7.62x39

[buckenbass]

I HAVE A 7.62X39  26" MADE BUY FOX RIDGE ON A ENCORE FRAME REAL TREE STOCK AND FOREARM  HARRIS BIPOD AND A RUSSIAN SNIPER SCOPE WITH RANGE FINDER AND WINDAGE.LOOKS SWEET.

WITH GOOD AMMO I HAVE 1/2 AT 100 YARDS

HOW FAR CAN THIS SHOOT??  WHERE SHOULD I ZERO IT IN AT?

ALL MY BARRELS ARE ZEROED IN AT 100YARDS  AND I WANT TO START FINDING THERE LIMITS (AND MINE)!!!

[Bob_K]

I believe the ballistics of the 7.62X39 put it above the .30-30 and below the .308 Win.  I would suggest 250 yards as a limit.  The .308 Win is effective at 600 yards!

[thomas]

With a Velocity of only 1300-1400 fps  at 600 yards for the 308 bullet it would NOT  be effective at killing clean at 600 yards. Wounding a soldier? YES but thier will be NO bullet expansion at 600 yards. You might punch a clean hole through a deer at that range, but at 600 yards you will not be able to track or find the deer once you get to the point of impact. No blood trail. All leads to the 308 NOT being effective for hunting at 600 yards.
We have not even added in the factors of bullet drop or wind drift at such distances.
their is a big difference between bench rest shooting with VERY experienced and skilled marksmen and Hunting in the feild.
the 308 will only leave the muzzle at about 2700 fps
 The 308 is good for up to maybe 300 yards in the hands of a very savy hunter with above average skills.
And that is father than most should take aim and pull the trigger.
tom

[helobill]

I've seen folks like Chuck Hawk say that you should consider about 1500 ft lbs of energy the minimum to cleanly kill an elk for the average shooter (and 800 for whitetail). Now that's gonna be contested by everyone that's shot an elk with a 30/30 at more than 50 yards, but he's talking with what is available today there is no reason to accept less than this and the average shooter is not good at estimating distance and therefore bullet drop/windage, soooo to compensate use a fast flat shooting round that will expand well and kill cleanly. That way you take some of the uncertainty away. Totally agree with that sentiment...but...can you do it with less than 1500? Absolutely. And if you are more experienced at estimating ranges and calculating drop and windage, shoot a lot to establish this ability, know the current conditions, have the ability to properly place the bullet, and have a bullet that is designed for the velocity that it will be at when it strikes the target (may mean carrying 3 or 4 different types of ammo and not loading until you know which type shot you're going to get) you can pull it off. Can I? NOPE, and I don't care to try to take all this into account. I'll just get a little closer and remove the uncertainty vice trying to make a low percentage shot, and I'm going to use a faster round to do it.

So how does this relate to the 7.62X39? What type/grain bullet at what muzzle velocity? Put it in a ballistic calculater like the one at www.realguns.com and figure out your energy and drop. Then comes the subjective part, where are your limits? Can you estimate  accurately the wind speed and bullet drop at 200 yards and hit a six inch circle every time? Maybe you can take that shot. If you're only talking hitting targets, then effective range is directly propertional to your abilities. I'm reminded of the warning inside a 22lr box, "Danger: range over 1 mile" yeah, but could you accurately hit anything with a 22 at 2000yds? :grin:
Helicopter Bill