Is 7.62x39 REALLY better than .30-30 for deer hunting??? In this video I talk about all the facts and explain...... Subscribe HERE: bit.ly/2xQ9ap2 Follow on Instagram HERE: instagram.com/mrwho_tee_who_ Follow on Facebook HERE: facebook.com/WHOTEEWHO/ Follow on Twitter HERE: twitter.com/realwhoteewho Patreon HERE: www.patreon.com/whoteewho
As always great video! Interesting comparison though. But, I wonder what the comparison would look like if Hornady Leverevolution ammo was used in the 30-30.
@@steveletson6616 Yes all indications are that those flat or round nose bullets have excellent terminal ballistics. The old buffalo cartridges were slow, blunt, high SD hunks of lead that penetrated deeply and tore up everything in their path. The beauty of the 30-30 is that it retained much of that benefit and added enough velocity to get hydrostatic shock too.
More or less the 30-30 is doing the same thing with a heavier bullet. Also as others have said you can load the 30-30 to significantly better performance than 7.62x39. Hornady lever revolution being a store bought example. But it really isn't going to make much difference to a deer at 100 or so yards. Also no 7.62x39 lever guns. For a fairly lengthy time in history the 30-30 was the most widely spread and most commonly used caliber for deer hunting. It was cheap, readily available and it just plain worked. Everyone had one. It has a massive head start on lots of other calibers. So at one point it did kill not just deer but more game animals period than any other caliber. That's where that came from. I'm sure others have caught up by now.
@@devooski4751well there’s the controversy there now, you’re using a cartridge not intended for moose hunting because typical hunting bullets won’t do the job penetrating. So to counter that you’re using FMJs, that are the worst ones you can use to hunt, because of your personal choice to use a 7.62x39.. you’re throwing ethics out the window when there’s waaaaay better options out there to kill a moose… get at least a .308, 7mm-08, heck a .270. Leave that tiny cartridge for deer or plinking.
Own 2 marlin 30-30’s, one belonged to my dad and Papaw, I took my first deer with in 1995 and own a second my dad bought me in 1996 so I could have a deer rifle. Took my first buck with it. Can’t beat them old Marlins!
I've always liked the 7.62x39 and I've known it beats the 30-30 for many years. The spire point bullets retain velocity/energy better at distance, but the Leverevolution loads greatly improved modern 30-30 performance.
The point is the point😉 I have a 30-30 single shot. Loaded with a 125 gr spitzer it gets 200 FPS more than the 7.62 x 39. The mini-thirty is still a fine deer rifle though. It's also worth noting that the factory 30-30 rounds are de-powered to 42,000 psi in deference to the many very old rifles still in use. The 7-30 Waters and the 360 Buckhammer run at 50,000 psi with the same case because those lever-actions are not worn out yet.
@@mikespangler98 Yes, but Imo, this is mostly saying that the x39 is in the mix and can be better than several common 30-30 loads. He illustrated that well.
Ruger Mini 30 (7.62x39) was marketed as a deer hunting rifle in 1987. Between my son and I we’ve taken three bucks with it. Two dropped in there tracks. The third ran 100yds after a bad shot. Still got him.
You beat me to it friend! The Mini-30 is a Great Rifle that can fulfill a lot of duties. It has Quality, Reliability, Durability and Shoot ability. Plus it's a Beauty
Colt also markets a 7.62x39 AR15 with 8 round and 5 round magazines for hunting. They used to sell it in both 20 inch barrel and 16 inch barrel versions, but only sell the 16 inch barrel version now. The Ruger Mini 30 used to be a lot cheaper, but is only slightly cheaper now. Ruger has upgraded the barrel, but a friend has an original one he bought in the 80's and it shoots well. I bought a two tone Ruger M77 MkII in 7.62x39. I hand load and reload for it. I've never used steel case ammo.
Underrated comment. For me, this is one of the most important things I consider choosing a chambering. I like practicing A LOT with my gear, and some of those high pressure cartridges wear out barrels in 1000-2000 rounds. So you either have to drop cash on barrels, or “baby” your gear and “save it” for the hunts. Having said all that, it’s important to note that .308 is also a cartridge that is fairly low pressure and won’t wear out a barrel fast at all.
@@helterskelter156 Plus, good luck ever being able to get enough ammo to shoot 1000-2000 rounds of .300 win mag off! Military rifle cartridges are so much cheaper.
I’ve been using a CZ 527 in 762x39 for a few years now. Most stand hunting I do in Indiana-it covers everything inside 150 yards with ease. It’s light weight and fast and I’ve taken several deer with it. One of these days-I’ll pass it down to my daughter! Excellent short range deer cartridge.
Both the SKS, the AK, AND the levergun 30-30 are extremely popular in Florida. Bullet selection makes the 30-30 a bit better in maybe some circumstances where a heavier slug might be an advantage, but the x39 kinda punches above its weight, even if the cheap softies break up on impact sometimes. They all work pretty decent on gators, bears, hogs, deer, you name it!
The reason the 30 30 is the most deer killing round is because of 2 reason is simply this it was affordable and available when I was a child 60 years ago you could get a 30 30 just buy filling up your car with gas s&h green stamps which was given to you by gas dealers you could get either a Winchester 94 and for a few books more a Marline 36 and you could get these guns at Sears Montgomery Wards WESTERN AUTO and thousands of hardware stores across the nation and add the fact it was the cheapest ammo out there explains that statement
I’ve taken deer with both. My first deer ever was with a bubba’d-up SKS (7.62x39mm) with a wooden thumbhole stock and iron sights. The shot was double lung at about 30 yards. The deer ran 75 yards and died. It worked great! My experience with the 30-30 was nearly identical. Winchester white box soft-point ammo was used for both. For a Northwoods whitetail hunter, either cartridge will get the job done for most hunting scenarios you will encounter. That being said, if you hunt over large agricultural fields or vast swamps, neither cartridge would be my first choice.
Yeah man you are absolutely right about that in lot of peoples minds the 7.62x39 is dirty round and they don’t even consider taking deer with it I have CZ in that caliber and I call it pig gun although it’s crazy accurate even with that cheap steel cased ammo ( not cheap anymore)
My cousin has that bolt gun and not only is it gorgeous like most things CZ, but it can routinely group with rounds touching at 100 yards. It will make a believer out of anybody who thought 7.62x39 isn't an accurate round. I want one. Also very mild recoil. My 6.5 CM Tikka kicks much harder. Capable deer gun.
The reason they say that about the 30-30 is that it’s been around forever. There’s much better rounds now and more coming out everyday. Good video! Very eye opening. Keep up the good work
Said it many times before on your videos comment section but I'm saying it again lol. My first rifle I got on Christmas morning at 13yrs old and that rifle is a Marlin 336 30-30 lever and it has a nothing fancy Bushnell scope and it's slinging 170gr Core-Lokts because that's what it liked, and it has given me many years of success while hunting whitetail deer here in the Northeast. My father over the years tried to get me to buy something else in a bigger caliber and in a bolt but I absolutely love my 30-30 and because it's been so good to me I won't go with anything else. If I go for elk, caribou and so on I would but I don't see that happening anytime soon so my Marlin and I will remain hunting partners lol. Anyways thanks for sharing this great content with us all WTW and I hope/pray all is well with you and the family. 🙏🙏
“Everyone loves the .30-.30…” primarily because damn near everyone’s dad, uncle or papa owned, hunted and shared his .30-.30 with the next generation. The lever action is timeless and that round does everything one would need out to 100 yards.
The first deer I killed with a rifle (first 2 deer were with 12 gauge buck shot) was with my grand-dad's Winchester 94 in .30-30. It was a small doe and only about 50 yards away, but it was with factory open sights and it dropped her right where she stood. I've got double lung shots that nicked the heart with a .30-06 and they ran 50+ yards. Granted that was at 250 yards
When you consider the .30-30 was introduced in 1895 and was the first smokless powder hunting cartridge and was very popular from the begining, it is very probable that more deer have been taken with that cartridge in North America. That is paraphased from the Lyman Reloading Manual #50.
I’ve hunted whitetails with a 336c Marlin 30-30 for 48 years now. Harvested all with one shot. Average shots were at 75 yards. Never lost a animal and usually tracked less than 50 yards. Reason I like the 30-30 is the bullet drop. I just felt if I missed the bullet would safely hit the ground at around 250 yards.
I've seen many deer shot by friends with the 7.62x39 out of an SKS and was not impressed at all with the killing power. All of the deer they shot ran a good ways. I'll take the marlin 336 in 30-30 shooting 170 grain bullets any day over any rifle shooting 7.62x39.
I think depending ammo and grain theyre about the same tbh. I prefer 7.62 strictly for price , practice and availability. Both will take a deer no prob within 100yds. Im in the woods of PA so CZ527 is my choice. My good friend uses his marlin 30-30 lever gun.Both work great whoteee!
I hunt in WV with a CZ in 7.62x39 …. I use it with open sights. It’s a great, lightweight rifle that serves me well in brush and open meadows out to 125 yards. I use a scoped 71’ Ruger in .25-06 for longer range shots out to 400 yards.
