I certainly think of 7.62 X 39 as high powered. So what? The amount of bullet power in this situation is irrelevant.
Yep. The 7.62X39 is roughly equivalent to a .30-30 cartridge. The lower end of high-powered rifle cartridges. The .30-30 is good enough to have the reputation of taking more deer than all other cartridges combined.
Not really, intermediate. Not for elk and such.
.308/.270/30-06 etc are high powered rounds.
At 50 yards which is approximately the range of todays nasty episode the projectile from a 7.62 x 39 has approximately 1292 foot pounds of energy. The projectile from a 30-06 Springfield has approximately 2664 foot pounds of energy at 50 yards. But at 50 yards both projectiles will make a big hole that will do a lot of damage.
7.62 x 39 is one of my favorite cartridges. It is a great cartridge to reload. I use a 160 grain homemade cast heat treated bullet with a recipe that produces approximately 2300 fps. A more powerful cartridge such as the 30-06 uses approximately the same weight projectile but propels it at over 3000 fps so you must use jacketed bullets.
“AK” style rifles are designed more for durability and dependability than accuracy. But the accuracy can be pretty good if you put a little extra effort into your reloads and your rifle.