7.62 x 39 hunting ammo

D

Dagny

New member
Do any of you have experience with soft point Federal, Winchester or Remington 7.62x39 hunting ammo. I'm thinking it would be more effective at "one shot, one clean kill" than common military FMJ. Is the extra expense worth it compared to the cheap stuff?
 
Shot a few boxs of Federal FMJ, without any problems. Not sure about the SP stuff however? I think that even wolf HP ammo would be ALOT better than FMJ for hunting. Also the states where I hunt it is Illegal to use FMJ to hunt with.

------------------
Dead [Black Ops]
 
I've used similar handloads (135 gr Sierra)on deer and they worked fine. The soft point stuff from Win/Rem/Fed should work well. From testing the Russian HP's on wetpack I'd recommend against them. They expand like varmit bullets, very little penetration.
 
griz, I was also going to recommend the 135gr Sierra #7350. This was designed to work on deer from single shot pistols. If your gun will shoot the .308" bullets accurately, this is probably one of the better bullets to use in the 7.62 x 39 for deer sized game.

Regards! DaMan

[This message has been edited by DaMan (edited September 03, 2000).]
 
I have a Ruger stainless all weather 7.62x39 that i hunted with last season with excellent results using the Remington 125 gr. PTD soft points. They grouped 1 inch at one hundred yards for a five shot group and performed excellently on eastern whitetails giving a clean one shot kill. I tried the wolf brand mentioned above and it would not group less than two and half inches in my gun. My cousin used the fmj you mentioned to shoot a deer and the result was a wounded lost deer which is unsatisfactory and infuriating to me. Never use fmj for hunting---period. :cool:
 
I also have a Ruger M77 MKII in 7.62x39.

The Federal & Winchester will both group at 1 to 1 1/2 inches at 100 yards. The Remington that I tried did not group at all. I live close to their factory & I returned what was left to them. They said that the neck crimps were not done correctly and thus that effected the accuracy & pressure. They also repaid me for the ammo in question. Haven't tried any since so I can't say if a different lot will shoot better. I have only just started handloading for this caliber & it is too early to say what the final results of that will be. So far both .310 & .308 bullets are grouping about the same down range.

Per you orginal question: IMHO, keeping the range reasonable & with good shot placement, any of the "big 3" American ammo companies Soft Point offerings will work real fine on Deer size game.

[This message has been edited by k in AR (edited September 04, 2000).]
 
I too have a Ruger M77 Mark II in 7.62x39.

I love it because it'll shoot into 1" at 100 yards and it has low recoil and low report. I plan to use Winchester Super-X 123 grain pointed soft point for deer this fall. Sorry I can't report effectiveness on deer yet but hope to remedy that soon.

By the way my Ruger will shoot the cheap (relatively) steel cased Sellier&Bellot ammo ($2.50/20 rounds) into an inch and to the same point as the Winchester. It will not shoot under about 3-4 inches with the Wolf brand, however. I'm practicing with the S&B and plan to hunt with the Winchester PSP. I would like someday to get one of new CZ 527's in 7.62x39 (see review of this bolt action rifle in October Guns & Ammo).

Sam in Oregon
 
Dagny, I hunt deer with my Ruger Mini 30 most of the time. I have been EXTREMELY happy with the Cor-Bon 150 Grain offering at 2300 fps. It grouped about 1.5" in a Mini 30, honest! It also flattened a whitetail at about 40 yards. Yes, it costs more, but it is well worth it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top