Best 7.62x39 Ammo for Self Defense: Stop the Bump in The Night

You hear the sudden *THUD* of someone kicking down your front door! Hurried footsteps race toward your bedroom. You have only seconds to react. You instinctively reach for your trusty AK-47 and prepare to defend your home.

Seconds count in a home defense situation like this. It is NOT the time to wonder what the best 7.62x39 ammo for self defense is.

Fortunately for you, you’ve found this article. We are about to tell you exactly what to load into your AK mags (or SKS stripper clips) for any self-defense situation. If you cannot wait, the best 7.62x39 self-defense ammo is Winchester Defender 120 grain JHP.

If you’re new to the 7.62x39 and aren’t sure what to look for in a defense round, check out this Buyer’s Guide HERE.

The Best 7.62x39 Self-Defense Rounds on the Market

Winchester Defender 120 grain JHP
Hornady Black 123 grain SST
Federal Power-Shok 123 grain JSP
Prvi Partizan 123 grain JSP

Winchester Defender 120 Grain JHP

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Specs

Case: Brass
Bullet Type: Split Core Hollow Point
Bullet Weight: 120 grains
Muzzle Velocity: 2,365 fps
Muzzle Energy: 1,490 ft-lbs

Pros

Expanding bullet minimizes over-penetration
Relodable cases
Manufacturer reputed for producing quality self-defense ammo

Cons

More expensive than steel-cased FMJ ammo

Why We Chose It

When it comes to self-defense handgun rounds, Winchester Defender (formerly PDX1 Defender) is one of the best types of hollow point ammo you can load in your CCW pistol. The same holds true of Winchester's Defender series rifle rounds, fow which they developed a new hollow point that is unlike any other projectile on the market.

The split core hollow point bullet utilized in Winchester Defender ammo begins expanding immediately following impact with soft tissue. That helps minimize the potential for over-penetration, and also inflicts the deep, broad wound cavity which has the greatest chance of neutralizing the threat quickly.

Winchester Defender is Boxer primed and brass cased: noncorrosive and perfect for reloading. This is a massive improvement over typical Berdan-primed steel-cased ammo like Wolf, Tula, and Barnaul which are only good for one firing.

Defender ammo is a little more expensive than some of its competitors, but when your life is on the line you aren’t going to be too worried about how much a few boxes of self-defense ammo costs. For the ultimate in home defense, make sure your AK or SKS is loaded with Winchester Defender and you’ll sleep easy every night (just don’t forget to turn on your red dot before bed).

Hornady Black 123 Grain SST

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Specs

Casing: Brass
Bullet Type: Super Shock Tip (SST)
Bullet Weight: 123 grains
Muzzle Velocity: 2,350 fps
Muzzle Energy: 1,508 ft-lbs

Pros

Polymer tip for smooth semi-automatic feeding
Bullet designed for rapid expansion and weight retention
Easier to find and less expensive than Winchester Defender

Cons

More expensive than steel-cased FMJ ammo

Why We Chose It

When you need excellent terminal ballistics, deep penetration, and field-tested reliability, you should reach for Hornady Black 123 grain SST ammo. Perfect for deer hunting and home defense, the Hornady SST is a true jack-of-all-trades bullet that fills multiple shooting roles.

Initially developed for hunting ammo, the Super Shock Tip bullet utilizes a polymer tip to ensure smooth semi-automatic feeding, streamline its frontal profile, and protect its hollow point on impact. When it encounters soft tissue, the polymer tip plunges into the underlying nose cavity where it acts like a wedge to initiate expansion.

The SST was developed with accuracy in mind, and sports a secant ogive, boat tail profile which minimizes drag, flattens trajectory, and amplifies downrange striking energy.

In terms of ammo availability, the SST load is somewhat easier to find (and is slightly less expensive) than Winchester Defender, but still more expensive than steel-cased FMJ ammo.

