pros and cons of .223 and 7.625x39

It depends on what your reasons for picking up the rifle are - but, its very hard to make a case against the .223.

Its cheap, much more widely available that 7.69x39, and I know several benchrest/tack-driver types who use it. Keep in mind, 7.62x39 is _not_ .308/7.62x51. I don't have numbers offhand, but looking at the cartridges side-by-side, I'd guess the 7.62x39 is a more "powerful" cartridge.

But getting back to the usage thing. Are you interested in a target rifle? General purpose? Hunting? As an all purpose rifle, the mini-14 is decent and has a proven track record. However, for more generalized use, you might consider picking up something in .308. Remington and Winchester both make excellent, highly accurate factory bolt rifles (in many calibers, including .223). 308 is a nice heavy, high powered, proven round good for just about everything.

But, at the end of the day, if you're just looking to pick up a rifle for some occasional recreational shooting, that's not too punishing, its tough to beat .223. Ok, I'm rambling...

Originally posted by Kayser:
It depends on what your reasons for picking up the rifle are - but, its very hard to make a case against the .223.

Its cheap, much more widely available that 7.69x39, and I know several benchrest/tack-driver types who use it. Keep in mind, 7.62x39 is _not_ .308/7.62x51. I don't have numbers offhand, but looking at the cartridges side-by-side, I'd guess the 7.62x39 is a more "powerful" cartridge.

B

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THe 7.62X39 has about the same ballistics as a 30/30.

I beg to differ on the availability of the ammo. There have been over 100 million rifles produced that fire the 7.62X39. The .223 or 5.56 NATO can't come close to that. Ammo for the 7.62X39 is very common and available very cheaply.

More accurate, the 5.56 NATO by a long shot. They are very different cartridges.
What do you want to do with them?

If you are benchresting or varminting the .223/5.56 is much better. If you are outfitting a 3rd world guerrilla force who doesn't know squat about maintaining weapons the 7.62X39 in an AK is hard to beat.

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"Even the most normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag and begin slitting throats"
Mencken

Originally posted by Greg1911:
Which round is more accurate, faster and powerful. Which is cheaper to shoot also I am trying to decide on a mini 14 .223 or 30 7.62?

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Suggest you first watch a 3-Gun match. IPSC (OK), SOF preferred. You will see virtually all black rifles in the AR15 .223 persuasion. They do what needs to be done better. High cap mags are still available at a reasonable price for the AR, but not the Ruger.

If you are looking for a handy utility rifle, the Mini-14 is fine. It’s also more PC. The 7.62x39 will work better on larger 4-legged animals (deer size). The two-legged variety won’t care. There is a lot more variety available with the .223 loadings –from varmint to long-range match.

The .223 is faster (shoots a lighter bullet) - the 7.62 (in foot lbs) is more powerful (shoots a heavier bullet at less velocity). Accuracy is more a function of the rifle than the load.

Finally, if just for plinking, the .223 wins due to less recoil. Enjoy either or both!

I found the question of interest so I pulled out Forker's "Ammo and Ballistics" book to see what I could see. Keeping in mind that there are several variants for each caliber in terms of the projectile, here is what I found.

In .223 REM, velocities ranged from 2750 (heaviest rounds) to 3800 fps (lightest rounds) at the muzzle with energy ft/lbs ranging from 1285 to as little as 1094. For example, a Federal 55 grain American Eagle had a velocity of 3240 and 1280 ft/lbs of energy.

In the 7.62x39 velocity ranged from 2200 to 2400 with energy ft/lbs of 1445 to 1612. A Federal 124 gr. American Eagle had 2300 fps with 1455 engergy.

While I don't know if it is true or not, but based on the rounds tested in Forker's book, it would appear that there are many more variations of .223 than of 7.62x39. I am not suggested the 7.62 are more scarce at all, only that you might find the wider selection of .223 to be an asset so that you can more closely match bullet weight, velocity, and energy more closely to your intended task.

Check out the book. It also has good information on wind drift and drop or path at varying distances out to 500 yards for both rounds. For handgun ammo, the same information is there, but the distances are usually only to 100 yards.