AK47 Round

[DR DOLCH]

I know the AK47 fires a 7.62X39 7.62 is the diameter of the bullet but what is the 39 . I find nothing on the bullet that fits that dimension.

[Rylan]

I know the AK47 fires a 7.62X39 7.62 is the diameter of the bullet but what is the 39 . I find nothing on the bullet that fits that dimension.

You are right about 7.62 being the diameter of the bullet, the "39mm" refers to the length of the shell casing, and only the shell casing. The bullet & casing together may be 50+ mm long.

Same thing with 9mm Luger, often called 9x19mm or .223rem often refered to as 5.56x45mm.

[DR DOLCH]

7.62mm converted to decimal is .300 which is what the bullet measures.39mm converts to 1.536 which is much longer than the case? Could it be the year 1939 ? like the Sprinfgfield 30 06.

[Johnnie]

As posted above, the 39 is the length of the cartridge case in milimeters measured from end to end without bullet. For example, 7.62X54R would be the larger Russian cartridge with a 7.62mm diameter bullet, a case that is 54mm long, and the R indicating it is a rimmed case as opposed to rimless.

Johnnie

[Rylan]

7.62mm converted to decimal is .300 which is what the bullet measures.39mm converts to 1.536 which is much longer than the case? Could it be the year 1939 ? like the Sprinfgfield 30 06.

No it is not the year please compare:

.30-06 or .30 '06 is the way it is often written Vs.

7.62x39mm
5.56x45mm

Whenever a year is in question, it will not be written to confuse the size of the bullet or cartridge. Note .30-06 is NOT written .3006

Bullets can get very confusing. .38 special is NOT actually .38 cal... it is actually very close to .357. Which is why you can use .38 special in a revolver chambered in .357... but not .357 in a revolver chambered in .38 special. Is your head spinning yet?

[DR DOLCH]

As you can see. The case is much shorter than 1.536 that 39mm converts to.

[Gene]

DR DOLCH, the information you have been given regarding the "39" designation is correct. It is the case length in millimeters. "7.62" is the diameter of the bullet.

[Johnnie]

Once again, the "39" in 7.62X39 is the length of the cartridge case (without bullet) from case mouth to cartridge base, in milimeters.
I suspect that what you may have ,if it is indeed shorter ,may be a German 7.92X33 Kurz round.
Please post a pic of the cartridge base headstamp.

Johnnie

[kiwicollector]

Dolch, can you please supply a photo of the head stamp (base of the cartridge) as asked? What you are showing looks more like a snap cap than a live round to me.

Some thoughts; if you measured the diameter of a real 7.62x39 M43 projectile you'll find that it is closer to .311 of an inch than .30 (which is actually .308 when measured) this is because the Russians measure the bore diameter from a different point than the US.

This morning I checked a spent Wolf M43 case against a ruler and it was 38mm long which is within the normal tollerance for military ammunition (plus I wasn't using calipers so it could be +/- some).