7.62x39 or 5.56 AK?
Posted by Sadpandaboots@reddit | Firearms | View on Reddit | 42 comments
Hey yall quick question that I've been mulling around for a while and just now thought to ask.
I've had an sks for a long time now and love it, and I got me a used psak a year or two back to try out the AK platform and I'm enjoying it. I'm now looking to sell my AK and upgrade, but I'm not sure whether to go with 7.62 or 5.56 for my AK. Sticking with 7.62 would be nice because I think the properties of the cartridge fit better in the environment I live in, lots of woods, not alot of open land. I also love to shoot my sks, even more so than my AK. If sks magazines were reliable I wouldn't even both with an AK but such is life, and the ammo compatability between the two rifles is very nice.
Between the price and the not completely certain future of the cartridge it makes me wary to drop 1000+ dollars, especially in this economy, on one, just for the cartridge to become an overpriced hipster cartridge, even more so than it already has become. 556 AK sounds much more sensible of a choice but I already have my sks, and stocking another type of ammo does not sound fun. My whole family uses 556 so im the outlier in terms of ammo compatability.
TLDR: I want 7.62x39 ak but 5.56 ak seems to make way more sense, but nyet rifle is fine, but 7.62 is going the way of the dodo, but AK want big bullet, but 5.56 is cheaper, but nyet rifle is fine.
werewolf013@reddit
Do you already have an AR or another 5.56 gun?
Sadpandaboots@reddit (OP)
No I do not, im all 7.62x39 currently.
werewolf013@reddit
In that case, I'd recommend a 5.56. 7.62 is already more expensive and hard to find than it should be. Having another ammo option is good in case of supply issues. 7.62x39 is one of my favorites but if you already have it, might as well get a second option in NY opinion
Sadpandaboots@reddit (OP)
Thank you for your response. I appreciate it. :)
Khaden_Allast@reddit
Main question is what is your intended use for the tool?
If primarily home defense, a shorter barrel 7.62 AK makes more sense than a 5.56 AK, as the round is less affected when you cut down the barrel. If it's just for shooting at the range, a 5.56 AK makes more sense since the ammo will be cheaper and more abundant (and it has less crossover with your SKS). If for hunting or pest control, it depends on the kind of game/pests you're looking at. If imagining it for a SHTF and/or "apocalypse" style rifle, the above and a host of other considerations come into account.
And mind you that it could be all of these at once. Just because you mean for it to be a home defense weapon doesn't mean you don't take it to the range, realistically you'll probably do that far more than you'd ever need it for HD. However if you intend for it to be the gun you reach for if there ever is such an event, it makes more sense to focus on what is best for that rather than for the range.
Agammamon@reddit
For self defense OP would still be better served with a .300 BLK AR. AK is because you love AK, no other reason.
Sadpandaboots@reddit (OP)
I love ak, andsuppress. Really only makes sense if you supress.
Khaden_Allast@reddit
Truthfully, if you only ever intent to run .300blk with a suppressor, it makes more sense to get a .45 ACP. Roughly the same weight for the bullets and traveling at roughly the same velocity. Only if you intent to regularly switch between supers and subs, and/or are hunting specific game under specific conditions, does .300blk actually make sense.
Agammamon@reddit
300blk comes in subsonic and supersonic versions. If you want a gun that hits like 7.62x37 but is, you know, *modern* - that's your AR in .300.
Otherwise, IMO, get your AK in the appropriate cartridge for it.
Khaden_Allast@reddit
A bold statement, but light on reasons... Also, mostly irrelevant. OP didn't ask about a .300blk AR, not that I would I ever recommend such a gimmick/internet meme.
Sadpandaboots@reddit (OP)
Thank you for such a thorough response. I already have a nice pistol and a good collection of firearms. Honestly I dont "need" an AK, almost none of us do. An sks would probably do anything I ever needed but that goes for 99% of people. I want to sell my AK and upgrade because why not.
Khaden_Allast@reddit
So reasonably then, the primary use would be a range gun. As mentioned then, between 5.56 and 7.62 you'd be a little better off with the 5.56, simply because the ammo is cheaper and more plentiful.
As an honorably mention, a 9mm AK would allow for even cheaper ammo, and if you get one made by a good company it's practically guaranteed to never break down (9mm being far less abusive on parts than rifle ammo).
BeanFiend96@reddit
If you want to upgrade your AK and already own a SKS you should already be stockpiling some sealed ammo cans of that caliber depending on how often you shoot they would last you a fair whilr and then you wouldn’t be caught with your pants down if the cartridge did eventually become overpriced because you would have a few thousand sealed rounds put aside to ride out the supply issue.
And if it continues to be to expensive you could sell a couple of those sealed tins and purchase a 5.56 AK with the profit in the future since people would jump on them if they did become hard to find at the time.
I feel the 7.62 is also a good brush round compared to the 5.56, but I’m sure it’s down to personal preference.
