going to build an ar but need some info on .223 vs 7.62x39.

6.8 is better that either one.

I just had the same choice to make...... longer distances and more accuracy 223. Shorter and more thump, 7.62.

LOL I love hearing how people think the 7.62/.308 is for short distances like it isn't an accurate round. 7.62/.308 is a very effective round with a heavy punch especially at ranges up to 500 yards wich is perfect for Texas hunting. All of my shots here in N Texas are about 50-300yds wich is perfect for me and the .308. I hunted the last 2yrs off and on with the .223 its a good round but on some of the big pigs that I came across they didnt drop the way I wanted them to, .223 at 62gr vs the .308 with 150-200gr I rather have the extra thump

It all depends on what you'll be doing with it. If just paper punching or varmint hunting, I'd choose the .223. If hunting any kind of larger animal (hog, deer, bigfoot), then go with the 7.62x39. It's ballistics are virtually identical to the .30-30 (slightly better because it uses more aerodynamic projectiles).

Mags will be more expensive for the 7.62, but the C-Products mags are functioning well from what I've heard...

Killer I think K.P. was talking about the 7.62x39 not 7.62x54 (308).

The 308 is superior to both 5.56 and 7.62x39 IMO !

Oops my bad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVDfyc2lh4Q

Get a 7 or 8 twist .223-5.56. Any bullet up to 70-75 grains will stabilize & there are a ton of choices from explosive varmint to excellent deer & hog bullets.

Thank you Brandon, that is exactly what I was referring to... I would put the 308 as one of, if not the best all around caliber in North America but thats for another thread....

Ah you make the slip. You getting old. .308 is 7.62x51...

I meant 51 and must have hit the 4 key that is right above the 1 key by mistake!

Thank you for catching that, now would you please quit correcting me when I slip .

Nope, I'll be your own personal coolie...

thanks for the help i will be using it for hog deer and other varmints including bigfoot. heard that the 7.62x39 had some issues with the bolt and firing pin anyone now of any.

If it was my first and only AR, it would be .223. After that, experimentation is cool.

Commie ammo can be rough on firing pins, but any 7.62 bolt should have a strengthened firing pin. You can always buy a separate upper later, remember that...

look at the .30 ar remmington!

I'd start with 223 just because of the wide variety of ammo available. I figure 7.62x39 is why they make SKSs.

is this your first ar? If it is I would start with a 5.56/.223 there is alot of very good ammo on the market for that caliber. You can always change the upper to handle 7.62x39. I myself don't think that you will gain a whole lot by going with the 7.62 tes it is heavier but also slower. The other big draw back is a lot of the 7.62x39 ammo is very corresive most of the Russian rounds are that way and the cases are very hard on the extractors. Do to the fact not many of them use brass cases. Keep in mind too that the gas system on an ar is really funny about the type of ammo that goes through it.

Get an AR-15 in .223 If you want a 7.62 x 39 get an AK style rifle. They are a lot cheaper too.

You'd actually have a harder time finding corrosive Russian ammo these days than you would non corrosive. The only corrosive ammo that I ever encounter is the surplus brass cased Yugo stuff.

Even if you go .223, the benefits of steel cased ammo far outweigh the cost. Extractors and ejectors are cheap and easy to replace, and the rest of the stuff is just urban legend.

If you plan on hunting deer/hogs, I can't crow loudly enough about the 7.62x39. It is ballistically identical to a .30-30, and there are some very good soft point offerings from Barnaul that expand reliably. As I explained my AK to my grandfather, it's a .30-30 that'll fire 30 times as fast as you can pull the trigger. Bad medicine for das piggies...

I have shot thousands of steel case .223 through various AR rifles and carbines and have noticed no accelerated extractor or other component wear. I think the whole "steel case ammo is hard on extractors" mantra is largely an internet myth. I used to be leery of steel cased ammo in my nicer ARs but I don't worry now. I blast away with 62 gr Silver Bear on a weekly basis with excellent results. Extractors are cheap and easily replaced anyway.

I have about 300 rounds through a Bushmaster 7.62X39 upper that has run flawlessly. I have fired mostly Barnaul steel cased ammo and a few boxes of black box Wolf. I have not yet mounted an optic on this setup but I plan to in the near future. It will make a dandy hog gun.

I would go for the AR-15 in 6.8 mm instead.

They 6.8 is a great round but at about $1 a shot, I can't afford to shioot them

Ive found them for .75 - .80 each for the Hornady HPBT and S&B. But even at that price its hard to go shoot 500 or 600 rounds without the wallet feeling a little light.