Posted on 11/11/2008 11:15:21 AM PST by LeoOshkosh
I'm going to buy an
assault semi-automatic rifle with considerable magazine capacity.
Rather than ask which gun to buy (like many others have), I'd like to let the ammunition influence my gun purchase.
Okay experts......these are the parameters I'd like you to discuss for ammo calibers ranging from .223 to 7.62x39 to larger.
What is the best caliber ammo based on?
1) availability 2) cost 3) versatility (defense, hunting, etc.) 4) popular caliber with numerous gun brands 5) etc.
What type magazine can you use with the 7.62x39
Any links or recommendations on the upper/magazines.
At close, defensive distances 7.62x39 has my vote. It’s not very accurate much beyond 200yds, but it wasn’t meant to be. 5.56mm is accurate at up to 600yds, but at that distance has lost most of its energy, it will make a neat little hole, but not do much damage, unless you hit the target in just the right spot. 7.62x39 costs about 1/2 of what 5.56mm costs and the weapons that are usually chambered for it, the SKS and the AK-47 have looser tolerances, and are more inherently reliable than the AR-15 that is typically chambered for the 5.56mm, and can be had for considerably less $ in most cases. For the combination of close in reliability and cost the 7.62x39 is hard to beat.
30-06 is the best overall round but it is expensive and not as readily available as others. Therefore, I would go with the .308. It can punch through a car door at 300 yds.
.223’s are for the wives and children. Easier to handle and lighter but no punch. It takes 5 or 6 rounds of that to do the same job of 1 .308.
Please consult Boston T. Party’s “Gun Bible”
Here is the link.
http://www.amazon.com/Bostons-Gun-Bible-Boston-Party/dp/1888766069
This guy seems to know what he is talking about.
7.62X39 can fill all those niches. The accuracy of the standard surplus fodder is a bit suspect but good ammo, made here in the US is plenty accurate. If you handload... so much the better.
Any links or recommendations on the upper/magazines.
I'd do a search, or wait for one of the experts to chime in here. Like I said, I'm no expert, and I might give some bad advice. I have a Rock River AR with heavy target barrel and shorter tactical type. Both .223. I'm very happy with their quality and service.
308 would get my vote
Each has it's own drawbacks going through walls, vs. Hydrostatic shock.
There really is no good all around.
Go to some ammo manufacturers and look at their specs. Bullet weight/feet per second/drop distance/powder burning characteristics all impact ballistic performance.
Maybe it's just me, but I don't want any neat little holes in me that God didn't put there. 5.56 at 600 yards may not oblitereate a target, but it'll sure intimidate one.
.308 for versatility, popularity, and availability.
5.56x45mm is also a wonderful light semiautomatic rifle caliber. Much domestically produced ammunition is available.
7.62x51mm is a wonderful heavy semiautomatic rifle caliber. Domestically produced ammunition also abounds, although not as much.
You can buy 7.62 x 39 @ 1000 rounds for approximately 250. Russian. Either Wolf, or Golden Tiger.
People that sell the uppers sell magazines. There was also a company that was making a modular lower AR receiver that could be adapted to different magazine wells, one of which took AK-47 magazines. Not sure how that worked out.
Who uses an SKS? I don't. Anyone going 7.62x39 should get a real rifle to go with it, like a Ruger Mini-30...
the infowarrior
I’ve seen a ChiCom SKS “double” on PMC (South Korea) and IIRC Federal brass cased ammo.
.308
For a first time beginner, I would say a .223 but then you did say the best.
I hear ya there. I have a neat scar on my left shoulder from a 7.62 round. It was put there by one of Saddam’s minions 18yrs ago. I don’t want to be on the receiving end of anything else, thank you. Would rather be the delivery man.
Wouldn't depend on the caliber but the make of the weapon as to what type magazine you could use. Lots of stuff out there for AK/SKS type rifles, ranging from decent to gawdawful. Couldn't tell you which was which.
Mine is a Ruger Mini-30, for which I do have some high-capacity magazines, of uniformly decent quality, and weren't difficult to find.
the infowarrior
Mini 30, as I understand it has a .308 bore, rather than .311. It’ll work, but why bother? And in the “real rifle” category, the SKS is an “as issued” infantry weapon. More “real” than semi-auto AK’s and AR’s which I also shoot. Also, the SKS has a longer sight radius. A lot of GI’s have been killed by people wielding SKS’s.
Buy an AK-47 hands down. It’s not as accurate as an M-16 or an AR-15, but it will definitely get the job done. It is just that an assault rifle. It is rugged and durable. Also, you may want to buy some plastic wrap and a wooden box just incase you need to bury it. I guarantee you that with little maintenance and a full blown dusting of dirt the AK will still fire rounds, and be accurate up to 200 yds. If you want to shoot anything beyong 200 yds you can buy a Russian PSO-1 scope (same scope used on a SVD Drugonov).
.223, .308, 9mm, etc., are used by the US military. There will always be *some* of it available. They can ban everything else if they feel like it but they have to feed the military and police weapons.
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