below im going left to right, starting on the left with the steel cased ones.




any info would be greatly appreciated
thanks

http://cartridgecollectors.org/?page=headstampcodes





http://www.theakforum.net/files/AK-AMMO.pdf





http://www.ak-47.net/ammo/headstamps.html

 

sweet jesus thats a lot of different brands of ammo. it shows the factory it was made in, however many factories produced multiple styles of ammo. ball, tracer, steel core, etc

L-R

Polish Tracer, Romanian Ball, Romanian Ball, Soviet Ball (Barnaul), Soviet Tracer (Tula), Soviet Tracer (Tula), Soviet Ball (Frunze), Sub-Sonic Ball reload using .303 british MkVII ball projectile and reduced charge, probably done in Rhodesia or South Africa, case made by Barnaul, Soviet Ball (Lugansk), Soviet Tracer (Klimovsk) Soviet Ball (Ulyanovsk), Soviet Ball (Ulyanovsk), Soviet Tracer (Klimovsk), Sovet Ball (Ulyanovsk).

The color tips on the tracers are worn off, but you can tell by their "fat" ogive compared to ball what they are.

1DD

Holy cow! That man knows his ammo!

Impressive!

You sir, are a god

Thank you for the kind words gentlemen. I have been collecting 7.62x39mm cartridges and such since the early 1980s and have learned a few things about them over the years...

1DD

What is the best all around 7.62x39 round?

Or

If you could only have one round, what would it be?

I have my idea what you might answer, just curious.

Im betting Yugo M67

There are several to choose from, so it's hard to say that just one is "best".

Quality wise, Finnish SAKO or Lapua 7.62x39mm has to be at the top of the list. Plusses are that it is brass cased and non-corrosive, minus is that it is not sealed. Apparently the Finns don't see that as a big deal, so...

Yugo M-67 is a close second. Plusses are that it is sealed at both ends but uses corrosive primers. (I'm getting lazy in my old age).

Number three on my list is Russian commercial, lacquered steel, sealed, flat based lead core FMJ. My entire inventory of 7.62x39mm is now Barnaul and Ulyanovsk fitting this description. I have had zero isues with products from either factory. I've never had issues with lacquered cases, it's non-corrosive and the price was right when I bought it.

Last on my list of the "best" would be any com-bloc surplus steel core ball. I feel the quality of this compared to the commercial offerings is better. I've had my ear to the ground since I began shooting and collecting this caliber and have never experienced or heard of bad surplus 7.62x39mm from China or any of the Warsaw Pact countries. Plusses: better penetration through cover, sealed, made to mil-spec. Minuses: less lethal, corrosive.

Notice that I have not used accuracy in my criteria. In my rifles, with my eyes, at the ranges I shoot at (under 200 yards) it's all been "minute of man".  For me, that is good enough. Quality and reliability is of more importance in my book.

1DD

East German before the Wall came down.

East German before the Wall came down.