What Does The 7.62 x 51mm NATO Do?
Surely the day's high winds didn't help with on-target shots here. However, we'll see another example of the 7.62 x 51mm round's impact in a moment here. For now, it's interesting to take note of the copper left behind on the processor's heat spreader by the jacketed round.
Austrian Stg. 58
First produced by Belgian Fabrique de Herstal, the Fusil Automatique Léger (FN FAL), or Light Automatic Rifle, is yet another sample firing the .308 round—though it’s the 7.62 x 51mm NATO cartridge here.
The Sturmgewehr (Stg.) 58 is a variant of the FN FAL from Austria, originally fed by a 20- or 30-round box mag with a 650 round/min. rate of fire.
“Nuh uh,” says California.
In order to get this rifle California-legal, it had to be outfit with a fixed 10-round magazine and the selectable fire option removed. Not that you’d really want to shoot this thing fully-auto. The .308 round is powerful enough that even after a few shots on the bench, you need to readjust the bi-pod that had been hopping around.
More Dead Opterons
Here's the same round with two hits on an Opteron sample. The point of entry is much larger than it was with the .223, and there's noticably more flex in the processor itself as a result.
The Popular SKS
Originally a Soviet semi-automatic carbine designed in 1945, the Самозарядный карабин системы Симонова (we’ll just call it the SKS from here on out) was widely used by Eastern Bloc nations, but has since been replaced, for the most part.
The rifle we’re shooting here was Yugoslavian surplus, packed in cosmoline (disgusting stuff, by the way), and boxed away for decades. It retains its original bayonet and 10-round fixed magazine (which is fed using the pictured stripper-clips).
Some SKS rifles sport spring-loaded firing pins, but this one is equipped with a free-floating pin that must be handled with care. Should it get stuck in the forward position—and yes, this does happen with all of that cosmoline packed in there—a slamfire could be triggered, emptying the entire magazine as soon as the bolt is released.
Right On Target
A shot from the SKS with a 7.62 x 39mm round going through the Opteron processor, through the board behind it, and into the backstop.
Not Bad For Open Sights
Shooting the SKS from 50 yards out.
The Effects Of 7.62 x 39mm
The 7.62 x 39mm is a fair-sized round, but the damage done here is likely exaggerated as a result of the hollow-point bullet used (not that it seems to have mattered much, given the clean penetration). To be sure, the shot definitely warped the processor significantly.
That’s Going To Be A Lot Of Cleaning
It was so windy for this shoot that there was literally nobody else at the rifle range. We were able to monopolize six shooting stations with all of our hardware.
Target Practice
With all of our “benchmarking” done, I took out my German H&K USP Compact .45 for a little practice on the paper targets we’d set up.
Test Subjects
All of our Opterons, marked for photos later, and a stripper-clip full of 7.62 x 39mm (for the SKS).
