7.62 v. .223: Inherent Accuracy

[Remander]

I posted recently asking about 7.62x39 groups at 100 yds.

I got me curious about the inherent accuracy of the 7.62 v. the .223.

Has anyone compared 100 yd. groups from essentially the same rifle shooting those two kinds of ammo?

I was thinking of a Mini 14 v. a Mini 30. There may be others.

The 7.62 strikes me as spray and pray at the longer distances, and I was wondering how much better, if any, the .223 is.

Thanks for your info.

 

[gaven]

the mini 14 is not none for accuracy in ether caliber you would be better off comparing a AR15 in both calibers. as far as accuracy i here people
talking about the AK not being accurate but i have a Maddi AK with a 16in.
barrel that i can hit a 10in. gong at 265yd. with almost every shoot using
the issue iron sights. ( i do shoot a lot)

 

[c_yeager]

Loaded to equal consistancy with compenents of equal quality and fired out of weapons of equal precision i doubt that either round would be found more "inherently accurate" than the other.

Now, for all practicle intents and purposes MOST commercial .223 is loaded to higher standards than MOST 7.62x39. And most rifles chambered for .223 are built to somewhat tighter tollerance than most rifles chambered in 7.62x39. There are of course PLENTY of exeptions to all of this.

Furthermore .223 will have considerably less drop at longer ranges than 7.62x39 which has something of rainbow tragectory. While this doesnt have a direct affect on actual accuracy it will make the .223 easier to SHOOT accuratly.

Doesnt really answer your question though does it?

 

[41mag]

Just based on the fact that both the 22PPC & 6mmPPC target rounds are based on the 7.62 x 39 case leads me to believe that it might ,potentially & with a lot of "ifs"(bullet,barrel,& action intended for accuracy as opposed to semi-auto reliable sustained fire)be the more accurate of the two.
I mean,there had to be a good reason to use a case that,@ the time,wasn't exactly common for target shooters.

 

[shoobe01]

Anecdotally, I have heard some phenomenal accuracy with SKs and other 7.62 M43 rifles.

Scientifically, I have seen the results of a machine rest test of a bunch of military rifles, ALL were basically as accurate as the others. Practical accuracy, influenced by sights and stocks, is something else.

Another issue with the M43 is that its a roughly .30 caliber round, but not a .308. Its .311 instead. So, Minis have non-matching bores and this probably causes issues, plus there are fewer .310 & .311 bullets than .308s so I'll bet some people have had bullet/bore mismatches that cause inaccuracy.

I also suspect its a great-shooting cartridge when properly loaded; a friend and I were talking of this just this weekend as he's looking into a CZ550 in 7.62. The father of all those PPC cartridge is one reason that he's excited by it also.

 

[JShirley]

So, to sum, the 7.62x39mm probably has greater inherent potential accuracy, but the 5.56x45mm tends to have greater practical accuracy.

John

 

[bogie]

Regarding "inherent" accuracy, I'd vote for the .223 - It's very close in capacity to the .222, which is one heckuva cartridge.

The only thing that the 7.62x39 shares with competition 6PPC ammo is the size of the boltface. You're going to get larger groups because you're throwing a proportionally heavier bullet proportionally slower.

I own both .223 and 6PPC rifles. Considering having a varmint barrel made in .220 Russian, just so I can use Lapua brass without having to form it...

 

[bhart89]

I just wanted to add that in the U.S.A. most 7.62x39 rifles use a bore that is slightly different than most of the imported rifles. That may have something to do with it's lack of accuracy.

I think that the .223 has more potential for the average Joe to shoot accuratley because of it's flat trajectory too.

 

[JShirley]

You're going to get larger groups because you're throwing a proportionally heavier bullet proportionally slower

It's my understanding that larger diameter bullets are less affected by subtle variation than smaller ones...making larger bullets inherently more accurate. I am told by reliable sources that a typical US 40mm cannon is well over MOA accurate, and I've never heard of there being any type of "match" type barrel care or selection.

There are theoretical "perfect" proportions of powder to bullet weight, and there
are calculations of powder burn and front, and case capacity. Higher velocity leads only to greater practical accuracy for most people; it does not affect true inherent accuracy.

John