New Ruger American 7.62x39

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Re: New Ruger American 7.62x39

Post by Ranch Dog »

Looks good. I looked at them when I bought the Mini-Mauser and the workmanship looked pretty good. The only thing it need was a little Tru-Oil on the stock set.
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Re: New Ruger American 7.62x39

Post by akuser47 »

Now gas is pooring fuel on my kind of fires +guns nice looking ak +guns my sam7 is minute of pop can at 100 yards with irons plenty accurate and the main reason I always skip getting a bolt gun in 7.62x39 though I love the idea of a 7.62x39 bolt gun. Someday I'll make the plunge. +corn
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Re: New Ruger American 7.62x39

Post by reloader762 »

akuser47 wrote:I'm liking it need reviews on it.
Here is a good review.

[BBvideo 560,340][/BBvideo]
Last edited by reloader762 on 14 Sep 2018 06:39, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: Embedded video
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Re: New Ruger American 7.62x39

Post by Macd »

Although I have two SKS rifles I have never thought of the 7.62x39 as a hunting cartridge. Of course shot placement is everything but the expansion and penetration capability of a loading are also pretty important. Ballisticly it is inferior to brush gun favourites like the 30-30 or the 35 Remington. Does anyone have any experience using it for small and medium sized game?
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Re: New Ruger American 7.62x39

Post by Ranch Dog »

I've killed a bunch of hogs with it and one whitetail. Where I took a shine to it was when I hosted youth hunts on my ranch. The very first question that came up was how did I feel about the 7.62x39? I told them my only experience had been in the military and it was a hell of a lot more effective than what I had been given to shoot so as long as they used ammo with an exposed lead core, I was good. The Texas Youth Hunting outfit said that was good because the most common rifle a kid was going to show up with would be the SKS. They weren't kidding. All tallied, I suspect something around 100 whitetails have been killed on my ranch with the 7.62x39. As a note, I ended the use of anything small the 243 Win. I've killed deer with both the 222 & 223 Rem, but in the hands of an inexperienced hunter, it is not an effective tool. We lost deer shot with it, and those that we recovered died a miserable death.

With properly constructed bullets and against our Texas-sized whitetails, I consider it an equal to or better than the 30-30 Win given the bolt guns the cartridge is available in. For my use, I would not hesitate to use it with any mule or whitetail deer or antelope. Beyond a doubt from my experience, the Federal Fusion factory ammo is the best offered for the cartridge. Their bullet causes a whitetail just to fold up. The only limitation for the handloader is one bullet weight offering, 123-grains. I've used the Speer SP offering on big game, hogs, and it folds them up. Speer does offer a .311'' 150-grain bullet, but I have not shot it. I should add here that a very common 30-30 Win bullet loaded here in South Central Texas is the Speer 125-grain FP. There is no telling how many whitetails that bullet has taken in my part of the world.

I feel the cartridge is a reloading dream with cast bullets. The chamber cut and case neck length begs for a 150-grain bullet. My Savage 10FCM Scout has a .308" groove, so just a hair more leade in the chamber cut to get there and the 165-grain bullet I designed for the 300 Savage is a perfect fit with it. The pressure limits of the cartridge itself, 45K PSI, is ideal for a water quenched bullet.

As a hunting arm, I do think its usable distance is 150-yards based on its terminal performance. That is not to say it is not accurate out beyond that distance. I have this thing that I do on my range where I bang the gongs with my Savage at 100, 200, 250, & 300 yards just as fast as I can work the bolt. I do this with the ghost ring sights.

If I was given the choice of a 300 Blackout over the 7.62x39, I would choose the latter if I was shooting supersonic. If given the choice of the 300 Blackout over a bolt gun chambered in 30-30 Win, I would choose the latter.
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Re: New Ruger American 7.62x39

Post by Ranch Dog »

Here is the whitetail I shot, a spike, with the Rossi Single Shot chambered in the cartridge. The buck was about 125-yards out. I believe I used the PPU bullet on this deer.

