Cartridge 7.62x54: characteristics, manufacturers. What weapons is it used for?

History of ammunition

Let's start with the fact that the cartridge was first developed in the Russian Empire in 1890. The developer was Colonel N. Rogovtsev. Of course, that cartridge was significantly different from the one we were used to. But it was he who became the progenitor who experienced many changes. Initially produced at the Tula Cartridge Plant.

Just a few months later, in 1891, the legendary Mosin rifle, also known as the “three-line”, was developed for this cartridge, without exaggeration.

At first, the 7.62x54 cartridge had a blunt, rounded bullet that weighed 13.6 grams. The significant mass ensured serious injuries if hit, but reduced the flight range and also complicated the calculation of the trajectory. Therefore, a few years later - in 1908 - the ammunition was modernized and received a pointed head familiar to contemporaries. The weight dropped to 9.6 grams.

The development of new modifications proceeded very slowly - the conservative monarch confidently refused any innovations. Only in 1916 was another modification adopted - a cartridge with an armor-piercing Kutovoy bullet.

But after the revolution, the end of the Civil War and the restoration of industry, everything changed. Over the years, several successful modifications have been developed. For example, Kutovoy’s armor-piercing bullet was replaced by a more advanced analogue of Boyno-Rodzevich. A cartridge with a weighted bullet, used when firing a machine gun, and the first Russian tracer ammunition, incendiary and combined, also appeared. It was still produced at the Tula Cartridge Plant - significantly modernized and improved.

Subsequently, many other modifications were developed - we’ll talk about them a little later. The ammunition also changed in other directions. For example, instead of a copper sleeve they began to use a stainless steel one, and then a bimetallic one. Of course, this also had an impact on weapons using 7.62 54 mm R ammunition. A complex evolution, a chain of improvements has led to the fact that today you can see one of the most popular cartridges in the world, created almost a century and a half ago.

Cartridge 7.62×54 mm R

7.62×54 mm R (see also Other designations) - a unitary rifle cartridge with a sleeve with a protruding rim measuring 7.62×53.72 mm, a total maximum cartridge length of 77.16 mm, a bullet diameter of 7.62 mm and energy 3990 J.

7.62x54 mm R. All dimensions in millimeters.

It is one of the oldest rifle cartridges of modern times and probably the oldest cartridge still in widespread military use. The ballistics of the 7.62x54 mm R cartridge are the most studied. The only equally widely used rifle/machine gun cartridge currently is the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge.

Appeared in 1891 and was adopted as ammunition for the Mosin three-line rifle.

Cartridges 7.62×54 mm model 1891

At first, the cartridge was produced with a nickel-copper clad bullet with a blunt (rounded) head, which weighed 13.6 g and was 30.8 mm long, fixed in the neck of the case using a three-point punch.

In 1908, a pointed bullet weighing 9.6 g was introduced in Russia, and the cartridge was designated M91/08.

During the First World War, the military industry of the Russian Empire failed to meet the needs of troops for rifle cartridges (by the beginning of 1915, the need of the active army was 150 million cartridges per month, and by mid-1917 it increased to 350 million cartridges per month, meanwhile, maximum productivity cartridge factories, reached only 150 million cartridges per month by November 1917. Orders for the production of three-line cartridges were placed in the UK and the USA, cartridges began to arrive in 1916. However, the monthly shortage of cartridges in the active army was 50 million cartridges per month) .

In 1916, the 7.62x54 mm cartridge with the Kutovoy armor-piercing bullet was adopted into service with the Russian Army.

After modernization in 1930, the cartridge received the designation M1908/30. In connection with the development of new weapon systems in the thirties, Soviet gunsmith designers developed new types of cartridges: designers Dobzhansky and Smirnsky developed a cartridge with a heavy bullet mod. 1930 for heavy machine guns; a cartridge with the B-30 armor-piercing bullet, a cartridge with the T-30 tracer bullet (the tracer composition for which was developed by specialists A. S. Ryabov and A. G. Tsialov), etc. were also created.

