# Finding a 7.62x39 bolt action or single shot



## Seneca

I've kept a eye out for a 7.62x39 in bolt action or single shot rifle. I think it would be a fine cartridge for either platform. Yet it seems these types of rifles are scarce in this caliber. Is there a reason for that being the case? I know CZ makes the model 527 in 7.62x39 and I heard of, yet never seen the NEF/H&R break open single shot Handi rifle in 7.62x39.

It seems like the AK's and SKS's abound for the cartridge and they dominate the market. The 7.62x39 is a popular cartridge no doubt, yet it doesn't seem to have made the jump from the AK/SKS platforms into the mainstream consciousness of gun makers. So what's up with that and why hasn't it become a more common chambering?


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## keith9365

Zastava makes one called the mini mauser in .223 and 7.62x39. I have been looking for one with the mannlicher stock.


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## Salt-N-Pepper

keith9365 said:


> Zastava makes one called the mini mauser in .223 and 7.62x39. I have been looking for one with the mannlicher stock.


I've got one with the Monte Carlo stock.

It goes bang, however I am not much of a fan of it, the bolt is sticky no matter how polished you make it and how well lubricated, and the internal magazine is cheap. Loading it is a pain in the ass. I'll make you a deal on it for any of you want it. It does shoot strait though, it works and the wood is pretty, but I would pass on one of these.


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## Smitty901

7.62X39 is not a very accurate round. It just does not make a good single shot weapon. It was designed to be Short range spray and pray. Nothing more.

Does not interest me a bit but

http://www.copesdistributing.com/savage-10fcm-762x39-bolt-action-rifle-19128-p-6892.html


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## Salt-N-Pepper

Smitty901 said:


> 7.62X39 is not a very accurate round. It just does not make a good single shot weapon. It was designed to be Short range spray and pray. Nothing more.


With all due respect, sir, I own a bunch of 7.62x39 guns, and accuracy is 1 MOA on several of them @ 100 yards, probably better if you have a better shooter. I've shot a 2 inch group at 100 many a time with my scoped AK.

Granted, outside 150 it's most certainly not the droid you are looking for, but anything inside that the round has the ability to pound tacks if the gun is good and the shooter is good.

My Mini-30's about a 2MOA gun with irons at 100.

It would not be my first choice for a competition gun, but it'll kill a deer at 150 and the shot will go where you put it (if you know how to use a scope properly, as I am positive you do).


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## jimb1972

http://www.wholesalehunter.com/product.asp?productid=75178Probably has not caught on because .30-30 will do anything it will do and is already pretty well established, you might look at the Rossi I think they made it in 7.62x39


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## Smitty901

I repeat the 7.62x39 round is not nor was it ever meant to be an accurate round . It is a general area round and without serious custom loading nothing more.
100 yards is a short range short heck lot of revolvers can do that.


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## Seneca

Salt-N-Pepper said:


> With all due respect, sir, I own a bunch of 7.62x39 guns, and accuracy is 1 MOA on several of them @ 100 yards, probably better if you have a better shooter. I've shot a 2 inch group at 100 many a time with my scoped AK.
> 
> Granted, outside 150 it's most certainly not the droid you are looking for, but anything inside that the round has the ability to pound tacks if the gun is good and the shooter is good.
> 
> My Mini-30's about a 2MOA gun with irons at 100.
> 
> It would not be my first choice for a competition gun, but it'll kill a deer at 150 and the shot will go where you put it (if you know how to use a scope properly, as I am positive you do).


That's been my experience with the 7.62x39, within a reasonable range (200yds) it can be pretty accurate. I've got a bunch of new Winchester brass and Hornady 123 gr Zmax bullets I'd like to shoot through something other than an AK. I have shot the CZ 527 and thought it was pretty accurate. Even though I think the CZ rifles are a bit overpriced.


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## Salt-N-Pepper

Smitty901 said:


> I repeat the 7.62x39 round is not nor was it ever meant to be an accurate round . It is a general area round and without serious custom loading nothing more.
> 100 yards is a short range short heck lot of revolvers can do that.


All I am saying is that it's a 1MOA round at 100 yards (or better) using good ammo. Obviously com-block ammo doesn't get that accuracy (actually, Golden Bear does for me) but when I shoot Hornady rounds? No problem.

It's not a long range round, it drops too much but I can ring a 6 inch gong at 150 yards 10 times out of 10. Just can.

