About 7.62×39 Ammo Past and Present

 The 7.6x39mm or M243 rifle cartridge was first introduced during the 2nd World War in the Soviet Union. It is thought to have been modeled on some German ammunition that was in use at the time.

Produced for the RPD machine gun at the time, after the war, one of the world’s most famous rifles, the AK-47, was explicitly designed to take advantage of this ammunition. The SKS also uses these rounds.

 

The Soviet military used this cartridge continuously up into the 1970s, after which the Russians changed to 5.45x39mm rounds, which are used by the present-day AK-74. The M43 games have been redesigned many times over the years, but the cartridge remains the same. 

Today, these cartridge casings are made from polymer, lacquer, or zinc-coated steel.

The original design of the bullet was not what it was cracked up to be. When shooting at other soldiers in the war, it was impossible to predict whether the bullet would be very effective against the enemy. It tended to cause minor non-fatal wounds unless it directly hit a major organ or artery. 

The shell was solid and remained stable when it entered the body, producing a minor cleaner wound that could heal quickly rather than cause complete incapacitation and death. The bullet has been improved and redesigned many times over the years.

Yugoslavia redesigned the M43 in the 1960s and came up with the M67. It is a little shorter than the original M43, and the steel core was removed. This changed the center of gravity to the rear of the cartridge. 

This redesign made it a far more effective bullet for causing severe or fatal wounds in humans. Instead of the M43’s clean entrance and exit wounds, the M67 produces a far larger exit wound than the entrance wound.

7.62x39mm ammo is considered to be an intermediate cartridge, and as such, is highly suitable for hunting. In the US, it is used for a game that is approximately white-tail deer size and smaller. Its power and ballistic profile are very similar to a Winchester .30-30. The rounds are accurate and less expensive than many others. 

An abundant supply of M43 military surplus rounds is still available that can be had for a reasonably low price. The M43 uses a modified M67 bullet in the M43 cartridge today, and it is considered one of the most often used rounds in the intermediate class. 

It has Improved fragmenting and tumbling capabilities because of the redesigned ballistic enhanced tip. It contains airspace inside the nose of the bullet, where previously it was excellent.

There are numerous rifles and carbines made today that use this cartridge by manufacturers such as; Remington Arms, Ruger, Savage Arms, Olympic Arms, Del-Ton, ModelOne, and CZ-USA. There are also many cheap semi-automatics being imported, many of them imitations or clones of the AK-47 and SKS originals.

Chinese produced 7.62x39mm ammunition made with a steel core that is now illegal to import into the USA from a foreign country because of the design and materials. It is classified as armor-piercing by the federal government and considered as a handgun round. 

The legal M43 can be purchased almost anywhere ammo is sold. It is also available in bulk and discounts internet vendors. It currently comes from brand names like Tula, Federal, Wolf, MFS, Golden Tiger, and Hornady.