7.62x39
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Yugoslavian version of the 7.62x39 cartridge, named M67. It has a lead core with a forward air gap.
Yugoslavian version of the 7.62x39 cartridge, named M67. It has a lead core with a forward air gap.

The Soviet 7.62x39 rifle cartridge was designed during World War II and first used in the SKS carbine. The cartridge was likely influenced by a variety of foreign developments, especially the pre-war German GeCo GeCo 7.75 x 39 mm experimental round[1], and possibly by the late-war German 7.92 mm Kurz ("Kurz" meaning "short" in German). Shortly after the war the world's most recognized assault rifle was designed for this cartridge: the AK-47. The cartridge remained the standard Soviet load until the 1970s, and is still by far the most common intermediate rifle cartridge used around the world. Its replacement, the 5.45 × 39 mm cartridge, is less powerful but longer ranged (due to its much higher velocity) and is more controllable in full-auto fire (due to the lower recoil). The change was in part a response to the U.S. military's switch from the 7.62 mm cartridge to 5.56 x 45 mm NATO.

The original Soviet bullets are boat-tail bullets with a copper-plated steel jacket, a large steel core, and some lead between the core and the jacket. The cartridge itself consists of a berdan-primed, tapered steel case which seats the bullet and contains the powder charge. The taper makes it very easy to feed and extract the round, since there is little contact with the chamber walls until the round is fully seated. This taper is what causes the AK-47 to have distinctively curved magazines. While the bullet design itself has gone through a few redesigns, the cartridge itself remains largely unchanged.

7.62x39 ammo has typically been amazingly inexpensive for centerfire rifle ammo, about the least-expensive centerfire rifle ammo on the market at long just over 10 cents a round for high-quality imported Russian brands and now 17 cents a round for quality imported ammo after a sharp price rise on mil-spec ammo in this caliber in early 2006. It is even cheaper than most handgun rounds and even some top-dollar target .22 rimfire ammo. However, in 2005/2006, prices began to soar (almost doubling in the US) due to the United States placing a massive order to supply the fledgling Afghan and Iraqi armies[1]. Even so, as of Jan. 2007, it remains by far the least-expensive centerfire rifle ammo on the market. This cartridge has endeared itself to shooters in spite of its limited ballistics, which are analogous to the .30-30, because of the many very-inexpensive good semiauto rifles (notably the SKS) available for it that cost far less than the .30-30 Winchesters and Marlins that long were the least-expensive deer rifles in the U.S., and its minimal recoil.
Contents
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* 1 An imperfect design: M43
* 2 Advancements in projectile design: M67
* 3 Chinese steel core
* 4 Other names for 7.62x39
* 5 Rifles using the M43 round
* 6 Specifications
* 7 See also
* 8 References
* 9 External Links

[edit] An imperfect design: M43

Although the new cartridge represented a great leap forward from previous designs, the initial bullet design was flawed. The complete solidity of the M43 projectile causes its only drawback-it is stable even in tissue and begins to yaw only after traversing nearly 30cm of tissue. This greatly reduces the wounding effectiveness of the projectile against humans. Dr. Martin Fackler noted that the wounds from the M43 round were comparable to that of a small handgun round using non-expanding bullets. Unless the round struck something vital, the wound was usually small and quickly healing. Extremity hits were seen as nearly inconsequential. Also the trajectory of the cartridge leaves much to be desired and caused a new form of assault training to be formed for the Soviet army. When the typical Soviet sight zero is used, the round drops markedly at 50 metres, then rises to several centimetres above target at 100 metres, hitting its mark at close to 300 metres and fading quickly after that. The Soviet army was trained to accommodate for this by aiming low and sweeping up through the target while advancing, as seen in Soviet training films. This tactic has been wonderfully adopted by the Chinese given their standard tactic of "the human wave" assault.

[edit] Advancements in projectile design: M67

In