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Savage Scout with a cast bullet.

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Check this piggy out. 150-grain cast with the Rossi. I recall about a 100-yard shot with it.

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I have no count of the number of hogs I've taken with the Mini-30 and a 150-grain cast bullet. The average shot of nighttime hunting is about 70-yards. I have killed some as close as 30 yards but that is outside the norm.

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The Zastava M-85 Mini Mauser is a beautiful and accurate hunting rifle. The Federal Fusion ammo delivers sub-MOA performance but I hunt with my 150-grain cast bullet. Unfortunately, I find it a bit too compact for my build so I don't shoot it much. That would be my consideration with the Ruger. I would want it to be a big boy rifle vs. a youth rifle. I was going to sell it but decided to prep it for long-term storage and save it for my grandson's first deer rifle.

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This hog looks a bit funny but I shot him from the back porch of my house on a night down into the teens. I ran out and set him up for a picture and left him. I figured he would freeze quickly and he did. I took the picture in the morning, let him thaw out, and then cleaned him. Beat staying up at night and working in temperatures below freezing with high winds!
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Re: New Ruger American 7.62x39

Post by Ranch Dog »

My personal preference for a bolt gun in 7.62x39 would probably be the Howa Mini Bolt over the Ruger American. On opening weekend of deer season last year a couple of my friends and I went on a public hunt, one fellow had the American and I was not impressed with the finish of the rifle. I do like the fact that I could use my Mini-30 magazines with the rifle. I don't care for the "earth tone" stock.

Locally, the Ruger American Ranch is $439 and the Howa Mini Bolt $533. That $100 difference would be tough to reconcile but I dislike the light colored stock enough to probably go with the Howa.
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Re: New Ruger American 7.62x39

Post by Ranch Dog »

Ranch Dog wrote:My personal preference for a bolt gun in 7.62x39 would probably be the Howa Mini Bolt over the Ruger American. On opening weekend of deer season last year a couple of my friends and I went on a public hunt, one fellow had the American and I was not impressed with the finish of the rifle. I do like the fact that I could use my Mini-30 magazines with the rifle. I don't care for the "earth tone" stock.

Locally, the Ruger American Ranch is $439 and the Howa Mini Bolt $533. That $100 difference would be tough to reconcile but I dislike the light colored stock enough to probably go with the Howa.
There is also this thing in my head regarding a telephone contact I made with Ruger after the American was introduced. I called and asked if it would be offered in 7.62x39, the guy that I had been transferred to was pretty sure and full of himself and adamantly stated: "ain't EVER going to happen." It was just a simple question; he didn't have to be an ass, so I'm okay with it never happening for Ruger.
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Re: New Ruger American 7.62x39

Post by GasGuzzler »

My newly finished 300BO AR project was shot yesterday and is a way easier on the body and way easier to control than my tank Yugo O-PAP in 7.62X39.

Neither rifle is properly sighted (the AK has an aftermarket rear peep that I'm hating and the AR has a cheap red dot holograph) so I probably should have kept it to myself.

Cheap steel commercial (the entire point in buying a mid-level AK) ammo is a beating in the AK. Remington supersonic commercial 300BO was like shooting .223.
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Re: New Ruger American 7.62x39

Post by alphalimafoxtrot »

GasGuzzler wrote:My newly finished 300BO AR project was shot yesterday and is a way easier on the body and way easier to control than my tank Yugo O-PAP in 7.62X39.

Neither rifle is properly sighted (the AK has an aftermarket rear peep that I'm hating and the AR has a cheap red dot holograph) so I probably should have kept it to myself.

Cheap steel commercial (the entire point in buying a mid-level AK) ammo is a beating in the AK. Remington supersonic commercial 300BO was like shooting .223.
Gas, I have a psychological gun tangent related to .300BLK too!! :roll:

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