7.62×39 vs 300 Blackout for Hunting

If you had to pick between the 7.62×39 and 300 Blackout for hunting – which would you pick? In my opinion, there is a pretty clear answer. In this short blog post, I will explain the reasons why I believe the 7.62×39 is superior for hunting.

When considering a hunting cartridge there are a few main things to consider – bullet energy, bullet drop, accuracy, and ammo availability. I will keep the text here short but will include data charts on factory loadings below that support my statements in detail.

ENERGY – 7.62×39 has more energy across the board no matter how you slice it
BULLET DROP – 7.62×39 has less bullet drop. Only exception here is with 110 grain 300 Blackout loadings. The 110 grain 300 Blackout bullet drop is very similar to 7.62×39 bullet drop at hunting distances
ACCURACY – I call a draw here. I have loadings of both that I can just about put in the same hole every time at 100 yards
AMMO AVAILABILITY – I have to give this one to 300 Blackout. It is usually easier to find 300 Blackout hunting ammo in a physical store. However, there is no issue finding hunting ammo for either if you are shopping online.

In conclusion, based on the bullet energy and bullet drop between the two – I have to say that the 7.62×39 is superior to the 300 Blackout when it comes to hunting. Both cartridges I would call “200 yards and in rounds” when it comes to hunting deer. I would not recommend these for hunting any further than 200 yards. Also, If you are hunting with 300 Blackout I recommend taking a 110 grain or 150 grain loaded round. The heavier 300 Blackout rounds just do not have the energy that is best for hunting. I could ramble on about this subject forever – but I will keep it short and direct you to review the charts I have included in this post. Be sure to check out the charts for detailed information.