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7.62x39 vs 300 BLK: Maker-Page Loads and SAAMI Specs Side by Side

By Cole Harlan, EditorUpdated Nov 5, 2026How we verifyEditorial standards

The biggest cited difference is the SAAMI test barrel: 20.000 in for 7.62x39 and 16.000 in for 300 BLK, each an exception to SAAMI’s 24 in rifle standard, with maximum average pressures of 45,000 psi and 55,000 psi (transducer). This page puts 7.62x39 and 300 BLK side by side using only our own ammo guides, 7.62x39 ammo (8 loads) and 300 BLK ammo (40 loads), plus the cartridge specs SAAMI publishes in ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4. The guides copy bullet weights, velocities, energies and test barrels from maker product pages (checked Nov. 4, 2026). We don’t rate or rank cartridges, and we don’t subtract one maker’s velocity from another’s, because their test barrels differ.

How to read this page: every number is copied from a maker page or from SAAMI, and a test barrel length sits next to every velocity (or says the maker lists none). A dash (—) means the maker has no load in our tables for that cartridge. Fire only the cartridge your firearm’s maker says it is chambered for.

SAAMI specs side by side

These are the figures in ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4, as already recorded in the SAAMI sections of our 7.62x39 and 300 BLK guides. Pressures are as SAAMI lists them.

Measure	7.62x39	300 BLK
SAAMI name	7.62 X 39 [7.62 X 39]	300 AAC BLACKOUT [300 BLK]
Drawing issued / revised	08/01/1988 / 02/28/2022	01/17/2011 / 05/20/2022
Maximum average pressure (transducer)	45,000 psi	55,000 psi
Crusher pressure	50,000 CUP	Not established
Cartridge overall length	2.150 in min to 2.200 in max	1.780 in min to 2.260 in max
Case length	1.528 in (−.015)	1.368 in (−.020)
Bullet diameter	.311 in (−.002)	.309 in (−.003)
Bore / groove diameter	.300 in / .310 in	.300 in / .308 in
Twist and grooves	1 in 9.45 in, right-hand (marked optional), 4 grooves	1 in 8 in, right-hand (marked optional), 5 grooves
SAAMI reference velocity	123 gr bullet, 2,350 fps from a 20 in test barrel	Not copied in our guide
SAAMI velocity test barrel	20.000 in (an exception to the 24 in standard)	16.000 in (an exception to the 24 in standard)

SAAMI measures pressure two ways for some cartridges, by transducer and by crusher; compare psi with psi and CUP with CUP, not across. SAAMI lists a crusher pressure for 7.62x39 and none for 300 BLK. The two cartridges also use different SAAMI test barrel lengths (20 in and 16 in), so their velocity figures are not on the same footing. Both cartridges list a .300 in bore.

Load ranges by maker and test barrel

Each line groups one maker’s loads that share a test barrel, so a velocity is only ever shown with the barrel it was measured in. Ranges are bullet weight and muzzle velocity as the maker page prints them. Do not read across makers: their barrels and bullets differ. For how barrel length moves velocity, see our barrel length vs velocity data.

Maker	7.62x39 loads in our table	300 BLK loads in our table
Federal	test barrel not listed: 2 loads, 123 to 124 gr, 2,350 fps	test barrel not listed: 6 loads, 120 to 220 gr, 1,000 to 2,100 fps
Remington	test barrel not listed: 2 loads, 125 gr, 2,365 fps	test barrel not listed: 5 loads, 120 to 220 gr, 940 to 2,215 fps
Hornady	16 in test barrel: 1 load, 123 gr, 2,350 fps 20 in test barrel: 2 loads, 123 to 255 gr, 1,050 to 2,350 fps 24 in test barrel: 1 load, 123 gr, 2,340 fps	8 in test barrel: 1 load, 178 gr, 1,650 fps 16 in test barrel: 8 loads, 110 to 208 gr, 1,020 to 2,375 fps 24 in (as listed by Hornady) test barrel: 1 load, 208 gr, 1,025 fps
Barnes	—	test barrel not listed: 6 loads, 110 to 220 gr, 1,060 to 2,350 fps
Nosler	—	16 in test barrel: 1 load, 110 gr, 2,200 fps 24 in test barrel: 2 loads, 220 gr, 1,020 fps
SIG Sauer	—	6.75 ± 1/16 in test barrel: 1 load, 120 gr, 1,897 fps 9.0 ± 1/16 in test barrel: 2 loads, 110 to 194 gr, 1,000 to 2,100 fps 16.0 ± 1/16 in test barrel: 3 loads, 125 to 220 gr, 1,000 to 2,200 fps test barrel not listed: 1 load, 125 gr, 2,200 fps
Sellier & Bellot	—	16¼ in test barrel: 1 load, 200 gr, 1,060 fps 16 in test barrel: 2 loads, 124 to 147 gr, 2,077 to 2,165 fps

