Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting CZ 527 as a deer gun---7.62X39

......Anyone here use,or used, the 7.62X39 cartridge for deer hunting? What rifle? Loads?...I recently bought a little CZ527 in the 7.2X39,and killed my first buck Nov.17 with it. A decent 3&1/2 yr.old buck, weighing 131lbs. field dressed,with a 7pt. rack.Using S&B brass cased 123gr softpoint ammo I hit him just behind the right shoulder. The bullet passed through exiting thru his liver (which was nearly turned to soup). A fifty cent sized exit wound was evident. The range was approx 110-120 yds. The buck fell where shot,but required a follow up coup shot through the neck ,just under his ear,for a finisher,after I found him still breathing when approached......Any other hunters out there with field expierence with the Russian round?...Handloads? Or what ammo.

BTT...

With the right bullet and within it's range limit it works well. I'd call it an experts round because it's not going to very forgiving on a fringe shot. You didn't mention what else you hit, I'm assuming lungs, but a liver is a fringe shot. A 527 is about the best rifle in 7.62x39. Mine shoots 125gr 312 sierras well. It has a 311 bore. My old one has a 308 bore, so if you reload check it. The 310 hornady was less than optimum. The 150 sierra was a sub MOA shooter but the bullet is moving too slow to expand. I'd like to see a 311 bullet with a blunted nose, like semi spitzer, and a dead soft core.

I would agree mostly with garryc. I have used my Ruger 77 with Hornady 123 and Re7 to take scads of Texas whitetails and hogs.

IMO it is a 150 yard gun. NOt that you can't hit them futher out but the bullet is running out of steam.

A bad hit is a bad hit even with a 375 so place your bullets well and within its range limitations the 39 is fine.


BCR

....The shot on the buck I killed Nov.17 passed thru one lung,angling back to exit out the off flank thru the liver. The exit wound was of fifty cent diameter. The load S&B ballistics claim 2438fps at the muzzle (18"barrel). This is the brass cased 123 gr premium S&B ammo @ about 6 bucks a box of twenty..The CorBon 150 gr softpoint at 2400fps is an improvement, but at 28 bucks a box! Handloads taken to a still safe 50,000psi level would be an improvement on any factory loads,which are limited to the 40,000 psi level by the semi-autos in wide use...I've thought about an Ackley improvement of the chamber which would not just up the energy/range/and velocity but decrease back thrust on the bolt as well. Haven't seen any gunsmith's offering the service for the 7.62X39 round..The 6.5 Grendel rebarrel would make the little carbine a 300yd gun,and is interesting indeed!

I've been looking at that model for a 35 rem conversion.

liled

.....The .35 Rem cartridge is much to long to fit the action of the little CZ carbine. A cartridge based on the SLIGHTLY larger diameter 35 Rem case,Would work with the CZ 527 bolt face,and cut to 1.5" case length could provide a MAX size cartridge that would just barely work in the magazine ,but it'd be a bunch of work to fab up cases.!

I killed a 100 pound doe the other day with a 7.62x39. I was shooting Winchester 123 gr SP factory ammo. The doe was 50 yards broadside, centered the shoulder and she ran very low to the ground for 15 yards and expired. I could not find an exit wound.

My rifle was a Ruger #1.

Has anyone tried Corbon's offering in this caliber?

J_Scott

olhippe,

Have not looked at one that close, I no that action will handle a longer case than 1.5 heck a 223 is 1.76. but your right the mag is the limiting factor.. I guess I'm back to a charles daley mini mauser.

liled

I took two does at 135 yards weekend before last with the CZ carbine in 7.62x39. Load consisted of H335 and Hornady Spire Points. I can get a little more velocity with AA1680, but this load shoots sub MOA consistently.

The first doe dropped dead instantly, the other went about thirty yards leaving a massive blood trail. Shot placement was nearly perfect on both, which I attribute to the accuracy of the CZ and the ease with which you can get that accuracy in the field. Complete penetration on both deer.

I would not hesitate to use this combination out to 200 yards.

I have killed 3 deer with a 7.62 x 39. The first was my largest Oklahoma buck. The shot was about 25 feet and I hit him in the neck. I could have killed him with any caliber at that range, but used a $50.00 Chinese SKS I took as a gun to be named later in a trade. I was shooting factory 125 grain Winchester softs. I don't know why I was toting it that day other than it was light and short and I was hunting some very thick bottom land. The next 2 were a buck and a doe killed the same day with my daughter's CZ 527 carbine. I killed the doe at 110 yards and the buck at about 75 yards while he was trotting away from some other hunters who were putting on a drive. I killed both with a factory Wolf 123 grain Bi-metal load. Both shots were to through the shoulders and both exited leaving impressive exit wounds and great blood trails. My daughter also used the same rifle and load to kill a very large black bear with one shot through the shoulder. Penetration and internal damage were impressive and the bear was killed instantly.

They make great light woods rifles with about the same range and killing power as a 30-30 or 30 Remington in my opinion.

Perry

....An interesting caliber conversion for the CZ527 is a rebarrel to 6.5mm Grendel. This cartridge was designed to max out range in the AR 15 platform. It shoots flatter than a .308 Winchester to 1000 yds,and launches super ballisticaly efficent bullets of 120-130gr (140's too).The 120 gr bullets launch out of a 19" barrel at 2650,and make the little carbine an easy 300 yd deer killer since they hold velocity and energy so well.(the Grendel exceeds 308 winchester energy levels at long range)

Has anyone tried to do an improved 7.62x39? I've been thinking the same thing, moving the shoulder to 30 degrees and a body taper closer to 22PPC. I'm not sure if it would be worth doing, although if you could still shoot factory brass ammo you'd gain a bit, and the change would be trivial - about as complex at 22 k hornet.

I've been looking at 6.5 grendel too, but haven't found a good barrel blank as a starting point.

Anyone interested in a 7.62x39mm improved, please contact me. I'm working on designing a spec, and will order a custom reamer and dies. Would like input.