7.62x39 or 5.45x39

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bitter1

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Mar 3, 2008
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I would not mind getting an AK style rifle, specifically an Arsenal SGL 21(7.62) or the 31(5.45). The Arsenal AK is Russian made and come in Nato stock lengths which have a longer length of pull than the Comm Bloc stocks and are made of new parts (not sure what the others are out there) also they have the 74 style muzzle brakes. But which cartridge would yall go with, the 7.62 with the more hitting power or the 5.45 which has more accuracy and less recoil. Now with this rifle it will mostly be bench shooting but if need be a rifle that I would take with me if I had to if society where to break down. Now I have looked at AR's and I want a S&W M&P15 MOE but I want the AK more as of right now, AR will come later.

Thank you
 
bitter1 said:
I would not mind getting an AK style rifle, specifically an Arsenal SGL 21(7.62) or the 31(5.45). The Arsenal AK is Russian made and come in Nato stock lengths which have a longer length of pull than the Comm Bloc stocks and are made of new parts (not sure what the others are out there) also they have the 74 style muzzle brakes. But which cartridge would yall go with, the 7.62 with the more hitting power or the 5.45 which has more accuracy and less recoil. Now with this rifle it will mostly be bench shooting but if need be a rifle that I would take with me if I had to if society where to break down. Now I have looked at AR's and I want a S&W M&P15 MOE but I want the AK more as of right now, AR will come later.

Thank you
Click to expand...

Ask yourself an honest question , which rifle in this scenario is easier for you to get ammo for , which rifle has easier to replace parts, etc. :)

Tostig
 
I feel like the 7.62x39 caliber is more commonly available. And since more rifles are around in that caliber, spare parts and magazines aren't hard to find.
 
Yes I am thinking the same thing, there are places around my area that carry the 5.45 but you guys are right that 7.62 is more common. Also who knows of a good scope mount for the side mount on most AK's. I want something that will be good and sturdy, also something that will bring the optic low and I do not really care about wether it covers the irons or not. I have held AK's with optics mounted on the hand guard but I like it mounted where it would be on an AR above the bold and receiver.
 
Okay, let's go with it. 5.45x39 is currently by far the cheapest of them all to buy ammo for. It's also proven effective, so let's not get into the 5.45 vs 7.62 debate. The fact is, if the ultimate scenario comes around and society has "broken down" you won't be sourcing parts for any AK style of rifle. Besides that, I have never seen any properly treated AK break down. In addition, in a broken down society you won't be able to just go find ammo for any weapon, so you better be stockpiling if you really think it might happen. At this moment, 5.45 is extremely cheap, so several thousand rounds can be stored very economically.
I have also spent a lot of time in the driver's seat of all these rifles, and with the 5.45 you have the same big advantage as the AR, namely lightweight ammo, which translates to a lighter weapon when loaded, smaller magazines and the ability to carry a lot more ammo than a 7.62 weapon will allow.
I own both of the weapons in question, and have ammo stockpiled for each. I also have spare extractors, firing pins, and springs for both as they are all currently available. So, another item to grab now if you really want to be ready (though I doubt those spares will ever be used). I have handled Afghan weapons which have seen 40 plus years of continuous use and those original parts are still rolling along. So, my choice is 5.45X39!
 
Yeah Bushman I had ran across that mount a couple of days ago and they looked good so that is a start and I like the price as opposed to getting a cheap one and having the zero go all to heck.
 
Yeah I wish that I could get both I really do, but I am going to do some searching around town to see who might be able to order one for me, and I am really liking the 5.45 option right now.
 
i have both, 5.45 ammo is cheap (i hesitate to use that word in regards to ammo anymore) compared to a lotta calibres, i have shot both mine quite a bit, several hogs with each one, if that means anything, they both worked well, imho the 5.45 is a bit better at 300+ yards but imho the 7.62 has more "power".

i also say "get both", i love mine, but if could could only have one, it would be a 7.62X39 version, but the 5.45 is also a good one, from what i have seen the 5.45 seems bit better than the 5.56, as far as dropping hogs anyway lol, but the old 7.62 seems to top it, on hogs anyway.
 
a couple of thoughts.

while the 5.45 is dirt cheap now, remember less than 10 years ago there was barely any to be had and at a premium price tag. the price, comparitively, of 5.45 and 7.62 are likely to reverse in the future.

I think if I were to be in the back country because society has vanished, I might want some expanding ammo, not just ball for the taking of game. I know 7.62 can be had in SP and HP as well as FMJ. All the 5.45 I have seen was FMJ.

magazines for either are cheap and plentiful, so no issue there.

many of the parts interchange between the -47 and -74 variants...

optics: if you are not a southpaw, the offset-mounted optics from the combloc countries are quite a nice value for these platforms. most even have the optic/base as an integral unit. check out the PK-01 and the PK-AS as two red-dot candidates. the Kobra centers over the bore and also come recommended from the AK crowd.
 
7.62x39 - factory loaded has ballistics similar to the good old 30-30 cartridge and with modern powders, you can do some really nice things with it when handloading.
it's also common as dirt.
On top of that, it's a legal Deer caliber in many states where the 5.45 (and 5.56) aren't.
for bench shooting, you'll be loading your own, so should be able to tweak the 7.62 round. A buddy of mine free floated his Saiga and was getting moa accuracy with it, so the "inherently inaccurate" argument isn't very defensible.
just my $.02 worth.
good luck with whatever choice you make.
 
for what it's worth, Hornady has a V-max load for the 7.62X39 and plans on a 5.45X39 V-max load to be released soon.
 
the 5.45X39 ammo is readily available (for now) and very inexpensive. Ammoman.com has it for about $.16 a round. Buy it cheap, stack it deep. After that, you are not dependent on market fluctuations or on .gov changing it's mind as to what calibers are bad, or where it is bad to buy them from.

The round performs as well or better than the NATO 5.56X45.
 
Tostig said:
Ask yourself an honest question , which rifle in this scenario is easier for you to get ammo for , which rifle has easier to replace parts, etc. :)

Tostig
Click to expand...

Which rifle will empty out your wallet faster with 1-2 clips of ammo?:cool:
 
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