Best 7.62x39 for Home Defense to limit Over-Penetration?

[GlorifiedMailman]

Due to unexpected circumstances, the only firearm I will have available for the foreseeable future for a home defense/bedside gun will be a Bulgarian Arsenal SLR107F AK rifle in 7.62x39. I have owned the rifle for over a decade and have several thousand rounds through it, it has proven to be 100% reliable with all types of ammunition. My question is, despite the un-advantageous position the caliber has in limiting penetration in suburban home defense scenarios, what would limit the risk of overpenetration the most and be effective? From @DocGKR's information, it would seem that perhaps the Hornady SST or Russian 8m3 rounds might be the best, but has there been any additional data since then? I do have 8m3 but it is more modern-made ammo. It's my understanding that more recent 8m3 is labelled as such but isn't actually constructed as it was originally.

[witchking777]

Get some Federal Fusion bonded ammo. It expands very well and shouldn't overpenetrate.

[GlorifiedMailman]

Get some Federal Fusion bonded ammo. It expands very well and shouldn't overpenetrate.

I've been looking for some, but according to several sources, Federal has discontinued the Federal Fusion in 7.62x39. I also wonder if a bonded soft point like that would penetrate more or less than a Hornady SST ballistic tip.

[witchking777]

It will penetrate more due to holding together through barriers/bone etc.

[JRB]

Virtually any of the 122-125gr imported steel case ammo with a soft point or hollow point will serve fine in this role. They will expand violently and the jacket usually separates from the core in multiple fragments. Penetration will be substantially less overall than SS109 5.56x45 or virtually all military 5.56 loads for that matter. Obviously, avoid FMJ as it does penetrate much more and tends to have a better chance of holding together.

Various tests I've seen and read over the years on ammo like this backs up my anecdotal experience - 122-125gr HP and SP loads typically show complete jacket and core separation with the core staying as one piece and the jacket fragmenting into multiple pieces. Penetration is usually 12-19in for all fragments in ballistic gel, with the core tending to stay together and penetrate the deepest.

For this role, I'd avoid Tula not because of ballistic performance but because most Tula 7.62x39 usually exhibits a ton more muzzle flash than similar loads from Wolf Military Classic, Barnaul, or Silver Bear. At least, that has been my personal experience though owning about a dozen different AK's and shooting countless tens of thousands of rounds of various cheap x39 ammo over the years.

IMHO, the biggest reason to invest in quality x39 bonded ammo is for hunting when you don't want to fish pieces of jacket and such out of good meat, or for duty use where deeper penetration and barrier blind performance is desired.

[the Schwartz]

I've been looking for some, but according to several sources, Federal has discontinued the Federal Fusion in 7.62x39. I also wonder if a bonded soft point like that would penetrate more or less than a Hornady SST ballistic tip.

If you can't locate any of the Federal Fusion, you might wish to consider attempting to get ahold of some of the Federal 123-gr. Hi-Shok JSP. In 4LD gelatin testing, it typically expands to about 0.64'', retains 95% of its mass, and reaches a penetration depth of ~14 inches. It's not a bonded JSP, but it generally performs well under most imaginable conditions.

[DocGKR]

"Virtually any of the 122-125gr imported steel case ammo with a soft point or hollow point will serve fine in this role. They will expand violently and the jacket usually separates from the core in multiple fragments. Penetration will be substantially less overall than SS109 5.56x45 or virtually all military 5.56 loads for that matter."

This has not been our experience.

[JRB]

"Virtually any of the 122-125gr imported steel case ammo with a soft point or hollow point will serve fine in this role. They will expand violently and the jacket usually separates from the core in multiple fragments. Penetration will be substantially less overall than SS109 5.56x45 or virtually all military 5.56 loads for that matter."

This has not been our experience.

@DocGKR, I know your time is valuable, but if you could take a moment to elaborate a bit I'd greatly appreciate the learning experience.

[the Schwartz]

If you can stomach the price of nearly $2 per round, my personal preferred home defense load, the Hornady ''Black'' 7.62x39 123-grain SST is available (for the time being) here:

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/10...ampaign=601334

[Brian T]

If you want to do "Mexican Match" ammo, 7.62x39 style, all of the local reloading shops around me have 123gr .311 Hornady SST projectiles at reasonable prices.