One thing to take into consideration is the age of the cartridges as well as bullet designs. The 30-30 was introduced in 1895 by John Browning originally just called the 30 Winchester center-fire. Whereas the 7.62x 39 wasn't even a thing till Nikolai Kolesnikov knocked off the 7.62x33 (8mm Kurz) from the Germans in the later part of WW2 ( like any good Russian would do). The bullet design of the 30-30 doesn't lend itself well ballistically because it has to have a round or flat nose otherwise you will get cartridge detonation inside of the tubular magazine. But who cares as it lends itself quite well in the light weight handy lever action platforms. I also think the saying about it taking more deer than any other cartridge was because the Winchester 94 was the poor man's rifle and very common for a very long time. Doesn't mean it's true today but for the better part of 45 years (and maybe longer) we are talking about most people owning one and hunting with it. So it's quite possible that it has taken more deer in the early 1900s. Probably isn't true for the later half of the last century. Problem is, there is no way to get any data on it as keeping data on such a thing wasn't what Americans troubled themselves with back in the day. That's more of a modern Internet adaptation. Personally I love the compact handy design of the lever actions( I also prefer Iron sights.) Not saying the 7.62x 39 or the 30-30 is bad or good, just saying there is a good 50 years difference between the two cartridges and both were designed to do different things entirely. One a military application the other hunting. Good comparison of the two in your video though. 👍
The inventors name was actually Mikhail Kalashnikov, a WW2 tank commander turned weapon designer. AK stood for "avtomat Kalashnikov" (in English). I detect a little cynicism in your comment regarding "as any good Russian would do". That Russian took a good German design and made it the most popular rifle in the world. Also, the Ruskies beat the US into space and they also detonated the largest nuke ever developed in 1960 (50 megatons). They also took the German design of the multiple rocket launcher called the 'nebelwarfer' (6 tube tow behind) and improved the hell out of it called the 'katyusha rocket' that one battery is capable of saturating an area of 10 football fields with the equivalent of 70 arty pieces in 10 seconds. All of those MRL's you see on the news in Ukraine for example was a Russian invention. The US copied the design. Its easy to poke fun at them however they have developed numerous effective military weapons and lest we forget Russia is the only other country on earth that could turn much of the populated US into a glass parking lot in less than a day - if (hopefully not) it would come to that. Sure, we could return the favor at the expense of wiping out 2/3 of the world's population with an all out nuclear exchange. This video is not intended to be political, however, the overwhelming majority of Americans have absolutely no clue what the (dumbass) Biden administration is fartin' around with over there. The US and the Soviet Union spent decades developing treaties, however, now ever since the breakup of the USSR we've thrown caution to the wind. All it takes is one accident or miscalculation and we're all gone.
My first deer was taken with a 30-30 that was when I was a teenager. After I got an SKS I fell in love with the 7.62x39MM where I was hunting it was the perfect round. My favorite is .308 and it's the best battle round also.
In Canada it’s kind of difficult to get Tula and Wolf but we have PPU in pointed soft point which performs quite well (compared to Sellier and Bellot SP) Remington Core Lokt and other American munition such as the Winchester or Hornady unfortunately don’t seem to be perform as accurately in my 527
I've killed Many whitetail deer and hog with my Mini-30. I do my own reloading and found the Barnes 123 grain TSX is phenomenal . I've got a B&C score 171 on an 8 point that was DRT at 120 yards. Here in Arkansas that's a good score. Not a long shot by any means, but a high shoulder shot put him down. Thank you Adam for covering an "odd" caliber.
I have a buddy that uses an AK for brush hunting deer and hogs. As kids it was a SKS. He does very well with it. But I haven't thought about it in a bolt gun. With PSA building decent AKs and now talking about making quality ammo with modern bullets, this can be a real good option. And really good around a farm.
Winchester model 94 has always been so handy. Handling is equal or better using 7.62x39 in the Ruger American Ranch. Scope mounting options are much more vast with the ruger. Adam…man I love your channel. Thank ya for all of your great content. Makes us happy. I sure would like to see that ruger with very low scope mount. That would improve the cheek weld and make the overall package more handy. Thoughtful Vid. Well done!
If you have some of the Russian steel cased 7.62x39 jacketed hollow point ammo that was available cheap years ago, it works good for deer. I took a young doe at about 100 yards several years back with an SKS...double lung, grievous exit wound. I duplicated the ballistics in a 30/30 loading using 130 grain spire point hollow point bullets...took a young 150-pound feral boar hog just this morning in my pasture at about 75 yards. Dropped in its tracks.
I am fortunate enough to still have some of this but i didnt know how good it was for hunting so a lot of it got shot off before i saw someone do testing on ballistic gel here on RUclips. Now Ive got it all set aside for hunting purposes. It is actually labeled as hunting ammo but from what i understand most cheap hollow point hunting ammo made in that part of the world did not preform very well but the blue and white box 124gr HP made by state unitary enterprise in Russia is what you want to save for hunting if you have any
762x39 is a great round for me to plink with . Steel core surplus ammo was cheap when I bought my SKS and it never ceases to amaze me what they will go through .
Excellent topic. Believe it or not I have taken whitetail in Michigan with both a 3030 Winchester and a Romanian Wasr chambered and 762 by 39. Needless to say performance was very similar on both and harvest of the deer was in an ethical and effective manner. One thing I will note is that the 3030 Winchester has more brush gun characteristics and performance. The 762 by 39 In my opinion Would deviate in the event that it hit brush more than a 30-30. Obviously they are limited to energy and effective range between 200 and 300 yd.
I use a Ruger American 7.62x39 for varmint duty. It's a tack driver. Going to get some good hunting ammo and take it deer hunting this year. Great woods gun
If you compare 7.62x39 ballistics to the Leverevolution, the Leverevolution blows the 7.62x39 out of the water. Factory ammo from Hornady. 140 grain Leverevolution carries energy over 1,000 ft-lb out to 225 yards. 7.62x39 only carries it to 150 yards. At 200 yards the 140 grain Leverevolution drops 5.98 inches 7.62x39 drops 6.62. Step up to the 160 grain Leverevolution and it carries 1,000 ft-lb to 300 yards. At 300 yards the 160 grain drops 21.62 inches, the 7.62x39 drops 23.81 inches. My dad has a Savage 340 Bolt action with box magazine in 30-30. He loads 150 grain Interlock Spire point bullets for it pushing 2300 fps. He's killed deer with it at 150 yards. I would say it's limit is about 200 yards.
On the "most taken" topic, I imagine pointy sticks and flint points have 1000s of years of deer and buffalo catching under their belts. If somebody has a 30-30 they don't "need" to get another gun to harvest deer at reasonable distances. Same is true for 7.62×39. The test would be if they can keep every shot in the vitals at the ranges hunted. Your Ruger American certainly has that capability in your hands. Looking forward to seeing you catch a deer with it. I am trying to catch one with my AR version, using some Russion heavy soft points, & maybe some hogs too.😊
In addition to my Ruger American in 7.62x39, I have an AR chambered in it too. Most deer taken here in the woods are within 100 yards. Both platforms are great for defense and hunting. It's a great caliber
@@mainebigfoothunter7088 Indeed, as are "do all" cartridges like .30-06 and .308 Win. The bolt guns - levers, pumps, and single/doubles, too - have one HUGE advantage over the gassers, and that is they may be loaded lighter, or hotter(within max spec.), without worrying about the action malfunctioning. Best of luck taking more game this season.
Hard to argue with the numbers. That said, it would be interesting to see how the Hornady LeverEvolution 30-30 ammo compares. It shoots a heavier (160 grain) bullet using modern propellants. I tried a box in a Model 94 and was shocked to see how much flatter it shoots than the standard loads for this old workhorse. We regularly have the opportunity to take longer shots in Alberta. My go-to hunting choices are conventional (7x57, 270 Win, 308, 30-06, 257 Roberts and so on). The 30-30 was never intended as a long distance hunting round, but it was a pleasant surprise to see how easy it was to hit the 8" steel plate at 200 yards with Hornady's revolutionary take on the old 30-30 WCF. It would be great to see you do a review of this ammo.
He's just picking bullets that show what he wants to be true... You can get 30-30 in 125gr. And you can get 7.62 in 150gr. They perform basically the same... That being said the new lever action ammo Hornady makes for 30-30 takes the prize
The 30-30 chambered in the Winchester model 94 has always been my personal jewel. I was uglier than a possum under a trailer truck tire before I started shooting the 30-30. You should see me now. 🤣😂😉
Handloaded 150gr SST in the 7.62x39, out of my 20" 7.62x39 (AR-15 upper), delivers over 2250 fps, over 1000 ft-lbs at 300 yards thanks to improved BC. It smokes the 30-30 like a cheap cigar.
Here's that datapoint: "The 30-30 was the first American small bore sporting rifle cartridge loaded with smokeless powder. It appeared in 1895, with the new Winchester Model 94 lever action. ... The short, light, compact carbines giving very low recoil were responsible for the wide popularity of the 30-30. These carbines have accounted for more venison on American tables than any other arm." Speer Reloading Manual Number #11; Omark Industries, Inc. 1987; page 201. Good report. I have always appreciated the 7.62x39, and with its spitzer bullets, thick brass cases & my Ruger Mini-30, got some pretty stout performance out of it with handloads. These days, I'm enamored with the .400 Legend. It double-stacks in an AR magazine and handloads with 215 grain bullets having an MV 2,350 fps/ME 2,636 ft-lbs, it delivers better than 1,000 ft-lbs out to 300 yards, which is plenty for the woods around here in Oregon.
I took a 10 points with a SKS with a scope . My scope mount was drilled and tapped into the receiver . It was just right for 100 yds but it could shoot about 4 inches at 300 . That was a Norinco later I had a Russian but never messed it up adding mods to it . If you add a scope you must convert to magazine clips and add a shell deflector .
I got 2 bucks last year with Hornady SST 123gr, I push them at 2500fps. 7,62x39 is a great option for short range deer hunting. I have a CZ527, short and lightweight, open sight, its probably my best deer setup.
I think Lever evolution in 30-30 will change all of those charts by a Lot. Interesting comparisons though and awesome timing, as I just received a new 7.62x39 upper for my AR. Going to check out the Hornady Black very soon!
