7.62x39mm for deer
 

I've never posted here before, so I apologize If a similar question has alreday been asked.
I recently had the opportunity to use my friend's SKS, and I found it to be one of the most comfortable rifles I have ever fired. Since these rifles and the ammunition they fire are inexpensive, I am half considering buying one to be used as a short range deer rifle. Is the 7.62x39mm round powerful enough to take small to medium size deer if the range is less than 75 yards and shots are carefully placed. I would appreciate any feedback.

Edited by - JamminJay on 01/19/2003 16:55:40

RE: 7.62x39mm for deer
 

id say it would do fine if you do what you said by keeping the shots close and place them right where they have to be....i wouldnt use military ammo or fmjs though..i would find a manufacturer that makes a good hunting bullet and use those or reload or have someone reload them for me....

RE: 7.62x39mm for deer
 

almost any round will take a deer if the shot is placed right. but you might want someting that shoot decent groups. cause not always will your shot hit where you want it to go. brush twigs etc.
in the new hunt america issue. someone asked the same question and the reply was that it was less powerfull than the 30-30win but decent up close. if you use a soft point.

RE: 7.62x39mm for deer
 

Friend of Mine bought His son an Interarms bolt action rifle in 7.62X39 about 10 years ago, and with His reloads that little rifle was one heck of a deer getter! I can't remember what grain bullet He used, but I believe it was a 130 gr., heavy jacketed spitzer bullet that He reloaded. That rifle got handed down to two other boys, and I believe every deer shot with it were one shot kills. Dandy little short range deer getter.

RE: 7.62x39mm for deer
 

I shoot an SKS on Kansas whitetails after My .30-06 lays claim each season, and I'm not losing much by switching...that said, I need to point out that it's a crap shoot buying SKS's, because they are VERY inconsistent, some are tack drivers, and some would need a prayer to hit a deer at the end of the muzzle, mine, thankfully, throws groups of 1.3" at 100 yrds, and 4" at 200yrds. I absolutely love mine for brush hunting, and drives, it has a folding stock (which I still shoot very well with it folded) and a short barrel (paratrooper version), so it's very fast handling in the brush, and I don't have to worry about losing a shot because I'm moving the rifle to jack the next round. I'd probably never take a shot at 200yrds with my rifle, even though I know that I'd be hitting, but I have a .30-06 to take long shots, and I bought an SKS to limit myself, whether it has to be limited that much or not.

Don't use surplus ammo (the cheap stuff) on game of any sort, it's just too inaccurate and inconsistent, plus much of it is FMJ, which is illegal. Another problem with surplus ammo is the fact that it is incredibly dirty, the ignition is very poor and inconsistent/incomplete, and the powders are often quite corrosive, I've seen several guys ruin their gas systems/chambers/pushrod by simply shooting and not cleaning them for a week, rust and nastiness almost before you can get home.

NEVER USE THE CHEAP SURPLUS AMMO ON DEER, please, respect the game, get consistently manufactured at least decent ammunition.

Screw the 10 ring, keep them in the zero!!!

RE: 7.62x39mm for deer
 

Thanks for the advice everyone. My next gun purchase will definately be something that chambers the 7.62x39mm round. I had never intended to use bulk or surpluss ammo in the woods, but I did plan to use it at the range due to its low cost. I reason that if I can obtain inexpensive ammo, I can afford to go to the range more, which is something I enjoy. If bulk ammo dangerouse or detrimental to the firearm, however, I'll definately forget that idea. Does anyone know if wolf ammo is generally safe?

RE: 7.62x39mm for deer
 

i love my sks, it shoots winchester 125gr softpoints really good, i might start handloadin for it soon, just haven;t gotten the chance, i really like the 130grain speer flatpoints i use for my 30-30 so i might paper patch them to .310 and get a better fit, as far as wolf ammo, i get alot of misfires in all the wolf ammo i buy, wether its 223/7.62x39/9mm/45. but i still buy cause it;s cheap and it shoots reasonably well for casual plinkin.

"smile, life could be worse.. i could be datin your daughter."

