7.62x39 for deer

My grandfather is getting old and bought a little rifle made in Czechlovikia chambered for this cartridge cause the gun is light and doesn't kick a lot. Do you think this cartridge is ok for deer?. Most guys around here use 30/06 and though the rifle is real nice, the ammo looks kind of puney to me.

Ballistically, it's very similar to a Winchester 30-30. Deer aren't that difficult to kill. Just use a decent quality bullet and put it where it needs to be. One through the lungs and that deer isn't going very far at all. Keep the deer at 100 yards or less and your grandfather will be just

Jason, The 7.62x39 is almost the equal of the 30/30 Winchester, which ought to make it an acceptable close range deer cartridge. The little CZ in turn is as handy a bolt action carbine as you'll find anywhere. The 30'06 has always struck me as possessing a significant surplus of energy for the average deer. Seems to me your Grandfather is on to something, if his venison making shots are under 200 yards and he has given up on 'raking shots' through monster bucks. When you're ready maybe he'll let you hunt with it. Good hunting! Michael

If your grandfather can shoot. He shoots the vital area, then the deer will be waiting when he goes out to see where it lies.

LouisB

Just an opinion of course!

that typical load is most likley more similay to a 308 which is a good load the problem will be finding a load to hunt with something not mlitary i have maybe the same gun except mine is made by remington arms if ya hunt with this gun like any other gun ya cant kill and find your game unless you make a good decent shot what i like to call a kill shot dont shoot unless you no its dead as soon as ya shot

..308? Absolutely. Ballistically, it will probably out-perform a 30-06 round.

My info is second-hand, but it is all consistent: get soft-point ammo for it & it will work fine. American-made stuff is the best, but the cheapness of ex-commie surplus has driven most American manufacturers out of this caliber. Hollow-point is not good, it's really FMJ that's been put in a die & had a drill run into the bullet's point. Performance can be anything, from a perfect mushroom to a shed core (FMJ starts out with the bullet jacket NOT covering the base, unlike bullets MADE to be hollow

Just fine for white tail. About the same as a 30-30 which has taken more than it's share of deer.

I think you will find the ballistics similar to 30-30 if you use proper ammo.

#My info is second-hand, but it is all consistent: get soft-point ammo for #it & it will work fine. American-made stuff is the best, but the #cheapness of ex-commie surplus has driven most American manufacturers out #of this caliber. Hollow-point is not good, it's really FMJ that's been #put in a die & had a drill run into the bullet's point. Performance can #be anything, from a perfect mushroom to a shed core ....

Bob,

Very good points throughout. I have a fondness for the 7.62X39 as an all-around fun shooting cartridge. I have checked every Russian or former Soviet bloc brand and style of hollow point bullet I could get my hands on and each and every one would shed the jacket and have the core break up. I also noticed the same thing with most of the soft-point ammo. The jacket will break up but the core tends to hold together longer.

All tests were done into wet-pack and the rifle was either an SKS or a Romanian AK. I have not had the opportunity to try any US manufactured ammo in this caliber.

If I was using this cartridge for deer I don't think that there would be any problem using the soft point ammo.

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