At long last, Hornady is making 7.62x39mm VMAX.

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benEzra

benEzra

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http://www.tacticalgunfan.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=553&Itemid=1

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I really like the fact that they are using Russian cases and primers, and U.S. high-energy, low-flash powders. My biggest concern with U.S.-manufactured ammunition in 7.62x39mm is the tendency to use softer Western primers instead of primers that meet eastern European hardness specs.

I'll be wanting a box of this when it is available.
 
How fast are they pushing it?
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From the article:

TacticalGunFan was recently given a first look at this new load. At the time, Steve Hornady stated this new load has a muzzle velocity of 2,390 fps (approximately 60 fps faster than the standard Russian M43 load). Energy at the muzzle is 1,559 ft-lbs and it retains 969 ft-lbs at 200 yards and 753 ft-lbs out to 300 yards.

In comparison, a 123-grain Lapua FMJ launched at 2,330 fps generates 1,482 ft-lbs as the muzzle. It retains 924 ft-lbs at 200 yards and 721 ft-lbs at 300 yards.

With a 100-yard zero, Hornady's new load drops 6 inches at 200 yards and 22 inches at 300 yards. In comparison, the Lapua FMJ drops 6.5 inches at 200 yards and 23.3 inches at 300 yards.

The loads that TacticalGunFan fired were pre-production samples, which the staff fired at 100, 200 and 500 yards on steel plates.
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Huh... I wonder if they'd sell the primed cases with Russian powder and bullets in them too! I'd like to see those. Haven't seen any in months.
 
What do you guys think the pricing will be like? It's my understanding that Hornandy ammunition usually sits on the high end of pricing.

Thoughts? Predictions? Or is there already a set price out there for a box of 20?
 
I see a CZ 527 carbine in my not so distant future.

I do hope this inspires other manufactures to come out with more metric stuff but it does seem a little expensive. I'd sure like to see winchester do up some ballistic tips with those nickel cases.
 
Looks kinda high for casings that cant be reloaded.
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The main market for this is probably going to be people like me who don't reload. Reloaders can already construct something like this, but those of us who depend on factory ammo can't do that. And for me, I prefer the steel case and hard Russian primer.

And if they do price it at $33/50, that's not too bad if you compare it to other premium rifle ammunition at retail. I just paid $13.85 for a box of 20 Winchester white box 7.62x39mm at Wal-Mart, which is over $34.00/50.
 
I'll take a box of 50 for $33 bucks, looks good to me. The closes other comparison on the market is a Double Tap load thats like a little over $50 for a box of 50.
 
Yeah, just like the above poster, This stuff has been out for years, I think I saw it in a 2006 cabelas magazine.
 
Do they sell the bullets themselves to the general public, and if not, will they ever? I don't see them on their website, nor on Powder Valley's.
 
Graf's did have them for a while. I ordered a thousand and they are more accurate than any other bullet I've tried so far. I've since heard that Hornady was going to stop making them for reloaders like me. I wish they wouldn't.
 
Very weird. Typically not most people's choice for a varmint round, and particularly not in the standard platforms in this round. Still, more choices are better than less choices, eh? :)
 
Options are good. For years the thing that plagued the AK the most as a defensive carbine was the lack of suitable ammo. In the past, JHP and some of the JSPs have displayed inconsistent expansion that made them sketchy for use indoors or in urban neighborhoods.

Lately, more effective ammunition has been made available to consumers that allows them to take advantage of the AK's potential as an awesome home defense carbine. Most notably, Wolf's Military Classic line 124 gr JHP (as opposed to the older Black Box 122 gr JHPs) uses the 8m3 projectile known to not only be more accurate than most, but also a consistent performer in tissue that expands to twice its original diameter, loses ~20% of its mass to fragmentation, and penetrates 14 to 16 inches in ballistic gelatin--characteristics that make it ideal for defensive use. As this ammo is usually cheaper and more readily available, I really think it will remain a more popular choice than the new Hornady load. But the Hornady load does look interesting and having it as an option is certainly a good thing.

I think I've seen similar ammo loaded by another company with the same Vmax bullets, but this is the first time that I am aware that Hornady has offered the ammunition themselves. They have a well earned reputation for putting out some good stuff.
 
Do they sell the bullets themselves to the general public, and if not, will they ever? I don't see them on their website, nor on Powder Valley's.
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I suspect that for the time being, they're all going into loaded ammunition. When supply catches up with demand, I'm sure you'll be able to get them.

Work great in my Ak despite the softer primers. I assume the Hornady load will be pretty mellow too as is most of their stuff.
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My main worry with softer U.S. primers isn't failure to function (they'll always function, no question), it's slamfire. The AK firing pin was designed for hard primers. Put too-soft primers in there, and you run the risk of a stuck or corroded firing pin firing a chambered round. That is very rare with AK's (I've only ever heard of it happening with SKS's), but the fact does remain that the soft primers are outside the AK's design specs.

This load is actually not mellow; it is running 40-60fps faster than Warsaw Pact milspec.

Very weird. Typically not most people's choice for a varmint round, and particularly not in the standard platforms in this round. Still, more choices are better than less choices, eh?
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Not wierd at all. This is primarily a defense round, not a varmint round, and one that many of us AK owners have been clamoring for for years. The biggest problem with 7.62x39mm as a defense round is that finding ammunition that expands reliably, and is fragile enough not to overpenetrate, is hit or miss. The VMAX bullet expands very reliably and is very accurate.

I think I've seen similar ammo loaded by another company with the same Vmax bullets, but this is the first time that I am aware that Hornady has offered the ammunition themselves. They have a well earned reputation for putting out some good stuff.
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Yes, I think Georgia Arms offered a similar load for a while. It was extremely hard to find, and I never could find out if they used milspec hard primers or not.
 
So they are buying a bunch of Wolf or Barnaul and pulling the bullets and powder out and loading the case with thier own stuff. Whoop Dee Doo, anyone can do this...
 
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