RE: 7.62x39mm for deer
 

Iv takin for deer with the sks and its a goor one for that winchster makes sofe tip ammo for that and thay do very will and the wolf hollo ponts do good I got a doe tow yaers ago at 200 yds in ky and it drop in it tracks

RE: 7.62x39mm for deer
 

I've used my sks to take two hogs... both about 125 lbs or so... and it worked ok. I used Federal ammo, with a 123gr softpoint. For hogs, it needs a heavier bullet. For deer, those would work well, especially considering your self-imposed range limitation. Wolf is also now selling a load with a 154gr softpoint bullet. I bought 4 boxes of them at the last gunshow, but haven't had a chance to see how they group. If they are reasonably accurate, then I don't see any need to ever reload for deer or hogs.... and they are cheap... almost as cheap as the fmj mil-surp ammo.
I have used mil-surp Chinese ammo, and the Russian hollow-points, and have NEVER had a misfire. NEVER. I haven't used any of the Wolf ammo in the 7.62, but I have in pistols, and it seemed to work ok for me there.
Now is a good time to be shooting an sks... ammo is about as low as I've ever seen it... 80 dollars a thousand? Hard to beat that.

"Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness..those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Santayana

RE: 7.62x39mm for deer
 

I shoot a lot of Wolf in my SKS, and I've never had any misfires or other problems with it, only that it's incredibly dirty and it has steel cases and is berdan primed (both make the cases incapable of being reloaded by most rollers). I've never noticed mine getting nasty from the wolfs, definately not at the accelerated rate that many other surplus ammos would give, but then again, I clean mine before I leave the bench.

To get an SKS to perform well, a guy really needs to roll his own, which is slightly problematic since it throws the cases so far, but I custom stitched a bag that fits around the action to collect them. Another option to get cheap ammo to go to the range is to roll your own, but for general plinking, wolfs are ok, just clean it before you leave the range.

Screw the 10 ring, keep them in the zero!!!

RE: 7.62x39mm for deer
 

Just a note....Ruger makes a rifle called the Mini Thirty that shoots the 7.62x39, if your interested in a semi-auto other than the SKS. I used to own one, and it was as accurate as it was fun to shoot.

"Fast is fine, but accurate is final". "Wild Bill" Hickok - 1869

RE: 7.62x39mm for deer
 

Why would anyone want to carry a war machine into the woods for game? It just doesnt fit. Sure it will kill a deer, but c-mon; anyone who would use or advocate the use of something like sks or the AK47 or any semi-automatic war weapon for hunting just doesnt get it... These weapons were designed to replace accuracy with firepower. If thats what you need , then go ahead , sure hope I dont ever see somebody hunting on my property with a machine gun<img src=icon_smile_dissapprove.gif border=0 align=middle>

ALL DAY, EVERY DAY,IN THE WOODS...

RE: 7.62x39mm for deer
 

I'm not necessarily married to the idea of purchasing an auto loading rifle. I'm interested in the SKS primarily due to its low cost and the fact that I find them to be comfortable to shoot. I will be graduating from college soon, so my funds are quite limited. Once the bayonett is removed and the magazine is changed so that its capacity is 5 rather than 10, I don't see how the SKS is different from any other auto loading rifle. Granted, the SKS was originally intended for use in war, but so were many of the Mauser and British Enfield rifles that are common in the deer woods. As far as accuracy is concerned, the SKS that I used was accurate up to 100 yards. I hunt in a thickly wooded part of Vermont where I can't usually see past 50 yards, let alone shoot a deer. I'm not trying to start an argument or anything, just explain my reasoning.

RE: 7.62x39mm for deer
 

you can buy a nice mauser for about $200.00 even though i never owned one . i don't know what the ammo is priced at.

RE: 7.62x39mm for deer
 

I've had pretty good results with Wolf Ammo in 7.62X39 154 grain soft point. I've had one shot kills at 100 yards on deer using this ammo. I also cannot understand how some people can call a semi auto a military weapon. A semi SKS or AK 47 or Mini 30 is far far far away from being a military weapon. If our soldiers had to use weapons like these, we had better stay home and surrender. Been there, done that!!

RE: 7.62x39mm for deer
 

&quot;Sure it will kill a deer, but c-mon; anyone who would use or advocate the use of something like sks or the AK47 or any semi-automatic war weapon for hunting just doesnt get it... &quot;

