r/canadaguns • u/Kind-Ad-9144 • Jul 11 '26

Misc Where has all the surplus 7.62x39 gone?

Is the lack of availability in spam cans a result of everyone concerned with the SKS continued legality, a result of the Ukraine war, a lack of stock, or another/mix of the above?

I’m just trying to get some cheap spam cans man.

55 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

44 comments sorted by

80

u/Razul1066 Jul 11 '26

It comes in waves, like the sks. And right now that ammo is going to Russia.

7

u/MostEpicRedditor Jul 12 '26

This seems correct until you actually LOOK at the firearms used by Russian infantry, and then it will be obvious that they are overwhelmingly using 5.45...

So no, I doubt it is going to Russia, and the continued shortage of surplus 7.62×39 is most certainly due to other reasons — what those reasons are specifically can be debated in length about, however.

15

u/Razul1066 Jul 12 '26

Huge amounts of second tier/reserve/millita units in the Russian forces still use older equipment that is chambered in 7.62. Literal sks rifles, both modernized and not have been used on both sides.

Russian also went back to 7.62 with the Ak-15 after seeing 5.45 being ineffective during the invasion when used in the Ak-12

3

u/MostEpicRedditor Jul 12 '26

I thought they switched back to 7.62 also. But just about every propaganda photo / video released from their side (and also FPV videos released from the Ukrainian side) shows them rocking AK-74/Ms and AK-12s. The one exception I can recall atm is a first-person POV video released from the Russian side from like 3 years ago, where it showed a detachment of their naval infantry (basically marines) storming a Ukrainian position and the guy in the video had an AKMS that was bubba'ed to hell and back.

From what I understand, the AK-15 is more of a relatively limited-production run, and the rifle itself is essentially an export version for nations that already have heaps of 7.62 but not 5.45 but want to keep the AK platform in I guess a more modernized configuration, kind of like what the AK-103 was to the AK-74M.

3

u/i-Hermit Jul 12 '26

Russia isn't using Chinese surplus ammo from the 70s. They have a giant military industrial base and produce everything they need.

Maybe Ukraine.. but only maybe because they're flush with NATO small arms.

19

u/Razul1066 Jul 12 '26

Russia is absolutely using surplus Chinese ammo. A huge industrial base they may have, but its not keeping up with need. They import huge quantities of north Korean ammo, and use secondary markets to hide Chinese shipments.

Their industry has not been able to expand with demand.

-3

u/i-Hermit Jul 12 '26

Got a source for that?

8

u/Razul1066 Jul 12 '26

https://www.mofa.go.jp/files/100853978.pdf

Here's a report by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign affairs. One of the numerous reports by various democratic governments and intelligence agencies on the matter.

-7

u/i-Hermit Jul 12 '26

That is an article on well documented transfers between closely allied countries that no one but them know the reasons for or the details of.

I meant did you have sources on their industrial base not being able to keep up with demand. Because when I see barages of many hundreds of intermediate and long range cruise and ballistic missiles on a regular basis, plus the use of hypersonic missiles, and now that oreshnik missile.. it seems like their industrial base is doing just fine (for better or worse).

Small arms are pretty easy to produce and 7.62x39 is an old cartridge. I would be pretty surprised if it were used to any large degree now, and if it were, Russia has large company's that make premium quality ammo which we can't get anymore.

Anyway, I don't have a dog in this fight, but it seems like the Russian industrial base is in better shape than western industrial bases. Pretty sure Russia is producing more artillery shells than all of NATO.

39

u/MilsurpGoneHaywire Accuracy by volume of fire Jul 11 '26

Basically yes, what was coming in as surplus is now being used in Ukraine, so those surplus spam cans aren't making it into Canada in the same (or any) amount as before the war. I don't believe it's linked with the fear of it being banned.

The lack of SKS would, but I don't think the ammo would be affected THAT much.

23

u/hafetysazard Jul 11 '26

Stockpiling, or it is headed overseas.

21

u/Scary-Detail-3206 Jul 11 '26

I think it’s just staying overseas. It’s going from China to Russia, rather than to civilian importers

16

u/Mammoth_Attention_59 Jul 11 '26

I wouldn’t say a concern of the SKS, but more so limited options means the SKS has been super popular and as such the ammo has gone “dry”

20

u/Hot_Cheesecake_905 Jul 11 '26

Thankfully Red Box is still relatively affordable at 11.99 a box.