For the ShKAS aircraft machine gun, under the leadership of N.M. Elizarov, in the early 1930s, cartridges were developed that had tracer, incendiary and combined action armor-piercing incendiary bullets capable of igniting gasoline tanks protected by armor. In these cartridges, to prevent the cartridge from being dismantled (dismantling) at a huge rate of fire of 30-50 rounds per second, the walls of the cartridge case are thickened, the fastening of the primer in the socket is strengthened, and a double ring crimp of the bullet is introduced in the barrel of the cartridge case. At the bottom of the cartridge case for ShKAS machine guns, in addition to the standard designations, the letter “Ш” was placed. The capsule is painted red. Otherwise, the coloring is standard for the corresponding types of bullets. Cartridges intended for infantry weapons could not be used in ShKAS machine guns. The cartridges for the ShKAS machine gun were the world's first special aviation cartridges.

In the second half of the 1930s, some factories mastered the production of 7.62 mm rifle cartridge cases from cold-rolled steel strip, which made it possible to reduce the consumption of non-ferrous metals.

By 1941, as a result of the automation of mechanical operations for the production of cartridges, the labor intensity of manufacturing 7.62 mm rifle cartridges was reduced by 70%.

After the start of the Great Patriotic War, the active army's need for ammunition increased, and in 1941, two cartridge factories began producing 7.62 mm steel rifle cartridge cases.

Modern 7.62×54 mm cartridges with various types of bullets

In 1943, based on the cartridge, an intermediate cartridge of 7.62x41 mm was created, and later 7.62x39 mm.

After the end of the Great Patriotic War, the cartridge became widespread in the armies of socialist states (in particular, it was a standard rifle and machine gun cartridge in the countries of the Warsaw Pact Organization).

Penetrating effect of bullets of the 7.62×54 mm R cartridge:

• A steel helmet can be penetrated by a bullet with a steel core at a distance of 1700 m.
• Body armor of class IV protection (according to Russian GOST R 50744-95) is pierced by a bullet with a steel core at a distance of 1200 m.
• Armor 7 mm thick at an impact angle of 90° is penetrated by an armor-piercing incendiary bullet at a distance of 550 m.
• A parapet made of densely compacted snow is pierced by all types of bullets at a distance of 1000 m to a depth of 70-80 cm.
• An earthen barrier made of loose sandy loam soil is penetrated by all types of bullets at a distance of 1000 m to a depth of 25-30 cm.
• Dry pine beams measuring 20x20 cm, fastened in stacks, are pierced by all types of bullets at a distance of 1200 m to a depth of 20 cm.
• Brickwork is penetrated by all types of bullets at a distance of 200 m to a depth of 10-12 cm.

The cartridge also has the following designations:

• 7.62×54R
• 7.62×54 Rimmed
• 7.62×54 R Russian Mosin-Nagant 1891–1908
• 7.6×53 R Russian
• 7.62×53R
• 7.62 Vz. 59 Checo
• 7.62 Type 53-59
• 7.62 Mossine
• 7.62 Mausine
• 7.77×53.75 Moisin
• DWM 378
• SAA 2955
• ECRA-ECDV 08 054 BBC 010

Weapons using cartridge

• Simonov automatic rifle mod. 1936
• Tokarev self-loading rifle
• Winchester Model 1895 rifle
• Mosin rifles and carbines
• Vickers Mk. machine gun I
• DS-39 machine gun
• Maxim M/32-33 machine gun
• Maxim machine gun mod. 1910/30
• Machine gun SG-43
• Lewis machine gun
• DP and DPM machine guns
• Maxim-Tokarev machine gun

Characteristics

Now let's study the main characteristics of the 7.62x54 cartridge. Since different modifications vary greatly, we will take only the standard cartridge as an example. We will consider it further here.

The total length of the cartridge is 77.16 millimeters. In this case, the bullet weighs 9.2 grams. A powder weight of 3.25 grams provides a huge muzzle energy of 3840 joules. Thanks to this, an experienced shooter can confidently hit a target at a huge distance - about a kilometer or even more. At the same time, the weight of the 7.62x54 cartridge is 23 grams.

