7.62x39 Ammo Selection 

Part two of this presentation is now online.

Paul is the only person that's allowed to say "it's not me it's the ammo"

To whomever sent all that ammo to Paul. I appreciate your sacrifice to the pool of knowledge.

I'm really glad to see the Pop-Tarts sponsorship continuing. I think more breakfast cereal and snack food companies should be sponsoring gun channels.

As someone who mostly has 7.62x39 rifles, this video brings me great joy.

In my years of shooting almost everytype of 7.62x39 ammo out of many SKS/AKs Ive found the most consistantly accurate to be Barnaul.

Paul's ammo tests have saved me a lot of money in the longrun, not having to spend my own $$ doing these types of trials is a breath of fresh air!

Accuracy tests part 1 - 100 yards prone: Wolf Ammunition - 01:34 Barnaul - 02:22 Fiocchi - 03:19 PMC Bronze - 04:25 Prvi Partizan (PPU, blue box) - 05:28 Prvi Partizan (PPU, white box) - 06:56 Accuracy tests part 1 summary - 07:58 Wolf Ammunition second test - 09:36 Accuracy tests part 2 - 100 yards prone: Norma Tactical, 124gr - 10:49 Belom - 12:01 Igman - 13:14 Sellier and Bellot - 14:38 Sellier and Bellot Tactical, 124gr - 15:40 Sellier and Bellot Tactical, 124gr second test - 16:43 Accuracy tests part 2 summary - 18:01 Velocity tests: Sellier and Bellot Tactical, 124gr - 19:49 Sellier and Bellot - 21:00 Prvi Partizan (PPU, blue box) - 21:56 Prvi Partizan (PPU, white box) - 22:49 Norma Tactical, 124gr - 23:35 Barnaul - 24:20 PMC Bronze - 25:07 Igman - 25:56 Fiocchi - 26:43 Belom - 27:35 Wolf Ammunition - 28:27 XTech MAG47 Mag dump - 29:20 XTech MAG47 Mag comparison - 29:55 Velocity test summary - 30:43

“People keep on using the term ‘tactical’, I don’t think it means what you think it means.” Inconceivable!

"Tactical" in this case is pure marketing, and Paul schooled us as usual! Great teacher!!

Now we need to send him a bolt action chambered in 7.63x39 to test the same ammo in another action type. Great video as always Paul. 👍

The quote casually dropped at 18:30 is why I love Paul's work. Clear, consistent, to the point, and always a good listen.

Rumor has it Paul also had some Ticondas in 7.62x39 but it's too precious to shoot

I had a sneaking suspicion "tactical" ammo was only good for short range. This video seems to support that.

Paul, I really appreciate what you do for our community. You are the "everyman" shooter. I truly enjoy your channel, and I never miss a video. Thank you very much.

As a guy who films for a living, I appreciated the intro where Paul is actually framed up somewhat nice rather than using a wide angle go pro from like 15 feet away.

I was worried about the chronograph's wellbeing with some of those 'tactical' rounds.

Paul, making this video to compare a lot of different 7.62x39 ammunition is very useful and informative. I want to thank you for that. However, I have to give you a huge Thumbs Up for your tenacity in continuing to put out such well made videos sometimes in conditions I, quite honestly, would not have went out in. As always, I look forward to ALL of your material.

I must say, I would often go to the range and shoot my AKM and SKS at 100 yards, and shoot 10-12 inch groups, shooting bench rested, 1 shot per second, and would be quite dissatisfied with my performance, but seeing Paul not shoot way better than that with half these ammo types, gives me some perspective, that I wasn't completely at fault with my groups I may have been getting. I would mostly shoot WOLF ammo in these cases too.

I love the poptarts ad's at the start, short gets to the point that's what I want in a ad. More brands should advertise with you.

It's interesting to see how much worse "tactical" ammo groups. Almost as if that's a feature. They are anticipating you to mag dump so they want to give you more spread so you have a better chance of hitting something lol.

As a scientist myself, it’s so refreshing to see the scientific method being applied to show us practical real world results under real world conditions. In my opinion this is a great relief from most other channels which do so much talking and tacticool shit, but not showing these type of valuable comparisons. Thank you Paul and crew! 🔥

I was losing faith in 7.62x39 until the S&B, Surbian Belom, & Igman also those 3 had some of the best velocities as well. Nice demonstration Paul!

I have to say that i simply adore how thoroughly you tested this ammo, it's hard to find videos that compare a good variety of ammo and at a reasonable range.

