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Old October 12, 2012, 10:04 AM   #1
HALL,AUSTIN
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The AK series rifle and huntability

Has anyone hunted with an ak series weapon? I think it would be doable. With SP ammo and decent judgement it wouldnt be any different from an sks really. You would have to buy a smaller magazine but that isnt all too hard. So what's the verdict?
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Old October 12, 2012, 11:12 AM   #2
seansean1444
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7.62x39 is very similar to a 30-30 ballistics wise so i say go for it but know your guns accuracy limitations
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Old October 12, 2012, 11:12 AM   #3
Lt. Skrumpledonk Ret
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Hunting with AK

I've shot 4 whitetail deer with my Romanian SAR1 and I am not done counting. Yes, use the 10 rd. mag lest other hunters (especially non hunters, too) scoff at you. It's extremely short and light and packs a wallop; perfect for hunting in a tree stand or blind. I'd recommend one for a youngster or geezer alike; or anyone who doesn't feel like carrying a 10 pounder thats 4 feet long around all day. The regulations for hunting rifles in Wisconsin seem to be tailored to the AK for it clears the minimum barrel length by about an inch and the minimum for overall length by another inch.
Mine is peculiar. If I pull the trigger slowly enough, two rounds will go off.
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Old October 12, 2012, 11:18 AM   #4
seansean1444
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could be the rifle isnt fully seated in your shoulder and you accidently bump firing it by accident
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Old October 12, 2012, 11:21 AM   #5
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See my post on coyote hunting. http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=501985
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Old October 12, 2012, 11:38 AM   #6
Lt. Skrumpledonk Ret
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No, it has to do with the hammer not engaging the trigger mechanism after the first shot, and therefore the hammer flies forward again. It doesn't happen if I *jerk* the trigger and quickly release it vs. slowly squeezing it.
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Old October 12, 2012, 12:07 PM   #7
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Don't tackle anything you wouldn't hunt with a 30-30, and you’ll be fine. I think the Wolf 154 grain soft-point is one of the best factory loads.
Several years ago I tested then-available 762x39 ammo against my favorite expendable ballistic medium; water-filled 100 oz. laundry-detergent jugs. The rifle was a SAR-1 with a 16 1/4" barrel. I didn't own a chronograph at the time.


Two of the detergent jugs placed back-to-back will stop most expanding pistol rounds, and many centerfire rifle rounds. I haven’t quite figured out why- but they are real hard on bullets. I back them up with an old Kansas City phone book, braced against a section of 2x8 lumber. Shooting for this test was done at 10 yards. The photo gives an idea of the results, but the only round that penetrated both jugs was the Barnaul ball. It burst the first jug and exited sideways, passing through #2 with enough retained velocity to split it at the seams, and still penetrate about 2 ½” into the phone book. It tore a pretty good hole in that, as well.
Both of the soft-point rounds exhibited similar characteristics; each burst the first jug and tossed it several feet in the air; the main core fragment and separated jacket of each was recovered inside the second jug. Speaking of bullet fragments, it was apparent that may were shed and lost as the first jug was exploded by the soft-point bullets’ impact. The 125 grain Barnaul did a bit more damage to the first jug, than the Norinco soft-point did. The jugs appear in the photo below for your review and in each case the jug that received the bullet’s initial impact, is lying to the right.



And finally, the bullets themselves. The Norinco soft-point core weighed but 44 grains, and its separated jacket weighed 42.5 grains. The Barnaul soft-point’s core fragment weighed 59.1 grains, and its jacket weighed 23.4 grains. The Silver Bear ball round retained 120.8 grains through the ordeal, flattening itself notably as it plowed through the jugs and catalog sideways.
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Old October 12, 2012, 12:08 PM   #8
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Later, I subjected the Wolf 154 grain soft-point to the same test. The result looks much more like what we expect from a big-game bullet. The recovered slug expanded perfectly, and weighs 146.5 grains. If you looked at the jugs that were hit by the FMJ round, you will have a picture of what the Wolf did; except that the Wolf load launched both caps about 12 feet straight up in the air. It also fully penetrated both jugs, and bored straight into the phone book about 3 inches. It was apparent that this bullet bored true, and did not yaw regardless of what it encountered. This would be my preference for a hunting round in the 762x39.


For an idea of how they all shot from this rifle, the below target was shot from an improvised rest at 100 yards.
Barnaul Silver Bear ball is highlighted red.
Barnaul soft-point go is highlighted in yellow.
Norinco soft-point is highlighted in blue.


Wolf 154, while not included in this target pic, essentially duplicated the blue holes in the target above. It would be my go-to hunting load in this caliber.
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Old October 12, 2012, 12:59 PM   #9
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keep your shots within 200 yards and use quality hunting ammo and you'll drop bambi like a rock.
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Old October 12, 2012, 02:27 PM   #10
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Sarge==King of the Lab!
Nice comparisons.
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Old October 12, 2012, 05:56 PM   #11
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Quote:
Sarge==King of the Lab!
Nice comparisons.
LOL Doofus47! King of the Jethro Bodine Ballistics Lab, maybe

It was all pretty unscientific, but it answered most of my questions and I figured it might be of use to someone else in the long run.
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Old October 13, 2012, 01:51 AM   #12
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aK

I've carried the AK a few times, but not taken a deer with it, no shots, no deer sighted. Sights are darn hard to see. A Tx dogleg mount and a scope will fix that, but I've not made the investment...yet.

What I have done is killed several with a Mini-30 and a Ruger 77mkII and the x39mm round. So has bamaboy. Load has been a 135 gr reload. Same results as a .30-30. Including one real whopper.
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