im really thinking about building an ar in 7.62x39, can I use a regular 5.56 lower for this? Im on a budget and would like to build it, who has decent prices for this? im thinking a mid sized ar with like an 18" barrel. I will be using 124 gr ammo what twist rate should i look for and who makes good mags for this? C products?I know there have been issues with these in the past, thats why i ask.
Thanks again everyone
If you want a 7.62 x 39 carbine I strongly suggest that you stay with the AK or VZ platform… Your $$$ will go a lot further and if you purchase wisely your grand children will still be shooting it years from now… If you are set that you must have a AR in 7.62 x 39, I would look for an older Colt and stay with the factory magazines…
B
PS: Yes they can be built on standard AR lowers…
colt built ar’s in 7.62x39? i didnt know that. I already have an ak but i really dont like the fit as much.
yes they do but they are in the $1300-$1800 range
ok maybe i need to put this on the backburner for now. it seems everyone has had problems with the mags, no one make a really reliable one except a fraken mag. An Ak mag that was adapted to work in the ar and they are pricey.
Yes, you can get an AK platform rifle, but if you love the AR platform, 762x39 isn’t out of the question. I recently built one…
This is what you need to know:
To buy a complete upper just go to Model 1 Sales
Order their $20 762x39 enhanced firing pin (by telephone only)
http://www.model1sales.com/item-detail.cfm?ID=UCE167&storeid=1&image=u16carpre7.gif&CFID=62014425&CFTOKEN=67488172
get a wolff extra power hammer spring from brownells
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=19916/Product/AR_15_M16_EXTRA_POWER_HAMMER_SPRING
Mags:
http://www.palmettostatearmory.com/c-prod-762x39.php
You might need some 5% extra power mag springs…thought i saw them at brownells but didn’t…
If you’re handy with calipers and removing metal you can make a $6 firing pin a 762x39 enhanced firing pin because it requires removing metal at the “shelf” to allow it to protrude slightly more…something in the area of .05"-0.1"
Lastly, the barrels from M1S are ER Shaw. They use 1/2x36 at the muzzle. 9mm flash hiders work perfectly. I have the Smith Vortex. It looks good and rapid fire is fun 
need more info? read this.
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=121&t=373257
I have one of the Colt 7.62X39. Fun to shoot. Was thinking about selling it though. Money getting tight and it being the first toy to go and all. It is a impressive round going down range though.
i heard with the cheap lacquer ammo it will melt to the chamber and gum it up…? thats why i decided to not go with this caliber upper…
It’s not being made with lacquer any more, although there may still be some out there. Wolf is using a polymer to seal it now.
Ammo is inexpensive, the magazines are notoriously hard to find for some. What you get is inexpensive ammo being shot from expensive mags that are anything but AK-like in durability, plus the ballistics of the .30-30 Winchester. At 300 yards it starts dropping like a brick.
For plinking a lot of cheap ammo with poor quality and ballistics, it gets the job done. I question whether it’s really one of those guns that’s worth accomplishing, kinda like stuffing a 4.3 Chevy in a Jeep Cherokee. It doesn’t really add much to the finished product.
Just have the rifles chamber ackley improved, The straight wall case should feed fine in a grendal mag! just an idea.
Mag problem has been solved with the current crop of 30rd CProducts mags. The franken mags are still out there and work great. i have 7 of the 20rd franken mags and they all work 100%.
CProducts is also going back to the drawing board and relooking the 20rd option. They said they thought it couldn’t be done reliable but i think myself and others convinced them if the franken mags work with 20rds, their mag should as well.
Firing pin mod is only needed to shoot the military grade imported ammo. WWB ammo from Walmart works fine with a standard AR firing pin. Just limited to 123gr HP and SP.
I fully intend to put a huge dent in the pig population in Oklahoma in the next year with my 7.62x39 AR.
MGI has a lower that can swap out mag wells. Kind of a neat option. It allows use of AK mags.
http://www.mgimilitary.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=44
Not really sure how reliable though.
Harrison @ AR15performance.com can make all your 7.62 dreams come true…The upside is that it will work with a standard 5.56 set up since all the differences are in the upper aside from the mag.
A Saiga 7.62x39 is a cheaper route that I went when I found out how much I would be to build a 7.62 AR upper. I have a thing for using a caliber behind the platform it was designed for.
Toying with the idea of a 7.62 upper too. Here’s a question, would 7.62x39 feed from 6.8 mags?
can we use adam arms gas piston or osprey defense ops on building 7.62? say using the barrel ang bolt from m1sales?