Finally!! Paul employed the technical term “sucks” as pertains to accuracy!! 😎

Paul making a princess bride reference makes my life complete.

Federal and Hornady used to make 7.62x39. But I haven't seen any of it since the coof began. I miss that ammo. The Federal was scary consistent and the Hornady was a straight up hog slayer.

The Belom ammo is brass with reloadable boxer primers and comes in excellent plastic boxes........ at least it did a few months ago. It also was priced very fair. I'm glad to see the results in this video.

Igman is a mountain in Bosnia and Herzegowina, the ammo is produced there. Both serbian and bosnian ammo is pretty decent and not as expensive.

I've heard Rob Ski praise the Barnaul 7.62 ammunition before. I'm betting it does the best. Thanks for the share!!

Thanks for sharing your knowledge with the world Paul! I love your channel and my family and I send you prayers and blessings for your ongoing struggle with health issues. My wife has been on dialysis for 10 years and every day is a blessed day. God bless you sir! Drew Vero..US. Navy veteran.

Laughed out loud @ "This group sucks." It's not the line, it's the delivery. 🤣🤣🤣

Let us give a thanks to the viewer that donated the ammo👏👏👏👍

I learned that when some ammo company calls their newest offering "Tactical", I should beware.

Thanks Paul! quite an eye opener. After finding un-burned powder in my AK barrel after shooting a lot of Wolf, I pulled ten rounds and weighed the projectiles and powder charges. The powder varied 3-5 grains and the bullets were from 1 GR low to 1 gr over the box weight. So I reloaded them with Winchester ball powder and Speer .311 bullets (made for a SMLE) They then held to a 2" group at 100 yds. I use a sizeing die as a crimper as I always do. They were so much better that unless they are for my Tax stamped AK, I redo every one I shoot.

It seems like it's raining in about half of your videos. I appreciate you taking another one for the team!

I've found barnaul, tula, and red ops (vympel) tend to be fairly accurate. I believe the problem with accuracy comes from inconsistent loading of powder at the various factories. And with that, I was taught that you should always sight your AK for whatever specific ammo type you'll be using. Thanks for the test Paul

Ammo companies call their ammunition "tactical" because it requires you to use clever tactics to make up for the ammo's lack of accuracy.

That brass cased Belom stuff is AWESOME, picked up a half case when the ban was announced and it was practically the same price as Wolf at the time (~$0.45/round). I have never seen such PRETTY ammo for an AK lol, and can get about 2 MOA out of them with a fixed 4x scope. Not too shabby!

I was kind of relieved to see Paul's groups open up some with the AK / 7.62x39. I thought it was just me when I try to sight in an AK.

Haha I just had Poptarts this morning and thought this is where a man belongs haha. Great video Paul and crew!

Damn...I think the ejected brass has greater range than the bullet! Love AK brass throwers!

A very interesting summary of various brands of 7.62X39 ammunition. I think it points out some of the quirks in the AK platform. The weapon was never intended to be a target rifle but a battle instrument that put high emphasis on being rugged and reliable at the expense of some accuracy and the same can be said for the ammunition.

We got Paul, Pop-tarts, and Princess Bride. Great Episode sir.

The pop tart box kills me everytime! What’s the story behind it?

Very interesting, Would love to see Paul do an accuracy test with different types of 223/556 ammunition out of the new Zastava M90 rifle.

Paul always sacrificing confort to teach the common man. Great vid!

"Man I hate it when hot shells land on me" *Pauls WASR* I got you

Thank you for taking the time to do this very informative video. I always enjoy your presentations and look forward to each new one.

When looking at Russian imported ammunition, it's important to note that some importers bring in batches from different manufacturers. Wolf, for example, brings in ammunition from both Barnaul AND Tula (tulammo). The manufacturer's information can usually be found on each box. Last year I purchased ammunition manufactured by Barnaul, Tulammo and Ulyanovsk all in Wolf boxes. The most common manufacturers are Tulammo, Barnaul, Vympel, Ulyanovsk, and Novosobirsk. The biggest importers are Wolf, Red Army Standard (Century Arms), Tulammo, and Barnaul. I'm curious who made your batch of Wolf ammo. I've had the best results with Barnaul, but that small box looks like Ulyanovisk to me, which I've also been disappointed by.

Paul just pulling boxes out of his pocket and saying what he's got in his hands without even looking is just pure badass

the look of joy and excitement in this guy's eyes at the beginning when he's holding all those boxes of ammunition is priceless.

I will take solace in the fact that I have an AR 15 in 7.62x39, and I didn't see too many shots that would not have ruined the "bad guy's" day! :) Great video as always Mr. Harrell!

