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Been looking at the 7.62x39 in an AR platform for a semi-auto deer carbine. There are a lot of really interesting AR variant cartridges out there I started looking and but when I saw the prices for barrels, uppers, mags, ect. .
So, I thought maybe the good old AK round that I already have a good supply of brass, bullets in both .308 and .311 and dies. Not to mention milsurp for plinking may be the way to go. My questions to any owners of this caliber in an AR is how much diffrence will barrel length play? I can find uppers in 16" but 20" may be a bit harder to come by. At any rate I would be interested in opinions or commentary on the best way to go for a Bambi blaster.
If you want a bambi blaster, the 7.62x39 is not a bad choice, but why bother with the AR platform. You might as well pick up a Saiga, it's cheaper than an AR upper.
If you are going to spend the money on an AR upper, why not a .50 Beowulf upper which will drop bambi in her tracks. Certainly 7.62x39 will kill deer, that's not a problem although the stopping power is certainly less than what a 400 grain .50 Beowulf will put on the target.
So I guess, I don't understand why the AR upper in 7.62x39 just for hunting. Now if you have a bunch of other 7.62x39 rifles and a bunch of cheap ammo, perhaps. However as you said, it's just a lot of money to drop on an upper that will marginally outperform the .223 on deer (~30% more energy at 200 yards.) By contrast at 200 yards, the beowulf is capable of putting 200% more energy into the target and offering more bang for the buck.... pardon the really bad pun.
Energy at 200 yards
.223 648 ft/lbs
7.62x39 882 ft/lbs
.50 Beowulf 1417 ft/lbs
Now the downside to the Beowulf, is the ridiculous cost of ammo, but if you are talking rounds per deer taken... It's still cheap from that aspect. Certainly no one is using .50 Beowulf as plinking ammo.
If you want a bambi blaster, the 7.62x39 is not a bad choice, but why bother with the AR platform. You might as well pick up a Saiga, it's cheaper than an AR upper.
If you are going to spend the money on an AR upper, why not a .50 Beowulf upper which will drop bambi in her tracks. Certainly 7.62x39 will kill deer, that's not a problem although the stopping power is certainly less than what a 400 grain .50 Beowulf will put on the target.
So I guess, I don't understand why the AR upper in 7.62x39 just for hunting. Now if you have a bunch of other 7.62x39 rifles and a bunch of cheap ammo, perhaps. However as you said, it's just a lot of money to drop on an upper that will marginally outperform the .223 on deer (~30% more energy at 200 yards.) By contrast at 200 yards, the beowulf is capable of putting 200% more energy into the target and offering more bang for the buck.... pardon the really bad pun.
Energy at 200 yards
.223 648 ft/lbs
7.62x39 882 ft/lbs
.50 Beowulf 1417 ft/lbs
Now the downside to the Beowulf, is the ridiculous cost of ammo, but if you are talking rounds per deer taken... It's still cheap from that aspect. Certainly no one is using .50 Beowulf as plinking ammo.
Mark
You make some really good points. I guess I didnt go into how I came to be looking at the AR and maybe a bit more background is in order. I deer hunt with my now fifteen year old grand daughter. She has been using my 6mm Rem Ruger M77 for the past couple of years with good results. Recently she tried my AR at the range and really liked the rifle and shot well with it. As my old 6mm is getting to be a bit long in the tooth like its owner and is a wood stocked rifle I would kind of like to keep it a fair weather rig. It would be hard on it if or really when we wind up hunting in the rain or snow. We have been lucky for the first three years she has hunted with me moisture wise. If I can get her into a truly all weather, light recoiling, accurate rifle like the AR it would be nice. The Saiga you suggest would fill the bill and I will look into it. All of my other 7.62 AKs are milsurp standard and do not have scope rails. The newer Saigas do.
The Beowulf would be just too much rifle even in the AR platform. Nice thing about the AR in both the .223 she has shot and like the heavy barreled Ruger varmint rig she is now shooting in 6mm they have almost no recoil. I realize the 7.62 is going to buck at bit harder(I like bad puns too!) but I doubt enough to put her off on using it. At any rate, thanks for the input. I am off the check out some Saigas.
ive got one of the cheapest ones out there (ZBlackthorne) and it runs like a top on any ammo i put in it as long as i use the c products mags.
does it kick more than the .223? yep. is it fun and cheap to shoot? YEP
if you got other things in 7.62 x 39 (like i do) then why not?
have fun and enjoy the hobby while you can.
sdk
NOTE: just to give you an idea: ive got ar's in 5.45 x39, 7.62 x39, 9mm & 7.62 x25.......... lmao very versatile platform.
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I don't know about your .50 for deer, but I screwed up and shot a deer with a 45-90(not 45-70). It ruined the whole front half of the deer. Big deer muley. For deer from now on I'll use something smaller like my WASR 10/63 in 7.62x39 or my 03a3 30-06 with a 168gr boal tail hollow point.
I deer hunt with my now fifteen year old grand daughter. She has been using my 6mm Rem Ruger M77 for the past couple of years with good results.
I realize the 7.62 is going to buck at bit harder(I like bad puns too!) but I doubt enough to put her off on using it. At any rate, thanks for the input. I am off the check out some Saigas.
If you want something that makes for a really neat deer rifle in 7.62x39, can accept a scope and would be a nice platform for a girl to shoot. I would look at the CZ-527 in 7.62x39. [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] This rifle has a dual trigger, with both a standard 5 lb pull and a match mode with a 1.5 lb pull. As you can imagine the light trigger makes from better shooting. It's based on the mini mauser action and will take deer at 200 yards. My wife has one in .223 and loves it. Her 7mm Mauser was about the top of her comfort level even though she'll shoot the 8mm and the M44 Mosin.
Knowing the purpose certainly does help. I don't want to be recommending a .308/8mm/7.62x54R for a 15 year old girl to start moving up from. Some 15 year olds might be comfortable with it, but certainly not all.
a buddy of mine and i started building one several years ago. he finished his and i need to get a barrel and bolt for mine. here is a picture of his. hopefully one day i will get around to finish mine. we started at the same time. i am looking for the parts now to finish it.
my saiga AK 12 gauge isnt very heavy.... she could use that...
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AR 7.62x39 Questions
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