That may or may not be accurate by your standards, I don't really know what your standards are. I wouldn't shoot it over 200, but then again I don't have a field of fire on my place with more than 150 open yards so it's good enough for me.

It's as accurate as a .30-30 and there's been a lot of white tails killed with those.


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## Ripon

Ruger use to make one in the 77 but they do not currently. I have seen used ones once in a while but there is a premium on them since not now made.


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## Salt-N-Pepper

Ripon said:


> Ruger use to make one in the 77 but they do not currently. I have seen used ones once in a while but there is a premium on them since not now made.


Yeah, I saw one in a gun shop nearby, guy was wanting !K for it selling it on consignment, and he got it from somebody (not me).

Here's Hickok45 on Youtube dinging a gong at 230 yards iron sights from the standing position using ruskie steel ammo&#8230; I honestly don't see why people think this round is inaccurate, hell I can't even SEE a gong that size with open sights at 230 yards. Give it a scope, use better quality commercial ammo, shoot it off a rest or bipod, you would tear that gong up.


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## Salt-N-Pepper

Here's a vid of a guy hitting a ringer at up to 500 yards with an AK-47 (albeit a nice one). I wouldn't really call it an inaccurate round, but that's me.


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## keith9365

Salt-N-Pepper said:


> I've got one with the Monte Carlo stock.
> 
> It goes bang, however I am not much of a fan of it, the bolt is sticky no matter how polished you make it and how well lubricated, and the internal magazine is cheap. Loading it is a pain in the ass. I'll make you a deal on it for any of you want it. It does shoot strait though, it works and the wood is pretty, but I would pass on one of these.


Thanks for the heads up. The mini mauser mannlicher sure is pretty though. I love the full stock rifles. Being a poor tire builder with caviar tastes I know I cannot afford a cooper mannlicher.


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## wesley762

So I am just shooting from the hip here but this is the reason why I think you really don't see it in anything much more than the AK and SKS. Simply put it was developed in a Communist country. for the longest time, who besides Russia and China used this round? Both of those countries gun ownership is pretty much outlawed. There was really no free market to expand the uses of it.The rest of the world was very set on the 30.06 and 308 and later the 5.56. 

Who did they sell AK's and SKS's too? More countries that did not let there people own guns (Think North Korea and the middle east). Looking at it from this perspective why would they want to make this round in a single shot or a bolt. Those communist countries had the 7.62x54 for that......

Like I said just shooting from the hip here but I think a very plausible answer.


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## Smitty901

A custom built 20 inch barrel with a great distance between front and rear sight will make anything shoot better. You can bet they are aiming extremely high.


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## James m

Ruger K mini 30 in 7.62 x 39
I know you said bolt. But i thought I should throw that out there.


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## Salt-N-Pepper

James m said:


> Ruger K mini 30 in 7.62 x 39
> I know you said bolt. But i thought I should throw that out there.


I"ve got one. I am kinda "meh" about it, but only because mine was defective from the factory (it had a malfunction in the trigger mechanism where when you pulled the trigger, the safety would jam on, and you have to disassemble the dumb thing to get it off.. yeah, all you have to do is pry open the stupid trigger guard, pop the trigger group out and move the safety back into place, but who wants a gun you have to do that on.

2 Rugers I bought last year were defective and went right back to the factory after one shooting session, that was one of them. The other was a Ruger LCR 22LR, dumb thing's trigger mechanism AND ejector were messed up&#8230; the trigger part that ran the little gear that rotates the cyl would "miss" and not rotate it about every 20th shot. Additionally, the bullets would get caught under the ejector making the dumb thing a pain to reload. I am a Ruger fan, but I bought these guns a month apart and both had to go back to the factory&#8230; what pissed me off about the Mini-30 is that the problem was just in the trigger group but we had to ship the whole gun back instead of them just sending a new trigger group out.


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## Salt-N-Pepper

Smitty901 said:


> A custom built 20 inch barrel with a great distance between front and rear sight will make anything shoot better. You can bet they are aiming extremely high.
> View attachment 9466


Sure, I never said any rotgut gun would shoot a 7.62x39 round accurately, I just stated that there's nothing inherently inaccurate about the round in it's range.

