The core/jacket “separation” on the sides is due to the lead core being compressed in the fixture I held the bullet in to section it, while the jacket “sprang” back after the bullet was released from the fixture.
Wonder if it tumbles much with that hollow nose. Still not as good as expanding ammo. Sigh.
If you’re using the x39 for personal defense, there are definitely better rounds. CorBon makes a 123gr DPX round that should perform well.
I’m currently using 5.56 “Optimized” or 64gr Gold Dot in my long-guns, and 127gr +P+ T-Series in my G19 and Speer Gold Dot SB 124gr in my Shield.
The AK is “for fun”. I didn’t have one, so I bought one. Not sure if I will hunt with it, or not. yet. I cannot find that Corbon load in stock anywhere, but am aware of it.
I think Hornady makes a 7.62x39mm defense load. I know they make a 5.45 one.
Everybody knows that .311" bullets at 2,400 fps feel like a wet noodle if they don’t fragment or expand.
Although the better choices are, well, better, I think sometimes we forget that even FMJ rifle bullets are still moving at RIFLE speeds and really jack people up. My HD rifle is a short, suppressed AR loaded with 75 gr PPU but if I had to grab an AK or SKS, I’d feel plenty confident using that or any other ammo.
I’m sure someone has already sectioned the projectile from M67 ball but I can’t find it. Isn’t it supposed to have a nice, big air gap like that, too?
Hornady makes a most excellent defensive loading in 7.62X39, but I am betting this bullet would do a decent job for a non-fragmenting type.
M67 doesn’t have much of an inclusion at all.
7.62x39 that does not yaw wounds similar to 9mm FMJ.
I don’t want to be hit with either, but if I’m the one doing the hitting, and I get a choice, I’d rather hit with something more violent. Why throw a rabbit punch if you have the chance for a good right cross?
Are there a lot of 7.62x39mm bullets that are unlikely to yaw after impact? I was under the impression that all spitzer bullets are base heavy and inclined to yaw in tissue. As I understood it, some might yaw earlier but most 7.62x39mm bullets would yaw before exiting an average torso.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=E8hL3WtKGY8#!
Missing out on a LOT of potential by having a 5"+ punctuate hole. Limbs, even a small thigh, as well as many organs in the torso will be minimally disrupted. Of course, angle and size of the torso matter, too. Still, sucking for the first 1/2 to 2/3 of the torso traversed is…sucking.
Yes, but TSC is a factor at rifle velocities, right?
Check this out re performance per DocGKR: https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=19885
I have used this stuff on a lot of pigs and have had less than stellar results. While it works… I don’t use it anymore for pigs
Thanks for the link. It sounds like it would be reasonable to conclude that most lead core 7.62x39mm will do reasonably well, although that isn’t specifically stated. The only cartridge that is explicitly stated to perform poorly is the Russian M43. Commie soft and hollow point loads were said to perform poorly but I presume that was in comparison to Western expanding or fragmenting bullets, not in comparison to lead core ball.
Once again, I’m happy that I stocked up on a bit of M67 when it was cheap.
You are welcome.
From having access to local autopsy reports I know that there is a dramatic difference between the tissue damage results of most average 7.62x39 rounds and the Hornady loading with the V-Max type bullet.
I’ve talked to Hornady over the phone and the only tipped bullet they make for 7.62x39mm loading is actually an SST and not an A-Max. I would expect a 123gr SST to do quite well.
I’ve been trying to get the Hornadys for a few months now and can’t find any. In any event, sounds like an excellent round.
Thought so, that’s why I said “type”. I will note that two of the autopsies I have seen with that bullet that they acted like large .223varmint rounds, complete fragmentation except for a bit of the base.
I’d like to disagree with this statement. 7.62x39 has substantially greater wounding capacity than 9mm, even in cases where the bullet does not yaw. I have found injuries 3-4 inches away from the bullet track in wounds with a 7.62x39, and had at least 2 cases where the bullet did not enter the thoracic cavity at all and still caused death by visceral organ disruption. That does not occur with a 9mm. The extent of tissue damage along the wound track is also much more significant in a 7.62x39.
In pigs, it may be different, but in humans, 7.62x39 does not wound similarly to a 9mm FMJ.
As mentioned here: https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=19885, when discussing 7.62x39 mm it is important to identify which projectile is being addressed, as their characteristics are highly variable. There is ample evidence both in OCONUS combat and in CONUS crime scenes that when 7.62x39 mm remains point forward without upsetting, the wounds are similar to those caused by 9 mm M882 ball. When the bullet upsets during tissue, then more widespread damage is noted.