I just got an AK47. Can I use it for hunting? I shoot 123 grain bullets at about 2,500 fps (about). It puts out 1,555 foot pounds. Could I use it for deer, hogs, coyotes? I've heard the bullets start to tumble. What distance does the tumbling start?
Check your local game laws first. Some states have a regulation about ammo capacity. Would be tough to find a 5 to 7 round magazine for the AK I think.
Also, make sure you use hunting ammo, not mil-spec ammo for hunting. It's got the power for short range deer hunting and for the other forms of hunting you mentioned.
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Danny
Life Member, North American Hunting Club
Life Member, National Rifle Association
Life Member, Buckmasters
Oklahoma Hunter Education Instructor
It's easy to find the 5 round clips. They become 10 round clips if you take the stopper out. I have used the mak 90 (ak47) to take coyote and rabbits. If you stay within your acuracy range it will take deer.
I had a friend that used an SKS for deer, but here you are limited to 6 rounds in magazine and chamber, so we had to make a plug for the fixed magazine. There are several companies that are making hunting ammo, Federal, Remington, and Winchester that I know for sure. The milspec stuff won't expand on impact, and won't be very efficient killing game. I haven't personally seen any problems with the bullets tumbling durring flight (some military ammo is made to tumble on impact to increase wound channel). I don't know if you can get a scope mount or not, so that may limit your range more than anything else, but from what I've heard they are'n all that accurate, and that may be a limiting factor also. If you really want to use it to hunt, I'm sure that you can make it work.
zak123 most "folding" stocks have been drilled and pinned so they are permanently in the open position. Now as far as hunting with an AK, my question is why would you want to? The AK 47 is a fine combat rifle built tough and to loose tolerances to allow it to operate in almost every adverse condition. Its reliability does not however lend to its accuracy nor its handiness in the hunting woods. The battle sights are also not condusive to accuracy. The 7.62X39mm cartridge is a bit behind the 30-30 Win ballistically, but is capable of cleanly taking game within its limitations. Use your best judgement, but you can buy a decent hunting rifle for the cost of an AK variant.
If you question the use of an AK for hunting you might as well question a win 94 as well- not really a tack driver, poor sights etc.
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AK47 for hunting
] Could you just load it as a single shot without the magazine?
