 2200, but 2100-2150 is about the norm) and 2050 for the 170s (generally 2000-2050).

The little Russian can do those numbers quite easily handloaded with 150s or 174s in 20" barrels, but I digress.

The factory loads for the Russian list at 2350, and that's most often from 16" barrels. I've yet to see that number hit in a 16", but in a 20" 2400 or better is no great shakes with factory loads. Call it 2400 FSAG.

At 2100, the Hornady 150 grain RN (i.e., the Remington factory bullet) checks in with 1468 ft.lbs. At 100 yards, it's retaining, via the .186BC, 1690 fps and 951 ft.lbs.

At 2050, the Hornady 170 FP (i.e., the Remington factory bullet) checks in with 1587 ft.lbs, and due to the same BC as the RN 150, retains 1652 fps and 1030 ft.lbs at 100.

At 2400, the 123 grain Hornady SP (i.e., the Remington factory bullet) checks in with 1573 ft.lbs, and care of the .252 BC retains 2065 fps and 1165 ft.lbs.

At 2100, easily factory velocity on the 150/154 stuff you can find from Sellier & Beloit and Cabela's "Herters" steel case stuff, you get a bullet of equivalent weight to the .30-30 150 started at the same velocity (go figure what the energy will be), but with a BC of .271 vs. .186. At 100, that bullet is still going 1817 fps with 1100 ft.lbs.

Even if you give the .30-30 a few FPS more at the muzzle and take a few away from the Russian, the numbers are spitting distance of one another - as is the field performance.

When you get to handloading, and especially when you get into actions that can take someone standing on the throttle, then the conversation changes.

Anyone got corbon numbers for this round??

No. Never fired any. In fact, never seen any in real life. I think their 150 SPs are discontinued and have been for some time. Given CorBon's tendency (like many other manufacturers) to inflate their ballistic claims a bit, I'd think their 150s would go more in the 2200-2250 range than 2300, at least out of shorter barrels. 20" tubes should get you the 2300, though. Their 125s should do a legit 2400, though.

Try the Hornady SST/Z-Max stuff, if you can find it. Or, the Remington/Federal SPs. I've had very good luck with the latter.

Late to the discussion but thought I'd add my experience for those future readers. My 11 year old daughter dropped her first caribou bull(300 pounds or so) at 175 yards. Single shot to the neck, using her cz527. Cartridges are handloaded using Sierra Prohunter 125gr .310 bullets and 28.5 gr of AA1680 (right about 2450 fps) and shoots sub MOA. Imperceptible recoil (and a considerable flame out of the barrel) in this great rifle and perfect for kids.

My brother called this afternoon and wanted to know if I wanted to go to the range. Because I had just read your ignorant post here I said sure, bring your chronograph. I have two types of factory .30-30's on hand. 150 grain Remington core-lokts and 170 grain Federal blue box. Since I needed to check zero on my 20" barreled Marlin 336 for the upcoming deer season anyway, that was the chosen test vessel. The 150 core-lokts averaged 2375 fps for 5 shots and the 170 Federals averaged 2204 fps for 5 shots. This with the chrony set up 12 feet in front of the muzzle and those numbers are not corrected back to the muzzle. I don't know where you've been getting your info on .30-30 factory ammo velocities but suspect you've been reading too much of Nathan Fosters drivel over on ballisticstudies.com and haven't actually chrono'd any yourself. Oh yeah, and one more thing. The factory listed muzzle velocities for 150 and 170 grain .30-30's are 2390 and 2200 fps respectively so your numbers are incorrect there too. The more you post on this subject the more clear it becomes that you're talking out your azz.

B.S is like as-holes everyone has one .Everyone know these 7.62 x 39 and 30-30 don't kill

The absolute LAST thing I feel like doing right now is arguing the velocity of a bullet that can be passed by a kite, hot air balloon, or low flying bird on it's way to the target.

The deal with the 30-30 has always been that with the most popular 1-2 factory loadings that the 150s were only going about 50 fps faster than the 170s. Even though the 150s were advertised as 180-200fps faster. And yes, said numbers were/are quoted with longer test barrels. Argue this all you want, but it is true, and no big secret to anyone.

Handloaded, you can achieve said velocity gain with the 150s.

The end. More whiskey and football.....

No you big mouthed ignorant dypshyt, the long accepted and mamy times, many places published norm is that both 150's and 170's tend to run about 100 fps slower out of the common 20" barreled carbines than the published numbers which are for 24" barrels. Been that way as far back as I can remember and I've read one f*ckofalot on the .30-30 over the past 5 decades.

Why did I take your dumbass off ignore?

2100 and 2050 are regarded as the real world numbers. Of course, we all know you live in your own little world, now don't you?

I am watching football and drinking.

GFY....

Well shyt for brains the numbers I just wrote are the numbers I actually got today from the listed loads. I don't believe for a minute they were far off as I've gotten similar numbers in the past with my chrono. we also clocked some 130 grain factory core lokts from my brothers .270 over the same setup and got 2888 for a 5 shot average. Seems a bit on the slow side there but I don't see any reason we'd have gotten erroneously slow numbers there and erroneously fast just minutes before from my .30-30. Also, the numbers from the 170 federal .30-30's were very consistent for factory with a low of 2188 and a high of 2215. I have never seen numbers as low as you and 4ager are claiming as the norm from myself or anyone else. Never read numbers that low in any book or magazine articles where they tested factory .30-30 loads either. You and 4ager have both been reading Fosters page and taking his wacky drivel as gospel.

No clue who the f'k Fosters is. I do know what the chronograph reads, though.