Recommend me 7.62 X 39 mm ammo. What's your experience??

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centraloklahoma

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Please recomend me what is a good quality 7.62 X 39 mm ammo. I am looking to buy some FMJ is fine for my paper target shooting.

In the distant past I bought "Wolf Brand FMJ" or Norinco Chinese surplus type FMJ. That was way before the variety came about. Back then I think I was only able to get I think 123 grain FMJ or 122 grain hollow point.

Shooting will be out of European type semi AK.

Has anyone had any issues with the following brands?

1) Golden Tiger? Who makes this?

2) Brown Bear? (Is this steel case?)

--What is the difference in these two?????

3) Silver Bear? (Is this alum case?)

4) Tula? I am assuming this is Russian.

5) Hornady steel case stuff?

Thanks in advance for any information.
 

Buddhaman

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Pretty much all I shoot through my Ak is Tula and I haven't had any problems with it in 500 rounds. It's cheap enough and seems to be everyone's fall-back cheap ammo.
 

Perplexed

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It's been a while since I was into this caliber, but in my experience, Golden Tiger was slightly better than Silver / Brown Bear in terms of function and accuracy. Of the latter two, I preferred Silver Bear. Can't recall the manufacturing specifics though, but I'm sure if you googled them, you'd find your answers.
 

ssgrock3

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have shot it all, used to love the chinese surplus, but those days are gone. Now whatever cheapest works for me. Buy in bulk, an AK should shoot it all about the same.

**on a side note, lots of folks love the brass yugo as quality ammo...corrosive, but it all used to be anyway. the new russian stuff is not.
 

Seadog

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Please recomend me what is a good quality 7.62 X 39 mm ammo. I am looking to buy some FMJ is fine for my paper target shooting.

In the distant past I bought "Wolf Brand FMJ" or Norinco Chinese surplus type FMJ. That was way before the variety came about. Back then I think I was only able to get I think 123 grain FMJ or 122 grain hollow point.

Shooting will be out of European type semi AK.

Has anyone had any issues with the following brands?

1) Golden Tiger? Who makes this?

2) Brown Bear? (Is this steel case?)

--What is the difference in these two?????

3) Silver Bear? (Is this alum case?)

4) Tula? I am assuming this is Russian.

5) Hornady steel case stuff?

Thanks in advance for any information.

1) Russian steel cased, lacquered coated
2) Russian steel cased, polymer coated
3) Russian steel cased, zink coated
4) Yes Russian steel cased polymer coated
5) Hornady, American, never used it. That brand is good and expensive and not for plinking. Havent seen it but would assume that it was brass cased

1-4 Are pretty much the same thing other than the coatings . The laquer coated have a tendancy of sticking in American weapons chambers.
Thats why they started making polymer and zink coatings. To help Mini 30s 14s and ARs

I have used all of them and still have a little of all em to boot. AKs love any of them. American weapons may or may not be finiky
 

redmax51

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1) Russian steel cased, lacquered coated
2) Russian steel cased, polymer coated
3) Russian steel cased, zink coated
4) Yes Russian steel cased polymer coated
5) Hornady, American, never used it. That brand is good and expensive and not for plinking. Havent seen it but would assume that it was brass cased

1-4 Are pretty much the same thing other than the coatings . The laquer coated have a tendancy of sticking in American weapons chambers.
Thats why they started making polymer and zink coatings. To help Mini 30s 14s and ARs

I have used all of them and still have a little of all em to boot. AKs love any of them. American weapons may or may not be finiky



^^^This is correct.
 

Seadog

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Interesting read Been. I wouldnt let the mix in calibers scare you off from the brand or Russian ammo in general. Long as the right cal goes in the right weapon the stuff goes boom every time and isnt to bad. But as normal always inspect every round. I was once shooting either winchester or remington 7.62x39 and it had a split case. Factory new. They all make mistakes.

I would almost bet like one of the other comments that sombody at the store was looking at ammo and mixed em up. If not that is very rare.

Give the russian ammo another chance. The AK weapons were designed to use it and it is very affordable
 

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