This Week on AR-15 Podcast – AR15 Chambered in 5.45×39
OutdoorHub 07.31.14
This week, Reed and Anthony delve into the 5.45×39 cartridge. Originally designed for the Soviet AK74, the round is lighter and smaller than its 7.62 counterpart. Obviously, it can be used in rifles. But among its other unique characteristics, one of the more interesting byproducts of the Russian surplus of this round is the presence of a steel penetrator in the bullet. This gives the round an armor piercing quality which is problematic for anyone attempting to import these rounds because there exist sidearms chambered in this caliber. Federal law prohibits armor piercing ammunition for handguns so unsurprisingly, this particular cartridge is now a banned import by decree of the ATF. This in turn drives the price up for much of the available surplus in circulation.
Other concerns with the Russian made surplus rest with the inconsistency of some of the older manufacturing processes in the Soviet era thus giving variable performance. Finally, some of the primers may tend to require a harder strike to ignite which can prove problematic for AR because the tolerances vary a bit from some of the Russian counterpart weapons.
Taken together, these obstacles have effectively limited the available AR compatible platforms to utilize this round. Anthony and Reed do a little math to see if the historically inexpensive ammunition price can offset the potential conversion requirements to make this round worth shooting.
This week’s Tip of The Week is flexibility and patience. Mishaps and detours happen for first time builders as well as experienced gun smiths in rifle builds. Reed gives a status update and amusing anecdote on the Brownells sponsored AR-15 Podcast giveaway that fits right in line with that particular tip. It’s a telling story for the virtue of patient assembly. Hand in hand with patience is flexibility. Often the issues that test your patience will also force flexibility in your build. Tune in to hear how the build is going! Listen in for ways to enter and win this beautiful rifle! Listen to the entire episode at www.ar15podcast.com/084/.