Same maker, same line, both cartridges

Where one maker sells the same product line in both cartridges, the loads are listed side by side exactly as the maker pages print them. We match lines by the maker’s own product-line name in our guide tables (ignoring a trailing “Rifle” or “Handgun”). Compare only within a row, and check the test barrel in each cell.

Maker line	7.62x39	300 BLK
Federal Power-Shok	7.62x39: 123 gr Jacketed Soft Point, 2,350 fps, 1,508 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 76239B	300 BLK: 150 gr Soft Point (Power-Shok), 1,900 fps, 1,202 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 300BLKB
Hornady BLACK	7.62x39: 123 gr SST® Hornady BLACK®, 2,350 fps, 1,508 ft-lb, 20 in test barrel, item 80784	300 BLK: 208 gr ELD Match (Hornady BLACK), 1,020 fps, 480 ft-lb, 16 in test barrel, item 80891 300 BLK: 110 gr V-MAX (Hornady BLACK), 2,375 fps, 1,378 ft-lb, 16 in test barrel, item 80873 300 BLK: 110 gr NTX (Hornady BLACK), 2,070 fps, 1,047 ft-lb, 16 in test barrel, item 80862
Hornady Frontier	7.62x39: 123 gr FMJ Frontier®, 2,340 fps, 1,495 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item FR420 7.62x39: 123 gr FMJ Frontier® (50 - Oriented), 2,350 fps, 1,716 ft-lb, 16 in test barrel, item FR421	300 BLK: 125 gr FMJ (Frontier), 2,175 fps, 1,313 ft-lb, 16 in test barrel, item FR400
Hornady Subsonic	7.62x39: 255 gr Sub‑X® Subsonic, 1,050 fps, 624 ft-lb, 20 in test barrel, item 80787	300 BLK: 190 gr Sub-X (Subsonic), 1,050 fps, 465 ft-lb, 16 in test barrel, item 80877
Federal American Eagle	7.62x39: 124 gr Full Metal Jacket, 2,350 fps, 1,520 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item A76239A	300 BLK: 150 gr FMJ Boat-Tail (American Eagle), 1,900 fps, 1,202 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item AE300BLK1

What the sources say when you choose

These are points taken from the figures above, each with the page it rests on. They are not recommendations or scores.