BTW the guns we are talking about have 20 inch barrels, at least my Zastava does&#8230; I've got a Nikon ProStaff 3-9 x 50 on it (BDC) and I can pretty well put a bullet anywhere I want it with that gun. I don't care for the bolt, and I don't care for the internal magazine, but the gun will pound tacks. The limiting factor in the accuracy of that setup isn't the gun or the round, it's the fact that I am not that good of a shot.


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## LunaticFringeInc

Seneca said:


> I've kept a eye out for a 7.62x39 in bolt action or single shot rifle. I think it would be a fine cartridge for either platform. Yet it seems these types of rifles are scarce in this caliber. Is there a reason for that being the case? I know CZ makes the model 527 in 7.62x39 and I heard of, yet never seen the NEF/H&R break open single shot Handi rifle in 7.62x39.
> 
> It seems like the AK's and SKS's abound for the cartridge and they dominate the market. The 7.62x39 is a popular cartridge no doubt, yet it doesn't seem to have made the jump from the AK/SKS platforms into the mainstream consciousness of gun makers. So what's up with that and why hasn't it become a more common chambering?


If your going to use the steel cased European ammo then I would definitely look at the CZ-527, they are tough to find though...I spent over two years looking for one at a dealer and had no luck. Found a couple of used ones on Gun Broker but the asking prices were basically the same as new guns were. These are very coveted fire arms an those that have them don't want to let them go, period! There is a European model I believe the M85 or something like that, that would likely fill the bill nicely for using the steel surplus ammo that's so cheap and plentiful at the moment. That's about all your options for shooting the steel cased hardened primer surplus ammo from Europe though.

The reason you don't see and NEF/H&R Handi-Rfiles in this caliber is because they made them for only one year. I stumbled into one for a pretty princely asking price and bought it anyways at Bass Pro earlier last year. These guns unlike the Savage and Ruger bolt actions in this caliber, actually had .310-.311 bores on them which was nice. Just one little problem...those hardened primers on the surplus ammo gave very iffy ignition and in some cases actually broke the firing pins. Some guns would fire them reliably but others it was a complete crap shoot. They do make stronger firing pins and springs and in many cases this has fixed the issue for the most part. NEF decided it was better t quit making it than to improve the gun to fire the Russian surplus. The best factory load available for these right now is Hornady steel case 50 round boxes at about 32 bucks a pop. Otherwise if you have ne of these your better off hand loading the 125gr SST or Zombie Max bullet over powder in a brass case boxer primed with standard large primers. Its what I have resorted to and its made my little Handi Rifle quite handy while your bullshitting! Its a bit heavy for such a carbine but its a tack driver out to 150-200 yards. Either of those bullets will give 10-12 inches of penetration and open very nicely at the intended speeds they were designed for. Great Hog and Deer load!!!

Savage and Ruger make a decent rifle to be sure but with .308 bores and neither recommend the use of steel cased surplus ammo IRRC. Both are kind of pricey too and neither seem to be commonly stocked in the suppliers warehouses for the dealers to purchase for retail.

Like you I am amazed at why the Market doesn't have a wider and better selection of guns out there in this caliber and more importantly one designed to use the steel cased hardened primers surplus ammo that's dirt cheap out there(5.27 for a box of 20 in FMJ or HP) compared to any other caliber other than perhaps 223. Seems like that would be a winning combination for a manufacture. It would also make for a good starter gun for a young hunter or one that was a bit recoil shy.


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## Smitty901

Another thing about the 7.62X39 is while you may hit a target once the rgae starts getting out there it won't do much when it does hit . It was designed to be a Short range round. It does what it was designed to do well.
The 5.56 in a 20 inch barrel in the right hands make 700-800 meter shots so video's like that one you have to take lightly

Another 7.62X39 bolt

http://www.rwcgroupllc.com/firearms/izmash-centerfire-rifles/40c-bars-4-1-birch-7-62-x-39


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## jimb1972

Did a little research, @400 yds .556 is traveling at 1588fps for 308 ftlbs, 7.62x39 1214 fps and 402 ftlbs. While the 7.62 is going to be harder to place on target it looks to have better terminal ballistics at longer range.


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## shootbrownelk

Seneca said:


> That's been my experience with the 7.62x39, within a reasonable range (200yds) it can be pretty accurate. I've got a bunch of new Winchester brass and Hornady 123 gr Zmax bullets I'd like to shoot through something other than an AK. I have shot the CZ 527 and thought it was pretty accurate. Even though I think the CZ rifles are a bit overpriced.


