Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 30-30 vs 7.62x39 Pro's vs Cons

Do you want a hunting rifle or a shooting rifle.
Hunting gun, ammo price is no big deal.

Really, if you can afford it just buy the dam thing,
it's what you want. Now, anyway.

Or,

Wait for a month or two. There are many guns that I don't own, because I waited a while to buy, and then realized I didn't want them that bad.

On th CZ's, I love their bassackward safety. If it worked normal, I would have bought a Hornet, 7.62, and by now a Grendel. Sure as heck don't need them, but love that little gun.

Yes I could deal with that safety, but I don't want/have to.

More of a shooter than a hunter. On my serious hunting rifles, I don't sweat the ammo, a box of ammo should last most hunters 3 or 4 years on a deer rifle, as a lot of hunters rarely kill more than a couple of deer per year.
And I agree on waiting. I've been waiting ever since Ruger announced these, trying to convince my self I need one
And I can afford it, I'm just being a tight ass, and thinking of trading off one of the many lever action rifles I haven't used in years.

I bought one a couple of weeks ago and I really like it. No, it's not a fine rifle, it feels cheap especially the stock. Out of the box the barrel was rubbing the right side of the forearm really bad. I relieved that area and used some Emory paper to sand down some of the sharper edges on the stock. I adjusted the trigger by just using the trigger adjustment screw. I Tourqued the action screws and mounted a night force scope for accuracy testing. Rifle is light, accurate, low recoiling, Affordable , and just a ball to shoot. My thought on this purchase was to have a rifle young people can learn to shoot with. Cheap ammo equals lots of range time. By not breaking the bank on ammo, a young shooter can really learn the fundamentals of marksmanship and after becoming comfortable and confident behind the rifle they can use it to harvest game.

During accuracy testing, I shot the Ranch rifle out to 500 yards, making consistent hits with the Hornady Ammunition. Shooting the Tula ammunition, I had a bit more trouble making hits at distance, but hits out to 300 yards were possible. The targets were 2MOA steel. After accuracy testing, I mounted the scope I'd like to leave on the rifle, a Vortex Strike Eagle 1-8.

I think the flimsy plastic stock really depreciates the accuracy possibilities of the rifle. Secondary, replacing the trigger would make a huge difference too.

As a round for hunting medium game, I prefer a lever or pump action 30-30 over any rifle that I've seen chambered in 7.62x39.

As a CF round for plinking, I'd prefer to shoot inexpensive 7.62x39 ammo. OTOH, I prefer to plink with rimfire rifles and handguns.

I have dozens of rifles chambered in 30-30, but only 2 in 7.62x39, a Norinco SKS and a stainless Ruger 77 that was a non-cataloged limited run made for Davidson's back in the early 1990's. While the Ruger is a fine rifle, if I'm going to carry a bolt action rifle with which to shoot medium game, there are many in my gun room that I would pick ahead of this particular Ruger.

I might buy a RAR-Ranch in 7.62x39 to play with, but not as a medium game hunting rifle. If Ruger would chamber the RAR-Ranch in 6.5 Grendel I'd be sure to buy one of them, as I'd like to play with that particular cartridge.

Wonder if a .30 cal suppressor will work on the Ruger 7.62 RAR. I know the Russian ammo uses a .311 diameter bullet. Surely there's a little larger hole I the Supressor than .308 ?

You can easily get your trigger pull down to 2# or lighter buy replacing the the main trigger spring with a lighter gauge spring from the hardware store..
Others have removed the little lever on the trigger face if that is a problem for you..

Yes, most .30 cal suppressor will work. I've got a Griffin Amament Recce 7 that I'm going to use on it.

I had a CZ 527 in 7.62x39. It was a very nice rifle, as mentioned above, but I got rid of it for 2 reasons. 1, I didn't want to beat it up and that's exactly what would have happened if I had continued using it for the purpose I had bought it for, and 2, that protruding magazine made for an awkward carrying rifle when in the hand. I see the same issue with this new RAR.

My 2 cents.

Yep, I hate a magazine sticking out right at the balance point where you want to carrry it. Ain't no way it's going to carry as nice as a tube fed lever gun.

+1

Keep the Winchesters and buy the Ruger too.

My main reason for wanting a Ruger American Ranch Rifle in 7.62 x 39 was for a cheap beater rifle I can throw on the 4-wheeler or Ranger at the Ranch, and not have to worry about beating it up or scratches.

Don't think the "balance point" matters while riding around in a 4-wheeler or Ranger.

Buy the 7.63x39,Chl.

A note from down under, I shoot the CZ 527 carbine. Recently got hold of some CFE BLK powder this is the way to go 30.0 gr gave an average of 2,540 fps from that 18 1/2"barrel with hHornady 123 gr SST & Barnes TSX. I have three good size sambar deer to the SST all one shot and they are a big solid animal. Love x39 and would really like one of the new CZ's with the 22"barrel but the little carbine is a winner

Johno

Prezactley! And I did.
It followed me home from my LGS this evening. Now to scope it to see if it's accurate like the others here on the CampFire say theirs is. I'm thinking maybe a Leupold 2x7 VX-1 or Rifleman ought to make a great lower priced scope.

I'll take it out and shoot 3 or 4 different types of Factory ammo and see how accurate it is. Hopefully I will have time later on this week. And I'll post some 5 shot groups to show if it's accurate or not, for those of you who are interested.

And Thanks to all the Campfire members for your comments / opinion.

Great choice for the scope Chl!

Yes,please post some pics of the groups you shoot.

Oh and CONGRATS!!

If you want a quiet RAR, get the 300 BO. Fast twist to stabalize heavy for caliber bullets. To me the 300 BO is a more appealing modern alternative to the 30-30 in a bolt gun than the 7.62X39.