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.30 cal questions
- Thread starter epic4444
- Start date
A 7.62x39 uses a 30 caliber bullet. The 7.62 refers to bullet diameter in millimeters, as does 30 caliber, but in inches (.300"). The x39 refers to case length...39 millimeters.
To further complicate things, a 30 caliber bullet is not .300", more like .308". A 7.62x39 bullet may measure out to be .311".
The M1 carbine fires a 30 caliber round, but from a vastly different case. The only similarity between a 7.62x39 and a 30 Carbine is bullet size...and even that is roughly approximated.
To further complicate things, a 30 caliber bullet is not .300", more like .308". A 7.62x39 bullet may measure out to be .311".
The M1 carbine fires a 30 caliber round, but from a vastly different case. The only similarity between a 7.62x39 and a 30 Carbine is bullet size...and even that is roughly approximated.
New_Pollution1086
New member
.30 carbine = 7.62x33
ak-47 = 7.62x39
.308 = 7.62x51
and the list goes on.
T
ak-47 = 7.62x39
.308 = 7.62x51
and the list goes on.
T
A lot of it is really several things...
How big is the case - how much powder does it hold?
How big is the bullet? Short and light, or long and heavy?
How fast is the bullet going when propelled by the charge the rifle was designed for?
Which "30 caliber" were you thinking about? Anywhere from the .30 M1 Carbine to the .30 M1 Rifle to the .300 Winchester Magnum?
How big is the case - how much powder does it hold?
How big is the bullet? Short and light, or long and heavy?
How fast is the bullet going when propelled by the charge the rifle was designed for?
Which "30 caliber" were you thinking about? Anywhere from the .30 M1 Carbine to the .30 M1 Rifle to the .300 Winchester Magnum?
Apparently according the the hornady reloading handbook foreign rifles chambered in 7.62x39 have a .311" bore while rifles like Ruger's Mini-30 have a .308" bore.
As far as a .30 cal comparison goes the 7.62x39 is a little slower than a 30-30 but it was designed to shoot lighter pointed bullets instead of heaver flat tipped bullets which gives it slightly better down range performance. The m1 carbine spits similar weighted bullets out approxamatly 500-600 fps slower that the 7.62x39 and 30-30.
As far as a .30 cal comparison goes the 7.62x39 is a little slower than a 30-30 but it was designed to shoot lighter pointed bullets instead of heaver flat tipped bullets which gives it slightly better down range performance. The m1 carbine spits similar weighted bullets out approxamatly 500-600 fps slower that the 7.62x39 and 30-30.
Tikirocker
New member
Yup ... rifles cals are a funny old business - such as the .303 cal is actually 311.
This is the way I look at it...
until the later part of the last century... Just about all millitary rifles since the late 1800s shot 30 caliber rounds... give or take.... this doesn't mean that the rounds were anything close to interchangable... it's just it was a diameter that 'they' liked.. with that said there were all kinds of weights and sizes for the bullet... it seemed to have gotten smaller over time until we and the commies finally decided it was more important to carry more bullets than bigger bullets....
until the later part of the last century... Just about all millitary rifles since the late 1800s shot 30 caliber rounds... give or take.... this doesn't mean that the rounds were anything close to interchangable... it's just it was a diameter that 'they' liked.. with that said there were all kinds of weights and sizes for the bullet... it seemed to have gotten smaller over time until we and the commies finally decided it was more important to carry more bullets than bigger bullets....
sorry im a noob when it comes to rifles but what is the differences between the 7.62x39 the ak-47 round...and a 0.30 cal...or are they the same....and would this mean that a m1 carbine and the ak shoot the same round? im hella confused...someone help
4444,
With few exceptions there is no rhyme or reason to rifle cartridge naming conventions. Some are named for nominal bore diameter, some for groove diameter.... .300 Winchester Magnum and .308 Wincester.. both shoot the same diameter bullet. Some older ones have the grains of powder involved in the name.... such as .45-70 and .30-30... i.e. .45 caliber with 70 grains of powder and .30 caliber and 30 grains of powder. Some military rounds use metrics... 7.62x39 (AK round), and 7.62 Nato (Same as 7.62x51 and .308 Winchester). Many just have a nominal caliber with a name attached.... .257 Roberts, .300 Savage, .223 Remington, etc.....
Don't read too much into cartridge names.... You are not going to be able to tell much in most cases... especially when trying to compare two different ones.
Other than just picking this stuff up by direct exposure like many of us have over a lifetime of shooting.... my best suggestion to you would be to pick up a good re-loading manual... even if you don't re-load. This will give you full specs on each and every commonly found cartridge out there.... case and bullet dimensions along with best achievable velocities. An easy way to compare different cartridges-calibers as well.
Best,
Swampy
Garands forever