7.62x39 and x54r -- hunting rounds?

[Deus Machina]

Dad keeps saying that a favorite client of his is trying to get him out on a hog hunt, and he intends to take me along if he goes. So I guess I need to take care of the license and safety course.
But I'm also largely unfamiliar with rounds appropriate for hunting from these. I do have a shotgun, and would gladly toss the old reliably slugs in that (if I get it an appropriate barrel), but depending on the range, what anyone else is carrying, and other factors, I wouldn't feel bad bringing my Mosin Nagant or the AK headed my way, either.
Of course I know they're not the ideal hunting rifles, but I also know what with a good shot and the right round, a buck or boar won't know the difference.
So, while cheap is a wonderful bonus (my searching has found mention of 154gr Tula softpoints), effect and precision is key.
So what are some of the tried-and-true rounds for these?

Edit: I do have a hundred rounds or so of what I believe is 125gr Silver Bear SP and plenty of Tula, Wolf, or Brown Bear 123gr HP for the x39. If that's good enough, I can just call that a day and look for something similar for the x54r.

 

[someguy2800]

There are plenty of hunting rounds available for both. People speak highly of the 154 tula softpoints in 7.62x39 but I have not tried them. There is also the 123 grain federal fusion which are superb premium hunting bullets, and hornady has a 123 grain SST load.

In 7.62x54 pretty much any soft point bullet will be suitible. I am fond of Brown Bear 203 grain. PPU, S&B, and Winchester all have soft point hunting ammo. Pick one and see if it shoots well in yours.

 

[Deus Machina]

Well, I'll hit up the local shop and see what they have. And bring a magnet.
Everything I've seen so far suggests that bimetal jackets tend to negate any intent from the soft point.
I wasn't really aware that Fusion and SST were really available. And I thought SST was more of a quick-expansion, low-penetration thing.
But this is why I stay on the High Road. Always learn something new.

 

[adcoch1]

Sst in the 7.62x39 make for good hunting bullets due to velocity. That same bullet in a x54 is gonna blow up on impact cause it's moving a lot faster. Same thing as using them in 300 blackout vs a 30-06.
The 154 grn tula is probably what I would use on hogs cause it works, but for any trophy game I would go with hunting ammo. I have had great luck on deer with the 154's but I did have one not open up. If I had been handloading back then I would have been using a cup and core style bullet.

 

[Robbins290]

I had good luck with the PPU soft points. Tho they had trouble cycling in ar ar15 in 762x39. But works great for the ruger american.

 

[someguy2800]

Well, I'll hit up the local shop and see what they have. And bring a magnet.
Everything I've seen so far suggests that bimetal jackets tend to negate any intent from the soft point.
I wasn't really aware that Fusion and SST were really available. And I thought SST was more of a quick-expansion, low-penetration thing.
But this is why I stay on the High Road. Always learn something new.

Everything from wolf, tula, barnaul, brown bear ect... will all be bimetal jackets so I can save you the time checking. That doesn't mean they won't expand though. I can personally confirm the brown bear 203 grain bullets do expand very well. I've never shot the tula 154's but people that have used them typically say they work well on game.

If you want copper jacketed ammo then PPU, S&B, or one of the american brands will have you covered.

 

[LoonWulf]

There are plenty of hunting rounds available for both. People speak highly of the 154 tula softpoints in 7.62x39 but I have not tried them. There is also the 123 grain federal fusion which are superb premium hunting bullets, and hornady has a 123 grain SST load.

In 7.62x54 pretty much any soft point bullet will be suitible. I am fond of Brown Bear 203 grain. PPU, S&B, and Winchester all have soft point hunting ammo. Pick one and see if it shoots well in yours.

Ive used the 154 tulas to good effect, they are a little odd in that the base of the bullet is open as well so they are kinda like a tube full of lead.....either way they kill well. the 123sst are what i was shooting in my sks for pigs and those also worked well.

The only factory ammo ive used for the x54 are old winchester power points which worked exactly like every other power point ive used, and the ppu ...uh ...150? soft points which also worked well.