Doesn't get WHAT? What in the world is wrong with using a semi-auto rifle for hunting? Are you falling into the same old trap of &quot;the evil-LOOKING gun&quot; ? If it is black, and semi-auto, then there is no need for it in civilian hands? How silly. Like Jay said... what do you think the Mauser, Springfield, Enfield, trap-door Springfield, etc, are? They are military weapons. Are you saying that a &quot;hunting rifle&quot; has to meet YOUR appearance criteria? Or are you worried about accuracy? There's an interesting article in the last Shotgun News about the CETME battle rifle... based on the HK .308...arguably one of the most prolific and successful battle rifles of the free world. The author was getting approx 1&quot; groups at 100yds with it. That's certainly good enough for deer, isn't it? Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention... that was shot with the military open battle sights. How many of your RemWinRug rifles that really LOOK like hunting rifles (your definition) will do that? Let's not fall into the trap of &quot;good&quot; hunting rifles and &quot;bad&quot; hunting rifles. In fact, if you are hunting with your sks, or ak variant, then that takes a lot of wind out of the sails of the idiots that want to ban &quot;assault rifles&quot; because they have no &quot;sporting value&quot;.....

&quot;Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness..those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.&quot; Santayana

RE: 7.62x39mm for deer
 

OK Hornetguy, in answer to your question,What in the world is wrong with using a semi-auto rifle for hunting? In this state it`s illegal . Second; I do have a problem with the thought that some people think it`s ok to grab a tired old sks and a fist full of wolfe ammo and heading into the deer woods. Third- The people you read about shooting one inch groups with fine auto-loaders probably would not choose to carry one out for big game. And just to let you know sporting rifle does not mean hunting rifle... I have several autos in my collection and even if it were legal for me to carry one for big game I`m sure I could find something better than an sks for the same money.. And as far as &quot;just dont get it&quot; Where I come from hunting is a tradition and if someone came along who thought an sks was acceptable as a deer rifle ,, We would try to teach him the differance

ALL DAY, EVERY DAY,IN THE WOODS...

RE: 7.62x39mm for deer
 

I thought that the HUNT was what it was all about, not the rifle. The rifle just makes the hunt possible, it's a tool. Just because it isn't a &quot;hunting&quot; rifle in your opinion doesn't mean that someone else is wrong for using a rifle that fits them well, even if what they choose to use is a machine gun. My best friend bear hunts with a sks. He doesn't plan on rapid firing a wall of lead into an animal, he just chose to use that rifle because he liked it. You are right that hunting is a tradition. But does that mean we all have to use the same equipment?

&quot;Hey ya'll, watch this&quot;

RE: 7.62x39mm for deer
 

N3YWV; most SKS's are brand new and packed with grease. They are not used army weapons and you can't get much else brand new for $100. They are limited to 5 shots as is any other semi auto.

Dan O.

Edited by - dan o. on 01/23/2003 13:52:32

RE: 7.62x39mm for deer
 

An sks is about like having an auto 30-30. I haven't killed a deer with it but I have hunted with it before. I just have never had a opportunity to shoot at one with it. It is not my primary weapon of choice but I would use it. My rifle will shoot tight groups out ot at least 100 yards. They are fun to shoot also, and the ammo is cheap enough you can practice alot.

n3ywv: not everyone lives in your state were semi-auto rifles are illegal. Does that go for '06's and such too? They are not fully-auto machine guns.

Dan O: I think most sks rifles hold ten rounds not just five, but it only takes one.

RE: 7.62x39mm for deer
 

OK; hate to drag this on but I think we are all missing the point here , Jay asked the question, is the 7.62x39 enough to kill a deer? Yes it is. and if he want`s to do it with an sks,thats entirely up to him.. My point is that is if a guy wants to hunt he doesn`t have to resort to buying some clunkie surplus war weapon.. My brother stopped by here this evening with a brand new Winchester and a full box of ammo he got for 200 bucks. It`s all a matter of what a person wants or likes. Just like this forum;; Its all about oppinions and oppinions are just like as---les ...EVERYBODY has one, and they all STINK<img src=icon_smile_clown.gif border=0 align=middle>

ALL DAY, EVERY DAY,IN THE WOODS...

RE: 7.62x39mm for deer
 

Hey, I hunt with a 'clunky' old K98. Not only is it probably more accurate than most of the scoped sporting rifles that others are carrying, but its a very personal weapon to me. I reload my own ammo for it, shoot it alot to become proficient with it, and find it alot more useful than my Rem 700 in the brushy areas where I hunt. I also hunt with a 'Clunky' old flintlock also on occasion.

