BEST 7.62x39 round for self defense purposes?

Ligament · February 13, 2006, 11:58 PM

Hi All,Which is the absolute best (regardless of cost) 7.62x39 round for self defense purposes? How about the best "economy" round for the same purpose? Pros/Cons of FMJ, Soft Point, Hollow Point?thanks!

I'm leaning toward the Lapua 125grain Soft Point (they call it the "mega" point), but cannot find Lapua anywhere. Not even the Lapua american distributor can find it for me.

joneb · February 14, 2006, 01:54 AM

I have not seen Lapua 7.62 x39 in years and when I have it's FMJ . Lapua is the best I've shot, I've saved some for a rainy day. the Wolf 154gr sp is not bad POI is about 2" low for me but accuracy is good with the stuff I got four years ago.

MTMilitiaman · February 14, 2006, 03:41 AM

Something like the Vmax load from Maine Cartridge Co or the Corbon load with the Sierra JHP would probably be best if you aren't afraid to spend money for it. The Wolf SPs get good reviews and if I was to choose a load based purely on home defense, that is what I would use. For general use however, I see little or nothing lacking in the standard 122 gr FMJs. They are better at penetrating cover than the SPs, which may be a bad thing is home defense, but I consider it a good thing for general SHTF type situations. I am thinking about stocking some SPs for the SKS (truck gun, may see some hunting use, mostly plinking and predator/varmint control) and a lot of FMJs for my Rommie for social use.

EDITTED TO SAY SP INSTEAD OF WOLF HPS.

JR47 · February 14, 2006, 10:20 AM

If you can find it, the Yugo brass-cased surplus ammo had a bullet that fragmented similiarly to the 5.56. It wasn't as violent, but it is larger.

MTMilitiaman · February 14, 2006, 02:35 PM

JR, the Yugo M67 relies on yawing more than fragmentation for wounding effect. It produces wound tracks much like the standard M43 Russian ball round with the first 17 cm removed, typically yawing violently within ~9 cm of callibrated ballistic geletin. The forward part of the nose is air, which puts the center of gravity farther to the rear. This combined with the effect of allowing the nose to flatten and deform induce yawing far faster than the standard Russian ball round, but doesn't usually produce reliable dramatic fragmentation. The Wolf 122 gr FMJs are constructed much like the Yugo ball round and in my experience, behave very similar to the described. The forward 1/3 of the nose of the Wolf rounds are hollow and when shot into a liquid medium it is not untypical to see the nose flatten. This is why I am reluctant to stray from the standard Wolf FMJs. They are cheaper and easier to find than many of the other rounds, penetrate barriers better than soft points and can still be relied on to make it through 12 to 14 inches of pine, but still retain the ability to deform and yaw dramatically in tissue. You may find rounds that will penetrate better, and you may find rounds that will deform better in tissue, but I think the chances of you finding a round that does both better than the standard FMJ is pretty low. And if you do, I would like to know about it.

TPAW · February 14, 2006, 03:50 PM

Either the Wolf 154 grain soft point or the Corbon 150 grain soft point. They both hit hard and are equal to a 30.30 in those grains.

February 13, 2006, 11:58 PM	#1
Ligament Junior Member Join Date: March 5, 2005 Posts: 10	BEST 7.62x39 round for self defense purposes? Hi All,Which is the absolute best (regardless of cost) 7.62x39 round for self defense purposes? How about the best "economy" round for the same purpose? Pros/Cons of FMJ, Soft Point, Hollow Point?thanks! I'm leaning toward the Lapua 125grain Soft Point (they call it the "mega" point), but cannot find Lapua anywhere. Not even the Lapua american distributor can find it for me.

February 14, 2006, 03:41 AM	#3
MTMilitiaman Senior Member Join Date: October 14, 2004 Location: NW Montana Posts: 1,875	Something like the Vmax load from Maine Cartridge Co or the Corbon load with the Sierra JHP would probably be best if you aren't afraid to spend money for it. The Wolf SPs get good reviews and if I was to choose a load based purely on home defense, that is what I would use. For general use however, I see little or nothing lacking in the standard 122 gr FMJs. They are better at penetrating cover than the SPs, which may be a bad thing is home defense, but I consider it a good thing for general SHTF type situations. I am thinking about stocking some SPs for the SKS (truck gun, may see some hunting use, mostly plinking and predator/varmint control) and a lot of FMJs for my Rommie for social use. EDITTED TO SAY SP INSTEAD OF WOLF HPS. __________________ "...nothing says 'I WILL shoot every last one of you before you have time to reconsider your poor choices in life' like an AK." ~Dave R. Last edited by MTMilitiaman; February 14, 2006 at 02:37 PM.

February 14, 2006, 02:35 PM	#5
MTMilitiaman Senior Member Join Date: October 14, 2004 Location: NW Montana Posts: 1,875	JR, the Yugo M67 relies on yawing more than fragmentation for wounding effect. It produces wound tracks much like the standard M43 Russian ball round with the first 17 cm removed, typically yawing violently within ~9 cm of callibrated ballistic geletin. The forward part of the nose is air, which puts the center of gravity farther to the rear. This combined with the effect of allowing the nose to flatten and deform induce yawing far faster than the standard Russian ball round, but doesn't usually produce reliable dramatic fragmentation. The Wolf 122 gr FMJs are constructed much like the Yugo ball round and in my experience, behave very similar to the described. The forward 1/3 of the nose of the Wolf rounds are hollow and when shot into a liquid medium it is not untypical to see the nose flatten. This is why I am reluctant to stray from the standard Wolf FMJs. They are cheaper and easier to find than many of the other rounds, penetrate barriers better than soft points and can still be relied on to make it through 12 to 14 inches of pine, but still retain the ability to deform and yaw dramatically in tissue. You may find rounds that will penetrate better, and you may find rounds that will deform better in tissue, but I think the chances of you finding a round that does both better than the standard FMJ is pretty low. And if you do, I would like to know about it. __________________ "...nothing says 'I WILL shoot every last one of you before you have time to reconsider your poor choices in life' like an AK." ~Dave R.

February 14, 2006, 01:54 AM	#2
joneb Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2005 Location: Central , OR Posts: 1,888	I have not seen Lapua 7.62 x39 in years and when I have it's FMJ . Lapua is the best I've shot, I've saved some for a rainy day. the Wolf 154gr sp is not bad POI is about 2" low for me but accuracy is good with the stuff I got four years ago.

February 14, 2006, 10:20 AM	#4
JR47 Junior member Join Date: August 9, 2005 Location: North Georgia Posts: 2,228	If you can find it, the Yugo brass-cased surplus ammo had a bullet that fragmented similiarly to the 5.56. It wasn't as violent, but it is larger.

February 14, 2006, 03:50 PM	#6
TPAW Senior Member Join Date: January 26, 2005 Posts: 2,860	Either the Wolf 154 grain soft point or the Corbon 150 grain soft point. They both hit hard and are equal to a 30.30 in those grains.