There are many stories and rumors on the interwebs that make definitive statements about one or the other in regard to an AK round and its ability, or lack thereof, to stop a bear.
So, can 7.62×39 stop a bear? What about a Grizzly bear? Although I can’t tell you from first-hand experience, I have scoured the forums and YouTube to answer this question once and for all!
For starters, AKs come in two very different calibers; 7.62×39 and 5.45×39. When most people ask this question they’re thinking of the original Kalashnikov AK 7.62×39 so that will be the focus of this article.
So the 7.62×39 is a 30 caliber bullet with an intermediate cartridge when compared to an actual hunting cartridge like the .308 Winchester from a 30-30 bolt-action rifle.
Being an intermediate cartridge, it has a lower velocity averaging 455 fps less than a .308 Win with the same weighted 125 gr bullet.
Although it wasn’t specifically designed for hunting large game (like bears) it can, in a pinch, be used for off-label use like so many things.
Nobody is really going to argue that hunting bears with an AK-47 would be your go-to option but given the fact that an AK has a 30-round magazine, even if your shot placement isn’t the best (which will be especially challenging with a charging Grizzly), you can easily empty a 30 round AK mag into a charging brown or black bear in less than 10 seconds!
Can You Kill An Adult Bear With An AK-47 Chambered In 7.62×39?
Absolutely! Assuming for a second that an AK only had a 5-round magazine and was not an autoloader but a bolt-action, if you place your shot in the brain basket or the heart you will kill any fully-grown bear.
That big bear wouldn’t live to regret charging at you while fearlessly disregarding your odd-looking, bolt-action AK as he licked his chops like dinner was about to be served!
Back to the point now, and ballistically speaking, the 7.62×39 cartridge with a 125gr bullet has a velocity of 2,445 fps and 1,659 ft-lbs of energy.
Even at 50 yards, that is more than enough energy to penetrate a bear’s dome and send him into his dirt nap for good!
As a matter of fact (or urban legend?), there are several confirmed (or unconfirmed?) stories of AK-74s with 5.54×39 ammo circulating on the web that has taken out Grizzlies with a well-placed headshot.
That doesn’t really seem that hard to believe if I’m being honest. Purportedly even a high-velocity .22 LR cartridge can kill a bear with a well-placed shot behind the ear but most people are poor marksmen when faced with such an intimidating beast!
Would I offer to wager my life just to prove it? Hell no!
Can You Hunt A Bear With An AK?
Yes, of course, you can (if that’s your thing) but many choose the more potent .308 cartridge from longer distances.
Personally, up close, I’d rather have 30 rounds ready to dump in a hurry but, at further distances, you might have better luck placing your shots with a trusty 30-30 in your arsenal with a quality scope.
Of course, you could achieve similar results with a 7.62×54 Dragunov sniping from a hunting platform, or if you’re Robski just use your trusty iron sights to show off your mad skills.
In closing, most people don’t hunt bears with an AK-47 rifle but some people do in different parts of the world and you’ve got to respect that because the bears would concur that 7.62×39 in the right hands is just as deadly as the rest!
But wait, there’s more!
Is Bear Brand Ammo Any Good?
The short answer is: Yes- Bear ammo is just plain good and reliable, especially for the price!
Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear to be in stock online anymore but don’t worry because there are other great options available here.
How about some Bear brand ammo for those pesky bear problems you have? We threw this in just for fun and because we love bear puns.
Russian-made Brown Bear and Silver Bear ammo is a very budget-friendly and decent quality-made steel-cased ammo from our comrades in Mother Russia.
I’ve had great experiences with it myself as have many others with many saying that there have been little to no failures to feed or fire.
Like all ammo, this can depend on the age of the ammo and how well it was warehoused and stored.
We’ve recently come across a couple of videos of people shooting water-damaged and corroded Russian ammo that, despite being a bit difficult to load into the magazine, all fired without a hiccup! You can check that out below:
Thanks to Uncle Joe’s latest ban on all Russian ammo, this option will become a thing of the past and the prices on what’s left available have inevitably gone up.
*Update 2022: it appears there are still viable channels for Russian ammo to continue to reach our shores as I’ve been seeing lots of it coming in from various sources and brands so perhaps we don’t need to worry so much about 7.62×39 availability in the future.
*Update 2023: it seems Bear ammo is out of stock everywhere I look but there are other brands still available and even some US manufacturers plan on producing 7.62×39 themselves!
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I think what most of us mean when we ask is 7.62×39 is good for bear is if we are in bear country can we put a down a bear if it charges us and I see some of you have answered this question that is what I would be worried about and a rugger 30 with a 20 to 30 round mag yes it would do the trick. don’t intend to do any hunting myself I just want to know if I can stop bear with it. I can use a 45 auto or 9mm with the right rounds at close range I have the S&W .500 but with my bad shooting skills I think an auto would be better
Yes, indeed, it will kill any bear in the right hands. Just make sure you’ve got reliable ammunition and a reliable AK to shoot it and that should do the trick!
When you look at ballistics alone at 50 yards, the 7.62 x 39 has almost TWICE the energy than the 44 mag. I am thinking that a 10″ AR pistol build and a 20 round mag would serve very well as bear protection. Also the 7.62 x 39 only needs 8.5in to build full pressure.
I’m sure any intermediate cartridge would do the trick in a pinch- especially with a high cap mag!
30-30 is a caliber just as 308 winchester is a caliber. They share the same bullet diameter but they’re way different. For some reason I’ve seen multiple blogs think the same thing. Weird.