Interesting rifle: 5.45mm bolt action

[natedog]

I was curious if there were any other rifles in 5.45mm besides the AK series, and I found one http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/viewitem.asp?item=21369903 . Bolt actioin, scoped, detachable magazine (possibly Ak-74?)? Does anyone have any experience with this rifle?

How popular is the 5.45mm cartridge in Russian/Europe? Is it the Eurasian version of the 5.56mm?

 

[JA]

It is the East German SSG-82 rifle issued to border guards and all were sold as surplus after East and West Germany were reunited. The rifles with the issue scopes were imported in the mid 1990's along with RWS hollow point 5.45x39mm ammo. Rifles and squad automatic weapons chambered for the 5.45x39mm cartridge are the current issue weapons of the Russian army and the armies of several of the former Soivet countires.
A guy that has a SSG-82 posted on the AK-47.net bulletin board a couple years ago about the fired steel cases of 5.45x39mm ammo sticking in the chamber of his rifle. Also he was getting 100 yard groups between 2"-3". There is no brass cased 5.45x39mm ammo made only steel case ammo as it is a military cartridge.
I make 5.45x39mm cases from 222 Remington brass and resize .224" bullets to reload for my Romanian 5.45x39mm AK rifles. After coresponding with the guy about reloading for his SSG-82 I sent him 10rds of the ammo I made with resized Hornady 68 grain hp match bullets to test out. He reported that he fired a couple 3 shot 1" groups at 100 yards and one that was .8" with my ammo.
The last I heard from him he had started making his own 5.45x39mm cases and ammo per my instructions. He had reloaded the cases he made several times and was getting sub 1" groups from his SSG-82.

 

[Erik Jensen]

if I remember correctly, Tamara has one of those oddball German sniper rifles in 5.45X39.