SIXTO

Good post Chuck, Thats what I was talking about when I said it was basic physics.

__________________
_________________
|^^^^^^^^^^^^^| |___
| SIXTO EXPRESS---| ||'|";,__.
|_..._...___________| ||_|_|...,]
"(@)'(@)""""*|(@)(@)******(@)

crzy4guns

This has got me thinking about getting a Ruger mini 14 carbine for home defense.

That new NRA model with the 16" barrel may just do the trick.

__________________
Kick the bums out of congress. Vote in 2010!

Cuda66

This is, imho, another area where the .223 shines over the 7.62x39.

For in-home defense, one can load 40grn varmint-type rounds--Hornady V-Max (aka TAP), Ballistic Silvertips, Nosler BT's, etc...utterly devastating at home-defense ranges, and little overpenetration concerns. And, any gun store (or even wally-world that still stocks ammo) will have them in stock.

Never seen high-performance 7.62x39 rounds. They may exist, but I've yet to see them on a gun shop shelf, or even at gun shows.

__________________
One man's theology is another man's belly laugh. --RAH

aus71383

My go to gun for HD is my AR15. It has a red dot sight that is on 24/7, and a light that is always attached. Loaded with 75 grain TAP ammo it has great terminal ballistics, and will penetrate fewer walls than my .40 S&W or my .45 ACP with HSTs would. I would much rather have "too much gun" than "not enough gun" if I ever end up using it. Just my two cents..

Austin

762

Would 7.62x39 hollow points proove to work better in a HD situation?

__________________
Let's Roll - Todd Beamer

MOΛΩN ΛABÉ

aus71383

Not sure about terminal ballistics with the 7.62x39 - I'm sure there is info out there though. I know for a fact that 7.62x39 will have better performance than any pistol caliber, but whether hollowpoints are better than ball I couldn't tell you. Sometimes ball is better than hollowpoints - like in the light weight 5.56x45mm loads - because some ball ammo will yaw and fragment and provide adequate penetration, while some hollowpoints will fragment instantly on impact and not penetrate very far at all (like less than 6 inches in some cases for varmint ammo). I would do some searches for AK type forums and read up on their ammo section for a start.

Austin

Cuda66

Most of the 7.62x39 HP rounds I've seen (Wolf, for example)...really aren't; they're more like a OTM (Open Tip Match), which don't expand well, if it all...they tend to collapse in on themselves.

I have a friend who used them with a SKS for deer hunting; according to him the exit wound was pretty much the same size as the entrance.

__________________
One man's theology is another man's belly laugh. --RAH

aus71383

Its likely you'll end up with something that has a relatively thin wall with a deep cannelure - that'll help the round break up easier. I don't know what the velocity is like with the AKs though - I know with 5.56 around 2200 fps fragmentation isn't likely with the loads I'm using - generally each particular ammo will have its own velocity that it will fragment at. But don't think that if someone says that (for instance) "55 grain Wolf doesn't fragment" that all 55 grain ammo won't fragment - it likely will. Each load will have different bullet construction....

Austin

762

Depending on the grain, a 7.62x39 is between 2,700-2,900 FPS.

__________________
Let's Roll - Todd Beamer

MOΛΩN ΛABÉ

vernonator

Yup....get a decent frangible round and a 5.56 will not penetrate two sheets of drywall.