7.62x39mm Rifle Cartridges
Learn more about 7.62x39mm Rifle Cartridges
Looking to find out more about firearms before you apply for your SAPS firearm licence? Learn all there is to know about 7.62x39mm Rifle Cartridges right here.
Designed by the Soviet Union during World War II and made famous by its use in the Kalashnikov AK-47. The cartridge remained the Soviet standard until the 1970s. This rimless bottleneck rifle cartridge still maintains world-wide usage due to continuing popularity of both military and civilian variants of the AK-47 platform.
7.62x39mm Rifle Cartridges |
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| Cartridge Specifications | |||
| Case Type: | Rimless, bottleneck | ||
| Introduced: | 1944 | Made For: | Rifle |
| Cart Len: | 2.200-in | Case Len: | 1.528-in |
| Case Dia: | 0.443-in | Bul Dia: | 0.311-in |
| Ballistics approximated for: |
| 4-inch pistol barrel |
| Cartridge Variants: | |||
| Weight | Velocity | Energy | |
| From: | 122 gr | 1505 ft/sec | 614 ft-lbs |
| To: | 150 gr | 1445 ft/sec | 695 ft-lbs |
| Cartridge Used in Database | ||
| Weight | Velocity | Energy |
| 123 gr | 1485 ft/sec | 603 ft-lbs |
| Rankings for Cartridge Used in Database | |||
| PF: | 182715 | TKO: | 8.118 |
**See below for further reference regarding the power rankings listed in the tables above:
MV-Muzzle Velocity
Muzzle velocity when fired from a typical handgun. Measured in feet-per-second.
ME-Muzzle Energy
Muzzle energy when fired from a typical handgun. Measured in foot-pounds.
PF-Power Factor
In shooting competition the Power Factor is used to determine the competitive division in which a particular handgun/cartridge can be used. A simple calculation of the bullet's mass times its muzzle velocity.
PF = bull. mass x muzzle vel.
TKO-Taylor Knock Out Formula
Developed by big-game hunter John Howard Taylor in the 1940's. Calculates the relative effectiveness of bullets for hunting game.
TKO = (bull. mass x muzzle vel. x bull. dia.)/7000
Link back to the main table listing of handgun and rifle cartridges HERE.