The muzzle velocity of the bullet is about 860 meters per second - a very good indicator, thanks to which the shooter can make relatively small adjustments when shooting at moving targets.

In a word, it is not surprising that this military cartridge immediately gained enormous popularity and became the main one in the Russian army. And today, almost 130 years after its development, it remains as popular as ever.

FIRST STEPS

The end of the Russian-Turkish War in 1878, the latest advances in weapons technology and the rearmament of foreign armies gave impetus to Russian experiments aimed at developing a repeating rifle. In May 1878, the question of the need to test repeating rifles was raised before the weapons department of the Artillery Committee. Soon, Minister of War P. S. Vannovsky initiated the creation of a Special Commission to test repeating rifles. It was headed by the famous gunsmith, Major General N.I. Chagin. From April 1883, the Commission energetically began research, and from July 1883, its composition was replenished by the head of the workshop of the Tula Arms Factory, Captain S.I. Mosin. Initially, the work of the Commission was aimed at researching the issue of converting the 4.2 linear Berdan rifle of the 1870 model into a magazine rifle, but in March 1885 this work was suspended. In 1886, France adopted the Lebel repeating rifle of a reduced caliber of 8 mm and the revolutionary 8x50R Lebel smokeless powder cartridge. Since March of the same year, on the initiative of the head of the GAU, Lieutenant General L.P. Sofiano, the Commission for Testing Repeating Rifles in Russia began researching a promising rifle of a reduced caliber. Also in 1886, the Commission studied the rifle of the Swiss professor Hebler cal. 7.5 mm and its cartridge with black powder and a copper-jacketed bullet. Since the type of future repeating rifle was not yet known at the beginning of the research, starting from September 1885, the work of Colonel N. F. Rogovtsev, a member of the GAU Artillery Committee, was primarily aimed at developing a new barrel (from 4 and 6 to cuts of varying steepness) and a cartridge of reduced caliber. Already in 1886, Colonel Rogovtsev proposed a new single-shot rifle and a new cartridge of 3.15 line caliber (8 mm). The bullet of the new 3.15-line cartridge consisted of an iron or copper shell and a core made of a hard alloy of lead and tin. After receiving information that the French bullet mod. 1886 has a cupronickel silver jacket; Rogovtsev used the same material for the jacket of his experimental bullet. The Rogovtsev cartridge case had a composite design based on the Berdanov cartridge case, with a seamless body and an internal cup that reinforced the bottom of the case. The author used old black gunpowder in his cartridge, but improved it somewhat by introducing ammonium nitrate into the composition. The bullet of the Rogovtsev cartridge developed an initial speed of 550 m/s, but gunpowder with ammonium nitrate led to rapid wear of the barrel bore and became unusable during long-term storage. Rogovtsev's work and his experienced cartridge played a big role in the development of the three-line cartridge mod. 1891

“Contemporaries” of the three-line cartridge (from left to right):

1. 8x60R Kropatschek, 1885 (Portugal)
2. 8x50R Lebel, 1886 (France)
3. 9.5x60R Mauser, 1887 (Türkiye)
4. 8x50R Mannlicher, 1888 (Austria-Hungary)
5. 7.9×57 Mauser, 1888 (Germany)
6. 8x58R Krag-Jorgensen, 1889 (Denmark)
7. .303 British, 1889 (UK)
8. 7.65×53 Mauser, 1889 (Belgium)
9. 7.5×53.5 Schmidt-Rubin, 1890 (Switzerland)
10. 7.62x54R Mosin, 1891 (Russia)
11. 6.5×52 Carcano, 1891 (Italy)
12. .30-40 Krag, 1892 (USA)

Main advantages

Of course, one of the main advantages of this cartridge is its high power. Indeed, it can be called one of the most powerful cartridges used for light small arms that do not fall into the category of large-caliber. Due to this, most injuries are either severe or fatal.

Penetrating ability is quite high - this is ensured not only by significant power, but also by a pointed bullet.

The combat distance is simply enormous, and relatively small adjustments can be made when shooting - high bullet speed combined with low weight provide excellent ballistic characteristics.

