7.62x39 Ammo

Hopefully one day tree scientists will finally do something useful and genetically engineer a tree that grows ammunition. But until that day finally comes, at least we have the nation of Bulgaria – home of JSC Arsenal AD, the manufacturer of this fine 7.62x39 ammo that Global Ordnance has shipped to the U.S. for your shooting pleasure!

One look at this ammo is all it takes to appreciate why its price tag is lower. Those steel cases are a lot more economical than the conventional brass variety, and AK-47 and SKS rifles have zero issue cycling them. These steel cases may not be reloadable, but their new Berdan primers won’t do anything corrosive to your firearm.

But one look at this ammo will also reveal why it is higher-quality than 7.62x39 by Wolf, Tula or Barnaul. Bluish sealant lines the primers and case mouths, thus keeping the ammo well-protected against atmospheric moisture and precipitation. Arsenal furthermore adheres to a more exacting set of quality assurance protocol, which you’re sure to appreciate as you contend with relatively fewer jams and failures to fire!

You can’t see these rounds’ 122 grain FMJ bullets’ steel jackets because they’re concealed by a thin copper wash exterior. Steel jackets make FMJs plenty strong enough to avoid deformation that could cause a jam or weaken accuracy, but they’re also certain to attract a magnet. If your range doesn’t like magnetic projectiles, then they’re not going to have kind things to say about Arsenal’s 7.62x39!

This 7.62x39 ammunition by MAXXTech hails from Amursk Cartridge Plant Vympel in Russia. The state-of-the-art factory is able to crank out 300 million rounds of ammo annually – a large percentage of which, you might imagine, is destined for AK-47s.

MAXXTech’s Essential Steel label is representative of what experienced shooters expect of Russian ammo: reliable, economical, and full of steel. Perhaps most importantly this round’s 124 grain FMJBT bullet sports a bimetal jacket, which is steel on the inside to prevent deformation and copper on the outside to reduce barrel fouling. If your range bans magnetic ammo, then they most certainly ban this particular ammo. The bullet’s boat tail helps to raise its ballistic coefficient considerably!

This round’s case is made entirely out of steel as well. The Vympel Factory’s lacquer application assists with reliable feeding and extraction as well as it does prevent rust, and their case’s sealed primer and neck further immunize the round against moisture. You can not reload steel, comrade, but you can pick it up with a magnet! Very useful for backyard cleanup when back is worn out from trying to finish five-year plan in only four years.

This ammo is Berdan primed, but Berdan is not synonymous with corrosive! You can clean your rifle the same way you always would and not have to worry about it rusting up on you.

Wolf ammunition is a popular range staple for owners of SKS and AK rifles. These 7.62x39mm cartridges are similar to the ones these rifles were designed for, though they have some significant quality-of-life improvements including non-corrosive primers and polymer-coated cases.

Each cartridge in this box of 20 fires a 122-grain full metal jacket bullet at 2,362 feet per second.

This ammo is loaded in Russia or Ukraine using non-reloadable steel casings.

Pigman is a superhero who fights crime with the powers of squealing and bacon. Igman is a Bosnian ammo manufacturer that has been in the game since 1950. Don’t confuse the two!

Igman’s 7.62x39 ammunition is a step above what you’re accustomed to if you’ve only ever fired Wolf or Tula’s Russian-made ammo. Each round in this case of 56 boxes is decked out with a virgin brass case, which means you can expect overall cleaner performance. Better yet, Igman loads the Boxer primers brass-cased ammo needs in order to be reloaded! This new production ammo’s primers cannot deposit corrosive residue in your firearm’s barrel, and they’re sealed for added protection against humidity in storage.

If you are familiar with Wolf and Tula, then you know their bi-metal jacketed bullets contain steel, will attract a magnet, and are forbidden at many commercial ranges. Igman’s 123 grain full metal jacket bullets do not share this problem. These lead-core bullets’ jackets are made of tombac – a hard alloy of copper and zinc – which leaves them wholly incapable of attracting a magnet. Great for all ranges!

Russia hasn’t monopolized the steel-cased ammunition market! This 7.62x39 ammo hails from JSC Arsenal AD, which has manufactured munitions for the nation of Bulgaria and its trade partners since its foundation as the Ruse Artillery Arsenal in 1878. Fortunately Global Ordnance, a Floridian company, just so happens to be one of those trade partners!