Exactly what I was thinking when I watch this video it would have definitely been a different outcome have nothing against either caliber have took deer with both took a buck last year with a 30-30 that I hadn't took in the woods since the early 80s dad's gun so I'll never get rid of it generally take the 270 Whitetail Kryptonite
For most hunting situations ( where I've hunted at) No special ammunition is needed. The regular old flat point or round nose 30/30 ammunition like they've been selling for decades will work just fine and reliably kill deer. Any of the Remington or Winchester or Federal ammo from wallyworld will do just fine if you do your part
The level Revolution makes a big difference also if you reload 125 to 130 grain bullet for 3030 you'll get better performance over the 7.62 x39 with the added velocity
If youre handloading for a bolt gun you can take either the 30-30/x39 up into some much more effective and "flatter" (not flat, just more flat shooting than factory loads) and considerably harder hitting cartridge choice...
The performance gap would be even greater if the 7.62x39 was fired out of a 20 inch barrel…and then test bullets like leverevolution from the 30-30…..but you gotta race with what you brought to the track!! Good video keep it up
I've used 30 30 and 7.62x39, and the 30 30 is superior, especially with the 170 grain bullet. The 7.62x39 is ok with the barnes tsx, but sketchy with anything else. I'm using the 7.62x39 inside 100 yards. I wouldn't trust it beyond that. The 30 30 is so effective due to the sectional density of the 170 grain bullet.
Growing up and hunting in NYS, I had to use a 20 ga or 12 ha slug gun where I lived. But, when we went to my grandfather's in the Adirondack mountains we could use rifles. My grandfather would use his Win 1892 in 38-40, my dad would use his Win 94 in 32 Special, and my brother and I got to use Win 1894s in 30-30. Ammo of choice for us was 170 gr soft points. We could take 2 bear and 2 deer each. Now, if one of us got a deer or bear, that was it, we just split it up and called it good. Most of the hunting ranges in those thick woods was 35 yds or less. Good luck and stay safe!!! 😉😉😉
This man did the math. Saw the drop, thought “yeah but what about…” saw the ftlbs. Interesting comparison, interesting data. Really 7.62x54r, .308, and 8mm are the end of .30 cal I’m into for deer, but x39 looks viable inside 100yds. Not terribly surprising but nice too see.
My Ruger American Ranch in 7.62x39 is a beast and shoots just about everything. To my surprise the Winchester Deer Season XP is grouping at 1/2 inch at 100 yards it is nuts!
I have used both. Actually the last few years ive been using the Ruger American in 762x39. Originally used Hornady black. The price moved me over to the 154 gr soft point steel cased. Most of my shots are less than 75 yards. Even with the recent increase in 762 prices, its still cheaper than 30 30. I like to practice and the 762 allows me to do that at a fraction of the cost. Don't get me wrong. I like the 30 30. However, I keep using the Ruger in 762x39.
@@takumisato7126 I have no issues with the 154s All were complete pass thrus. I have had the 124s stop just under the skin on the off side several times. Where I hunt both work.
one more advantage of 7.62x39 , in a ruger action , it can be handloaded up to 308 pressure levels safely , further boosting its power ..... then bullets like the 110 Barnes x bullet can be used to increase the velocity even more and flatten things out ..... making 300 yard shots very easy
I think the .303 brit has taken WAAAAAAAAAY more game than the 30-30. Many many South African hunters in the northern provinces use .303 in the thick bush
Took my last 3 deer (1 buck, 2 doe), ranging from 50 -117 yards with the 7.62x39 soft points out of the Ruger American Ranch. Furthest one ran was 40 yards, straight down hill. Has nothing to do with “knockdown power”. It’s about ease of shot placement. When nobody could get ammo, I went in the other direction and bought a rifle for what I had. Fell in love with the round. No issues inside 150 yards.
I’ve used the 7.62 X 39 for deer for several years now. Don’t need more than that at the distances I hunt. Mostly under 120 yards. Plus the round will hit the ground before leaving my property. A big bore airgun would work great for me if it was legal here in Northern Minnesota.
Was at a buddy's farm and we were shooting targets for fun (surplus trash ammo) and the FMJs were sailing through 16 inch hardwood blocks we had as a backstop infront of a dirt mound. Def wouldn't recommend hunting with them unless it's life or death. Great info, love rhe 7.62x39 round...
Similar velocities. Really it's the rifle that defines the differences in these. Generally 30-30 is a lever action cartridge and it is range limited by the flat nose. SKS is great for deer with that long barrel. A lever gun is light an maneuverable. Cannot really make a bad choice here. You might as well throw 300 blackout into this discussion too.
Interesting. Sidenote when I was in Columbia South America, I saw the soldiers caring 3030 rounds inside of something like an HK 91 he showed me the head stamp, and it said 33rd at it and it said Winchester so just to let you know we make ballistic tip rounds that are made for for other foreign militaries
@@nicholasnapier2684 I think you're confusing similar metric designations for two different rounds. The HK91 was chambered for the .308 Winchester. You cannot load the .30-30 round into a gun chambered for .308 Winchester, unless you REALLY force it. Either way, the end results will not be good. However, it migt be easy to mistake one for the other, if you're simply looking at Metric Designations for those cartridges. The metric designation for the .308 round is 7.62x51. The Metric designation for the .30-30 is 7.62x51R. Very important letter, "R". Differentiates two very different rounds that, upon a casual glance, could appear to have the same metric designation. R. "R". ARRRRRR!!!!
I’ve taken a lot of deer over the years. My longest shot ever was seventy (70) yards as I hunt in some pretty deep cover. I would estimate my average shot at 50 yards. My closest ever was 5 yards with a Springfield XD 45. That shot came when I had a 6 pointer walk right up to my ground blind. Years ago, I bought several cases of Wolf hollow points. I may be taking my SKS into the woods this year.
Try putting a 170 gr bullet in that 7.62x39 and see how it does. Now that we have tube mag safe spitzers the range limitation no longer applies.. with light bullets they are in the same category but when you wan't serious penetration the old thuty thuty wins hands down.
I don't have the 'etched in stone' proof but, I do believe that the 30-30 has taken more deer than any other cartridge. Simply because it was introduced in 1895 and there were a lot more people who owned and used lever guns than any other type, back then. That rifle and caliber remained popular well up into the 1900s and is still popular today. Back in the 50s and 60s my dad took several deer with a lever gun. His was a Savage 99 and sadly, I don't know what caliber it was chambered in. I've never owned a 30-30 but I do have an AR-15 chambered in 7.62X39. It's a good shooting rifle and has , so far, been totally reliable. Thanks for another 'fun' and interesting video.
I can see what you're saying, and might be true for deer taken with a license, but I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that .22LR takes the cake truth be told......Lol
@@davidcatlin1970 I'd take that bet, except my doctor says I'm not supposed to have doughnuts. (I'll bet she eats doughnuts, though) I'm talking ever since people have hunted deer in this country. Before any other guns / calibers came into wide use, the vast majority were with a 30-30. Deer can be taken with a .22 (not legally) but it's not as easy or reliable as with a larger, more powerful cartridge.
I was making this same comparison with some coworkers. Depsite being two very different cartidges, both are very similar in energy on target. I was looking at a mini 14 in 7.62x39 and had thought it would make an axcellent hunting/sporting rifle.
@@WHOTEEWHO I haven't owned a 30-30 since mid 70's when I went to a Rem. 742 30-06. Have four AR's in 7.62x39. Love the cost of ammo, and most I have is 125 and 154 all soft points, which are now hard to find, so finding a hunting bullet in 7.62x39 is a chore, and just about every 30-30 cartridge does have a hunting bullet on it, although expensive. I'd have to say, there is nothing more woods and hand friendly than a vintage Winchester or Marlin lever action, especially on a cold day. The AR however is tacticool...either cartridge will get things done. Use what you " brung. "
@WHOTEEWHO love your channel guess apart from other channels your demeanor speaks to me 😂. I agree with you on all points here. I'd like to throw this out there that the 30-30 like the 4570 sucks on paper but can't argue with results in the field. Here's my example: 3030 is throwing a heavier projectile than $k$, would you like me to drop a pebble on your big toe or a bigger rock on your big toe from the same distance (remember gravity they're dropping at the same speed), it's momentum. And the other thing about urban legend more deer taken with, that may have been true up to a point in time because it came out in 1894 and was a convenient brass cartridge (30 cal/30 grains blk pwdr.), and was the first convenient repeater to transition over to smokeless making it everybody's go to for about 70yrs, that's a big head start not to mention all my folks lived through the great depression and that all they could afford and that's how they feed their families, I know, I be here if they hadn't. Deer meat is nutritious 😊
Great Video! Your Fuddlore comment is hilarious, I'm old enough to be a Fudd (61) but really try not to be and I try to stay openminded in regards to guns and shooting.
If one can find Real 8M3 7.62x39 it’s an easy choice for me because of the platforms you can shoot it out of. However .30-.30 is usually limited to lever guns.
The 1000 lbs/ft of energy for taking deer definitely falls into the category of Fudd lore, especially since muzzle energy doesn’t correlate to striking power.
Well done, love your insight into the different details of the rounds. I still and guess I always will be a Marlin 35 REM (200 gr.) or 30-30 win (170 gr.) as my go to here in Central Kentucky. Maybe someday I’ll venture out of my comfort zone and get a .308 win just for the off chance there is a uprising and I need to reach further than I can see 👀 with these old cowboy 🤠 eyes. Love you videos and may God bless and protect you and your family.
Who tee, just wanted to follow up to my previous comment here. I took a doe from about 90-95 yards with my Ruger American Ranch 7.62x39 a bit earlier this week. The PPU soft point ammo I have worked perfectly and did some massive damage to a front leg. The expanded bullet was found under the far side of the hide, worked very much like any American made brand of soft points. My scope on it is a leupold 1.5-4 power sitting in vortex rings. Thing is a shooter
The age old topic has another factor. The old 30-30 has a few select loadings. The bullets are specifically designed to expand and penatrate as designed at specific velocities and ranges. They do this perfectly. The Russian load that I also love is a shit show when it comes to performance variables. The old 30-30 is reliable with nearly all loads on deer or elk
Yes, I would take the 300 blackout over the 7.62x39 just for bullet selection. also it's not fair to put 125 gr bullet against 150gr to compare bullet drop.
