How do 7.62x39 and 5.56 NATO compare?
These are distinct cartridge designations, not interchangeable ammunition. An AK or AR platform name does not establish firearm, magazine, or component compatibility. Verify the exact cartridge designation against the firearm manufacturer's instructions.
This page does not infer an intended use or assign a hunting, defensive, or platform winner. A comparison needs a stated criterion and evidence supporting that criterion.
Ballistic comparison boundaries
A checkable velocity comparison needs exact load identifiers, test barrels, ammunition lots, measurement methods, and conditions. Energy arithmetic requires sourced velocity and bullet mass; it does not certify terminal performance.
Trajectory and wind drift additionally require the drag model, sight height, zero, atmosphere, and wind inputs. Retain saved inputs and source conditions with calculated results. A calculator homepage alone does not establish reproducible data.
This page supplies no cartridge-wide ballistic coefficient ranking or effective-range threshold. See 5.56 ballistic comparison evidence without substituting one manufacturer's load for an entire category.
Cost per round
Use 7.62x39 FMJ listings and 5.56 FMJ listings to examine eligible tracked offers. Check exact product identity, package quantity, observation time, and the disclosed cost basis.
Divide each listed offer price by its round count. Delivered-cost comparisons additionally require known shipping and tax on the same basis. Unknown shipping does not establish a delivered-cost winner.
This page provides no dated offer dataset supporting a universal price order or import-policy explanation for a particular retail-price gap. A dated policy change does not establish current product origin, eligibility, stock, or price causation. Historical observations are not currently purchasable offers.
See the .300 Blackout and 7.62x39 comparison for additional comparison boundaries. A product category does not establish compatibility or manufacturer equivalence.
Terminal-performance boundaries
Verify the exact manufacturer's construction and performance claims. Cartridge designation, bullet mass, and muzzle energy alone do not establish expansion, penetration, barrier behavior, or suitability for a game species.
This page supplies no matched terminal-performance or wall-test series supporting a defensive load selection. It does not certify an ammunition-use distance or establish that one construction prevents over-penetration.
Recoil comparison boundaries
A calculation of free recoil is not a measurement of how a person experiences a specific firearm. This page supplies no matched fatigue or follow-up test establishing a universal platform or cartridge winner.
Accuracy and platform boundaries
A platform name does not establish manufacturing tolerances, reliability, ergonomics, maintenance requirements, mass, or magazine capacity. Verify the exact manufacturer's specifications and instructions.
This page supplies no matched accuracy or adverse-condition reliability test establishing a universal platform winner. It provides no firearm-modification or component-substitution instructions.
Comparing by a stated criterion
A comparison must disclose its criterion before naming a winner. Eligible offer arithmetic can establish a scoped cost-per-round result. Accuracy, recoil, durability, and terminal performance require comparable evidence that this page does not supply.
Related comparisons
- 5.56 ballistic comparison evidence
- AR-15 ammo compared
- .300 Blackout ballistic comparison evidence
- .300 Blackout vs 5.56 — AR-15 caliber comparison
- .300 Blackout vs 7.62x39 — The two .30-caliber intermediate cartridges
- 5.56 and .223 comparison boundaries
- 5.56 ammo types explained — M193, M855, and more
- Steel case vs brass case — Full comparison
Related caliber pages
- 7.62x39 ammo prices — Eligible tracked listings
- Lowest observed 7.62x39 prices — Lowest observed prices
- 7.62x39 price history — 30-day pricing trends
- 5.56 NATO ammo prices — Eligible tracked listings
- Lowest observed 5.56 NATO prices — Lowest observed prices
- 5.56 NATO price history — 30-day pricing trends
Search 7.62x39 by cost per round → | Search 5.56 by cost per round →