With all this, the cartridge is simple, which means it is unpretentious and reliable.

SVD sniper rifle – video

Ammunition and equipment

For firing from the SVD, 7.62x54 mm R rifle cartridges with ordinary, tracer and armor-piercing incendiary bullets, 7N1 sniper cartridges, 7N14 armor-piercing sniper cartridges are used; Can also fire JHP and JSP hollow point bullets. Fire from the SVD is carried out in single shots. When firing, cartridges are supplied from a box magazine with a capacity of 10 rounds. A flash suppressor with five longitudinal slots is attached to the muzzle of the barrel, masking the shot and protecting the barrel from contamination. The presence of a gas regulator for changing the recoil speed of moving parts ensures the reliability of the rifle in operation.

A small-scale tactical suppressor-flame arrester, known as TGP-V, developed by NPO Spetsialnaya Tekhnika i Svyaz, was produced in small quantities for the SVD, mounted on top of the standard flame arrester, but its effectiveness was quite controversial.

Operating principle

When fired, part of the powder gases following the bullet rushes through the gas outlet hole in the barrel wall into the gas chamber, presses on the front wall of the gas piston and throws the piston with the pusher, and with them the bolt frame, to the rear position.

When the bolt frame moves back, the bolt opens the barrel, removes the cartridge case from the chamber and throws it out of the receiver, and the bolt frame compresses the return spring and cocks the hammer (puts it on the self-timer).

The bolt frame with the bolt returns to the forward position under the action of the return mechanism, while the bolt sends the next cartridge from the magazine into the chamber and closes the bore, and the bolt frame removes the self-timer sear from under the self-timer cocking of the hammer and the hammer is cocked. The bolt is locked by turning it to the left and inserting the bolt lugs into the cutouts of the receiver.

SVD with plastic butt and forend, PSO-1 optical sight

To fire the next shot, you must release the trigger and press it again. After releasing the trigger, the rod moves forward and its hook jumps behind the sear, and when you press the trigger, the rod hook turns the sear and disconnects it from the cocking of the hammer. The trigger, turning on its axis under the action of the mainspring, strikes the firing pin, and the latter moves forward and punctures the igniter primer of the cartridge. A shot occurs.

When firing the last cartridge, when the bolt moves back, the magazine feeder raises the bolt stop, the bolt rests on it and the bolt frame stops in the rear position. This is a signal that you need to load the rifle again.

SVD with wooden butt

Accuracy and accuracy

When the SVD was put into service, there was no sniper cartridge for it yet, therefore, in accordance with the “Shooting Manual”, the rifle’s accuracy is checked by shooting with conventional cartridges with bullets with a steel core and is considered normal if, when firing four shots from a prone position, at range 100 m, all four holes fit into a circle with a diameter of 8 cm.

In 1967, the 7N1 sniper cartridge was adopted. When firing this cartridge, the dispersion is (depending on the rifling pitch) no more than 10-12 cm at a distance of 300 m.

Initially, the SVD was produced with a barrel rifling pitch of 320 mm, similar to sporting weapons and providing the best accuracy of fire. However, with such a step, the dispersion of the B-32’s armor-piercing incendiary bullets doubles. As a result, in 1975, it was decided to change the rifling pitch to 240 mm, which worsened the accuracy of fire by 25% (when firing conventional cartridges at a distance of 100 m, the permissible diameter of the impact circle increased from 8 cm to 10 cm).

It is interesting that the last updated edition of the “Shooting Manual” for the SVD was published in 1967. All subsequent editions - 1971, 1976 and 1984 - were stereotypical copies of the 1967 edition. Therefore, the “Manual” does not say anything about the sniper cartridge or about changing the rifling pitch.

Direct shot range is:

- according to the head figure, 30 cm high - 350 m, - according to the chest figure, 50 cm high - 430 m, - according to the running figure, 150 cm high - 640 m.

The PSO-1 sight is designed for shooting up to 1300 meters. It is usually believed that at such a range it is possible to effectively shoot only at a group target, or conduct harassing fire. However, in 1985 in Afghanistan, sniper Vladimir Ilyin killed a dushman from a distance of 1350 meters. This is a record not only for the SVD, but also for rifles of 7.62 mm caliber in general.