 

[Deus Machina]

Alright, so it's not the material of the jacket, it's the construction.
Further research has shown numerous accounts where the Bear and Tiger SPs flattened but didn't expand and HPs performed like FMJ, at least in x39.
One even cut them in half and compared; Tula 154gr SP had more exposed lead and a notably thinner jacket, even further so at the front. Better design.
Of course I assume 54r would work better all around.

 

[rust collector]

I have read that x39 hollowpoints are more about bullet construction or accuracy than expansion. If a Fusion load is available, that would be my recommendation in both cartridges. Hunting trips are not the time to scrimp on ammunition quality.

 

[fireside44]

Ive used the 154 tulas to good effect, they are a little odd in that the base of the bullet is open as well so they are kinda like a tube full of lead.....either way they kill well.

They were my deer ammo cause I didn't think HPs would be as good as the heavier soft points and it was what I had on hand. Several hunts later now, very satisfied. I never pulled them down but I always tried to recover the bullet, usually no luck but 2nd doe this season I took a shoulder shot and it completely destroyed that shoulder. The bullet veered into the chest cavity and canoed the top 3rd of the heart. I found maybe ten grains weight worth of copper jacketing in the heavily bloodshot front leg/chest cavity area. I continually am impressed with how hard-hitting that 154 grain is inside 100 yards makes me wish I had a larger percentage of it making up my ammo stash. Gonna have to fix that...

 

[Deus Machina]

I figured if it wouldn't hurt to have enough to check that it shot well and stock up, cheap would be nice.
So I just won't stock as much. I still won't take something out without sighting it in, just won't have half a dozen boxes if I grab Fusion or SST or the like.
Otherwise, I'll check the price and availability of the 154gr x39 and 203gr x54r SPs. Maybe they won't make for 300-yard shots on trophy bucks, but neither will these rifles or Florida hunting.

 

[<*(((><]

Federal Fusion or Hornady SST for the x39

No comment on the 54r have a Mosin myself but never shoot it.

 

[FL-NC]

I shot a couple of deer with the SKS at fairly short range with soft point ammo, and never got an exit wound. I would sooner use the Mosin.

 

[beeenbag]

I also vote for the federal fusion in the x39. Not terribly expensive either and work well.

 

[Newtosavage]

123 SST's are legit hunting rounds. I've shot several deer and quite a few pigs with them. They do a lot of damage and I always get two holes. Even on some pretty big pigs. Plus even the steel-case Hornady factory loads are MOA accurate. In fact, they are so accurate and effective that I no longer hand load for 7.62x39.

 

[fireside44]

I figured if it wouldn't hurt to have enough to check that it shot well and stock up, cheap would be nice.
So I just won't stock as much. I still won't take something out without sighting it in, just won't have half a dozen boxes if I grab Fusion or SST or the like.
Otherwise, I'll check the price and availability of the 154gr x39 and 203gr x54r SPs. Maybe they won't make for 300-yard shots on trophy bucks, but neither will these rifles or Florida hunting.

I think if your gun likes the ammo and you have your rifle sighted in you should have pretty good results for your hunt. AK operators union local 47/74 did a test of a bunch of steel case x39. The results were not what I expected and some much pricier ammo didn't really do as well as I thought it would. Best on your hunt, it's been a few years since I hunted Florida hogs.

 

[dave951]

If you handload, the x54r is basically the same power range as a 30.06. As for factory ammo, my sons had a couple Mosins they loved to shoot but couldn't get better than about 4-5in groups out of combloc surplus. I slugged the bore and confirmed .308. From that point, I taught them how to make what we used to call "Mexican Match" (a termed that originated in the metallic silhoutte circles).

Basically you take the factory ammo, break it down, toss the bullets. For a real eye opener, weigh them. They'll vary as much as 10gr. Dump the powder into one container. Do the math to put equal charges back into the cases. Use modern, US commercial hunting bullets. Presto, the stock Mosin that would only do 4-5moa is now shooting 2-3moa with no other changes.

 

[someguy2800]

If you handload, the x54r is basically the same power range as a 30.06. As for factory ammo, my sons had a couple Mosins they loved to shoot but couldn't get better than about 4-5in groups out of combloc surplus. I slugged the bore and confirmed .308. From that point, I taught them how to make what we used to call "Mexican Match" (a termed that originated in the metallic silhoutte circles).

