What ammo should I stock for....

[MissJ]

OK without divulging too much info there are 2 calibers that I have questions about. suffice it to say that I am "covered" with regards to other calibers for other uses.

7.62 x 39

I just purchased a used SKS off this forum. Haven't fired a round through it yet and haven't purchased any ammo for it yet. What should I buy? Should I go with 124 grain? should I get FMJ or Hollow Points? The primary purpose of this rifle will be occasional plinking and a back-up rifle for preparedness purposes (anti-personnel).

.30-06

I have 2 rifles in this caliber. I have an M1-Garand and also recently purchased a bolt action scoped hunting rifle. The purpose of the scoped bolt action is hunting larger game in a survival scenario, and as a back up anti-personnel rifle. The purpose of the Garand is basically plinking and competition (and a back-up back-up rifle in survival situation if it comes down to it). I purchased appropriate ammo for the garand from the CMP (I know that there are some kind of pressure problems with firing newer ammo through the Garands...?). anyways.....what should I store in this caliber? Should I just store the type that will fire in both rifles; or should I store 1 type for the Garand and 1 type for the bolt action? And what types would you recommend for my purposes.

All of my shooting needs are based on preparedness and survival. (except a little competition which I use as a training ground to simulate stress).

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[mjbskwim]

The SKS doesn't care what you shoot through it
The other 2 ,you should stock up on whatever they shoot the best.
What is the most accurate for either gun? No sense in buying ammo that doesn't hit your target
Each gun is different and will shoot any given load different.So you must experiment and answer this yourself......grasshopper.

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

The HP 7.62x39 rounds do nothing, they don't even have that much of a weight difference.

There isn't enough pressure to utilize the HP for that caliber.
Soft points on the other hand, YES!
Or even the pricey ballistic tipped ones, however.. those no matter who makes them have feeding issues. Well 250 rounds of the 400 of mine had. Now in an SKS.. that might be different. But HP is still a waste of time and money.

My suggestion, FMJ and SP 7.62x39 ammo.
3/4 FMJ and 1/4 SP.

 

[nubus]

There isn't enough pressure to utilize the HP for that caliber.

I think a 30 caliber hollow point projectile will expand just fine at ~2400 fps.
They also feed more reliably in various weapons than some soft points.

(leaves 2 pennies on the table)

 

[civilian75]

The SKS doesn't care what you shoot through it
The other 2 ,you should stock up on whatever they shoot the best.
What is the most accurate for either gun? No sense in buying ammo that doesn't hit your target
Each gun is different and will shoot any given load different.So you must experiment and answer this yourself......grasshopper.

^ That!

 

[Sabertooth]

Ammo packs some wieght. How much can you carry?? How much can you transport?

 

[MissJ]

Ammo packs some wieght. How much can you carry?? How much can you transport?

Understood. Let's just say the best place to make my final stand is right here.

if I gotta go, I have a selection of other firearms I'd prefer to take along....

As far as on site storage, space and weight is basically a non-issue. We live rurally with lots of space and outbuildings.

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

The HP rounds do the same. No real seen expansion from my tests or others. They may have some but retain most of their structural integrity.

Honestly for all those people that got suckered into the 7.62x39HP hype test an HP 7.62x39against a SP 7.62x39. The expansion on the SP is much more substantial.
The AKM and 7.62x39 is my main platform and caliber so I'm somewhat learn-ed on the subject.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

SKS, get whatever you can get the best deal on (assuming reasonable quality) there is little difference ballistically and in my experience FMJ and HP's both feed reliably in SKS's. Specially in older rifles. In the 'O6 bolt rifle I agree that it is best to determine what it likes. My favorite .30-06 is very partial to Federal 165gr soft points. The Garand, same process but you want to find the best accuracy at the cheapest bulk ammo price. Hope this helps. Get out there and try that SKS! LOL!!!

 

[hillbilli]

the sks is an effective anti-personnel/anti varmint gun, but if you ever need to shoot a deer to feed yourself you will be glad if you have a few sp rounds. ball will punch through a deer,and he will run. good sp (rem, federal, etc) or heavy 154gr foriegn stuff will expand and punch through. the hp usually fragment, but once in a while act like ball. they dont punch through car bodies and cover like ball, but its not uncommon to see a rib shot on deer with no exit- even saw a head shot on a big deer once with hp and no exit.. but i assure you the deer didnt run. if you keep an sks get the cloth "commie bandoliers" that hold 24 stripper clips. the stripper clips are cheap, and you can keep entire bandoliers of 240 rds loaded and ready to grab...

 

[hillbilli]

Also invest in adjustable gas plug for the Garand.. might make the gun into a straight pull single shot if not adjusted right, but would enable you to shoot any .30-06 ammo without damaging to op rod.. instead of being limited to ww2 pressure levels..

 

[ch139]

...without damaging to op rod.. instead of being limited to ww2 pressure levels..

Important to remember as the Garand was built to use lighter bullets 147gr-150gr type stuff. Heavy bullets 175gt+ could ruin the op-rod.