Firearm Lovers Club
Hobbies & Interests
We like guns. Real guns. Not some airsoft, or paintball stuff... Just the things that make a big boom and makes the television you set up down range pop. You can talk about airsoft and paintball here, but lets try to keep the focus on the REAL thing here, please.
So guys, can you please tell me your opinion on these rounds?
Most important factor are WOUNDS caused by these cartridges... because I've heard many times that 7.62x39 causes bigger wounds (I saw some evidences) and that 5.56x45 is very weak against soft targets... on the other hand I have also heard absolutely opposite story that 5.56x45 causes devastating wounds and 7.62x39 just penetrates body with no real damage (also filled with evidences and pictures)... so what's the reality?
I have shot 7.62 when i was in the military, but those were only on the practice targets, never really shot any living thing with it so i can't really say about the wounds.
But same as you, i have heard both stories, in one 5.56 is better in the other 7.62... :/
From what i have seen on some pictures, it looks like 7.62 makes bigger holes if it exits on the other side(go through)...
I think that 5.56x45 is better when it it's fragmented.. in that case 5.56x45 can create massive wounds, but there is also quite big possibility that it won't fragment.. in that case it's wounds are not much bigger then from .22. So I guess it depends on luck.
Both are lethal the only difference is that the 7.62 M43 is much much heavier with a larger load of propellant.
Concrete has a good chance of stopping a .223 "5.56mm NATO" round while anything short of reinforced concrete or heavy metal armor will not stop larger caliber rounds ranging from 7.62 M43 or the NATO counterpart and up.
Its true that small rounds like the Russian 5.45x39mm & NATO 5.56x45mm tend to fragment and tumble upon impact ... but again at extended ranges small rounds like that lack the mass to maintain sufficient kinetic energy to be 100% lethal unlike the larger 7.62x39 M43 & 7.62x51mm NATO counterparts.
But if damage is what you want go for the Russian or Bulgarian M43 Hollow point dum dum rounds ... those are capable of ripping a live human to shreds ... I tested one on a deer while hunting once ... wasn't much left of the poor thing afterwards.
These hollow point rounds are also AP to some extent again due to their heavier mass.
For example my Romanian AKMS with Bulgarian dum dum rounds was able to easily and accurately penetrate high grade steel railroad ties at over 800 meters. Was only using iron sights btw ...
5.45x39 doesn't damage with power, it's designed specifically to tumble, and it does so regardless of the velocity. In an AKS-74U, it only moves at around 735 m/s, almost as slow as the 7.62, yet it still manages to tumble. Its tip is hollow so it almost always tumbles with every shot.
To be correct, I was arguing about this because I prefer 7.62x39 over 5.56x45 for I like this cartridge much more. Heavier, with normal bullet size (5.56x45 is like air gun to me). My opponent said however that (referring to many tests of Dr. Martin L. Fackler) that only one thing in what is 7.62x39 better is penetration and it's only slightly better. In fact he said that it's outdated cartridge with much worse ballistics, wounding profile and so on.
that depends when they "test" western Vs eastern equipment the results are usually skewed in favor of the western gear ... the US military made that mistake once with the dragon skin body armor and more than a few good soldiers died because of a stupid lie aimed at making short term profits.
The round that was being tested was in all likely hood old surplus Russian or Chines M-43 rounds.
Typically higher grade ammo is preferred for military use these days with some of the best rounds being produced & distributed by Russian, Polish, Bulgarian, & Romanian manufacturers.