You should compare the Remington Managed-Recoil .30-30 Winchester 125 Grain Core-Lokt Soft Point and the 140 Grain Leverevolution fot drop and energy as they are closer in bullet weight.
Weight has nothing to do with bullet drop when they all start with about the same muzzle velocity. And higher energy up close didn't help either when it came only from increased mass. The 30-30 rounds here had higher friction and more heat loss. Faster bullets at the same mass as the 7.62x39s would be better, to a point. From NASA (because why not lol) _The Apollo 15 Hammer-Feather Drop_ _Because they were essentially in a vacuum, there was no air resistance and the feather fell at the same rate as the hammer, as Galileo had concluded hundreds of years before - all objects released together fall at the same rate regardless of mass._
Sellier and Bellot make a absolutely fantastic 7.62 x39 round nose soft point hunting bullet. That things expands like nothing else. A buddy in my camp uses it in his ranch rifle under 200. Man does it work awesome for hunting. Try to find some guys. The best round we've seen for this. Hits like a bloody truck. That round nose looks like a bowling ball in the deer. Sheesh
I will be hunting with a Ruger American Ranch in 7.62x39 and a Ruger 6.5 Creedmoor in the upcoming deer season. I'm excited to see how it turns out. We have a long season in Arkansas with a four deer limit. There a lot of vids showing how effective these cartridges can be. With the right ammo this should be an interested deer season. I'll be using an Athlon and a Riton scope. As always with any firearm, shot placement is what matters most. Also, where I hunt a 150 yd. shot is rare. Most shots are less than 100 yds. Another great video.
I own 2 Ruger Americans in 7.62x39. My wife and son love them. Between the three of us we have taken more deer, both doe and bucks then we have with any other rifles we have..being supressed and able to load Makers solid copper T-Rex bullets in them..they are just deer and hog slayers. Great video.
I would choose 6.5 Grendel over either of those...but I would also hunt with both of the...lol The 7.62x39 would be more interesting if the bullet diameter was .308 instead of .312.
A fun video. I have neither the 7.62x39 nor the 30-30. I am considering AR/AK and bolt rifles chambered in a standard AR/AK cartridge, so for me a cool comparison video would be 7.62x39 vs 6.5 Grendel. I find myself liking the specs I see on the 6.5 Grendel but the 7.62x39 does have some appeal.
Bought the exact rifle due to ur videos and love this tack driver also got .308 & 6.5 cm Rugers American & Predator because of ur videos and all are just as accurate 💪🏼
Adam we love your channel because of all the great information that you deliver it’s always rock solid. I think “ a really fun video” would be if you could make one on Fudd Lore .
SKS shooter here. I saved all my SP and HP for hunting and practice with all the FMJ. At the range I use the iron sights on the hundred yard target and I silence most of the scope users.😊
Part of the velocity and bullet drop of the .30-30 is due to its flat nose shape that is needed to prevent a chain fire from occurring in the magazine of a typical lever action rifle. BTW - Great presentation, I had not a clue about the 7.62 x. 39.
I built an ar15 several years ago in 762x39 back when ammo was super cheap. It has been sitting in the back of the safe for 3 or 4 years. I think it 's about time to look at taking it to the deer woods.
Last year I used Barnaul 7.62x39 123 Grain Hollow Points, The deers front legs went out and it kicked with its rear for 15 feet until it dropped, It also left a massive blood trail.
The "more deer" saying was actually from the game departments. Don't know how you would get ahold of the info, but somewhere around in the 70's (maybe 60's), the game departments asked "what did you use?". Several years of answers collected, and the data was extrapolated to include how long the 30-30 has been around. Don't remember exactly, but the 30-30 was something like twice or three times as much as other cartridges. If such data were collected today, it's possible that another answer might result, but that's where that saying came from. Regarding the 1000 foot pounds, that came from a couple of gun gurus back in the day. They kept getting questioned about "how far", "what caliber", and etc. So they got together to compare notes on their hunting experiences, and what worked. They then put out the 1000 fpe as a guide for successful, ethical harvesting of deer. It's actually a quite good figure to use as a guide, which is probably why everyone cites it.
Nosler's 125 grain Balistic Tip bullets, at 2330 FPS work very well for me. Also Sierra's 135 grain Single Shot Pistol bullet, at 2270 FPS assures expansion at these velocities.
I'm actually using my Ruger american ranch in 7.62x39 for whitetail this year in PA! Looks like I'll be picking up 7.62x39 Winchester super X for it, thats a pretty impressive round!
The 7.62x39 is a favorite caliber for me. In a AR-47 the recoil is minimal and was hitting steel at 300 yards with a primary arms ACSS scope every time. I just bought 100 rounds of PPU soft points last night to try out after seeing the preview of this video.
7.62x39 has two big things going for it: Pointy bullets and it fits an AR platform. If you can put pointy bullets at 125 grains in a thirty-thirty, the .30-.30 will outperform the 7.62x39. One other advantage of the 7.62x39 is the capacity of the magazine. That gives you 29 extra shots to kill a deer in case you can't shoot worth a dang. All of my deer I got with one shot, most of them with a model 1895 Winchester. That being said, I have been seriously considering a Ruger American in 7.62x39 for awhile now. Then some one comes up with a good argument for the 6.5 Creedmore. Crap. Back to the drawing board. Maybe I should reconsider the Ruger #1 Classic in 7x57mm.
I live in Ga at this time and I have used a 30/06for years. I started using the o6 when I lived in Wyoming. I had a 30/30 I carried on the horse and told people I was going to hunt deer and Antilope with it everybody laughed saying why don't you throw rocks at them so I bought a 30/06. Down thru the years I have also hunter larger game with a 300 win mag, Good gun . I am 78 years old and have owned many different guns but the o6 is good for Ga, The 308.7/08; 243 also very good .
I am not surprised. I like the 7.62x39 in various guns. My idea in the past was to compare the 7.62x39, the 300 Black Out, and the 6.5 Grendel. First I acquired the 7.62x39, then the 6.5 Grendel, then finally the 300 Black Out. For deer my preference is the Grendel, next the 7.62x39, then the 300 Blackout. But when in the brush hog hunting the 7.62x39, the 300 Black Out, and the 10mm in a carbine rifle are my preferences. But those choices can change with a gust of wind at my back
I used my AK with 154gr SP TULA ammo for deer hunting last year and I had no issues taking a nice Wisconsin whitetail with it. He ran maybe 40 yards. I ranged him at 135 yards.
Is 7.62x39 REALLY better than .30-30 for deer hunting??? In this video I talk about all the facts and explain......
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As always great video! Interesting comparison though. But, I wonder what the comparison would look like if Hornady Leverevolution ammo was used in the 30-30.
@@billygodfrey478 Their website has a trajectory chart. IIRC sighted 3" high at 100 yds was in the kill zone at 200.
@@steveletson6616 Yes all indications are that those flat or round nose bullets have excellent terminal ballistics.
The old buffalo cartridges were slow, blunt, high SD hunks of lead that penetrated deeply and tore up everything in their path. The beauty of the 30-30 is that it retained much of that benefit and added enough velocity to get hydrostatic shock too.
More or less the 30-30 is doing the same thing with a heavier bullet. Also as others have said you can load the 30-30 to significantly better performance than 7.62x39. Hornady lever revolution being a store bought example. But it really isn't going to make much difference to a deer at 100 or so yards. Also no 7.62x39 lever guns. For a fairly lengthy time in history the 30-30 was the most widely spread and most commonly used caliber for deer hunting. It was cheap, readily available and it just plain worked. Everyone had one. It has a massive head start on lots of other calibers. So at one point it did kill not just deer but more game animals period than any other caliber. That's where that came from. I'm sure others have caught up by now.
Very very good vidio !!!...i had a mini thirty ruger i took deer with many years ago and it worked great !!!
I took a big 11 point with a 7.62x39 last season. Went down after moving approximately 10 yards. My buddies were laughing at me for even bringing it.
Awesome
I shot a moose 50 yards with fmj 7.62x39 took couple bullets tho. It was female moose. Good close range bullet 7.62x39
@@panthermartin7784 and I get it you want expansion. It’s a moose we’re talking about not a deer or a human.
@@devooski4751 I’M
@@devooski4751well there’s the controversy there now, you’re using a cartridge not intended for moose hunting because typical hunting bullets won’t do the job penetrating. So to counter that you’re using FMJs, that are the worst ones you can use to hunt, because of your personal choice to use a 7.62x39.. you’re throwing ethics out the window when there’s waaaaay better options out there to kill a moose… get at least a .308, 7mm-08, heck a .270. Leave that tiny cartridge for deer or plinking.
If Henry ever chambered the mag feed lever gun in 7.62x39, I'd own one ASAP! LOL
Own 2 marlin 30-30’s, one belonged to my dad and Papaw, I took my first deer with in 1995 and own a second my dad bought me in 1996 so I could have a deer rifle. Took my first buck with it. Can’t beat them old Marlins!
I've always liked the 7.62x39 and I've known it beats the 30-30 for many years. The spire point bullets retain velocity/energy better at distance, but the Leverevolution loads greatly improved modern 30-30 performance.
The point is the point😉
I have a 30-30 single shot. Loaded with a 125 gr spitzer it gets 200 FPS more than the 7.62 x 39.
The mini-thirty is still a fine deer rifle though.
It's also worth noting that the factory 30-30 rounds are de-powered to 42,000 psi in deference to the many very old rifles still in use. The 7-30 Waters and the 360 Buckhammer run at 50,000 psi with the same case because those lever-actions are not worn out yet.