3

u/jokemaestro Jul 11 '26

is it actually non-corrosive? I saw on another post that some 7.62x39 ammo is falsely marked that way and i can't remember if this was one of them?

7

u/Hot_Cheesecake_905 Jul 11 '26

Yes, Norinco Red Box is non-corrosive, they switched over to a new formula about 10 years ago?

5

u/boognight220 Jul 11 '26

More like 17.99 unless it's on sale.

9

u/[deleted] Jul 11 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

9

u/TricksInMyHands Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26

I was just at cabelas last week, and shooters haven a couple weeks ago, both had 800 rounds of RUAG cans in stock ? edit my bad, not surplus.

6

u/IcySkyDream Jul 11 '26

Ruag is new ammo, not surplus.

5

u/TricksInMyHands Jul 11 '26

Corrected my comment.

7

u/newtdiego Jul 11 '26

For Soviet/Russian surplus it should be pretty obvious. Chinese surplus is getting stockpiled by China aligned groups in Myanmar/Burma in preparation for the (next) time that the tatmadaw breaks a ceasefire, and they buy a lot more ammo at a much lower shipping cost than we can.

5

u/HaasieM Jul 11 '26

I was able to find some at a gun show for cheap. Look on gunshowtrader.com to see if there’s any near you soon. Go early on the first day of the show if you can cause I think it gets bought up fast.

4

u/theservman on Jul 11 '26

I remember Czechoslovakian steel core at $200/case. Clubs would let you shoot it too!

6

u/Armedfist Jul 11 '26

I used to go through those like crazy. Those stripper clips are premium quality

6

u/EnvironmentBright697 Jul 11 '26

I miss Barnaul

3

u/GinnAdvent Jul 11 '26

I still got 3000 rounds of those baby, and just shoot them very sparingly, lol.

2

u/SierraRomeoJuliet Jul 11 '26

Have a bunch of .223 still but havent shot any in a long time

3

u/scottsuplol Jul 11 '26

The global conflicts are directing all surplus away from the civilian market

3

u/Unknownuser010203 Jul 12 '26

Ikd maybe the war? (I know it's most 5.45 but you still see some akm being rocked)

2

u/Brandon_awarea Jul 12 '26

Everyone assumes it went to Ukraine. That ignores the reality that it’s a non standard cartridge in that war and that this has happened before. North Sylvia is just out of stock. I’d be willing to bet it will be back.

Remember when red box was impossible to find for like half a year around when T81s were first being imported?

1

u/MostEpicRedditor Jul 12 '26

They were honestly OOS everywhere temporarily with each shipment TI brought in

1

u/CalibreMag Jul 12 '26

It's not that it's going to Ukraine, it's that it used to come from eastern Ukraine.

1

u/Brandon_awarea Jul 12 '26

Chinese ammo came from eastern Ukraine?

2

u/el-warhorse69 Jul 12 '26

I shot it all into the sand bank by my house

1

u/Not-a-Cranky-Panda Jul 11 '26

Well you could nip bsck to the 90's or you'll be out of luck, things for sale sometimes just run out.

1

u/LumberjackCDN Gold'n Loan Outfitters & Pawn Jul 12 '26

Its not surplus anymore, china is running large scale drills, and russia is fighting ukraine

1

u/gnu_gai Jul 12 '26

Just have a look at the map and guess how many of these conflicts are using x39. Suppliers can make a lot more money selling to a two way range than we're willing to pay for civilian purposes

1

u/berthela Jul 13 '26

Now you know why Gary's cheeks are so puffy. They aren't full of acorns, they are full of 7.62x39.

1

u/ben3465 Jul 13 '26

Stop buying that shitty Soviet era rifle .. it’s terrible and you’ve all overpaid for it .. there is no two ways about it

1

u/CryptidWorks CryptidWorks Jul 14 '26

Check small, independent gun shops if you travel. Preferably remote towns or at least semi-rural.

I picked up a 750 tin on Saturday at one because the owner still had it kicking around.

1

u/T4h3r96 Jul 11 '26

Lever arms still has a good amount last I saw, but I guess you have to be in the lower mainland BC