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Also known as: 5.45x39, 5.45 Soviet
Common uses: Tactical
| Type | rifle (centerfire) |
| Typical load | 60gr Hornady BLACK V-MAX |
| Muzzle velocity | 2810 fps |
| Muzzle energy | 1052 ft-lb |
| Published G1 ballistic coefficient | 0.285 |
| Case length | 39.82 mm |
| Overall length | 56 mm |
| SAAMI max pressure | 55100 PSI |
| Common twist rate | 1:7.9" |
| Range (yd) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft-lb) | Drop (in) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 2810 | 1052 | -1.5 |
| 100 | 2490 | 826 | 0 |
| 200 | 2193 | 640 | -4.1 |
| 300 | 1916 | 489 | -15.6 |
| 400 | 1663 | 368 | -36.5 |
| 500 | 1439 | 276 | -70.1 |
At 1,000 yards, 5.45x39mm (60gr at 2810 fps, 100 yd zero, standard conditions) has a modeled come-up of about 57.5 MOA / 16.7 MIL, retaining 894 fps (subsonic).
| Range (yd) | Velocity (fps) | State | Drop (in) | Elev (MOA) | Elev (MIL) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300 | 1916 | Supersonic | -15.6 | 5.0 | 1.44 |
| 400 | 1663 | Supersonic | -36.5 | 8.7 | 2.54 |
| 500 | 1439 | Supersonic | -70.2 | 13.4 | 3.90 |
| 600 | 1252 | Transonic | -120.7 | 19.2 | 5.59 |
| 700 | 1112 | Subsonic | -193.4 | 26.4 | 7.67 |
| 800 | 1017 | Subsonic | -294.2 | 35.1 | 10.22 |
| 900 | 948 | Subsonic | -428.8 | 45.5 | 13.24 |
| 1000 | 894 | Subsonic | -601.8 | 57.5 | 16.72 |
Extended predictions beyond 500 yards are modeled from the same G1 engine — useful for initial DOPE, but outside the 500-yard manufacturer-table validation audit. Confirm with observed DOPE, especially near transonic.
The listed uses do not identify an explicit big-game hunting role, so deer- and elk-sized energy references aren't shown. Evaluate the named load using its available source data and any displayed trajectory, then verify the result for the listed target, competition, defensive, tactical, or duty context.
Your barrel, ammunition lot, and conditions will differ — always verify against the manufacturer's data and your own rifle.
This is a military assault-rifle cartridge, best known as the round of the AK-74 and its many derivatives rather than as a hunting or sporting cartridge. Its original 7N6 ball load became infamous during the Soviet-Afghan War as the "poison bullet," a reputation that came from an air pocket in the bullet's nose that shifts the center of gravity rearward and encourages the projectile to yaw and tumble in tissue, producing wounds out of proportion to its small caliber. The trade-off is modest energy and light bullets that shed velocity and struggle to buck wind at longer distances compared with larger rounds. In civilian hands it is valued mainly as inexpensive, low-recoil range and plinking ammunition for AK-pattern rifles. Steel-cased surplus and commercial loadings have historically made it one of the cheaper centerfire rifle rounds to shoot in volume.
The 5.45x39mm was developed in the Soviet Union in the early 1970s and entered service in 1974 alongside the AK-74 rifle. It reflected the same small-caliber, high-velocity thinking that the United States had adopted with the 5.56x45mm and the M16, and it gradually supplemented and then largely replaced the heavier 7.62x39mm as the standard Soviet infantry round. The lighter cartridge let soldiers carry more ammunition, cut recoil, and flattened trajectory for better hit probability, and it remains in wide service across former Warsaw Pact and post-Soviet militaries today.
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