Differences Between 7.62×39 and 308
Winchester: Red Dawn Begins
7.62×39 and the 7.62×39 along with The 7.62×51 NATO are two very different cartridges. Each cartridge comes with distinct advantages and disadvantages according to the purpose for which you intend to use it.
The purpose in this piece is to educate the reader of these distinctions to help you choose the right rifle caliber for your requirements. This article will not be “crowning the winner” because they all excel in their particular field.
Now that we have that out of way, let’s look at the comparisons of these exceptional military cartridges!
7.62×39 Vs 308 Cartridge Specifications
If you are comparing two cartridges it is recommended to examine the cartridge’s case to gain some insights.
The first thing to do is we need to address the main issue that I hear from handloaders who are new. The 7.62×39 doesn’t fire the .308″ in diameter, but rather an 0.312″ diameter bullet. 0.312″.
This can cause a lot of confusion due to the nomenclatureused: 7.62×39 as opposed to 7.62×51 NATO.
Based on their name alone, you’d be able to assume that they shoot exactly the same diameter…but they do not!
This is a difficult topic to comprehend the first time , which is why I thought I’d start by bringing it up.
Another significant difference between these 2 rifles revolvers lies in the differences of the capacity of the cartridge. The 308 Winchester is almost 40% more capacity in the case when compared with that of the Russian 7.62×39 (56 grams against 35.6gr).
This makes sense since this is a good thing since the 308 Winchester cartridge case is more than half an inch longer in comparison to its Russian counterpart. A longer cartridge means more capacity.
This extra charge will impact the recoil, range, as well as the trajectory of the vehicle, which we’ll be discussing below.
Finally, there is the maximum pressure difference, since it is the case that the 308 Winchester has the capacity to take on 17,000 pounds more than 7.62×39.
7.62×39 and 308 Recoil
Recoil is an issue that many shooters fret about, but not so much due to physical discomfort (though it could be a concern) However, they are more concerned in the case of follow-up shots. When compared to a rifle that has less recoil, a cartridge with more felt recoil is likely to push the muzzle away from the target quicker, which can slow subsequent shots.
Recoil felt by the user is directly correlated with the rifle’s mass, weight of the bullet pressure, charge of powder, along with the shooting stance.
In this kind of comparison, there’s absolutely no competition. I’m fairly certain that you already know which rifle is likely to be more recoil-inducing.
The 308 Winchester has almost 2.5 times more recoil felt that the 7.62×39.
On average 7.62×51 NATO will, on average 7.62×51 NATO will have a recoil that is felt of around 22 ft/lbs, while the 7.62×39 recoil is about 8.7 ft/lbs. This is an “night or day” sort of distinction!
Follow-up shots are faster thanks to the 7.62×39 and the shoulder wear will be much smaller.
308 Winchester 308 Winchester dwarfs the 7.62×39 in terms of cartridge dimensions. This implies this means that this 308 Win is going to shoot heavier bullets with greater pressure, velocity as well as muzzle power. All of this leads to more recoil felt.
What do you think about the 308 Winchester’s recoil too injurious? I’d say not at least.
A mature marksman shouldn’t be able to handle the 308 Win recoil force However, younger or smaller frame shooters may.
If you’re just beginning to learn about shooting or a parent training your child, or just a little intolerant to recoil, you may want to look at the 7.62×39 before you purchase the 308 Winchester. If not you’ll find that the 7.62×51 NATO recoil is very easy to manage.
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