7.62x39mm
The AK's cartridge — moderate recoil, rainbow trajectory past 300, and its famous cheapness now hostage to import bans and sanctions.
Family
Rifle
Introduced
1944
Origin
Soviet design bureau (Elisarov and Semin), USSR
Military
M43 (Soviet service intermediate cartridge)
History
Designed in 1943-44 as the Soviet intermediate cartridge, the 7.62x39mm armed the SKS in 1945 and the AK-47 from 1947, becoming the most widely distributed rifle cartridge in the world. Decades of inexpensive imported ammo made it a fixture on American ranges. It doubles as a capable short-range deer round in the states that see it that way.
What it's used for
Iconic platforms
AK-47/AKM and their many derivatives, the SKS, Ruger Mini Thirty, and 7.62x39 AR-15s and bolt guns like the CZ 527.
Common load types
Steel-case FMJ in volume, plus soft point and hollow point hunting loads.
Reference only — not loading data, not ballistics advice, and KitID links to no ammunition sellers. Know your local law before you buy anything that goes bang.