If you’re remotely familiar with steel-cased ammo, then you already know what you’re signing up for when you order Arsenal’s range loads. These rounds are armed with 122 grain full metal jacket projectiles. Those are bimetal jackets, meaning they are made of steel with the exception of their thin copper wash exteriors. Will Arsenal’s bullets attract a magnet? Without question, yes!

Similarities aside, Arsenal 7.62x39 is of higher quality than what you would reasonably expect from Russia. These premium steel-cased loads sport sealed necks and primers, so inclement weather and suboptimal storage conditions will pose less of a threat to your investment!

This ammo’s steel cases are the main reason for its friendly price tag. You can’t reload steel, but at least these cases will let you clean up your backyard range with the aid of a large magnet. This isn’t old war surplus that has been sitting in a warehouse for decades. It’s the brand new stuff, complete with non-corrosive Berdan primers.

Do you need 7.62x39 ammo? Does the bear do something unmentionable in the woods?

This AK-47 and SKS ammo by Prvi Partizan is a versatile fix for all your range needs. Its bullet wears a simple gilding metal jacket, so it feeds and fires through semi-autos without leaving too much fouling in its wake. It’s also poised to do accented damage to a threat. This particular round’s FMJ won’t expand, but it has a good likelihood of yawing within soft tissue to tear a wider wound channel than its 0.31” diameter alone could account for.

At 123 grains this bullet exits a 24” barrel at a velocity of 2,461 fps. Trajectories are decent at a ballistic coefficient of 0.204, so you can peg nearby targets with negligible bullet rise, 250 yard targets with less than 7” bullet rise, and 400 yard targets with about 25” bullet rise. A bullet like this will remain supersonic until the 420 yard mark when fired through a 24” barrel, and retain sufficient energy with which to neutralize a threat throughout an AK-47’s effective range (despite its shorter barrel).

Prvi Partizan makes their own reloadable brass cases. Their bullets contain no steel that could run afoul of a range’s magnetic bullet ban, and their non-corrosive primers are sealed for added longevity on the shelf.

Don’t be thrown off by the foreign sounding name! Belom is headquartered in Serbia, and was founded to better supply their nation’s armed forces as well as contribute to the local economy. In just a few years Belom has become internationally recognized for making dependable small arms ammo!

This 7.62x39 cartridge makes a swell pal to any AK-47 or SKS rifle. Its 123 grain bullet is an FMJ, with a hard lead/antimony alloy core and copper/zinc alloy jacket. The 90 percent copper jacket is hard enough to feed reliably and prevent accuracy-harming deformation under extreme pressure. It is also devoid of steel and therefore compliant with indoor ranges that ban the use of magnetic ammo.

This round’s case is made of pure brass and outfitted with a non-corrosive Boxer primer. It fires even cleaner courtesy of Belom’s proprietary double base propellant blend, so you’ll be able to spend less time scrubbing your rifle than if you had chosen steel-cased ammo. Belom’s ammo is engineered to perform on the harsh battlefield, so it is both waterproof and reliable in extreme temperatures.

Do you want to fire your AK-47 until its handguard becomes so hot that you can barely touch it? Then you’re going to need a lot of ammo to get there. If you’re after both quantity and quality for your Kalashnikov, look no further than these 600 7.62x39 rounds by Sellier & Bellot.

This cartridge has a 124 grain projectile, a grain heavier than what the USSR’s original design called for. The bullet’s full metal jacket, which is made of a hard copper zinc alloy, will maintain your rifle’s accuracy over the course of a single shooting session, and also ensure that it reliably makes it from the magazine to the chamber without a hitch. This bullet won’t expand on impact -- save it for targets and empty recycling.

Unlike much Russian-made ammo on the market, this Czech cartridge sports a new production brass casing, so it presents the opportunity to make your own AK loads back at home. You’ll want to Czech out its propellant and primer as well -- clean burning and non-corrosive, respectively, so they’ll keep your action and bore spotless longer.

If you like to reload for your AK or SKS, or simply want to shoot at an indoor range that won't allow steel-cased ammo, these brass cased 7.62x39mm cartridges from PMC are your best bet. Packaged in an economical case of 500, these rounds fire a 123 grain full metal jacket bullet and produce typical ballistics for this caliber.

This ammunition is loaded in South Korea and uses non-corrosive Boxer primers. All of the components are made in-house to ensure optimal quality control.

PMC ammo is made by Poongsan, a major supplier to the South Korean military.