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5.45x39 Is too small of a round to hunt whitetail with, correct?

LiveFree1776

By LiveFree1776,
in Deer Hunting

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Pygmy Experienced

Pygmy

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I just did a search and answered my own questions ..LOL..

The cartridge approximates .223 ballistics, and I did find some soft point bullets listed for it ( loaded ammo). I'm not sure if components ( bullets) are available for reloading. I have certainly never encountered any.

SO is it capable of killing deer ? ABSOLUTELY, provided you have the opportunity for ideal shot placement. However, in the real world , deer often do not PRESENT perfect broadside shots..

A larger cartridge with a heavier bullet would be a much better choice for deer...I'd recommend using the 5.45x39 for coyotes and woodchucks and using a cartridge that gives you more margin of error for deer hunting.

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Elmo Rookie

Elmo

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A lot of things will kill a deer.  It's all about what rate of success are you comfortable with.  Even a grenade launcher has some chance of failure but I'd imagine it has a higher chance of success than a potato launcher.  At what percentage are you willing to say it is unacceptable?  99% of the time?  80%?  65%?

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JALA RUT Enthusiast

JALA RUT

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I agree with everyone else, that it's about shot placement and knowing your shooting capabilities as well as limitations but all in all...if you're not stuck with only that gun or round I think you'd be happier with the results of a different load.  I used a rifle for the first time this year.  After a lot of research I settled on a .30-06 because I was hoping to use the same rifle out west in the future as well.  Once sighted in, the rifle was a tack driver and I ended up dropping an 11 Pointer at about 80 yards on the last day of NY's Gun Season...He was quartering away from me hard and the round entered behind his shoulder taking out his lung and exiting through the opposite side of his neck also taking out the carotid artery...he bounded two times dropping each time before going down a final time...dead in less than 10 seconds!

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Pygmy Experienced

Pygmy

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7.62x39 Is the standard AK cailber..

 

It was .. But not anymore... The 5.45 x 39 is the prevalent cartridge in the AK series today.. Certainly there are still plenty of AK 47s being used, but the AK 74 is the more modern version of it.

Do a search on 5.45 x 39 cartridge and see what you learn.

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Larry Community Regular

Larry

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It would be legal but it's a ak-74 round and I’m sure the only gun that 5.45x39 comes in is the ak. You would have to have a 5 round mag can't have more then 6 rounds total for big game hunting and you would have to follow safe-act requirements. I would just use a shotgun with a good peace of glass on it.

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HuntOrBeHunted Newbie

HuntOrBeHunted

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It was .. But not anymore... The 5.45 x 39 is the prevalent cartridge in the AK series today.. Certainly there are still plenty of AK 47s being used, but the AK 74 is the more modern version of it.

Do a search on 5.45 x 39 cartridge and see what you learn.

 

 

AK 47's Main cailber is the.. 7.62x39 ,, Now the AK 74 mainly runs the 39.

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UpstateNomad90 Newbie

UpstateNomad90

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Question, If the 5.45x39 compares to the .223 which is similar to the 6mm Rem, I would play devils advocate and say that within its capabilities it could be used for a successful deer round. It is not my first choice or something I would practice but a 6mm is a suitable round for whitetail.  

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Pygmy Experienced

Pygmy

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I was just talking about military stuff.. That commercial stuff does not interest me. Actually, none of the AK stuff interests me much.

Anyway, my point was that the AK 47 was chambered in 7.62 x 39, but when the AK 74 evolved, the standard chambering ( for military arms) switched to 5.45 x 39. At least this is the case with relatively modern countries that use the AK platform....I suspect that the AK 47 7.62 x 39 is still much used in many of the third world countries.. Probably the 7.62 x 39 works better for poaching large animals like elephants, rhinos and giraffes..

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pistolp71 Newbie

pistolp71

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Question, If the 5.45x39 compares to the .223 which is similar to the 6mm Rem, I would play devils advocate and say that within its capabilities it could be used for a successful deer round. It is not my first choice or something I would practice but a 6mm is a suitable round for whitetail.  

 

The .223 and 6mm Rem are nothing alike.

And to answer the original question, IMO, the round is marginal. Would it work with the right bullet and shot placement, sure. But why? There are many outstanding deer cartridges out there and that isn't one of them.

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Pygmy Experienced

Pygmy

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Question, If the 5.45x39 compares to the .223 which is similar to the 6mm Rem, I would play devils advocate and say that within its capabilities it could be used for a successful deer round. It is not my first choice or something I would practice but a 6mm is a suitable round for whitetail.

 

The 6 MM Rem and similar .243 Win are a significant step UP in power from a .223 both in case capacity and bullet weight.

To say they are similar, is like saying the 30-30 and .308 are similar ..

YEAH, but the .308 is significantly more powerful.

The .223, in the hands of a good marksman who is patient enough to wait for the right shot, can be an efficient killer, but us mere mortals, who often have to take our shots as they come, would be better served by a more powerful cartridge with a heavier bullet.

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Elmo Rookie

Elmo

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Posted (edited)

The .223 comes out marginally faster, bigger in diameter, and packs more energy than the 5.45X39.  All marginally I must re-state.  Enough to make enough of a difference?  I don't have the experience to say but certainly the 5.45 is the lesser of the two rounds.

Edited by Elmo
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shawnhu Newbie

shawnhu

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The 6 MM Rem and similar .243 Win are a significant step UP in power from a .223 both in case capacity and bullet weight.

To say they are similar, is like saying the 30-30 and .308 are similar ..

YEAH, but the .308 is significantly more powerful.

The .223, in the hands of a good marksman who is patient enough to wait for the right shot, can be an efficient killer, but us mere mortals, who often have to take our shots as they come, would be better served by a more powerful cartridge with a heavier bullet.

If I was given a .223 for deer hunting, I'd probably make it work, after lots of practice with the round and ballistics testing as well as trajectory drop charts all figured out. Probably 50-200 rounds later, I MIGHT take it out for a hunt.

Since I wasn't given one, I went out and did the next best thing, I bought a .243 Win.

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