Sadpandaboots@reddit (OP)
Maybe you know of some good places to find the ammo, if you do please share! I know that wherever I find 7.62, it is already overpriced. If im lucky I find it for the same price as 556. I can buy 44mag for about the same price as 7.62x39 and for 10ish more cents I can get 7.62nato. I can barely afford to buy enough to shoot once a month or two let alone stack it deep. Again, if you know of some good cheap places please let me know, I'd love the knowledge!
BeanFiend96@reddit
I’m from Aus so our ammo is already pretty expensive as it is 😢 20 rounds of semi decent .308 150-180Gr Soft point PPU brand is around $45-50 and if you purchase 5 boxes you get 10% off so around $214-215 for 100 rounds.
If you purchase some quality ADI boat tail JHP it’s around $350 for 120-130 rounds in a vac pack loose.
Penguin_Life_Now@reddit
The big problem with 7.62x39 is that the era of cheap ammo is over, even corrosive 7.62x39 mail order ammo is now over $600 for 1,000 rounds, and is just getting more expensive, vs about $450 for 1,000 rounds of 5.56 M193. Now having said that I don't have any plans for sell my 7.62x39 WASR 10-63, but I would not mind having a 5.56 AK either.
Sadpandaboots@reddit (OP)
I came inot the cartridge right before the Russian ammo ban so I feel you. I hmdidnt have time to stack deep before the ammo jumped to 30ish cents and then the ukraine war just killed any kind of decent pricing.
OldEngineer-1950@reddit
Stick with the AK. The cartridge is not going away in your lifetime.
Sadpandaboots@reddit (OP)
Im sure it will be here but if recent trends are a sign, its going to be priced out of being a viable everyman cartridge. Maybe domestic production will ramp up and we will be good or maybe 7.62 will pull a 40sw in 5-10 years, and im not a fan of that uncertainty. I do love the cartridge though.
fenuxjde@reddit
And if you don't care about reloading, you can get steel case rounds for half the price of brass 5.56
FlapperGasfire@reddit
Bro hasn't checked ammo prices in years
fenuxjde@reddit
You're absolutely right. Last time I bought they were.
AccomplishedGap3571@reddit
Igman and Belom M67 brass cased are the same price as Turkish and Azeri made steel case. S&B and PPU brass cased are just a couple cents more.
ZaporozhianCossack@reddit
Where are you getting them that cheap?
mikemitch38@reddit
Not any more.
mikemitch38@reddit
I bought a KR103 in 7.62x39 but if I did it over again I’d buy a WBP or Zastava in 5.56 probably. The only con is magazine availability.
Sadpandaboots@reddit (OP)
I'm thinking a zastava m90.
mikemitch38@reddit
Great choice
GetGoatedYourself@reddit
Sell rifle? Nyet, buy one of each problem solved
Sadpandaboots@reddit (OP)
Of course brother, this is the way. Excuse my foolishness. XD
N2Shooter@reddit
Neither.
Get are 300BLK AR15 and be done with it.
Sadpandaboots@reddit (OP)
Nyet
always_an_eagle@reddit
How is your 7.62x39 supply?
Sadpandaboots@reddit (OP)
Not huge, just a few hundred rounds. I missed the "buy it cheap and stack it deep" days by a few years.
Bortjort@reddit
There's nothing wrong with 5.56 AKs and there are more solid options on the market than ever before. Of course 7.62 is the classic but 5.56 AKs make a ton of sense for most people in the US, certainly more than 5.45.
Agammamon@reddit
There is no reason to get an AK except for love of AK (modern AR's are equal or better than any of the AK's in every metric).
As such, if you love AK, get AK in AK caliber - 7.62x39 or 5.45x39 as appropriate.
reynth821@reddit
7.62 ak all the way, I'd personally only want a 5.56 ak for a pistol platform and even then I'd prolly just get a 9mm one
fullbodiedflavor@reddit
Out of curiosity, why is that your preference?
reynth821@reddit
Ak was made and ment for 7.62. Short barrels just going to keyhole anyways, so 9mm for short. That's how I see it, I could absolutely be wrong but from what I've read that's how I feel. I've read that 5.56 aks have feeding issues. But like I said, just read, prolly wrong
fullbodiedflavor@reddit
Right on. I mean I'd buy a 7.62 bft47 for the purpose of shooting cheap wolf ammo 😂
Big10mmDE@reddit
Both are doable. The 5.56 will be a little cheaper and ammo is more obtainable for the most part
Bloody_Insane@reddit
I wouldn't get a 7.62 AK if I already had an SKS. There's too much overlap in function, you'll just end up shooting your preferred one all the time.
5.56 is a fantastic cartridge, so if you're really set on getting an AK type, I'd say get a 5.56 AK over 7.62.
But AKs are just not that nice to shoot, for me, so I really want to recommend an AR instead. With an AR you have so much room to tune it to your exact liking, so it feels really easy to suggest an AR instead of AK.