What are views of the change and comparative strengths and weaknesses? Thanks.
Very good info in those links.
A couple other things to keep in mind:
The Russians liked that 5.45 was more accurate than the 7.62 especially at range.
7.62 mags are uber cheap and very available.
7.62 is produced domestically (5.45 - not really yet as horny is sourcing steel cases from Russia)
You can easily reload 7.62.
5.45 is still cheaper than 7.62 and will be for years unless a ban is instituted.
5.45’s lower recoil impulse allows for faster on target follow through.
Lots of options - and none of them are really wrong or better than others. It’s simply an a-la-carte of picking your desired combination.
For me it was 5.45 for the above stated reasons.
I’ll be getting a .30 cal soon though so i can take advantage of it’s advantages as well.
Get one (or two) in each flavor, that’s what I did.
Bought another 7.62 a few years back because I had one, and figured:
- multiple calibers gets hard sometimes on a budget
- interoperability is a good thing: it’s why militaries do it.
- I figured that 5.45 would get scarce some day… (likely wrong).
- I got caught up in the ‘5 something’ is weak. I do have a SEAL friend who likes 7.62 for the sandbox. (X51) that is.
5.45 DOES have some advantages, and ever since my experience above, 5.45 has been all over the place and cheap. Of course I passed up an Arsenal at a good price…doh!
I agree that the threads are well done. Thanks. A least I have interoperability…
Decided against the 5.45 when I bought my first AK (although 1,260rds for 180$ was very tempting…).
I like knowing I can shoot someone through a car door/ any door/wall in my house.
I’ve seen drive bys where 5.45s were used. Many of the bullets went through the houses in question from front to back.
Those commie bi-metal bullets don’t break up much.
7.62x39 for Kalashnikov based weapons, as I feel that it fits best with the concept of the weapon.
5.45 for cheap AR training. Cheap, more precision than surplus ammo has any right being, feels very similar to 5.56, and has a very similar trajectory very similar to 5.56 with either a 100 or 200 meter zero.
You should see what a 5.45x39mm will do to a car…
Care to elaborate?