5.45x39 Ammo
5.45x39mm ammunition was the Soviet counterpart to the Western 5.56 NATO from the 1970s onward and still serves as the standard rifle cartridge of Russia and many former Warsaw Pact countries. Like the 5.56, 5.45x39 is a flat-shooting, high-velocity cartridge that delivers good accuracy at medium range. The 7N6 is the typical Soviet FMJ load and can often be had quite cheaply in bulk "spam can" cases; however, users should be prepared to scrub their guns thoroughly as bulk, surplus 5.45x39 ammo that you'll find for sale these days often has corrosive primers.
5.45x39mm ammunition has similar ballistics to .223/5.56 NATO, firing a 53 grain full metal jacket bullet at about 2,900 feet per second. Like its NATO counterpart, it generates relatively mild recoil. The most common firearms chambered for this cartridge are based on the AK-74 rifle and are known for their extreme reliability.
New production ammunition in 5.45x39mm is typically steel-cased but non-corrosive. The Tula Cartridge Works and the Barnaul Machine Plant, both in Russia, are particularly well known suppliers of ammo in this caliber.
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Tela Impex 5.45x39 65 Grain FMJ – 750 Rounds
$479.85Product Type Ammo Manufacturer Tela Ammo Condition New Bullet Weight 65 Grain Bullet Type Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) Use Type plinking at the range Casing Type Steel Quantity 750 Ammo Caliber 5.45x39 Russian Primer Type Berdan Magnetic Yes UPC Barcode R0603202422112 Cost Per Round 64¢ per round We love our 5.45x39 ammunition here at Widener’s. And so long as you understand that it won’t work in a 5.56x45 or 7.62x39 rifle, so will you!
The 5.45x39 cartridge was designed in Russia, but it’s not like the country holds a patent on it. The good people of Azerbaijan made this particular ammo, and Tela Impex of Florida freighted it over so the good people of America can shoot targets with their AK-74 rifles!
If you have any experience with Russian-made ammo, then you already know what to expect from Azerbaijan’s. These rounds have 65 grain full metal jacket projectiles: lead cores with copper-washed steel jackets, which will attract any magnet they’re placed near. These rounds also owe their agreeable price tag to their steel cases, which aren’t reloadable. Berdan primers are also slightly less expensive to manufacture than the Boxer alternative. Fortunately, these rounds are just as noncorrosive as anything that gets made here in America.