Nothing wrong with trading a little accuracy for more firepower- people have always made the same justification for using a lever action 30-30 over a bolt action 30-06 for hunting in the woods. If the SKS looks too militarylike just take a look at the Ruger Deerfield carbine which shoots an even less powerful cartridge and basicly looks like a cross between an M1 carbine and an M14. And what abouit the Browning BAR? The Browning BAR (browning automatic rifle) was a machinegun used extensively in WWII. The Browning BAR (Browning Autoloading Rifle) is a sporting rifle that not only has a similar name but operates much the same as the military BAR except that its not fully automatic. What do the M14, AK-47, BAR, Rem 742, SKS, AR-15 have in common? They all function on the same concept- a gas operated autoloading action. With the exception between aemi-auto and fully-auto versions, the differences are pretty much cosmetic.

Just because your state doesn't allow semi-auto rifles for hunting it doesn't mean that semi-autos are wrong for hunting, it simply means that the people of your state have elected too many uneducated dolts to office.


One more advantage of a semi-auto that is often times overlooked: The sound of the report of the rifle covers up the sound of the action cycling. If you somehow miss a shot and the animal becomes alert but not spooked, you don't have an action to cycle that will definately spook them as you would with a bolt, lever, pump, etc.

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>And as far as &quot;just dont get it&quot; Where I come from hunting is a tradition and if someone came along who thought an sks was acceptable as a deer rifle ,, We would try to teach him the differance <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>

I read a short story once by Shirley Jackson once called &quot;The Lottery&quot;
which was about tradition. Please enlighten me about your grand tradition.



Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms... who's bringing the chips?

RE: 7.62x39mm for deer
 

Briman,
Well put. Any rifle, of any type (where legal) that is used by a shooter that has practiced and can put a killing shot to his quarry, should be considered an acceptable hunting weapon by any real hunter. To cast aspersions on a gun or a hunter based on the cost of the weapon is discriminatory at best. I understand the responsibility to make sure the firearm functions safely and is capable of delivering adequate accuracy.....but most guns...including good SKS's .... are capable of more accuracy than most shooters. I have 5 SKS's ...have never hunted with one. I prefer bolt actions for hunting. But I have no qualms about an SKS in my hunting camp.
It's no different than a Winchester Model 07, 10, 100, Browning BAR, Remington Model 8a, 81a, 74, 740, 7400, Model Four, Ruger 44, Mini 14,....or any of the semi-auto shotguns on the market.
Just one man's feelings.

RE: 7.62x39mm for deer
 

Briman, to enlighten you of our GRAND TRADITION.. On the eve of the hunt we SACRIFICE a VIRGIN to the BOLT ACTION GOD and if the hunt is unsuccesful we cut off the trigger finger of her father for not telling the truth about his daughter`s purity<img src=icon_smile_clown.gif border=0 align=middle> and if we catch anyone in the woods with guns that we dont like we run them down and beat them and take their gun and burn it..

ALL DAY, EVERY DAY,IN THE WOODS...

RE: 7.62x39mm for deer
 

Sounds like a rough bunch!<img src=icon_smile_shock.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms... who's bringing the chips?

RE: 7.62x39mm for deer
 

WThunter; in Canada all semiauto weapons are limited to 5 shots so it might be different in your area.

Dan O.

RE: 7.62x39mm for deer
 

N3YWV....roflmao..... <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>
......no WONDER semi-autos are illegal where you live... YOU GUYS ARE NUTS!! <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> I like the part about cutting off the trigger finger of the father... hoooo-boy... that's good...
anyway... hunting is a tradition down here in Texas, too. There are just many different tools used to do the job. Lots of the terrain is thick, brushy stuff.. and the shots you get are likely to be quick, snap shots as the deer takes off.... not the best situation, but, it's real life... having the availability of a quick second shot,if necessary, is a distinct advantage. A VERY distinct advantage, if you happen to wander into a group of hogs that decide to depart the scene in all directions, one of which happens to be yours.... and don't talk about taking your time and making a clean killing shot.. hogs move FAST..... and in most parts of Texas, the rancher really gets upset if you see hogs and don't shoot as many of them as you can... they have achieved &quot;severe pest&quot; status in much of the state, as they have in many other states... even &quot;Kalifornia&quot;... No, a hunting gun is a tool.. a highly PRIZED tool, in many instances, but, ultimately, still a tool. To say that one is no good for hunting simply because it doesn't &quot;look&quot; right, or doesn't cost enough, is just elitist..snobbish...prejudiced....close-minded...... heck, probably agnostic, un-American, and anti-social.... might even be flamboyant and ambidextrous...who knows?

&quot;Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness..those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.&quot; Santayana

RE: 7.62x39mm for deer
 

Flamboyant? Now you,ve gone too far! ;-)