 Those CZ 527's are well built rifles, and you get what you pay for IMO. The price on them isn't too awful bad, what's overpriced is the Ruger mini-thirty's. I hear nothing but problems with people who own them. Accuracy being minute of barn-door on the ones I have experience with.


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## Salt-N-Pepper

I've put my Salty's Gun Reviews on haitus for the winter, I will do a review of my x39 bolter in the spring. I have a bunch of other guns to review as well.


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## LunaticFringeInc

Smitty901 said:


> Another thing about the 7.62X39 is while you may hit a target once the rgae starts getting out there it won't do much when it does hit . It was designed to be a Short range round. It does what it was designed to do well.
> The 5.56 in a 20 inch barrel in the right hands make 700-800 meter shots so video's like that one you have to take lightly
> 
> Another 7.62X39 bolt
> 
> Shop Izmash Rifles | 40C / Bars 4-1 Birch 7.62 X 39


Ill admit smitty that its a short range number being best at ranges under 150. With reliable expanding soft point ammo it will put a pretty good whollop on what ever it hits. Its not a black bear stopper but it will definitely put a hog o deer down at those ranges and do so pretty solidly. What I like about the cartridge is the wonderful degree of effcientcy it has. Yes I would have rather had a bolt gun in 30-30 but guns like that haven't been made in years. Yes that would have been a wonderfully efficient round too and more importantly would have had more velocity and down range energy and able to use heavier bullets. The ammo tough wouldnt be nearly as cheap as the Tula 7.62x39 which is about the most economical thing to shoot right now if your not a reloader. That being said think manufactures are really missing the boat here on what could be a very lucrative market. The fact that manufactures or very few of them will use 310 bores and make robust firing systems that will reliably light off the cheap import plinking ammo doesn't do the 7.62x39's cause much good either. NEF is a good example of that train of thought from the manufactures...they made a great little package of a gun with a 310 bore too bad they didn't upgrade the firing pin and spring and roll out something less problem prone and as such a more successful perhaps product as a result.

Again I think its a great little efficient cartridge, its cheap to buy making for a fun day at the range and there is some quality hunting grade ammo out there for it, and I think the gun manufactures are really missing the boat on this cartridge.


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## qrb912

If you still have this rifle still, I would be interested in buying it. I think I can slick up the action and make it a little better to operate.



Salt-N-Pepper said:


> I've got one with the Monte Carlo stock.
> 
> It goes bang, however I am not much of a fan of it, the bolt is sticky no matter how polished you make it and how well lubricated, and the internal magazine is cheap. Loading it is a pain in the ass. I'll make you a deal on it for any of you want it. It does shoot strait though, it works and the wood is pretty, but I would pass on one of these.


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## Smitty901

I highly doubt that a bolt action 7.62X 39 is going to shoot that much more accurate than a SKS. The round is limited and SKS just about meets it


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## Rabies

you can always get a used 308 or a savage Axis in 308 and use a 7.62x39 chamber adapter in it.


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## Smitty901

jimb1972 said:


> Did a little research, @400 yds .556 is traveling at 1588fps for 308 ftlbs, 7.62x39 1214 fps and 402 ftlbs. While the 7.62 is going to be harder to place on target it looks to have better terminal ballistics at longer range.


 Every really try to kill something at 400 yards with a 7.62x39. That is why we enjoyed the stand off range of our little m4 5.56.


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## Salt-N-Pepper

Smitty901 said:


> Every really try to kill something at 400 yards with a 7.62x39. That is why we enjoyed the stand off range of our little m4 5.56.


7.62x39 is 200 yards and in, they are entirely outclassed at 400. I've got mine set up for 150 yards, fantastic round for up close but the drop at ranges of 300+ gets crazy.


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## Smitty901

[QUOTE=Salt

That is my point. the 7.62X 39 is good at close range kill Never deny that but as the yards increase it's value drops quickly.


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## bigwheel

Why dont you snag a CVA single shot in 7mm/08? They are stacking them deep and selling them cheap at Academy Sports. Pal recently snagged one for 99 bucks out the door and the reviews on the beasts sound fairly promising. 
https://www.shootersforum.com/single-shot-rifles/70894-cva-scout-rifle.html


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## Economic Survivalist

Smitty901 said:


> 7.62X39 is not a very accurate round. It just does not make a good single shot weapon. It was designed to be Short range spray and pray. Nothing more.
> 
> Does not interest me a bit but
> 
> Cope's Distributing


I have to agree, why would you want a single shot or bolt action in 7.62x39?