You can really see the correlation between the standard deviation between rounds and accuracy.

Two things: One, if you’re sponsored in anyway (or just showing support for) Pop-Tarts, that’s fucking awesome! Love those bastards. Two, based on the thumbnail, I thought you were rocking a new hair cut. I didn’t see that those were muffs. 🤣

Needed this, thanks Paul and ammo donating viewer

Good morning good sir ! Thank you for yet another great addition to your channel . I wish you the best of success and happiness in 2022 and beyond.

As always, great usage of the appropriate technical terms. It's always a pleasure watching your videos Paul.

Would love to see a comparison between older surplus ammo and modern ammunition. Not necessarily 7.62 , any caliber. Might be interesting to see the numbers and accuracy compared. Awesome content as usual.

I love the objectivity! Thank you for the videos you produce with the data you provide from results you achieve!

Thanks Paul for the very interesting study. It confirms my belief in Barnaul ammo. I find anything Barnaul is good to go. I would have liked to have seen a few more in the mix, like Golden Tiger, MFS, and Winchester, but I'm sure that would have made the video a bit long. Leaves room for another video.....Cheers!

I have been waiting for a video like this. I shoot a wide variety of AK variants and a couple of other types of 7.62x39 rifles. I can say, the type and brand of rifle can make a huge difference in accuracy and performance. My Norinco rifles work decent with Wolf, and love Barnal. However, my Hungarian prefers S&B. Either way, not all ammo might not be the same, neither are rifles, nor manufacturers. There's a huge variety in variables. Awesome video. I hope you do another based on a few different types of ammo, but also different rifles.

Commenting just to help the channel metrics. I remember back when you had almost no subscribers. Glad to see this channel doing so well! Keep up the good work!

Paul Harrell grows on a person interested in marksmanship. Speaks softly and hits with a big stick!

The gold standard of accuracy, is a group that can be covered by a pop tart.

Thanks for doing a 7.62x39 review! if you get a chance to also review some offerings from Underwood, Hornady, Tula, surplus M67 and surplus M43, in the same caliber, it would also be really appreciated. For now it looks like Barnaul, Belom, and PMC Bronez appear to be the top three, as far as accuracy and/or power goes.

One of the issues is not just that the ammunition that is inconsistent but also the rifle you used. I had a wasser 10 and it shot horribly ,shots went wider as the barrel heated up . Shooting WOLF ammunition out of a Russian VEPR with a bull barrel and my shots remained tight and consistent. Out of a PSA KS47 hybrid and again with Wolf ammunition my shots are even better than the Russian VEPR. Unfortunately while the WASSER is reliable it doesn’t hold accuracy very well. My guess is the lightweight barrel. Thanks for all you do. I find you to be the most credible source on RU-vid

great presentation Paul! thanks for the effort!

This is very topical. Thank you, Mr. Harrell!

I really do love this man, my favorite gun RU-vidr hands down

“Minute of pie plate” Pretty standard fare for Mikhail’s peasants rifle. Paul, thanks for enduring the weather and sharing this video.

I’m sure most people who are watching this video already know this but just in case; Wolf is an importer, not a manufacturer of ammunition. They import and market both Barnaul and Tula, among others. The Wolf black box 122gr ammo is Tula, what Paul was shooting. The Wolf beige camo box, sometimes labeled “military classic” or something like that, is Barnaul. Tula is literally bottom of the barrel ammo, but it works. Barnaul is considered by most to be the cream of the crop as far as steel cases ammo goes. Personally I can hold a 3” group with my Type 56 SKS using Barnaul

There’s something so soothing about raindrops and gunshots. Love it.

I have used Barnaul ammo for years,also in competition. Here in Finland best ammo and cheapest.

Paul I really enjoyed your in-depth test of all these different brands of 7.62x39 ammunition. I must agree with you not all 7.62x39 is equal, even the ones that’s made in the same country. IE the Silver Bear, Brown Bear, all the different Wolf versions and the Barnaul which is a favorite of a lot of shooters. With all the variations in velocity and points of impact, I’ve found when I change from one brand of ammunition to another I always rezero my AKM. Now in this test you couldn’t do that. Your test also showed that the velocity printed on the box may not be obtained. Thank you for all the hard work.

Paul, I am happy to see that you enjoy Pop Tarts also. They were a favorite of ours in the squad bay back in the day in the Corps. Semper Fi

Awesome content as always. Melting every last drip of SKS cosmoline out as often as I can, 7.62x39 1000rd box whatever's cheapest.

