Recently in discussions with friends and customers I have been hearing a lot of negativity towards the .30 Russian or 7.62x39mm. It seems this cartridge has landed in the “not cool” category at some point in the past 15 years and I was not informed.
I really think that this is a classic case of history repeating itself and as usual, the vast majority of people would be surprised at the background of this cartridge. Of course - “full disclosure” - I am not a ballistics expert, nor a licensed professor of history, so please keep the pitchforks and ticking envelopes at your house. First off, I am a fan of the .30 Russian, I’m not going to try and hide that. Besides the price of surplus ammo, my primary reason is that it’s a middle ground cartridge, and by that, I mean it has enough punch to do what I need, but it is not punishing or overly severe on recoil and muzzle blast. Of course that is not a coincidence, but a factor of design. Going back prior to WW2, many countries realized that a semi-automatic rifle for the individual soldier would be a massive game changer. Military doctrine of the early part of the century (and for a long time before that) tended to push towards arming soldiers with the most powerful rifles possible to cover a wide range of applications. Typical thinking was that an individual soldier should have a service rifle that could lethally engage targets out to 800m. This is of course when iron sights as magnified optics were not available to the majority of soldiers. At some point, prior to WW2, a lot of people started to realize that soldiers were not engaging a lot of targets at 800m. Even if they were, it was more than likely a waste of ammo. I remember talking to my grandfather about rifles in WW2 and I´ll never forget his comment about the 3006 or .303 British being powerful enough to break the leg on an enemy radio tower. It might make for good discussion but is not a reality for an individual solider. This change in thinking was probably hastened by the trench warfare experienced in WW1, when the realization that the distance of enemy engagements had dropped dramatically. I would have to say even with the trench magazine installed, the K98 does not rank high on my list of CQB weapons. As most people know, the STG44 or Sturmgewehr was the first true “assault rifle” widely manufactured (further than prototype) and introduced by the German Army in the later stages of WW2. The concept was truly revolutionary - a relatively lightweight rifle that was capable of automatic fire and used an intermediate cartridge. People get stuck on the automatic fire and the high capacity magazine, but I think the true genius was in the “middle ground” or intermediate cartridge. The STG44 was chambered in the 7.92x33mm (8mm Kurtz) designed in 1938. The round was basically a 123gr. FMJ going about 2,250fps….sound familiar yet? We take this development for granted, but 70 years ago you had your choice of a 9mm submachine gun with lots of ammo but little effective range, or a round similar to a 3006 that kicked like a mule and had little ability for follow up shots. The intermediate cartridge gave individual soldiers the ability to carry more ammunition, fire faster follow up shots, and engage targets out to 300m effectively. Of course the Soviet government was not one to let a good idea go to waste, so using captured German guns they devised the .30 Russian or 7.62x39mm. Used first in the SKS, then in the AK-47. I would say probably the most prolific military cartridge of the last 100 years. And here we are today, seeing the popularity of the .300 AAC Blackout. An idea that originated from the .300 Whisper from the famous wildcatter J.D Jones. Of course, most of us peasants will never get to exploit the subsonic capabilities of the .300 AAC Blackout, but the supersonic loadings most people will use are a 125gr bullet moving at 2250fps. So you may say that’s great for the soldiers of mother Russia, but I´m not in the military? Well like most things that work in the military, it eventually filters down to the general population. I know a lot of hunters tend to focus on long-range capability but in actual fact they are more likely to be taking shots on deer-sized game inside of 150 meters. Of course like everything, one size does not fit all. Light weight, higher velocity projectiles have been the standard in the Western militaries over the last several decades, and they have earned their place as well. However, for a vast majority of shooters, I think the .30 Russian is about as all-around as you can get. Powerful enough for medium to large game, effective for self-defense - rapid follow up shots and accurate out to 300 meters. Like the old saying goes…more game has been taken with the 30/30 than any other cartridge……. In fact, the .30 Russian is a victim of its own success. However great it is to have the cheap surplus ammo, it really puts a damper on developing a commercial market for the cartridge. All you have to do is take a look on the shelves at your local store. And that´s a shame. Matador Arms.
1 Comment
4/25/2016 04:17:01 am
I stumbled across this post, started reading it and then couldn't stop. I have never been interested in arms, but your article is read in one breath. I think I will read more posts about it.
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AuthorLocated in Western Canada, Matador Arms provides new and exciting products to the North American firearms community. Archives
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