Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles 6.8 vs. 7.62x39 vs ???

Toying with getting a upper bigger than a 223 that can do deer duty. I think a person can get uppers for 7.62x39 and that seems to perform slightly better than 6.8, but may have feeding issues.
Anyone try the SKS round in a AR?
Anything else I should consider? Why are 30 rem AR uppers so expensive?

7.62x39 doesn't work well in a standard AR lower, the mags have to be straight to fit the magwell, this causes them not to feed properly. If you want a 30, go with the Blackout. I'm going with the 243LBC or maybe the 6mmWOA.

Blackout? who's is that?

Consider the 6.5 Grendel also.

Take a Knee is dead-on about the 7.62x39 in the AR. Really, that is all the 6.8SPC is when compared to the 7.62 x 39, a reliably feeding AR cartridge with AK performance.

6.5 Grendel is a fine cartridge also (I think if you really compare, 6.5 Grendel appears to have more bullet choices), I had fully intended to go that route when a 6.8 barrel & bolt dropped into my lap last week, but you may also want to look at Midway USA and type in "6.8 spc barrel" or "6.5 Grendel barrel". Either option will bring up barrel/bolt combos in several lengths at very reasonable prices, when fully considered, and if you shop ammo at Cheaperthan dirt or Graf, you will find that 6.8 &6.5 compare very favorable with other big-game cartridges, cost wise

The only problem with the 7.62X39 in an AR is the magazines. Find a good one and your problems are solved. C-Products actually had a good one but since they are no more I wouldn't know where to look.

(Just thinking out loud here)
I wonder if the 6.5 Grendel mags would feed 7.62X39 rounds.

Terry

I have an Armalite complete rifle in 7.62x39. Over a K handloads and about 400 Cheap steel crap without any feeding/firing issues so far.
I also have a Grendel, ballistics out to about 200 yards they are the same, after that the Grendel has the advantage. The problem I have with the 6.5 Grendel is the availability of Hunting bullets. The Nosler BT sucks and explodes on impact and the Barnes TTSX is a little hard and may not expand properly at Grendel velocities. If I had to pick one over the other for Hunting inside 200 yards I would take the X39. Plus you can feed the hell out of it with cheap ammo if you wish.

My nephew also has a 7.62x39 upper and has NEVER had an issue, granted he has not fired more than about 2500 rounds through it yet last time I checked. I"ve shot a bit of game including a yote with his, at a range I won't even print.... IE it works too.

what is wrong with the .223? Hunters should pay more attention to the bullet than the head stamp on the cartridge case.

Not a dang thing really. Pick the right projectile, limit the range and hit the right spot...... of course contrary to what I shouldn't probably say.... the 223 has been used by yours truly to almost 600 yards on whitetails with nary a failure. I dont' advocate it, but for picky knowledgable shooters.....

I've had great success with the .223 W/ 62gn TSX's and 60gn Partitions. That said, I feel a little hemmed in by distance and wind at times. My confidence level is nowhere near Rost495's. There is nothing wrong with the .223 for deer. That said there is nothing wrong with the Grendel, SPC or 7.62X39 either. I think all offer a slight advantage over the .223 for hunting.

I'll be using both this year. I've never been a one gun hunter.


Terry

Go into the deer hunting section and find a post with a title like "11 year old ????" and it shows a kid with a AR that shot a nice northern MN deer and I asked about the bullet & combination and the father described it and how he didn't have a blood trail for many yards. True it worked, but I want a little more performance and weight with a exit hole if I am going to buy a upper just for deer hunting.

Terry, I have the same 'affliction'

Indeed, a good 223 load is all you 'NEED' but a 6.5 is what I'd choose if I was starting from scratch.

It's not difficult. Good bullet - thru vitals = SUCCESS!!!

The 6.8 SPC is about as good as it gets in the AR-15 Platform. Never been a big fan of the Russian Round

I bought a Bushmaster 7.62x39 upper because I have a boatload of ammo that I can shoot out of it and my AK's, and I've always been intrigued by the idea. I also had great curiosity about accuracy in the AR/AK with the same ammo.

What the previous posters have said concerning feeding is correct, unless you can find good magazines. I bought 20 of the C Products mags from 44Mag, and they have all worked flawlessly. I hadn't heard that they had gone under, and am sorry to hear that they have.

The accuracy of 7.62x39 upper with Sako ball ammo is on the order of 2 MOA, and Russian ammo of any stripe-Wolf, Silver Bear etc. is twice+ that. Lot's of flyers. I'm sure that handloads with better components can improve both of those results substantially. They always do in my 5.56 uppers. I have some Barnes .311 TSX's that I really want to try on deer, but other things have gotten in the way of working up a good load.

So far the accuracy comparison between my AK's and the AR platform have borne out what has been said, i.e. that the tighter tolerances of the AR beat the AK IRT accuracy hands down. Since I haven't buried either my AR's or my AK's in mud and/or sand to test reliability, and have no intentions of doing so, I will say that the reliability of both is equal, at least on the range. How they would hold up at a shooting school, match, or other high volume venue I can't say, as I haven't used my AK for any of the above. My match AR has held up well, but in 5.56, not 7.62x39.

IMO, if you can find a reasonably priced upper, less than $500, in 7.62x39 with some good magazines, it might be worth the effort and cost. If not, then the 6.8 SPC or the 6.5 Grendel would be better options, but magazines might be an issue in both.

Like Rost said, the 5.56/.223 with a good bullet and proper placement will do the trick nicely, and Nosler makes a 60 gr Partition that is made for just that purpose. If deer hunting is the goal, that would probably be a better solution. If you don't handload, the money that you would have spent on the 7.62x39 (or other) upper and magazines might be spent more wisely on handloading equipment that will allow you to use your existing equipment better. If you already handload, that's the avenue I would take-unless you just want a 7.62x39 upper to have one.

I've shot more than a few deer that didnt' have a blood trail for many yards... it doesn't always have to do with the round.. couple of those have been 338 win mag, and one deer that went almost 150-200 yards and NEVER left a drop of blood that we ever found, even though we found the path of the bullet through the brush after the shot, was shot with a 50 bmg... so much for caliber thoughts eh?

DUnno about that one... could be argued by far... 6.5/264lbc types... ain't a shabby round though when it comes right down to it. It was a total waste of time as a combat round IMHO.

Not turning this into a "caliber selection" thread. My preferred AR gun would be a 308 AR-10, but I don't want to buy one and see what I can do with my un-mated AR15 lower I have.
My PREFEENCE is for a larger caliber round than 223 because not all shots are perfect and I like a little more weight for the angle shots that come up. I have a 223 AR I can try if I like, but I am looking for a reason for a different uppr on my other lower. I KNOW you can pop a deer with a 22 LR, but I feel more comfortable with a larger bullet and thats my preference as a consumer and hunter making humane shots.

it worked....Here is the 10 point I shot this year. He was in full rut, swollen neck, cut up from a fight, chasing a doe, he ran maybe 30 yards after the shot and left a blood trail that I could follow. Complete pass thru. The 11 year old's deer was a big 8 and he caught both shoulders, I am surprised that deer ran at all.

I am sticking with the 5.56 and either the 53 grain TSX or 62 grain TSX they work fine.

I shot a 10 point at 170 yards a few years ago with a 308 150gr NBT. If I didn't see him fall a 100 yards away, I would have thought I missed, no blood and he didn't do nothing but run with his tail up.
My cousin's wife dropped a 10 point this year with her 223 AR, 55gr V-max didn't even wiggle.

As stick says, it's all about the bullet. But I'll add, and where you place that bullet.