So comprehensive, I love this show.

Thanks Paul for once again giving a very informative comparison. Your knowledge and skill is second to none. Keep it up!!!

Excellent vid! Great data and marksmanship

I'm new to the channel and I do appreciate passing on experience I look forward to learning a lot and thank you for helping me choose my first firearm, I've been watching a lot of your videos to make an informed decision.

I'm really happy you did this video, if nothing else, just to show the general concept of different ammo giving different results. I have actually been doing this exact experiment for about 6 months now and what I'm going to share below is not in contrast from what was shown here - but in conjunction, from my Rifle and my conditions. I'm only going to share the "below freezing" ammo variety results. But, I also did this test last summer with my wide variety of old and new ammo. Not to say anything against what Paul did here, but not all AK's are that wide grouping. I'm thinking that Paul's old WASR may have some qualities that is producing poorer groups than most. My winter test results were as follows. Shot at 100yds with an SLR107FR With a PKA 2moa red dot in 17°F, wind 3-5mph W to E and trying to shoot in the breaks of wind. Barrel Lands: 0.300 Grooves: 0.312 1:9.44 Barrel twist rate ------------------------------- Wolf Polyformance 123gr FMJ: 1.739in Golden Tiger 124gr FMJBT: 3.491in Barnaul 123gr HP: 2.156in China Jing An IE: 1.902in Tula 154gr Soft Point: 6.180in Chinese Unknown Factory 71: 3.328in Sako M43 FMJBT 123gr: 1.269in Lapua 123gr FMJ: 2.977in Sako FMJBT 134gr: 4.174in Norinco FMJBT 123gr: 4.564in Norinco 123gr Soft Point: 5.165in Chinese Milsurp Steel core FMJ Copper washed 124gr: 1.793in 270/E Russian Steel Core Copper washed 123gr: 2.036in Wolf 154gr HP: 6.010in M855 Sabot Custom loads: 7.5in+ -------- Note that in summer time, both of my active AK's will get 1.1-1.4 inch groups with any Barnaul ammo and about same with Wolf if not slightly, ever so slightly worse. Couldn't find where I put those targets at the moment. And yes, I know I have come across some weird ammo over the years like those sabots and this is just what I have in bulk. I've standardized on Barnaul HP's of course. I hope anyone who reads this finds this info useful, I think it's a good reflection of what we saw with what Paul did, but mostly surplus ammo on my end. Note, that I also measured all of the diameters of each projectile and a trend I found was that the 0.310in projectiles shot the most accurately while the ones closest to 0.312 tended to be less so.

another great one mate. I appreciate all that you do for us.

This is one of the best videos on youtube I've seen. Thank you Paul.

I feel like "sellier and belliot Tactical" is a way of selling the stuff that didnt pass QC. I think SandB is usually pretty good though. They do contract for NATO ammo production

Any time Paul posts , I feel a wave of relief and calm .His voice is relaxing and his presence reasuring .

Great video Paul very informative and thorough we really appreciate all the work you put into your presentation thank you

That was really interesting. Thanks for your efforts!

I just purchased my 1st ever AK and I was wondering what brand ammo to get. The Belom ammo is about 60 cents a round but it's readily available so I will probably go with that. Thanks Paul.

Had to stop what I was doing just to watch Paul discuss a caliber that I don't even have (yet).

Thank You Paul, I began buying Pop-Tarts again, and my aim is definitely improving. 👍

Another awesome presentation! Thank you

Hope you get to test out Yugo M67 milsurp 7.62x39 in a part two of this test since it’ll be one of the top choices when the Russian ammo dries up. Golden Tiger & Winchester white box would be nice to see too if you can find it. Barnaul being the best doesn’t surprise me at all though. Thanks for the quality info and entertainment as always Paul.

My Preferred 7.62x39 round is the wolf 125 grain soft point 👍 Gets me the most consistent effect at range over a HP

I absolutely love how he reads the numbers out. The mundane sound of his voice to the sudden “surprise” sound of his voice when the numbers do weird stuff, LOL!!!

Hey Paul, thanks for shareing your knowledge.

For my Galil ACE 7.62x39 and Zastava ZPAP M70, I do have a very good group on Barnaul 123 or 124 grain at 200 yards.

I like how you pronounce "Sellier and Bellot" properly. I'm too fn lazy, so I pronounce it "Seller and Bellutt". lol But either way you say it, I've still been pretty happy shooting it. I've always liked PMC ammo, too.

Paul, thank you for this test , and in the rain yet!

Good video , as always! Thank you for what you do.