@@mikespangler98Very good information, thank you.
@@mikespangler98 Yes, but Imo, this is mostly saying that the x39 is in the mix and can be better than several common 30-30 loads. He illustrated that well.
@@mikespangler98 I've got 3 30-30 rifles with box magazines and all are fed 130 gr. spire points hand loads at +P. Makes a big difference.
Ruger Mini 30 (7.62x39) was marketed as a deer hunting rifle in 1987.
Between my son and I we’ve taken three bucks with it. Two dropped in there tracks. The third ran 100yds after a bad shot. Still got him.
You beat me to it friend! The Mini-30 is a Great Rifle that can fulfill a lot of duties. It has Quality, Reliability, Durability and Shoot ability. Plus it's a Beauty
Colt also markets a 7.62x39 AR15 with 8 round and 5 round magazines for hunting. They used to sell it in both 20 inch barrel and 16 inch barrel versions, but only sell the 16 inch barrel version now. The Ruger Mini 30 used to be a lot cheaper, but is only slightly cheaper now. Ruger has upgraded the barrel, but a friend has an original one he bought in the 80's and it shoots well. I bought a two tone Ruger M77 MkII in 7.62x39. I hand load and reload for it. I've never used steel case ammo.
7.62x39 is also around 25% lower chamber pressure than most deer hunting calibers like 308 winchester which means it'll have a longer barrel life.
Underrated comment.
For me, this is one of the most important things I consider choosing a chambering.
I like practicing A LOT with my gear, and some of those high pressure cartridges wear out barrels in 1000-2000 rounds.
So you either have to drop cash on barrels, or “baby” your gear and “save it” for the hunts.
Having said all that, it’s important to note that .308 is also a cartridge that is fairly low pressure and won’t wear out a barrel fast at all.
@@helterskelter156 Plus, good luck ever being able to get enough ammo to shoot 1000-2000 rounds of .300 win mag off! Military rifle cartridges are so much cheaper.
I’ve been using a CZ 527 in 762x39 for a few years now. Most stand hunting I do in Indiana-it covers everything inside 150 yards with ease. It’s light weight and fast and I’ve taken several deer with it. One of these days-I’ll pass it down to my daughter! Excellent short range deer cartridge.
Both the SKS, the AK, AND the levergun 30-30 are extremely popular in Florida. Bullet selection makes the 30-30 a bit better in maybe some circumstances where a heavier slug might be an advantage, but the x39 kinda punches above its weight, even if the cheap softies break up on impact sometimes. They all work pretty decent on gators, bears, hogs, deer, you name it!
Yup I live in Florida and can confirm the x39 is a very popular round. Great all around choice
What is that about the 7.62 x 39 softies breaking up? Is it a specific brand?
Most of the Russian steel cased soft points will fragment to some degree, even in bare gel.@@dlighted8861
Northwest Fl here and all I’ve deer hunted with for the past 5 years is 7.62x39 in bolt actions. Remi coreloc and hornady ammo.
Personally, I think the 7.62x39 to be a reliable performer, especially in brushy or dense environments.
I will always love and treasure my 30-30 94's! One Trapper and the other full length!
Love the model 94….plus Sheriff Longmire uses it. It can’t be wrong.
The reason the 30 30 is the most deer killing round is because of 2 reason is simply this it was affordable and available when I was a child 60 years ago you could get a 30 30 just buy filling up your car with gas s&h green stamps which was given to you by gas dealers you could get either a Winchester 94 and for a few books more a Marline 36 and you could get these guns at Sears Montgomery Wards WESTERN AUTO and thousands of hardware stores across the nation and add the fact it was the cheapest ammo out there explains that statement
I remember that!
I’ve taken deer with both. My first deer ever was with a bubba’d-up SKS (7.62x39mm) with a wooden thumbhole stock and iron sights. The shot was double lung at about 30 yards. The deer ran 75 yards and died. It worked great! My experience with the 30-30 was nearly identical. Winchester white box soft-point ammo was used for both. For a Northwoods whitetail hunter, either cartridge will get the job done for most hunting scenarios you will encounter. That being said, if you hunt over large agricultural fields or vast swamps, neither cartridge would be my first choice.
Yeah man you are absolutely right about that in lot of peoples minds the 7.62x39 is dirty round and they don’t even consider taking deer with it I have CZ in that caliber and I call it pig gun although it’s crazy accurate even with that cheap steel cased ammo ( not cheap anymore)
My cousin has that bolt gun and not only is it gorgeous like most things CZ, but it can routinely group with rounds touching at 100 yards. It will make a believer out of anybody who thought 7.62x39 isn't an accurate round. I want one. Also very mild recoil. My 6.5 CM Tikka kicks much harder. Capable deer gun.
The reason they say that about the 30-30 is that it’s been around forever. There’s much better rounds now and more coming out everyday. Good video! Very eye opening. Keep up the good work
Said it many times before on your videos comment section but I'm saying it again lol. My first rifle I got on Christmas morning at 13yrs old and that rifle is a Marlin 336 30-30 lever and it has a nothing fancy Bushnell scope and it's slinging 170gr Core-Lokts because that's what it liked, and it has given me many years of success while hunting whitetail deer here in the Northeast. My father over the years tried to get me to buy something else in a bigger caliber and in a bolt but I absolutely love my 30-30 and because it's been so good to me I won't go with anything else. If I go for elk, caribou and so on I would but I don't see that happening anytime soon so my Marlin and I will remain hunting partners lol.
Anyways thanks for sharing this great content with us all WTW and I hope/pray all is well with you and the family. 🙏🙏
“Everyone loves the .30-.30…” primarily because damn near everyone’s dad, uncle or papa owned, hunted and shared his .30-.30 with the next generation. The lever action is timeless and that round does everything one would need out to 100 yards.
The first deer I killed with a rifle (first 2 deer were with 12 gauge buck shot) was with my grand-dad's Winchester 94 in .30-30. It was a small doe and only about 50 yards away, but it was with factory open sights and it dropped her right where she stood. I've got double lung shots that nicked the heart with a .30-06 and they ran 50+ yards. Granted that was at 250 yards
When you consider the .30-30 was introduced in 1895 and was the first smokless powder hunting cartridge and was very popular from the begining, it is very probable that more deer have been taken with that cartridge in North America. That is paraphased from the Lyman Reloading Manual #50.
It does it a hell of a lot farther than 100 yds.
My nephew has been deer hunting with a "sporterized" SKS for at least 15 years at typical northern Michigan distances and has done very well with it.
I’ve hunted whitetails with a 336c Marlin 30-30 for 48 years now. Harvested all with one shot. Average shots were at 75 yards. Never lost a animal and usually tracked less than 50 yards. Reason I like the 30-30 is the bullet drop. I just felt if I missed the bullet would safely hit the ground at around 250 yards.
I've seen many deer shot by friends with the 7.62x39 out of an SKS and was not impressed at all with the killing power. All of the deer they shot ran a good ways. I'll take the marlin 336 in 30-30 shooting 170 grain bullets any day over any rifle shooting 7.62x39.
@@rickyflinchum2909 What ammo did they use?
@@leeham6230 wolf hollow points.
I think depending ammo and grain theyre about the same tbh. I prefer 7.62 strictly for price , practice and availability. Both will take a deer no prob within 100yds. Im in the woods of PA so CZ527 is my choice. My good friend uses his marlin 30-30 lever gun.Both work great whoteee!
I hunt in WV with a CZ in 7.62x39 …. I use it with open sights. It’s a great, lightweight rifle that serves me well in brush and open meadows out to 125 yards.
I use a scoped 71’ Ruger in .25-06 for longer range shots out to 400 yards.
@@HarrisonCountyStudio Sweet!!!
Crying shame that CZ discontinued that rifle. I was hoping to get a second one in 6.5 Grendel but that caliber has almost disappeared.
One thing to take into consideration is the age of the cartridges as well as bullet designs. The 30-30 was introduced in 1895 by John Browning originally just called the 30 Winchester center-fire. Whereas the 7.62x 39 wasn't even a thing till Nikolai Kolesnikov knocked off the 7.62x33 (8mm Kurz) from the Germans in the later part of WW2 ( like any good Russian would do). The bullet design of the 30-30 doesn't lend itself well ballistically because it has to have a round or flat nose otherwise you will get cartridge detonation inside of the tubular magazine. But who cares as it lends itself quite well in the light weight handy lever action platforms. I also think the saying about it taking more deer than any other cartridge was because the Winchester 94 was the poor man's rifle and very common for a very long time. Doesn't mean it's true today but for the better part of 45 years (and maybe longer) we are talking about most people owning one and hunting with it. So it's quite possible that it has taken more deer in the early 1900s. Probably isn't true for the later half of the last century. Problem is, there is no way to get any data on it as keeping data on such a thing wasn't what Americans troubled themselves with back in the day. That's more of a modern Internet adaptation. Personally I love the compact handy design of the lever actions( I also prefer Iron sights.) Not saying the 7.62x 39 or the 30-30 is bad or good, just saying there is a good 50 years difference between the two cartridges and both were designed to do different things entirely. One a military application the other hunting. Good comparison of the two in your video though. 👍
The inventors name was actually Mikhail Kalashnikov, a WW2 tank commander turned weapon designer. AK stood for "avtomat Kalashnikov" (in English). I detect a little cynicism in your comment regarding "as any good Russian would do". That Russian took a good German design and made it the most popular rifle in the world. Also, the Ruskies beat the US into space and they also detonated the largest nuke ever developed in 1960 (50 megatons). They also took the German design of the multiple rocket launcher called the 'nebelwarfer' (6 tube tow behind) and improved the hell out of it called the 'katyusha rocket' that one battery is capable of saturating an area of 10 football fields with the equivalent of 70 arty pieces in 10 seconds. All of those MRL's you see on the news in Ukraine for example was a Russian invention. The US copied the design. Its easy to poke fun at them however they have developed numerous effective military weapons and lest we forget Russia is the only other country on earth that could turn much of the populated US into a glass parking lot in less than a day - if (hopefully not) it would come to that. Sure, we could return the favor at the expense of wiping out 2/3 of the world's population with an all out nuclear exchange.