Federal Power-Shok 123 Grain JSP

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Specs

Case: Brass
Bullet Type: Jacketed Soft Point (JSP)
Bullet Weight: 123 grains
Muzzle Velocity: 2,350 fps
Muzzle Energy: 1,508 ft-lbs

Pros

Expanding soft point bullet design
Affordably priced
Higher availability

Cons

Not the best for long-range shooting

Why We Chose It

Federal Premium Ammunition is a household name in the self-defense space with its extremely popular HST and Hydra-Shok lines of handgun ammunition. Although these hollow point loads are devastating when fired from something like a Sig Sauer P320 or Glock 19, Federal does not have an equivalent 7.62x39 home defense round at this time.

Federal is known for providing multiple deer hunting options. In addition to their Fusion label 7.62x39, Federal's Power-Shok series 7.62x39 123 grain JSP ammo is popular for anchoring whitetails – and it works perfectly for defense, too.

The Power-Shok soft point provides quick and effective expansion and penetrates deep enough to reach the vital organs.

Coming in as the least expensive American-made ammo on our list, Federal Power-Shok is like meat and potatoes in the hunting community. It's cheap enough for target shooting and varmint hunting, yet powerful enough for deer hunting and home defense.

Federal ammo isn't just affoardable. It is also easier to find than the Hornady and Winchester factory loads detailed above. You should have a much easier time stockpiling this ammo for home defense as well as hunting season.

The only downside to Federal Power-Shok is its bullet design. Soft point bullets, by nature, are not extremely aerodynamic. They are not ideal for long-range shooting. If you need to shoot over 150 yards for self-defense, then your house is a lot bigger than mine!

Prvi Partizan 123 Grain JSP

Prvi Partizan 7.62x39 Ammo - 20 Rounds of 123 Grain SP Ammunition

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Specs

Case: Brass
Bullet Type: Jacketed Soft Point (JSP)
Bullet Weight: 123 grains
Muzzle Velocity: 2,461 fps
Muzzle Energy: 1,653 ft-lbs

Pros

Least expensive option on this list
Easy to buy in bulk
Highest muzzle velocity and energy in this list

Cons

Higher potential for over-penetration

Why We Chose It

Rounding out our top 4 list is the only non-American ammo self-defense selection: Prvi Partizan 123 grain jacketed soft point.

Like Federal, the Prvi Partizan (PPU) utilizes the older soft point bullet design to deliver terminal expansion. This is great for home defense, but it also suffers from the same lack of long range potential.

PPU makes up for this by having the highest muzzle velocity and energy on our top 4 list (noting that PPU uses a 24" test barrel to record 7.62x39 muzzle velocities). This gives it a flatter trajectory than the other three ammo options, but it also increases the risk of over-0penetration.

Coming in at the lowest cost per round on our list, Prvi Partizan 123 grain JSP is a great option when you want to buy bulk 7.62x39 ammo for both deer hunting and stockpiling for self-defense purposes.

Parting Shots

The 7.62x39 is an intermediate cartridge that is more than capable of defending your home from any would-be home invader. Combined with any of our top 4 selections, your AK or (converted) AR-15 carbine home defense rifle will become more than capable of defending your life or the lives of your family members.

To check out all of the 7.62x39 ammo we have in stock, check out our full 7.62x39 ammo page – or keep scrolling if you’d like to read our buyer's guide to 7.62x39 ammo.

Buyer’s Guide: What to Look for in 7.62x39 Self-Defense Ammo

Welcome to our buyer's guide for 7.62x39 self-defense ammo. There are a lot of myths and misunderstandings about 7.62x39 that we want to clear up in this guide. In it we will discuss what cartridge cases you should look for, the best bullet for self-defense rounds, and how to save money on 7.62x39 ammo.

Steel Case vs. Brass Case Ammo

A lot has been said about the downsides of using steel-cased ammo all over the net. If you want to read our full write-up about it, click on this link: Steel-Cased vs. Brass-Cased Ammo.

