Which is cheaper 5.56/.223 or 7.62x39?

Hello all,

I’m currently thinking what my next rifle might be. And I’m a bit torn on what caliber to aim for. I recently fired 5.56 out of my brother-in-law’s service mini-ruger 14. And that had a surprising kick to it. Still incredibly fun (first time firing anything larger then a .22), but I really way rocked back every time I fired it.

As a result, now I’m considering calibers. And I don’t actually know which is cheaper. It was 12.50 for 20 rounds of 5.56 at the range. But I didn’t think to ask about prices of other calibers. So I’m coming here, maybe some folks know more then me on this. Is 5.56/.223 generally cheaper then 7.62x39? Or is it the reverse?

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7.62x39 seems to be cheaper than 5.56. .223 can be cheap if you buy steel case Russian ammo.

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7.62x39 is considerably cheaper in fact.

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It is definitely the reverse
Most 7.62x39 ammunition is steel cased as opposed to brass cased
Generally speaking I haven’t bought by the box in years and buy by the case
1000 rounds of 7.62 is about 220 shipped to your door
5.56 is hovering around 320-360 depending what you buy brand wise

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556 can be had for around $300 per thousand rounds or higher 7.62 x39 can be had for about $179 per thousand rounds or higher

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Makes me want an AK. :cowboy_hat_face:

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Op
Bulkammo.com is a bit overpriced and there customer service is to be desired

https://www.sgammo.com
Family owned and had spectacular service
I have used this company for years
They have a live inventory in there site
And there transaction history is private

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Was just an example. :+1:

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thanks all.

does the 7.62 cartridge have a higher or lower kick then 5.56?

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Little more

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I know I apologize
I’ve had a few bad experiences with them and never recommend them
They have also been under scrutiny scene the Arura co incindent
The Shooter ordered 6k rounds from them in one order and the alarm bells here in dc got tripped

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No worries mate. I had a good experience with them so I’m impartial. They also had more Silver/Brown/Golden Bear ammo which is my go-to ammo.

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Have you ever dealt with sg ammo
There prices tend to better as well

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I’ve got them and a couple others on speed dial for the next time I need bulk ammo. I need more Bear ammo lol

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Worth mentioning though that the cheap 7.62x39 is quite… poor when it comes to accuracy - accuracy we would expect out of modern firearms though.

It’s cheaper to have comparable accuracy out of .223/5.56 than it is for 7.62x39.

But we’re talking 1 MOA to 2-3 MOA levels, so it’s minor - but it’s there.

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I’m not exactly sure what MOA is. I think it had to do with tighter groups?

Minute Of Angle.

edit
Video explanation.

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MOA stands for “minute of angle”

A 1 MOA rifle is capable of 1 inch groups at 100 yards, 2 inch groups at 200 yards, 5 inch groups at 500 yards, etc. Essentially, 1 inch per hundred yards.

A 2 MOA rifle is capable of 2 inch groups at 100 yards, 4 inch groups at 200 yards, 10 inch groups at 500 yards, etc.

A sub MOA rifle is capable of groups smaller than 1 inch at 100 yards.

You get the idea.

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7.62x39 is cheaper but it has more recoil

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Check out Palmetto State Armory. I recently pickup some Federal Lake City 5.56 for $0.26/round. They frequently offer free shipping on larger orders too.

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