Basically you take the factory ammo, break it down, toss the bullets. For a real eye opener, weigh them. They'll vary as much as 10gr. Dump the powder into one container. Do the math to put equal charges back into the cases. Use modern, US commercial hunting bullets. Presto, the stock Mosin that would only do 4-5moa is now shooting 2-3moa with no other changes.

my father in law told me about doing that for a couple SKS’s him and a buddy bought in the 90’s. I decided to deer hunt with my 7.62x39 two years ago and couldn't find any brass on short notice so I pulled the bullets out of some wolf ammo and loaded them up with .308” 125 grain nosler accubonds. The cases sized down no problem.

 

[Newtosavage]

my father in law told me about doing that for a couple SKS’s him and a buddy bought in the 90’s. I decided to deer hunt with my 7.62x39 two years ago and could find any brass on short notice so I pulled the bullets out of some wolf ammo and loaded them up with .308” 125 grain nosler accubonds. They cases sized down no problem.

View attachment 882242

I was thinking of doing this exact thing with some 140 Monoflex.

 

[Buckeye63]

I shot a Doe with a Mosin useing steel cased 204gr SP ... the combo worked .. small hole in & larger hole going out .. venison was tasty ..

Im bout sure I shot a couple feral dogs with the same combo .. devastating..

Remington makes some high quality SP ammo in 7.62x39 .. PPU makes high quality 123gr SP brass case in 7.62x39 .. I can vouch for both .. They work on Coydogs & Feral dogs and a few Whitetails

 

[Deus Machina]

All I've got for reloading right now is for 9mm. I have heard about the 'Mexican match' idea.
Maybe I'll grab a set of used dies and give that a shot. Just need to find bullets the same weight, length, and effective at around the same velocity.
And maybe slug the bore first. IIRC the Mosin Nagant is .311, +/- .0005 (unissued or very gently used) and I'm unsure how it would like .308. Better than the counterbored ones, I'm sure.
I'm betting that this AK will be a proper .311 barrel instead of some US-manufactured ones on .308 blanks, but... trust but verify.

 

[courtgreene]

Yes slug the bore. As for the Mosin Nagant, mine likes hornady 150gr interbonds. It likes them sized at .312”, and it likes them loaded at max with either imr4895 or (even more accurate) imr4064. I know you said you don’t reload but look for something hot and a decent bullet. I use this in two different guns and both give the same results (one sporter with scope, one as the czar intended).

 

[someguy2800]

All I've got for reloading right now is for 9mm. I have heard about the 'Mexican match' idea.
Maybe I'll grab a set of used dies and give that a shot. Just need to find bullets the same weight, length, and effective at around the same velocity.
And maybe slug the bore first. IIRC the Mosin Nagant is .311 (unissued or very gently used) and I'm unsure how it would like .308. Better than the counterbored ones, I'm sure.
I'm betting that this AK will be a proper .311 barrel instead of some US-manufactured ones on .308 blanks, but... trust but verify.

I have shot .308" bullets from several rifles varying in bore size from .311 to .314" bore size and they all shot as good or better than the "correct" sized bullets. Others have had different experiences but as for myself I have seen no evidence whatsoever that slightly undersized bullets will not shoot accurately.

For instance this is how the above mentioned nosler accubond shoot in my .311" bore when loaded in a brass case



Also just word of warning, if you want to do this mexican match idea you do need to be mindful of what you are doing with neck tension. If you remove a .312" bullet and try to replace it with a .308 bullet or even a .311" bullet you will have no neck tension. In my case I had to resize the necks using a .308 expanding mandrel in a 7.62x39 die with the decapping pin removed. I also had to flare the case mouths to keep it from shaving the bullets and then crimp that flare down. I don't want to discourage but this may be better left till you have more experience with rifle reloading if you are new to handloading.

more details here

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...case-7-62x39-for-hunting-with-cfe-blk.843198/

 

[skeeterfogger]

I use PPU SPBT in 243, 270 and 3006. All are very accurate and do the job

 

[JeeperCreeper]

I use PPU for my mosin m44.

Great stuff