7.62x39 question

[AKM47]

I was in Academy looking at some 9mm and I was talking to someone about the prices going up on 556 and it being hard to find
He has a KP-9 9mm AK pistol and was looking at getting a 556 Polish Hellpup pistol, but due to the coming 556 shortage he may get a pistol in 7.62x39 instead
The question he asked me -- would 7.62x39 be considered "common ammo"
I think we covered it before, but I can't find it
Would 7.62x39 be considered "common ammo" on the U.S. battlefield

 

[BigRed]

I was in Academy looking at some 9mm and I was talking to someone about the prices going up on 556 and it being hard to find
He has a KP-9 9mm AK pistol and was looking at getting a 556 Polish Hellpup pistol, but due to the coming 556 shortage he may get a pistol in 7.62x39 instead
The question he asked me -- would 7.62x39 be considered "common ammo"
I think we covered it before, but I can't find it
Would 7.62x39 be considered "common ammo" on the U.S. battlefield

Huh?

 

[AKM47]

Huh?

I believe he's talking about the future SRHTF

 

[BigRed]

I believe he's talking about the future SRHTF

Ah.

Then you get mortars and grenades.

 

[TXAZ]

…
Would 7.62x39 be considered "common ammo" on the U.S. battlefield

Only on the losing side.

 

[BigRed]

When you find a dead man, get his gun and his ammo.

 

[AKM47]

Ah.

Then you get mortars and grenades.

He gave me his email so I could send him any info I received if I asked on a forum

I sent him the 'Then you get mortars and grenades' remark and he sent back - along with machine guns, rocket launchers and maybe a tank, but that wasn't my question

 

[AKM47]

He just sent me this....

He did a paper on the Soviet-Afgan war in collage

The mujahideen captured quite a few weapons, mostly small arms, but did capture two T-54/55's and a Mi-24 gunship from the Soviets

Most of their weapons came from the U.S. and a few others

 

[Maverick44]

I was in Academy looking at some 9mm and I was talking to someone about the prices going up on 556 and it being hard to find
He has a KP-9 9mm AK pistol and was looking at getting a 556 Polish Hellpup pistol, but due to the coming 556 shortage he may get a pistol in 7.62x39 instead
The question he asked me -- would 7.62x39 be considered "common ammo"
I think we covered it before, but I can't find it
Would 7.62x39 be considered "common ammo" on the U.S. battlefield

I'm not sure I'd call 7.62x39 common ammo by that scenario, which I'm not 100% sure what the scenario is. Are we talking Civil War II, foreign invasion, or just the complete breakdown of society?

If we are talking foreign invasion, there's really only two countries I see as possibly capable and willing to do that. China and Russia. China uses 5.8x42mm. Russia uses 5.45x39mm. Sure, Russia might bring along some old AKMs and RPKs, but those are not their standard service weapons now. I wouldn't count on them being a steady supplier of 7.62x39mm.

If we're talking CWII or just general SHTF, maybe? It's a popular round, but you also have to consider that a big chuck of the ammo supply got cut off because Putin has dreams of reestablishing the USSR. Russian and Ukraine made 7.62X39mm isn't going to be as easy to get going forward. There is still ammo from other countries being imported, and there is some domestic production of it, but we are going to see less of it, and it is going to be more expensive than it was. 5.56 is not going to have that problem. Yeah, it's more expensive than it was, but it's everywhere. I can go to pretty much any ammo site I want to and buy as much as I can afford right now. It's what the military uses, and it's what the most popular gun in US history is chambered in. If you are going to scavenge for ammo, 5.56 and 9mm are the two you are most likely to find.

Alternatively, consider this. What exactly does he plan on doing? Is he going to fight some kind of war on his own, or is he just going to focus on survival? If it's the latter, how much ammo does he plan on actually going through? Getting into constant firefights is not going to make for a long life, and you don't need to mag dump every animal you see for food. Surely he's not planing on just doing a lot of target shooting while the world crumbles around him? If he's going to bunker down or travel by vehicle, having a few thousand rounds of ammo on hand would not be hard. On foot, a few hundred is reasonable. If you find yourself in a position where you have to actively scavenge to keep your gun fed. You either didn't prepare very well, or you're the luckiest sonofabitch ever to have had to go through that much ammo and still somehow survived.

Also, tell your buddy not to buy from Pioneer Arms. They go boom in the wrong way.

 

[voland]

I was in Academy looking at some 9mm and I was talking to someone about the prices going up on 556 and it being hard to find
He has a KP-9 9mm AK pistol and was looking at getting a 556 Polish Hellpup pistol, but due to the coming 556 shortage he may get a pistol in 7.62x39 instead
The question he asked me -- would 7.62x39 be considered "common ammo"
I think we covered it before, but I can't find it
Would 7.62x39 be considered "common ammo" on the U.S. battlefield

Not for the purpose that you are thinking. 7.62x39 would not likely be that common. You have what you have, but don't expect battle field pick-ups...

Probably have better luck with 9mm, .45, 5.56/.223, .308/7.62x39 in mill calibers. For hunting calibers I'd guess 30/30, .243, .270, 30.06.

 

[seeker_two]

Not for the purpose that you are thinking. 7.62x39 would not likely be that common. You have what you have, but don't expect battle field pick-ups...

Probably have better luck with 9mm, .45, 5.56/.223, .308/7.62x39 in mill calibers. For hunting calibers I'd guess 30/30, .243, .270, 30.06.

....and .22lr......get lots of .22lr.

 

[voland]

....and .22lr......get lots of .22lr.

That goes without saying... 10k of .22 would be the starting point. That was a lot easier to do when walmat would sell 550 round boxes for 11.99...

 

[Southpaw]

Would 7.62x39 be considered "common ammo" on the U.S. battlefield

If the battlefield is my house and I am dead, then yes.

 

[TipBledsoe]

That goes without saying... 10k of .22 would be the starting point. That was a lot easier to do when walmat would sell 550 round boxes for 11.99...

… and I thought that I was old, lol

 

[BigRed]

I would have guessed 7.62x39 is a pretty common ammo. Maybe that's just around my area.

 

[Eli]

I think 5.56 is the most common, and the most popular, but 7.62X39 is pretty close. There's something like 20mm AR-15 rifles out there (the larger manufacturers are churning out close to 1mm annually each) and untold millions of AKs in America as well - there were something like 1mm coming in annually prior to the Clinton-era bans.
I've been trying to decide for years if I should concentrate on 5.56 or 7.62X39, and still haven't decided!

Eli

 

[hornetguy]

I imagine that the 7.62x39 would be a better "stopper" than the 5.56, but if you have limited ammo, that might be moot....

I plan to have both.... leaning more heavily on the 5.56...... I also have 7.62x51 for "special" needs....

 

[BigRed]

I've been trying to decide for years if I should concentrate on 5.56 or 7.62X39, and still haven't decided!

The correct answer is both!

 

[Eli]

The correct answer is both!

Have you seen ammo prices lately?

Eli

 

[deemus]

I pity those who are just now making that decision. Just found some stray AK rounds from the one I sold 20 years ago.

I recall paying $110 for 1100 rounds.