This video is not intended to be political, however, the overwhelming majority of Americans have absolutely no clue what the (dumbass) Biden administration is fartin' around with over there. The US and the Soviet Union spent decades developing treaties, however, now ever since the breakup of the USSR we've thrown caution to the wind. All it takes is one accident or miscalculation and we're all gone.
My first deer was taken with a 30-30 that was when I was a teenager. After I got an SKS I fell in love with the 7.62x39MM where I was hunting it was the perfect round. My favorite is .308 and it's the best battle round also.
I got a CZ 527 in 7.62x39. Walnut stock, set trigger Detachable mags. Fantastic rifle. 154gr soft point wolf or tula
In Canada it’s kind of difficult to get Tula and Wolf but we have PPU in pointed soft point which performs quite well (compared to Sellier and Bellot SP) Remington Core Lokt and other American munition such as the Winchester or Hornady unfortunately don’t seem to be perform as accurately in my 527
I've killed Many whitetail deer and hog with my Mini-30. I do my own reloading and found the Barnes 123 grain TSX is phenomenal . I've got a B&C score 171 on an 8 point that was DRT at 120 yards. Here in Arkansas that's a good score. Not a long shot by any means, but a high shoulder shot put him down.
Thank you Adam for covering an "odd" caliber.
I have a buddy that uses an AK for brush hunting deer and hogs. As kids it was a SKS. He does very well with it. But I haven't thought about it in a bolt gun. With PSA building decent AKs and now talking about making quality ammo with modern bullets, this can be a real good option. And really good around a farm.
Winchester model 94 has always been so handy. Handling is equal or better using 7.62x39 in the Ruger American Ranch.
Scope mounting options are much more vast with the ruger. Adam…man I love your channel. Thank ya for all of your great content. Makes us happy. I sure would like to see that ruger with very low scope mount. That would improve the cheek weld and make the overall package more handy. Thoughtful Vid. Well done!
I’m a sucker for a 30-30 lever action!
The first several deer I ever killed with a rifle were with a Chinese Norinco SKS & 124gr soft points.
Same! It worked just fine. The deer ran 75 yards and piled up.
If you have some of the Russian steel cased 7.62x39 jacketed hollow point ammo that was available cheap years ago, it works good for deer. I took a young doe at about 100 yards several years back with an SKS...double lung, grievous exit wound. I duplicated the ballistics in a 30/30 loading using 130 grain spire point hollow point bullets...took a young 150-pound feral boar hog just this morning in my pasture at about 75 yards. Dropped in its tracks.
I am fortunate enough to still have some of this but i didnt know how good it was for hunting so a lot of it got shot off before i saw someone do testing on ballistic gel here on RUclips. Now Ive got it all set aside for hunting purposes. It is actually labeled as hunting ammo but from what i understand most cheap hollow point hunting ammo made in that part of the world did not preform very well but the blue and white box 124gr HP made by state unitary enterprise in Russia is what you want to save for hunting if you have any
762x39 is a great round for me to plink with . Steel core surplus ammo was cheap when I bought my SKS and it never ceases to amaze me what they will go through .
Excellent topic. Believe it or not I have taken whitetail in Michigan with both a 3030 Winchester and a Romanian Wasr chambered and 762 by 39. Needless to say performance was very similar on both and harvest of the deer was in an ethical and effective manner. One thing I will note is that the 3030 Winchester has more brush gun characteristics and performance. The 762 by 39 In my opinion Would deviate in the event that it hit brush more than a 30-30. Obviously they are limited to energy and effective range between 200 and 300 yd.
I use a Ruger American 7.62x39 for varmint duty. It's a tack driver. Going to get some good hunting ammo and take it deer hunting this year. Great woods gun
I have both and have used both. And both do a great job on deer.
Would have like to see more listings used for the 30-30 especially the 140gr and 160gr from lever revolution. The chart would look much different.
If you compare 7.62x39 ballistics to the Leverevolution, the Leverevolution blows the 7.62x39 out of the water.
Factory ammo from Hornady. 140 grain Leverevolution carries energy over 1,000 ft-lb out to 225 yards. 7.62x39 only carries it to 150 yards. At 200 yards the 140 grain Leverevolution drops 5.98 inches 7.62x39 drops 6.62.
Step up to the 160 grain Leverevolution and it carries 1,000 ft-lb to 300 yards. At 300 yards the 160 grain drops 21.62 inches, the 7.62x39 drops 23.81 inches.
My dad has a Savage 340 Bolt action with box magazine in 30-30. He loads 150 grain Interlock Spire point bullets for it pushing 2300 fps. He's killed deer with it at 150 yards. I would say it's limit is about 200 yards.
On the "most taken" topic, I imagine pointy sticks and flint points have 1000s of years of deer and buffalo catching under their belts.
If somebody has a 30-30 they don't "need" to get another gun to harvest deer at reasonable distances. Same is true for 7.62×39. The test would be if they can keep every shot in the vitals at the ranges hunted. Your Ruger American certainly has that capability in your hands.
Looking forward to seeing you catch a deer with it. I am trying to catch one with my AR version, using some Russion heavy soft points, & maybe some hogs too.😊
In addition to my Ruger American in 7.62x39, I have an AR chambered in it too. Most deer taken here in the woods are within 100 yards. Both platforms are great for defense and hunting. It's a great caliber
@@mainebigfoothunter7088 Indeed, as are "do all" cartridges like .30-06 and .308 Win. The bolt guns - levers, pumps, and single/doubles, too - have one HUGE advantage over the gassers, and that is they may be loaded lighter, or hotter(within max spec.), without worrying about the action malfunctioning.
Best of luck taking more game this season.
@@williamgaines9784 Understood. I have a variety of operating systems. Bolts, levers, pumps and revolvers are the most dependable
..”Catch” a Deer? Ha ha ha
Hard to argue with the numbers. That said, it would be interesting to see how the Hornady LeverEvolution 30-30 ammo compares. It shoots a heavier (160 grain) bullet using modern propellants. I tried a box in a Model 94 and was shocked to see how much flatter it shoots than the standard loads for this old workhorse. We regularly have the opportunity to take longer shots in Alberta. My go-to hunting choices are conventional (7x57, 270 Win, 308, 30-06, 257 Roberts and so on). The 30-30 was never intended as a long distance hunting round, but it was a pleasant surprise to see how easy it was to hit the 8" steel plate at 200 yards with Hornady's revolutionary take on the old 30-30 WCF. It would be great to see you do a review of this ammo.
He's just picking bullets that show what he wants to be true... You can get 30-30 in 125gr. And you can get 7.62 in 150gr. They perform basically the same... That being said the new lever action ammo Hornady makes for 30-30 takes the prize
The 30-30 chambered in the Winchester model 94 has always been my personal jewel. I was uglier than a possum under a trailer truck tire before I started shooting the 30-30. You should see me now. 🤣😂😉
😆😆
Handloaded 150gr SST in the 7.62x39, out of my 20" 7.62x39 (AR-15 upper), delivers over 2250 fps, over 1000 ft-lbs at 300 yards thanks to improved BC. It smokes the 30-30 like a cheap cigar.
Here's that datapoint: "The 30-30 was the first American small bore sporting rifle cartridge loaded with smokeless powder. It appeared in 1895, with the new Winchester Model 94 lever action. ... The short, light, compact carbines giving very low recoil were responsible for the wide popularity of the 30-30. These carbines have accounted for more venison on American tables than any other arm." Speer Reloading Manual Number #11; Omark Industries, Inc. 1987; page 201.
Good report. I have always appreciated the 7.62x39, and with its spitzer bullets, thick brass cases & my Ruger Mini-30, got some pretty stout performance out of it with handloads.
These days, I'm enamored with the .400 Legend. It double-stacks in an AR magazine and handloads with 215 grain bullets having an MV 2,350 fps/ME 2,636 ft-lbs, it delivers better than 1,000 ft-lbs out to 300 yards, which is plenty for the woods around here in Oregon.
I took a 10 points with a SKS with a scope . My scope mount was drilled and tapped into the receiver . It was just right for 100 yds but it could shoot about 4 inches at 300 . That was a Norinco later I had a Russian but never messed it up adding mods to it . If you add a scope you must convert to magazine clips and add a shell deflector .
I got 2 bucks last year with Hornady SST 123gr, I push them at 2500fps. 7,62x39 is a great option for short range deer hunting. I have a CZ527, short and lightweight, open sight, its probably my best deer setup.
Did you use the factory loading or did you load your own? Also, did it drop the deer in its tracks or did it run?
Thanks for the great information very informative dude
I think Lever evolution in 30-30 will change all of those charts by a Lot. Interesting comparisons though and awesome timing, as I just received a new 7.62x39 upper for my AR. Going to check out the Hornady Black very soon!
Lever Revolution does make a big difference in 30 30. But they'll both work great close to medium range with the right bullet proper placement
@@danielcurtis1434 sorry for the typo, comment edited.
@@terrymartin1678 ok comment deleted cuz it now makes no sense…
Exactly what I was thinking when I watch this video it would have definitely been a different outcome have nothing against either caliber have took deer with both took a buck last year with a 30-30 that I hadn't took in the woods since the early 80s dad's gun so I'll never get rid of it generally take the 270 Whitetail Kryptonite
For most hunting situations
( where I've hunted at)
No special ammunition is
needed. The regular old flat
point or round nose 30/30
ammunition like they've been
selling for decades will work
just fine and reliably kill deer.