If you want the Cliff’s Notes version instead, here’s the rundown:

Steel-cased ammo is great for use in a Soviet-designed AK-47 or SKS
Brass-cased ammo can have problems in the AK or SKS due to violent extraction, causing a stuck case
The AR-15 carbine and Ruger Mini-30 function better with brass-cased ammo
Generally, accuracy will be better when firing brass-cased ammo
Steel cased ammo is typically less expensive and easier to buy in bulk

Although this is just the tip of the iceberg, the bottom line is that most semi-automatic rifles on the market should be able to fire both brass and steel case ammo. The important thing is to test your chosen ammo in your rifle at the range before taking it into the woods or depending on it for self-defense.

Expanding vs. FMJ Bullets

When it comes to self-defense ammo, you generally always want to use an expanding bullet to (A) maximize trauma to the threat, and (B) reduce the risk of over-penetration.

Many internet forum pundits suggest that full metal jacket (FMJ) ammo is perfectly fine for self-defense. They point to the battlefield effectiveness of the round over multiple conflicts between the United States and its enemies across the globe.

It’s true that the 7.62x39 is an effective round, and that an FMJ boat tail bullet is very accurate. However, that doesn’t mean it’s the best choice for home defense.

National militaries are obligated to forgo the use of expanding bullets during international warfare by the Hague Convention. You are not bound by the Hague Convention, which means you can select a more effective bullet for defense than the FMJ.

FMJ bullets are prone to over-penetration, meaning that they can penetrate through the bad guy and potentially hit a family member or innocent bystander. This is a terrible situation that will have extensive legal and psychological consequences.

FMJ bullets are great for target practice and plinking, but not for home defense. If you’re looking for some excellent FMJ target ammo, make sure to check out the bulk 7.62x39 ammo we have in stock.

Make sure your home defense mags or stripper clips are ALWAYS loaded with expanding bullets and you’ll be ready to go.

Save Money on 7.62x39 Ammo

One of the best aspects of the 7.62x39 round is that it is easy to buy in bulk. This helps you keep your cost per round as low as possible by buying a lot of ammo all at once. Although the upfront cost is higher than buying one box at a time, buying in bulk ensures that you always have plenty of ammo for target practice or plinking.

There are two very different types of bulk ammo that we want to talk about. Let’s get into it!

Surplus Soviet Ammo

If there’s one thing the Soviet Union was good at, it was producing ammunition. During the decades following WWII, the Soviets mass produced 7.62x39 for the AK-47, making it one of the most common cartridges across the globe.

The Russians hermetically sealed their ammo in spam cans so it would remain combat-ready decades after its production.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation looked to liquidate some of its surplus ammo stockpiles by selling it to us Capitalist dogs at an extremely low cost per round.

Surplus ammo is excellent if you want something cheap to shoot, but it has a few problems you need to be aware of.

The biggest issue is that it’s corrosive. To be more specific, the Berdan primers used by Russia contain hygroscopic salts, which attract and absorb atmospheric moisture. The result? Rust. To read more about corrosive ammo, check out this article: Corrosive Ammo Explained.

You can safely fire corrosive ammo in any of your firearms so long as you follow the cleaning procedure outlined in our article. That adds an extra step of complexity most shooters don’t want to deal with, though.

This brings us into the second category of bulk ammo:

Modern Bulk Ammo

Modern bulk steel-cased ammo comes from manufactures like Wolf, Tula, and Barnaul. It is slightly more expensive than surplus military ammo, but it has some major benefits too.

First off, it is noncorrosive. This means no extensive cleaning sessions after a trip to range. Instead, you can crack open a cold one and spend more time dogging on your shooting buddy’s poor marksmanship skills.

Although these rounds are steel-cased and not suitable for reloading, most shooters find that modern bulk ammo is more consistent and accurate than older surplus ammo. This is thanks to tighter modern manufacturing tolerances.

This is not to say that surplus ammunition is not accurate, as many shooters report great accuracy from spam can ammo. However, most shooters find that modern ammo is more consistent than older surplus.

Wolf ammo is particularly popular among the AK crowd, as their Polyformance line of ammo features polymer-coated cases to ensure worry-free feeding and extraction for an enjoyable time at the range.

If you’re wondering what the best AK ammo is, check out this article: 4 Best AK-47 Ammo Picks.