5.45 vs 5.56 vs 7.62 x 39 . . . .

[aslowdodge]

Not looking to start a war on what is the better ammo. I was considering doing an ak in 5.45 because everyone says the ammo is so cheap.Heck maybe do an Ar in 5.45.

But just a quick look on the net and it doesn't look like the ammo is any cheaper than 7.62 or 223/556. Am I missing something?

[Rooftop Voter]

The price difference was much more noticeable a year ago... Now not so much.

[aslowdodge]

so where do you find the deal? I searched and most of the sites are $240 on up for 2160 rounds. Many were in the $250 to $300 range.
I just bought 1000 rounds of 223 for $277, so the prices seem pretty close.

[slomofo]

1080rd spam cans of 5.45 can be found at gunshows for $110.00 average. I usually pay $90.00 for my 1080 spam cans, but at the last gunshow I went to, the prices jumped to $115, but I still managed to score a couple for $90 (had to buy 2 crates though which was a total of four cans)

[luchador768]

By what you posted 5.56 is twice as much a 5.45.

[John Browning]

Corrosive steel cased 5.45 is now seeming to be around 2160 for $280 delivered. I just bought 2000 rounds of non-corrosive steel cased 5.56 and 2000 rounds of 7.62 from Cabelas for $360 delivered per caliber. Not having to deal with the corrosive aspect makes it worth it, because that 5.45 is a beeyotch to clean in a semi auto.

[aslowdodge]

doh, you're right. For some reason my mind kept seeing 2160 as something else. Old age is taking it's toll.

So would a ar be worthwhile in 5.45? It sounds like ak eat anything and ar are more high maintanence. Is this going to be not worthwhile for an ar platform?

[ren]

from what i read, mags are the issue. better off getting an ak. depending where you shoot some ranges dont allow steel ammo.

[totenkopf]

5.45 is awesome.

[aslowdodge]

where did you get your 5.45 at? So c mags work pretty good?

[SJgunguy24]

If you get an AR in 545 remember that a DI gun throws most of that carbon and corrosive salts back into the upper receiver. You'll need to clean the hell out of that BCG and any other steel parts.

[aslowdodge]

that's my concern is the amount of cleaning it will take. Will some of the crud work down into the lower too?

[iareConfusE]

I've got an AK74, and I can assure you that 5.45, although a very cheap and fun caliber to shoot, is HIGHLY corrosive and requires an ASSLOAD of cleaning to remove.

I shot my AK for the first time, and I thought I had cleaned it well enough, since I had spent over an hour cleaning it. Came back to look at the parts the next day, and my gas block and inside of the gas tube had already started rusting heavily. I scrubbed the hell out of everything and made sure to soak everything in CLP for a few minutes before scrubbing. Now when I shoot I leave a very thin coat of CLP on the inside of my gas tube, and keep all of the insides of the gun well coated with CLP or some other thicker lubricant, depending on if the part has metal-metal contact, or is just exposed to the gas. I spent a good 3 hours cleaning my AK the last time I shot it, and I'm still not 100% sure I've got all or most of that crap out.

I wish someone made non-corrosive 5.45 at the price of milsurp stuff.. I paid $120 shipped for 1080 rounds, and based on some replies in this thread, you can probably get it for cheaper elsewhere.

[69Mach1]

Wolf Military brand is non-corrosive.

[slomofo]

I shoot Silver Bear non-corrosive in the ARs and milsurp corrosive 5.45 in my non-chrome lined AK-74, never had a problem with either one. Spray some windex down the pipe while the barrel is still hot, run two patches through, go home, run a bore snake through it, put it away. This ten minutes of intense cleaning eems like a pretty daunting task, doesn't?