Any of the Remington or Winchester or Federal ammo
from wallyworld will do just
fine if you do your part
The level Revolution makes a big difference also if you reload 125 to 130 grain bullet for 3030 you'll get better performance over the 7.62 x39 with the added velocity
the 150 or 170 is a better deer bullet inside 100 yd its called better sd
@@jonhill4580 I agree with heavier bullets are better penetrators and have better knockdown power
If youre handloading for a bolt gun you can take either the 30-30/x39 up into some much more effective and "flatter" (not flat, just more flat shooting than factory loads) and considerably harder hitting cartridge choice...
The performance gap would be even greater if the 7.62x39 was fired out of a 20 inch barrel…and then test bullets like leverevolution from the 30-30…..but you gotta race with what you brought to the track!! Good video keep it up
I might be wrong but I think the powder is about used up at 16" in x39
I've taken so many deer with the 7.62x39. It was my go to gun for years here in FL.
I've used 30 30 and 7.62x39, and the 30 30 is superior, especially with the 170 grain bullet. The 7.62x39 is ok with the barnes tsx, but sketchy with anything else. I'm using the 7.62x39 inside 100 yards. I wouldn't trust it beyond that. The 30 30 is so effective due to the sectional density of the 170 grain bullet.
Take a look at PPU 7.62x39 soft point round nose.. hits like a Mac truck. Looks like they loaded a 30-30 round in a 6.62 casing.
Growing up and hunting in NYS, I had to use a 20 ga or 12 ha slug gun where I lived. But, when we went to my grandfather's in the Adirondack mountains we could use rifles. My grandfather would use his Win 1892 in 38-40, my dad would use his Win 94 in 32 Special, and my brother and I got to use Win 1894s in 30-30. Ammo of choice for us was 170 gr soft points. We could take 2 bear and 2 deer each. Now, if one of us got a deer or bear, that was it, we just split it up and called it good. Most of the hunting ranges in those thick woods was 35 yds or less. Good luck and stay safe!!! 😉😉😉
This man did the math. Saw the drop, thought “yeah but what about…” saw the ftlbs. Interesting comparison, interesting data.
Really 7.62x54r, .308, and 8mm are the end of .30 cal I’m into for deer, but x39 looks viable inside 100yds. Not terribly surprising but nice too see.
My Ruger American Ranch in 7.62x39 is a beast and shoots just about everything. To my surprise the Winchester Deer Season XP is grouping at 1/2 inch at 100 yards it is nuts!
I have used both. Actually the last few years ive been using the Ruger American in 762x39. Originally used Hornady black. The price moved me over to the 154 gr soft point steel cased. Most of my shots are less than 75 yards.
Even with the recent increase in 762 prices, its still cheaper than 30 30. I like to practice and the 762 allows me to do that at a fraction of the cost.
Don't get me wrong. I like the 30 30. However, I keep using the Ruger in 762x39.
Hows the 154 grain soft points for whitetail?
@@takumisato7126 I have no issues with the 154s All were complete pass thrus.
I have had the 124s stop just under the skin on the off side several times.
Where I hunt both work.
one more advantage of 7.62x39 , in a ruger action , it can be handloaded up to 308 pressure levels safely , further boosting its power ..... then bullets like the 110 Barnes x bullet can be used to increase the velocity even more and flatten things out ..... making 300 yard shots very easy
I think the .303 brit has taken WAAAAAAAAAY more game than the 30-30.
Many many South African hunters in the northern provinces use .303 in the thick bush
There is a lot of them up here in Canada( 303 that is) Clay
And Australia, was very common to the early 2000s, still available in most country small town gun shops
@@tracyclaystowell6431 I should have bought more when it wasn't $60-80 a box. Americans complain about ammo price but haven't seen ours lol
@@tracyclaystowell6431Also known as The Newfie Weatherby 😅
Took my last 3 deer (1 buck, 2 doe), ranging from 50 -117 yards with the 7.62x39 soft points out of the Ruger American Ranch. Furthest one ran was 40 yards, straight down hill. Has nothing to do with “knockdown power”. It’s about ease of shot placement.
When nobody could get ammo, I went in the other direction and bought a rifle for what I had. Fell in love with the round. No issues inside 150 yards.
I’ve used the 7.62 X 39 for deer for several years now. Don’t need more than that at the distances I hunt. Mostly under 120 yards. Plus the round will hit the ground before leaving my property. A big bore airgun would work great for me if it was legal here in Northern Minnesota.
Was at a buddy's farm and we were shooting targets for fun (surplus trash ammo) and the FMJs were sailing through 16 inch hardwood blocks we had as a backstop infront of a dirt mound. Def wouldn't recommend hunting with them unless it's life or death. Great info, love rhe 7.62x39 round...
Bullshit!!! A 7.62x39 won't sail through 16in of anything FFS!!!
Well, it did, not sure what to tell you? Maybe the steel inside the surplus FMJ had something to do with it. Anyway, go try it yourself big guy.
For hunting coyotes and groundhogs 7.62x39. Bigger hogs or black bear .30-30 with 170gr.
Ppu performance is on point. I've done extensive testing haven't hunted with it yet but the wound track amazing
Similar velocities. Really it's the rifle that defines the differences in these. Generally 30-30 is a lever action cartridge and it is range limited by the flat nose. SKS is great for deer with that long barrel. A lever gun is light an maneuverable. Cannot really make a bad choice here. You might as well throw 300 blackout into this discussion too.
Interesting. Sidenote when I was in Columbia South America, I saw the soldiers caring 3030 rounds inside of something like an HK 91 he showed me the head stamp, and it said 33rd at it and it said Winchester so just to let you know we make ballistic tip rounds that are made for for other foreign militaries
@@nicholasnapier2684 I think you're confusing similar metric designations for two different rounds.
The HK91 was chambered for the .308 Winchester.
You cannot load the .30-30 round into a gun chambered for .308 Winchester, unless you REALLY force it.
Either way, the end results will not be good.
However, it migt be easy to mistake one for the other, if you're simply looking at Metric Designations for those cartridges.
The metric designation for the .308 round is 7.62x51.
The Metric designation for the .30-30 is 7.62x51R.
Very important letter, "R".
Differentiates two very different rounds that, upon a casual glance, could appear to have the same metric designation.
R. "R". ARRRRRR!!!!
I’ve taken a lot of deer over the years. My longest shot ever was seventy (70) yards as I hunt in some pretty deep cover. I would estimate my average shot at 50 yards. My closest ever was 5 yards with a Springfield XD 45. That shot came when I had a 6 pointer walk right up to my ground blind. Years ago, I bought several cases of Wolf hollow points. I may be taking my SKS into the woods this year.
Try putting a 170 gr bullet in that 7.62x39 and see how it does. Now that we have tube mag safe spitzers the range limitation no longer applies.. with light bullets they are in the same category but when you wan't serious penetration the old thuty thuty wins hands down.
I don't have the 'etched in stone' proof but, I do believe that the 30-30 has taken more deer than any other cartridge. Simply because it was introduced in 1895 and there were a lot more people who owned and used lever guns than any other type, back then. That rifle and caliber remained popular well up into the 1900s and is still popular today. Back in the 50s and 60s my dad took several deer with a lever gun. His was a Savage 99 and sadly, I don't know what caliber it was chambered in. I've never owned a 30-30 but I do have an AR-15 chambered in 7.62X39. It's a good shooting rifle and has , so far, been totally reliable. Thanks for another 'fun' and interesting video.
I can see what you're saying, and might be true for deer taken with a license, but I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that .22LR takes the cake truth be told......Lol
@@davidcatlin1970 I'd take that bet, except my doctor says I'm not supposed to have doughnuts. (I'll bet she eats doughnuts, though) I'm talking ever since people have hunted deer in this country. Before any other guns / calibers came into wide use, the vast majority were with a 30-30. Deer can be taken with a .22 (not legally) but it's not as easy or reliable as with a larger, more powerful cartridge.
I took my first rifle deer with a 154gr soft point. My oldest is probably going to use that rifle for her first as well.
I was making this same comparison with some coworkers. Depsite being two very different cartidges, both are very similar in energy on target. I was looking at a mini 14 in 7.62x39 and had thought it would make an axcellent hunting/sporting rifle.
Yup
@@WHOTEEWHO
I haven't owned a 30-30 since mid 70's when I went to a Rem. 742 30-06.
Have four AR's in 7.62x39. Love the cost of ammo, and most I have is 125 and 154 all soft points, which are now hard to find, so finding a hunting bullet in 7.62x39 is a chore, and just about every 30-30 cartridge does have a hunting bullet on it, although expensive.
I'd have to say, there is nothing more woods and hand friendly than a vintage Winchester or Marlin lever action, especially on a cold day.
The AR however is tacticool...either cartridge will get things done.
Use what you " brung. "
@WHOTEEWHO love your channel guess apart from other channels your demeanor speaks to me 😂. I agree with you on all points here. I'd like to throw this out there that the 30-30 like the 4570 sucks on paper but can't argue with results in the field. Here's my example: 3030 is throwing a heavier projectile than $k$, would you like me to drop a pebble on your big toe or a bigger rock on your big toe from the same distance (remember gravity they're dropping at the same speed), it's momentum. And the other thing about urban legend more deer taken with, that may have been true up to a point in time because it came out in 1894 and was a convenient brass cartridge (30 cal/30 grains blk pwdr.), and was the first convenient repeater to transition over to smokeless making it everybody's go to for about 70yrs, that's a big head start not to mention all my folks lived through the great depression and that all they could afford and that's how they feed their families, I know, I be here if they hadn't. Deer meat is nutritious 😊
Great Video! Your Fuddlore comment is hilarious, I'm old enough to be a Fudd (61) but really try not to be and I try to stay openminded in regards to guns and shooting.
