The Accurate Reloading Forums
7.62x39 vs .243Win.?
29 August 2010, 21:36
kaizer20077.62x39 vs .243Win.?
Hi all.
Your opinion whether decides SKS 7.62x39 tasks cal..243Win. on distances 100m.-300 m.?
29 August 2010, 22:30
Antelope SniperA typical sks will shoot 3" groups at 100 yards. On the other hand, it's very easy to get a decent .243 shoot under an inch. As a 10 rounds semi-auto, the SKS is only legal to hunt with in a handfull of states, so you would need to check your local regs.
In addition, the SKS has a .311 bore, so many (but not all) will not shoot .308 bullets very well. So for reloading, this leaves you with the much mor limited selection of .311 bullets.
Also, many of the "hollow point" bullets for the 7.62x39 are steel jacketed hollow points. They perform just like a full metal jacket on game. So it's important to to test any factory loading on a test medium such as phone books or milk jugs filled with water to confirm proper expansion before using them on game.
The other option for deer sized game, it to mount a scope on the .243, but a decent box of factory ammo, and go kill something.
I would not hunt anything bigger then deer with either one, but that is just a personal opinion.
29 August 2010, 22:56
kaizer2007quote:
Originally posted by kaizer2007:
Hi all.
Your opinion whether decides SKS 7.62x39 tasks cal..243Win. on distances 100m.-300 m.?
OK.
Ballistics .243Win. a bit worse than ballistics 7.62x54R-fact. On what distance .243Win. 7.62x39 will recover (100m.-200m.-300m.)?
Absolute decline of these calibers on distance 200 meters practically identically.
Energiya higher at 7.62x39.
P.S.
1.In all of situations we examine a standard bullet for SKS 123gr.-124gr. and 100gr.-110gr. for .243Win..
2."Accuracy? Hunting? Plinking?"-complete comparison.
29 August 2010, 23:03
Antelope Sniperquote:
OK.
Ballistics .243Win. a bit worse than ballistics 7.62x54R-fact.
SKS doesn't shoot a 7.62x54R, which is right between the .308 (7.62x51) and the 30.06 (7.62x 63).
SKS shoots a 7.62x39.
With a .243 Win, you can shoot a 95gr Nosler BT at 3050 with very little work. This gives you a point blank range of 326 yards.
Out of the 7.62x39 I'm currently shooting the 125gr NBTs at 2400. Point blank range of 261 yards.
Since the typical .243 will shoot 1" groups at 100 yards, with modern optics and a shooter who knows what they are doing, they have the accuracy, bullet selection and energy to reasonably take deer out to 400 yards.
One the other hand, the SKS, and I've shot ALOT of them, are 3" shooters at 100 yards. That translates to a 6" group at 200 yards, and it is this lack of accuracty that limits them to a 200 yards, or less for any practical hunting situation. Energy is irrelevant if you miss. Show me an sks that shoots 1" groups, and we can discuss it's use beyond 200 yards.
Of course neither one compares to a real gun, like a .270 Winchester or a 30.06.
29 August 2010, 23:25
kaizer2007quote:
Originally posted by kaizer2007:
quote:
Originally posted by kaizer2007:
Hi all.
Your opinion whether decides SKS 7.62x39 tasks cal..243Win. on distances 100m.-300 m.?
OK.
Ballistics .243Win. a bit worse than ballistics 7.62x54R-fact. On what distance .243Win. 7.62x39 will recover (100m.-200m.-300m.)?
Absolute decline of these calibers on distance 200 meters practically identically.
Energiya higher at 7.62x39.
P.S.
1.In all of situations we examine a standard bullet for SKS 123gr.-124gr. and 100gr.-110gr. for .243Win..
2."Accuracy? Hunting? Plinking?"-complete comparison.
1. The middle decline of bullet of 100gr. .243Win. on 300 yards makes from 6.6in. to 9.4in.,
SKS 7.62x39 13.5in.-14.6in..
100yd. an error will make 2in. for SKS.
2. If to compare ballistics of calibers 30-06,7.62x54R,.308Win.,.243Win.,7.62x39-the best ballistic results will look so 30-06,7.62x54R,.243Win.,.308Win.,7.62x39-500m..
29 August 2010, 23:29
SnellstromDespite the hype the 7.62x39 is a 30/30 Win when concerning performance. Most people slam the 30/30 beyond 100 yards so take that in consideration.
