.308 vs. 7.62 x 39 (or others?)

J

JJR

New member
Hello, I have little experience with rifles other than AR-15's and .22's so please forgive me if my questions sound ignorant.

I've decided to purchase an inexpensive bolt action rifle & scope for long-range (long-ish) target-plinking. I would like a caliber with a little more "oomph" than my .223 AR's. My main criteria in deciding on which caliber is the availability of affordable "bulk" ammo. I would prefer a .30-06, but ammo just costs too darn much for the amount I like to shoot. I don't hunt anything larger that coyote’s or rabbits, but I may give in and go deer hunting with my friends some day. It would also be nice to have something powerful enough to act as a makeshift long-range defense weapon when the Martians attack ;).

I've narrowed it down to 7.62x39 or .308 based only on ammo price (.30-06 costs twice as much as .308 which is twice as much as 7.62). What are the inherent differences between the two as far as power, distance, accuracy, etc.? Are either of these acceptable calibers for hunting Idaho White-Tail deer? Should I just endure the cost of ammo, shoot less and get the .30-06? Any other suggestions?

Synthetic stock Remington 700's and Ruger 77's sell for $300 at my local gun shop. These seem to be the best new rifles I've found for the price. I prefer the 700 as it has iron sights, but the Ruger looks to be sturdier. Any thoughts on either of these?

Any advice, suggestions or criticisms would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 
For a discussion on the strengths and weaknesses of various designs, dig up April 13's Win M70 v. Rem 700 thread started by Spencer Stewart.

On the issue of caliber, I'd go for .308. Use enough gun.

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Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt
 
7.62x39 is far cheaper but I think that you will have a hard time finding a bolt gun for it. Ruger made one as a special run years ago but I don't think it was very accurate and they are hard to find. Leave that calibre for the semi autos. A good 308 bolt gun is tough to beat! Much more powerful and generlly more accurate than the 7.62x39.

You may want to consider one of the AK varients if you want a cheap, short to medium range plinker. I put a PSO4 scope (siderail mount) on my SA93 and it is surprisingly accurate. It can't touch my Remington 308 Police though! 2 MOA ain't too shabby for an AK though.

Different guns, different missions.
 
If you were talking about a lightweight, self loading rifle, I might say 7.62x39. I'd probably say .308 anyway, though.

For a bolt action there's little doubt; .308 is the way to go. Cheap surplus and expensive match ammo are both easily found for .308, unlike 7.62x39 (I've never even seen match 7.62x39).
 
The 7.62x39 round, like the .223, is suitable for deer only at ranges close enough for the "perfect shot" by an experienced hunter.

If you want a hunting rifle, get the .308.
If the cost of ammo is a factor, start reloading. Haunt a few gun shows and look for gear. You can do quite well with "good used" stuff; a lot of my gear was new some 50 years ago...

For rifle, a C-press, dies, and powder-scale are all you need to buy. Everything else is easily home-made. (A screwdriver to clean primer pockets; a teaspoon in lieu of a "dribbler"; you can chamfer case mouths with a large-ish drill-bit; you can drill holes in a board to serve as a tray...)

With storebought lead plinkers, you can load .30-'06 for around 12 cents a round. With hunting bullets at around 12 cents to 15 cents for non-exotics, you can load the '06 for around 26 to 27 cents a round...

FWIW, Art
 
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