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Fudds of the world unite! Always remember we Fudds can be very creative. 😇
If one can find Real 8M3 7.62x39 it’s an easy choice for me because of the platforms you can shoot it out of. However .30-.30 is usually limited to lever guns.
@ed5042that’s another great choice.
Not a limitation in my book but at various times bolt actions and single shots have been chambered in the old 30-30.
The 1000 lbs/ft of energy for taking deer definitely falls into the category of Fudd lore, especially since muzzle energy doesn’t correlate to striking power.
In my humble opinion it really depends on target
Well done, love your insight into the different details of the rounds. I still and guess I always will be a Marlin 35 REM (200 gr.) or 30-30 win (170 gr.) as my go to here in Central Kentucky. Maybe someday I’ll venture out of my comfort zone and get a .308 win just for the off chance there is a uprising and I need to reach further than I can see 👀 with these old cowboy 🤠 eyes. Love you videos and may God bless and protect you and your family.
Thanks for explaining & showing the differences, I knew they were close but did not realize the 7.62x39 was actually better 😊
It isn’t. It is great too but it isn’t better. Never mind the 160 grain Leverevolution
Who tee, just wanted to follow up to my previous comment here. I took a doe from about 90-95 yards with my Ruger American Ranch 7.62x39 a bit earlier this week. The PPU soft point ammo I have worked perfectly and did some massive damage to a front leg. The expanded bullet was found under the far side of the hide, worked very much like any American made brand of soft points. My scope on it is a leupold 1.5-4 power sitting in vortex rings. Thing is a shooter
The age old topic has another factor. The old 30-30 has a few select loadings. The bullets are specifically designed to expand and penatrate as designed at specific velocities and ranges. They do this perfectly. The Russian load that I also love is a shit show when it comes to performance variables. The old 30-30 is reliable with nearly all loads on deer or elk
Yes, I would take the 300 blackout over the 7.62x39 just for bullet selection. also it's not fair to put 125 gr bullet against 150gr to compare bullet drop.
You should compare the Remington Managed-Recoil .30-30 Winchester 125 Grain Core-Lokt Soft Point and the 140 Grain Leverevolution fot drop and energy as they are closer in bullet weight.
You do it
Weight has nothing to do with bullet drop when they all start with about the same muzzle velocity. And higher energy up close didn't help either when it came only from increased mass. The 30-30 rounds here had higher friction and more heat loss. Faster bullets at the same mass as the 7.62x39s would be better, to a point.
From NASA (because why not lol)
_The Apollo 15 Hammer-Feather Drop_
_Because they were essentially in a vacuum, there was no air resistance and the feather fell at the same rate as the hammer, as Galileo had concluded hundreds of years before - all objects released together fall at the same rate regardless of mass._
@@Ni999 wrong
@@DinoNucci Thanks for sharing your opinion. I prefer physics to fudd lore but you do you.
@@Ni999 wrong
Sellier and Bellot make a absolutely fantastic 7.62 x39 round nose soft point hunting bullet. That things expands like nothing else. A buddy in my camp uses it in his ranch rifle under 200. Man does it work awesome for hunting. Try to find some guys. The best round we've seen for this. Hits like a bloody truck. That round nose looks like a bowling ball in the deer. Sheesh
deer hunting 30-06 better yet 270 these are best
243
I am glad you included 308 in this chart that was very useful thank you sir 👍🏻😎
I once shot a moose with a 7.62x39 in my pajamas. How that moose got into my pajamas, I'll never know.
(Just doing my part to keep old jokes alive.)
I will be hunting with a Ruger American Ranch in 7.62x39 and a Ruger 6.5 Creedmoor in the upcoming deer season. I'm excited to see how it turns out. We have a long season in Arkansas with a four deer limit. There a lot of vids showing how effective these cartridges can be. With the right ammo this should be an interested deer season. I'll be using an Athlon and a Riton scope. As always with any firearm, shot placement is what matters most. Also, where I hunt a 150 yd. shot is rare. Most shots are less than 100 yds. Another great video.
30-06
I own 2 Ruger Americans in 7.62x39. My wife and son love them. Between the three of us we have taken more deer, both doe and bucks then we have with any other rifles we have..being supressed and able to load Makers solid copper T-Rex bullets in them..they are just deer and hog slayers. Great video.
Awesome
I would choose 6.5 Grendel over either of those...but I would also hunt with both of the...lol
The 7.62x39 would be more interesting if the bullet diameter was .308 instead of .312.
Love the Grendel!
A fun video. I have neither the 7.62x39 nor the 30-30. I am considering AR/AK and bolt rifles chambered in a standard AR/AK cartridge, so for me a cool comparison video would be 7.62x39 vs 6.5 Grendel. I find myself liking the specs I see on the 6.5 Grendel but the 7.62x39 does have some appeal.
Bought the exact rifle due to ur videos and love this tack driver also got .308 & 6.5 cm Rugers American & Predator because of ur videos and all are just as accurate 💪🏼
Adam we love your channel because of all the great information that you deliver it’s always rock solid. I think “ a really fun video” would be if you could make one on Fudd Lore .
Fudd lore video will be great
SKS shooter here.
I saved all my SP and HP for hunting and practice with all the FMJ.
At the range I use the iron sights on the hundred yard target and I silence most of the scope users.😊
Great video. Keep em coming!
More to come!
Part of the velocity and bullet drop of the .30-30 is due to its flat nose shape that is needed to prevent a chain fire from occurring in the magazine of a typical lever action rifle. BTW - Great presentation, I had not a clue about the 7.62 x. 39.
Who makes a 30 30 bolt action with a magazine. Need a good bush gun not being a lever gun. I hate tube loading on any gun.
@@austindenotter19 Savage model 340 has a box magazine.
I built an ar15 several years ago in 762x39 back when ammo was super cheap. It has been sitting in the back of the safe for 3 or 4 years. I think it 's about time to look at taking it to the deer woods.
Last year I used Barnaul 7.62x39 123 Grain Hollow Points, The deers front legs went out and it kicked with its rear for 15 feet until it dropped, It also left a massive blood trail.
Paul Harrell said the same thing years ago, but it's good to get this knowledge out to a different audience. Great video, brother!
Thanks for watching!
@@WHOTEEWHO yes sir! And I agree with you on all points! Hello from Southern Middle Tennessee!
The "more deer" saying was actually from the game departments. Don't know how you would get ahold of the info, but somewhere around in the 70's (maybe 60's), the game departments asked "what did you use?". Several years of answers collected, and the data was extrapolated to include how long the 30-30 has been around. Don't remember exactly, but the 30-30 was something like twice or three times as much as other cartridges.
If such data were collected today, it's possible that another answer might result, but that's where that saying came from.
Regarding the 1000 foot pounds, that came from a couple of gun gurus back in the day. They kept getting questioned about "how far", "what caliber", and etc. So they got together to compare notes on their hunting experiences, and what worked. They then put out the 1000 fpe as a guide for successful, ethical harvesting of deer. It's actually a quite good figure to use as a guide, which is probably why everyone cites it.
I will stick with the 30-30. It's a really popular rifle in PA.
The 7.62x39 can be a great short range deer round, but there’s only a couple premium bullets I’d use, Federal Fusion (bonded) or a Barnes X bullet.
Nosler's 125 grain Balistic Tip bullets, at 2330 FPS work very well for me. Also Sierra's 135 grain Single Shot Pistol bullet, at 2270 FPS assures expansion at these velocities.
I'm actually using my Ruger american ranch in 7.62x39 for whitetail this year in PA! Looks like I'll be picking up 7.62x39 Winchester super X for it, thats a pretty impressive round!
Awesome
The 7.62x39 is a favorite caliber for me. In a AR-47 the recoil is minimal and was hitting steel at 300 yards with a primary arms ACSS scope every time. I just bought 100 rounds of PPU soft points last night to try out after seeing the preview of this video.
7.62x39 has two big things going for it: Pointy bullets and it fits an AR platform. If you can put pointy bullets at 125 grains in a thirty-thirty, the .30-.30 will outperform the 7.62x39. One other advantage of the 7.62x39 is the capacity of the magazine. That gives you 29 extra shots to kill a deer in case you can't shoot worth a dang. All of my deer I got with one shot, most of them with a model 1895 Winchester. That being said, I have been seriously considering a Ruger American in 7.62x39 for awhile now. Then some one comes up with a good argument for the 6.5 Creedmore. Crap. Back to the drawing board. Maybe I should reconsider the Ruger #1 Classic in 7x57mm.
👍🏼 Ruger #1 is a beautiful rifle. 7x57 is a classic hunting round, comparable to the 7mm/08 Remington.
I live in Ga at this time and I have used a 30/06for years. I started using the o6 when I lived in Wyoming. I had a 30/30 I carried on the horse and told people I was going to hunt deer and Antilope with it everybody laughed saying why don't you throw rocks at them so I bought a 30/06. Down thru the years I have also hunter larger game with a 300 win mag, Good gun . I am 78 years old and have owned many different guns but the o6 is good for Ga, The 308.7/08; 243 also very good .
I am not surprised. I like the 7.62x39 in various guns. My idea in the past was to compare the 7.62x39, the 300 Black Out, and the 6.5 Grendel.
First I acquired the 7.62x39, then the 6.5 Grendel, then finally the 300 Black Out.
For deer my preference is the Grendel, next the 7.62x39, then the 300 Blackout.
But when in the brush hog hunting the 7.62x39, the 300 Black Out, and the 10mm in a carbine rifle are my preferences.
But those choices can change with a gust of wind at my back
I used my AK with 154gr SP TULA ammo for deer hunting last year and I had no issues taking a nice Wisconsin whitetail with it. He ran maybe 40 yards. I ranged him at 135 yards.