I recently got a SKS to play with and refer to it as a semi auto 30/30. Don't get me wrong I like the 30/30 and feel that people under rate its abilities but I find it strange that people somehow consider the 7.62x39 superior. Just compare the facts on paper before you say the one is superior to the other.
In your situation I would take a .243 with 85 to 100 grain bullets.
29 August 2010, 23:36
Antelope SniperSnellstorm. A good 30-30 will shoot 1" or 1 1/2" groups. I have yet to see an sks shoot this well. Given the choice, I would choose the 30-30 for hunting.
29 August 2010, 23:49
kaizer2007quote:
Originally posted by Snellstrom:
Despite the hype the 7.62x39 is a 30/30 Win when concerning performance. Most people slam the 30/30 beyond 100 yards so take that in consideration.
I recently got a SKS to play with and refer to it as a semi auto 30/30. Don't get me wrong I like the 30/30 and feel that people under rate its abilities but I find it strange that people somehow consider the 7.62x39 superior. Just compare the facts on paper before you say the one is superior to the other.
In your situation I would take a .243 with 85 to 100 grain bullets.
7.62x39 1.7"-5.0" 100m.-I am sure that suffices for hunt of it.29 August 2010, 23:55
Antelope Sniperquote:
7.62x39 1.7"-5.0" 100m.-I am sure that suffices for hunt of it.
Have you ever been hunting before?
What are you hunting, and under what conditions?
Jack rabbits at 25 yards, or Roebuck at 200 yards?
High fences with the animals all tied up, or public land with really wild critters?
30 August 2010, 03:16
bartsche
IMHO the 7.62 x 39is not a serious big game hunting round.The 30-30 is somewhat more powerful.Not serious for one thing; hunters are just likely to take a shot at 200 or 250 yards.This in my estimation is beyond that round's capability. The SKSes I've owned were a joke for hunting.

roger
Old age is a high price to pay for maturity!!! Some never pay and some pay and never reap the reward. Wisdom comes with age! Sometimes age comes alone..
30 August 2010, 10:56
Donald NelsonThis is one instance where I say .243. Forget the SKS for hunting leave it for a fun gun.
Molon Labe
New account for Jacobite
30 August 2010, 11:24
Kabluewy243.
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30 August 2010, 19:17
jeffeossoin a bolt gun, the 7,62 offeres a bit better powder but gives up a lot to the 243 in distance ... the sks is legal to hunt with in texas, and its trival to change to a 5 round mag, which makes it legal in most states ..
to a hand loader, its the equal of a 30/30 .. and 150 yards should be your max distance... though i purposely don't shoot far, a 243, if you think its a deer gun, is still deer gun at 300...
AS --the wolf ammo, and SB, hollow points are copper jackets .. i don't believe any steel jacketed ammo has been imported since the assualt weapons ban . all the wolf and SB ammo is hunting ammo, today
light barnes bullets into the 7,62 makes it into a fun gun...
sks should be considered a 100yard gun, for deer/pig sized game
30 August 2010, 21:11
Antelope Sniperquote:
AS --the wolf ammo, and SB, hollow points are copper jackets .. i don't believe any steel jacketed ammo has been imported since the assualt weapons ban . all the wolf and SB ammo is hunting ammo, today
Jeff. I tested the Wolf HP's on Waterjugs. It did not expand. It flatted, yawed, and make it to the 4th jug, but it did not expand.
30 August 2010, 21:12
StonecreekThe two cartridges are not even in the same class, even when chambered for similar bolt action rifles.
The 7.62x39 is a short range cartridge shooting a bullet with low sectional density and an arcing trajectory. It
will kill a deer about as effectively as a .243 when fired from 50 or 100 yards away.
The .243 Winchester is a high-velocity cartridge which is adaptable to very long range shooting (a guy just won a 1,000 yard match with a gun chambered with a stock .243 chamber). In terms of energy at the muzzle, it is similar to a 7.62x39. In terms of trajectory and energy at 300 meters, it is a quite practical round whereas the 7.62x39 is quite impractical.
31 August 2010, 11:30
kaizer2007Hi friends.
A question is based on a desire to fill a niche between calibers 7.62x39 and 30-06.
In relation to application of this caliber - I search most "universal"
CXP1,CXP2-on long and middle distances and CXP3 on short distances.
31 August 2010, 21:07
Antelope SniperIf you have a 30.06, then you have a real gun. There is no niche you need to fill with a 7.62x39 except shooting milk jugs at the range for fun.
If you are asking about a new caliber to buy for hunting, tell us what you hunt, and under what conditions, and we would be more then happy to provide you with many suggestions.