To be clear, let’s just make sure we’re on the same page here - the 7.62 full metal jacket invoked in the title of this article is 7.62x39mm, also known as 7.62 Soviet, not 7.62x51mm NATO, which is, for all intents and purposes, very similar to .308 Winchester, and which can in fact be used for long-range shooting thanks to its ballistic performance.
It is the 7.62 Soviet that is not good for long-range shooting, which begs the justification for why 7.62 full metal jacket is not good for the application, when often FMJ ammo is used for that very thing.
7.62x39mm Bullet Drop Figures
The problem with 7.62 full metal jacket is not that it’s FMJ (which actually generally is suitable for long-range shooting) but with the cartridge itself.
To put it lightly, 7.62x39mm produces horrible terminal ballistics at ranges in excess of 100 yards, and is pretty much useless beyond 200 - forget about 300 or farther, which to most rifle shooters isn’t even considered long-range, but intermediate at best.
Just for reference, a 220-grain 7.62 FMJ bullet that produces 1050 FPS of muzzle velocity will, when zeroed at 100 yards, drop 32.4” at 200 yards, and 101” at 300 yards. That’s really bad. Could you in theory still use it for long-range shooting? Sure, but you don’t want to know how far it drops at 500 yards.
It’s 355.5”, by the way, which is literally almost 30 feet. Seriously, good luck holding over on that target at that range. You’ll be shooting at the sky.
So, with that said, there are far, far better cartridges for long-range shooting, some of which will be covered here.
Better Alternatives to 7.62 Soviet
Save the 7.62 full metal jacket for target shooting at close ranges, and keep the cartridge as a preferred option for its up-close ballistics. It can be a fine rifle cartridge for hunting small and medium game, for varmint and predator control, for plinking, as well as for defensive applications.
But there are much better options for long-range shooting. Some better alternatives that are (somewhat) comparable are:
- .223 Remington or 5.56 NATO
- .308 Winchester or 7.62 NATO
- .220 Swift
- .22-250 Remington
All of these cartridges shoot flatter and are better at extended ranges than 7.62 Soviet, and though the performance varies, they’re all relatively comparable, at least at greater ranges. In the case of the .308 Winchester, it is not only flatter-shooting, but also harder hitting - making it better on two fronts.
There are other better cartridges for long-range shooting, too, such as .338 Lapua and .50 BMG, though these could hardly be called comparable to 7.62x39mm. They are much more powerful.
There are other worse centerfire rifle cartridges, but the unfortunate truth is that 7.62 Soviet, like .300 Blackout, really is one of the worst possible rifle cartridges on the market for long-range shooting, despite the fact that it is loaded with spitzer bullets. You’d think it might be suitable, but it just isn’t.
An Alternative to FMJ
Now, one more thing is worth broaching here, especially since we’re talking about long-range shooting. While full metal jacket ammo is just fine for the discipline, something that’s better across the board is OTM, or open-tip match ammo.
Shooters primarily shoot FMJ because it is cheap, not because it offers good performance at extended ranges - even though it does.
With an FMJ bullet, the jacket is drawn up from the base and pinched at the nose. This results in a bullet the lead core of which is completely enclosed, minus only the small void in the nose.
The effect of which is that OTM ammo, such as Federal’s Gold Medal Match ammo, is loaded with bullets that have greater radial symmetry than standard FMJ ammo.
This is significant because radial symmetry is one of the keys to spin-stability, which is the main driver of accuracy in a rifle bullet. OTM ammo stabilizes more readily, keeping it accurate, even at greater ranges.
So, if you’re serious about long-range shooting, after you settle on a cartridge that will perform appropriately for the discipline, consider upgrading from full metal jacket ammo to open-tip match alternatives.
Shop 7.62 Full Metal Jacket
Here to stock up the ammo cans with some 7.62 full metal jacket for a discipline other than long-range shooting? Take a look through our collection to find what you need and don’t miss our bulk ammo deals - buy more and save, just make sure you’re conscientious about storing the ammo properly.
Also, make sure you check out our police trade-in specials and other deals so that you can score on ammo, drive down your per-unit cost, and build up a hedge against ammo shortages.