If pressure rating is your question: SAAMI lists a maximum average pressure of 45,000 psi by transducer and 50,000 CUP by crusher for 7.62x39, and 55,000 psi by transducer for 300 BLK, with crusher pressures not established. Source: ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4.
If bullet weight is your question: the 7.62x39 loads in our table run from 123 gr (Federal Power-Shok Rifle 76239B) to 255 gr (Hornady Subsonic 80787). The 300 BLK loads run from 110 gr (Hornady Custom 808794) to 220 gr (Federal American Eagle Suppressor AE300BLKSUP2). Sources: those maker pages.
If you want to see the printed velocities: the slowest and fastest 7.62x39 muzzle velocities in our table are 1,050 fps, 20 in test barrel (Hornady Subsonic 80787) and 2,365 fps, test barrel not listed (Remington Core-Lokt 29125). For 300 BLK they are 940 fps, test barrel not listed (Remington Subsonic 28430) and 2,375 fps, 16 in test barrel (Hornady BLACK 80873). These come from different barrels and bullets, so we show them side by side without a difference. Sources: those maker pages.
If you are comparing against a box or a chronograph: SAAMI’s velocity test barrel is 20.000 in for 7.62x39 and 16.000 in for 300 BLK, each an exception to its 24 in rifle standard. Our guides note that figures from other barrel lengths are not directly comparable. Many maker pages list a different barrel or none, as the tables above show. A shorter barrel than the one a maker lists will likely give lower velocities than the box; see our barrel length vs velocity data, including the 7.62x39 and 300 Blackout pages. Source: ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4 and the maker pages linked above.
If chamber fit is your question: SAAMI publishes a separate cartridge drawing for each. Our guides record a cartridge overall length of 2.150 in to 2.200 in for 7.62x39 and 1.780 in to 2.260 in for 300 BLK, case length of 1.528 in (−.015) and 1.368 in (−.020), and bullet diameter of .311 in (−.002) and .309 in (−.003). Check the cartridge named in your firearm’s manual or marked on its barrel. Source: ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4.

Not yet verified

Winchester: our 7.62x39 guide records that Winchester’s product pages returned a not-found (404) response, and our 300 BLK guide records that four Winchester 300 BLK pages say “There is no ballistics data available at this time” and a fifth returned 404, so no Winchester load is in either table.
SIG Sauer: our 7.62x39 guide records a 403 access error from SIG’s site and did not verify its product pages, so no SIG 7.62x39 load is in our table; SIG Sauer loads are in the 300 BLK table only.
Hornady item 80788 (7.62x39 111 gr Monoflex Hornady BLACK) says “Ballistic data coming soon” and is left out of our 7.62x39 table. Speer: we found no 7.62x39 load for Speer.
Our 7.62x39 guide copied the Hornady Frontier FR421 at 1,716 ft-lb and 2,350 fps as printed, while the other 123 gr Hornady loads list 1,495 and 1,508 ft-lb.
Black Hills 300 BLK figures (16 in test barrel, no item numbers) are kept out of our 300 BLK main tables and are not counted in its 40 loads. The Barnes Precision Match page also lists item 32134 that we did not fully capture.
Test barrels: Federal and Remington pages list no test barrel on some loads, and Hornady’s pages list no stock status. Our 300 BLK guide also records some Hornady and SIG Sauer figures from 6.75 to 9 in and 24 in barrels.
A dash in the range table means the maker has no load in that guide’s table, not that the maker sells none.
Prices, recoil, accuracy and hands-on results are not in our data, so this page says nothing about them.

See the full tables in our 7.62x39 ammo and 300 BLK ammo, the barrel length vs velocity data, 300 BLK vs .308 Win, 5.56/.223 ammo, the new ammo of 2026, all ammo releases and all comparisons.

Frequently asked questions

What is the SAAMI maximum pressure for 7.62x39 and 300 BLK?

SAAMI lists 45,000 psi (transducer) and 50,000 CUP (crusher) for 7.62x39 and 55,000 psi (transducer) for 300 BLK, in ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4, per our guides.

Do 7.62x39 and 300 BLK use the same test barrel length?

No. SAAMI lists a 20.000 in test barrel for 7.62x39 and a 16.000 in test barrel for 300 BLK, each an exception to its 24 in rifle standard. Maker pages often list a different barrel or none.

Which is better, 7.62x39 or 300 BLK?

We don't rate or rank cartridges. This page copies maker-page figures and SAAMI specs side by side, and it does not cover price, recoil or hands-on results.

Where do these numbers come from?

From our own ammo guides (7.62x39 ammo and 300 BLK ammo), which copy maker product pages, and from ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4.

SAAMI specs side by side

Load ranges by maker and test barrel

Same maker, same line, both cartridges

What the sources say when you choose

Not yet verified

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

Sources

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