For true all around use, including home/self defense, 2A responsibilities, plinking and hunting I don't think there's any question. 7.62x39 AK. If by "all around use" you meant all around hunting use, then I'd say 30-30.If I had to choose between these two cartridges for all around short range use (25-200yds.) which should I go with? Let's assume AK47 and pre 64 Win model 94 no optics?
IF you have a hybrid barrel bored to .308....... those are not as common as they should be in my opinion.So, I have some real world numbers on these two now... I have both a bolt action 7.62x39 (Savage) and a pre-64 Win. 30-30 that was my first deer rifle.
Factory loads in the x39 give me consistently 2350 fps. with 123-grain bullets. That's from a 20" barrel. But my favorite hunting load is a 160-grain FTX (same as the LeverEvolution bullet) traveling at 2250 fps. It gives me an honest 1100 ft. lbs. of energy at 200 yards.
By comparison, I've shot the 30-30 LeverEvolution rounds out of my Win. 94, and I get 2350 fps. out of that 20" barrel.
So if you handload, you can push the same bullet to within approx. 100 fps. of the 30-30 round.
For true all around use, including home/self defense, 2A responsibilities, plinking and hunting I don't think there's any question. 7.62x39 AK. If by "all around use" you meant all around hunting use, then I'd say 30-30.
As a slight generalization, you'll lose anywhere between 50 and 100fps using .308 diameter bullets with a .311 bore. Of .311 bullets Hornady 150 and 174gr Interlocks and Sierra 180gr Pro-Hunter can be loaded pretty hot providing there are means to control gas to the piston (otherwise brass ejection is pretty violent), so that they retain their recommended impact velocity at 150, even 200yd. More or less an equivalent to hot .30-30 handloads and some top shelf factory loads.So if you handload, you can push the same bullet to within approx. 100 fps. of the 30-30 round.
Lucky for me I have a .308 bore.As a slight generalization, you'll lose anywhere between 50 and 100fps using .308 diameter bullets with a .311 bore. Of .311 bullets Hornady 150 and 174gr Interlocks and Sierra 180gr Pro-Hunter can be loaded pretty hot providing there are means to control gas to the piston (otherwise brass ejection is pretty violent), so that they retain their recommended impact velocity at 150, even 200yd. More or less an equivalent to hot .30-30 handloads and some top shelf factory loads.
The Winchester 94 and leverguns in general are deadly on humans at short to moderate range. Look up Russian losses at the siege of Plevna.
I just looked it up. I'm not really sure what your point is. That was in 1877-78. The model 94 was cutting edge at that time. So was the steam locomotive. Both the lever action and the steam engine worked for what they were supposed to do but we've since come up with better options in both cases.
I believe every American has a responsibility to own and be familiar with detachable magazine fed rifles since that's the closest we can legally get to what the military uses. That's part of being part of the "well regulated militia". That's why I suggested the AK over the lever gun for "all around use" (personally I think the AR is the better option, but that's not what this thread is about).
Detachable mag fed semi-autos are pretty easy to figure out if you need to. My philosophy has always been that if things get to a point where I really need a hi-cap rapid fire rifle, I just take one off a corpse.
Out of sheer curiosity, why, ie. would you think there's a solid reason? In objective terms the marginal difference in ballistics isn't enough to tip the scale to one way or another and after that I'd see the whole question as a subjective matter of individual, personal preference. Recently I've used Ruger Mini 30 for deer, which is just that, a choice I can't really explain in any other way than I happen to like it and it does the job.Deer: 30-30