Incomplete disassembly of SVD

1 – barrel with receiver, sights and butt; 2 – bolt frame; 3 – shutter; 4 – receiver cover with a return mechanism; 5 – trigger mechanism; 6 – fuse; 7 – gas tube; 8 – gas regulator; 9 – gas piston; 10 – pusher; 11 – pusher spring; 12 – fore-end pads; 13 – shop.

The main difficulty when shooting at long ranges is the errors in preparing the initial data for shooting (this is true for all sniper rifles). At a range of 600 meters, the median error in height (in determining the range equal to 0.1% of the range) is 63 cm, the median error in the lateral direction (determining crosswind speed equal to 1.5 m/s) is 43 cm. For comparison, The median deviation of bullet dispersion for the best snipers for 600 m is 9.4 cm in height, 8.8 cm in lateral direction.

There is a known case when a fighter of the FMLN partisan detachment managed to shoot down a jet attack aircraft of the El Salvadoran Air Force with a shot from an SVD. This happened on November 12, 1989 near the village of San Miguel. The Cessna A-37B aircraft coming into the attack successfully fit into the sight and was hit (later the successful sniper said that he was aiming at the cockpit). The bullet hit the pilot, after which the plane lost control and crashed. Iraqi militants used SVD in a similar way, claiming to have destroyed RQ-11 Raven small reconnaissance UAVs with sniper rifle fire.

SVDS - SVD variant for airborne troops with a folding stock and a shortened

Options

SVDS - a variant of the SVD for airborne troops with a folding stock and a shortened but thickened barrel; created in 1991, put into service in 1995.

SVU is a variant of SVD with a bullpup layout.

SVDK is a large-caliber version of the SVD chambered for 9.3x64 mm with a folding stock similar to that of the SVDS.

The TSV-1 is a training rifle chambered for the .22 Long Rifle cartridge, developed by Evgeny Dragunov for initial training of snipers. In fact, it is an independent weapon, only repeating in general terms the appearance of the SVD.

SVDM - Picatinny rail has been added to the receiver cover. Removable bipod.

Existing disadvantages

Of course, any cartridge that has advantages will also have certain disadvantages. And 7.62x54 is no exception.

The main one and, in fact, the only significant one is a very strong return. Well, this is the price for high power. Of course, modern weapons, due to their significant and correctly distributed weight or due to a complex recoil damping mechanism, reduce this unpleasant indicator. But still, the accuracy of light small arms is decreasing. In addition, even an experienced shooter takes longer to aim at the target than when using a weapon with a weaker cartridge.

However, a good shooter with a decent shot is always ready for this. And I am ready to put up with such a disadvantage, which is more than compensated by numerous advantages.

Penetration ability

One of the most important indicators of any ammunition is its penetration ability. And here 7.62x54 can boast of very impressive performance. Of course, in some cases, special ammunition with a steel core must be used to hit a target - they are most often used by snipers. But the indicators speak for themselves.

For example, when firing at a distance of up to 200 meters, any ammunition of this caliber reliably penetrates brickwork up to 12 centimeters deep. That is, from fire from a machine gun or a sniper rifle using 7.62x54 cartridges, it is clearly not worth taking cover behind an ordinary brick wall.

Even more impressive results can be obtained when shooting at wood. A dry pine beam with a cross-section of 20x20 centimeters can be pierced right through by a bullet fired at a distance of up to 1200 meters.

The parapet, erected from carefully compacted snow, penetrates to a depth of 80 centimeters at a distance of 1000 meters - and this is when using conventional cartridges.

An earthen barrier made of sandy loam soil, poured loosely, without compaction, protects a little better from fire from this weapon. The bullet simply gets stuck in it, but still it will penetrate a barrier by 30 centimeters even from a distance of about 1 kilometer.

A standard steel helmet used in the military can be penetrated by a 7.62x54 caliber bullet equipped with a steel core, simply at a huge distance - up to 1700 meters.