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## LunaticFringeInc

Well....if you can find one that will digest the cheap Tula Ammo, then its cheap as hell to shoot them. I cant even reload it that cheap! However make no mistake about it....in a quality gun it can be pretty damned accurate with handloads and its a pretty efficient round to load up and it will anchor a deer or hog or bad guy within reasonable ranges! If you already have an AK or SKS then a bolt action or single shot thats accurate makes a good pairing up without having to stock another caliber. Now would I have rather stumbled into a Savage Bolt Action in 30-30? 8 Days a week!!!


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## Medic33

Smitty901 said:


> 7.62X39 is not a very accurate round. It just does not make a good single shot weapon. It was designed to be Short range spray and pray. Nothing more.
> 
> Does not interest me a bit but
> 
> Cope's Distributing


what are you smoking smitty, because that is a false statement i'll put a sub 1 inch group on your [email protected] 100 yards with my bolt action 7.62x39 all day long.


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## LunaticFringeInc

When you use cheap "surplus" and shoot it through cheap AK's and Surplus SKS's, you got a pretty solid leg to stand on, your right it aint all that accurate. Load it with decent ammo with a proper diameter bullet for the bore of the gun your using and it can be quiet accurate with in the confines of reasonable ranges for the round. My Handi in this caliber using the Hornady steel cased ammo with standard hardness primers and a .310 diameter Hornady 123 gr SST/Z-Max bullets can turn out some pretty small groups at 100 yards all day long. Now that ammo is about 35.00 bucks a 50 round box so I reload it a lot cheaper than that in brass cases for considerably less when I need something better than plinking ammo.


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## bigwheel

Yikes we might need a kelvar helmet on this deal.


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## Smitty901

Medic33 said:


> what are you smoking smitty, because that is a false statement i'll put a sub 1 inch group on your [email protected] 100 yards with my bolt action 7.62x39 all day long.


100 yards is nothing I can hit 75 with my 357 revolver. The 7.62X39 is a short range killer nothing more It is limited just as the loved 30-30 is


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## LunaticFringeInc

Short range....okay, but I would consider 200 yards to be a little more like moderate ranges that out class a hot 357 or 44 mag load by a good bit in a handgun and hot on the heels of the 30-30 out of a 4 inch longer barrel, more powder and a 25gr heavier bullet with more momentum.

Hornady list the 7.62x39 as follows with a 200 yard zero...

velocity 

Muzzle 100 200 300
2360 2349 1764 1511

energy

Muzzle 100 200 300
1521 1147 850 623




357 Mag 8 inch barrel

velocity at 100 yards 1072 Energy 403 Drop not listed at 100 yards

With the 7.62x39 I am quite comfortable at taking a 150-200 yard shot at a Texas sized Deer or a 300 lbs Hog, hitting very close to my point of aim and dropping it. Not sure I would wanna try that in a 357 rifle , much less a handgun beyond 100 yards max. Velocity to get it there, calculate hold over is not near a issue as will it have enough energy when it gets there to get the job done cleanly. The 7.62x39 at 200 yards has about 700 fps more than the 357 does at 100 yards and double the FPE at 200 than the 357 has at just half that distance. Not apples to apples comparison but I am gonna go out on a limb and say that the 7.62 x 39 has about double the range of a hot 357 load. While that doesnt make it a long range number, I think it qualifies itself as more than just a short range number like the 357 or 44 Mag. Besides how many folks "really shoot" beyond 200 yards and actually put a bullet right where they wanted it to land? 200 yards for MOST, not all, shooters is a long shot! As someone who has guided hunters on our property for deer, I am gonna stick by that last statement all day long as I have never seen so many folks show up with a 7mm Rem Mag, 300 Win Mag or 338 Win Mag and not be able to even hit a paper plate at 100 yards. But you give them a loaner 243 and guess what...most can hit that paper plate all of the sudden out to 100 yards and many out to 300 yards! In a decent gun, I will stand by the 7.62x39 out to 200 yards as an effective game getter with mild recoil in a efficient package with mild recoil and realatively cheap ammo. For most folks thats a winning combination in a gun.


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