#7.62x39

Palmetto State Armory sub-company AAC is officially a player in the steel-cased ammunition game. After some previous teases at the SHOT Show, their Soviet Arms steel case 7.62×39 ammo is finally shipping. Let’s see what it offers.

In the world of modern rifles, there are countless options on the market. Whether it’s a bullpup, AR15, or other type of rifle, there’s a wide variety of options in the semi-auto rifle market. In the past, I’ve looked at the AKM platform and prefer the ergonomics of the AR15. There are plenty of options on the market that mix the two systems together. I recently saw some of the IWI Galils chambered in 7.62X39 and decided to try them since I have almost no experience with them. Over the last few months, I’ve had time to shoot and experience the Galil ACE. Let’s take a closer look at the IWI Galil ACE Gen II.

Texas Weapon Systems, a company known for designing and manufacturing AK upgrade parts, have introduced a new series of AK-pattern rifles called IK-100 that are built with extensive use of their parts. Currently, there is only one rifle in the IK-100 series – the IK-103. Let’s take a look at the specs and features of this new rifle.

In this episode of TFBTV, Hop visits CMMG to shoot the newest variant of the Dissent, and the newest variant of the Mk47. But it’s the same gun. The Mk47 “Mutant” is a beefed up AR chambered in 7.62x39mm that takes AK mags, and the Dissent is CMMG’s compact action recoil system that allows for the use of folding stocks. Put them together and you get an AR that shoots 7.62x39mm, takes AK mags, and has a folding stock. So does the AK even still need to exist?

Georgia-based firearms manufacturer 21st Tec is proud to introduce their new rifle that combines the 7.62×29 cartridge with the DPMS/LR308 AR10 platform – the TEC47 rifle. The TEC47 uses some unique parts to allow the rifle to feed from common AK mags, and cycle reliably with the 7.62x39mm cartridge. These rifles are in current production and will be selling for a suggested MSRP of $1,399 beginning on September 29th of this year.

Tela Impex may not be a name you’ve heard previously, but they are the newest provider of steel case rifle ammo for the US market. Their 124-grain 7.62×39 load is available now, and a 60-grain 5.45×39 load is coming soon. Let’s dive into the details of this ammunition.

Welcome everyone to the 198th edition of ‘Hot Gat or Fudd Crap?’, one of our many series here on TFB. If you’re new to the series, this is where we look at the most obscure firearms that are actually for sale and ask the question – is this Gat a sweet deal or only have Fudd appeal?  Each week the TFB staff weighs in with their thoughts, but readers get the final say in the poll at the bottom of each article.

Welcome everyone to the 193rd edition of ‘Hot Gat or Fudd Crap?’, one of our many series here on TFB. If you’re new to the series, this is where we look at the most obscure firearms that are actually for sale and ask the question – is this Gat a sweet deal or only have Fudd appeal?  Each week the TFB staff weighs in with their thoughts, but readers get the final say in the poll at the bottom of each article.

SIG Sauer AG, the Swiss small arms division of SIG Sauer, still produces the SG 550 series of rifles. The company shared this picture of an SG 553 R rifle on their social media pages. The main difference of this model from other SG 553 rifles is that it is chambered in 7.62×39 and is fed from AK-47 magazines. There is also a civilian 7.62×39 version of these rifles called SIG 556 R.

Palmetto State Armory was kind enough to send us one of their AK-104s to test out, specifically their 12.5″ barrel model.  The PSA AK-104 is a stamped receiver model with a hammer-forged front trunnion.  Its standout cosmetic features are a folding stock, 90-degree gas block, and extended-length pinned and welded Krink brake to keep customers from having to buy a stamp.  This particular configuration currently has an MSRP of $999.00.

Welcome everyone to the 181st edition of ‘Hot Gat or Fudd Crap?’, one of our many series here on TFB. If you’re new to the series, this is where we look at the most obscure firearms that are actually for sale and ask the question – is this Gat a sweet deal or only has a Fudd appeal?  Each week the TFB staff weighs in with their thoughts, but readers get the final say in the poll at the bottom of each article.

The Ruger American Rifle series has become a popular, affordable line of rifles that include the Ruger American Ranch Rifle, one of which comes chambered for 7.62x39mm. For the American Ranch, Ruger opted to incorporate their own magazine design from the Ruger Mini-30, also chambered for 7.62×39. However, the 7.62×39 cartridge is most synonymous with AKM pattern rifles, thus, many people have been hoping for a Ruger American Ranch Rifle that accepts AK magazines. Enter Firecastle Customs, who recently announced their AK magazine adapter for Ruger American Ranch Rifles chambered in 7.62×39.

New for 2023 from Palmetto State Armory are AKS-74U (a.k.a. Krinkov) style pistols. PSA brought to SHOT Show 2023 the versions of their new Krinkovs chambered in 5.45x39mm and 5.56x45mm, which will be the first to hit the shelves, however, they will also be offering these pistols chambered in .300 Blackout and 7.62x39mm. The PSA Krinkovs are completely made in-house and will be available in Q1-Q2 2023.

Feeding your AKs and surplus SKS rifles you bought ages ago used to be a pretty affordable affair. Most of the time you could pick up entire spam cans of 7.62x39mm ammunition to go with your freshly purchased rifle. However, a combination of global circumstances has inflated the price of 7.62x39mm ammunition, leading to much more expensive and a lot harder to get imported into the USA. That is why Kalashnikov USA is proud to introduce their new 124-grain lead core steel cased 7.62x39mm ammunition which is available for purchase now directly from KUSA.

Despite the launching of many 7 PRC rifles and loadings at the end of October, Hornady quietly launched an updated lineup of their Sub-X bullets, as well as their subsonic 7.62×39 loading using said Sub-X bullets. The Sub-X bullets utilize the familiar red-nosed expansion tip, but these tips have been enlarged to enhance the bullet’s expansion at much lower velocities. For the moment, it appears that the 255-grain 7.62×39 projectiles only come as part of their factory-loaded subsonic cartridge series, while the rest of the Sub-X lineup are available as just the projectiles. Hornady previously listed the 190 grain .308 caliber bullets under the Sub-X line, though they’ve now also listed .357, .452, .458, and one more .308 caliber offering.