Finally, if we consider the effectiveness of body armor of the fourth protection class, then we can say with confidence that a special cartridge loaded with a bullet with a steel core penetrates it at a distance of about 200 meters.

Special bullets for Mosin rifle cartridges (7.62*54R)

Click on the picture to view in full size 1) Blunt bullet mod. 1891 2) cartridge with a light bullet L 3) cartridge with a heavy (long-range) bullet D 4) cartridge with an armor-piercing bullet B-30 5) cartridge with an armor-piercing incendiary bullet B-32 a T-30 tracer bullet 7) cartridge with an armor-piercing incendiary-tracer bullet BZT cartridge with an incendiary-armor-piercing bullet ZB-46 9) cartridge with an incendiary incendiary bullet PZ 10) cartridge with an armor-piercing incendiary bullet B-32m 11) cartridge with a sniper bullet Sn 7n1 12) cartridge with a light LPS bullet with a steel core Click on the picture - view in full size

Armor-piercing cartridges 7.62x54 Tri-line cartridges with blunt bullets: Mosin rifle cartridges with blunt bullets, produced at the end of the 19th century

Split mock-up of an early cartridge for a Mosin rifle with a blunt bullet

Bottom mark of the 1891 model Berdan bullets and three-line Berdan cartridge Light bullet “L” of the 7.62x54R cartridge Light bullet of the 1908 model A
pointed light bullet for a three-line cartridge, instead of the blunt-pointed one that was in service, was adopted even before the revolution, in 1908.
Bullet L arr. 1908 had a cupronickel silver shell and weighed 9.6 grams. The prototype was the German pointed bullet S, which they had been using since 1904. In order to improve the penetration of the bullet into the rifling of the barrel, its diameter was increased to 7.92 mm, and a recess was made in the lead core, allowing the bullet to expand in the barrel bore. Bullet L began to be mass produced in 1909 at TPZ, LPZ and in St. Petersburg. Options for fixing a bullet in a cartridge case In the twenties, production plants were looking for the best option for fixing a bullet in a cartridge case: from the usual rolling of the edge of the case into a groove on the bullet to crimping with dies and a sector Light bullet of the 1930 model.
By 1930, the cartridge with the L bullet was modified; instead of cupronickel, the bullet casing was made of steel. In 1928, the L bullet was modernized - the cupronickel casing was replaced by a steel clad with tombak. The cartridge case also changed; instead of a brass cartridge with an L bullet, it now had a steel case clad with tombac and a flat bottom. Light bullet L model 1930 Every year they tried to reduce the cost of production of 7.62 54 cartridges; in 1930, some factories began to produce steel sleeves with copper plating. During the war years, due to severe shortages, steel jackets of L bullets were produced galvanized, brass-plated, and completely uncoated. The 7.62 * 54 cartridge was in service until the adoption of the LPS cartridge in the early 1950s, which immediately replaced both “D” and “L” bullets. Light pointed “L” bullets for a Soviet-made three-line cartridge. Variants of light “L” bullets. Mosin cartridges with bullet "L" in a brass sleeve Pointed bullet "L" model 1908

Split mock-up of a 7.62*54 cartridge with a pointed light bullet “L” of early release

Three-line cartridge with American-made L bullet

A cross-section clearly showing the differences between American and Russian-made cartridges. Heavy bullet “D” Soviet rifle cartridge 7.62 x 54 with a heavy bullet “D” (long-range). The tip of the bullet was painted yellow. Cartridges with such a bullet were considered intended for heavy machine guns, but their use with other types of weapons was also allowed. It differed from the “L” bullet in that it had a truncated cone at the bottom, was long and, of course, weighed 11.8 grams. The shell (jacket) of bullet D is steel clad with tombak on both sides. A lead core weighing 8.66 grams is pressed inside.

A pack of three-line rifle cartridges, model 1908

A later pack of cartridges 7.62*54 Kutovoy armor-piercing bullet

An armor-piercing bullet developed by the Guard Captain Kutovoy for a three-line cartridge was adopted in 1916. Kutovoy's bullet consists of 4 elements - a cupronickel shell, a lead jacket, a steel core and a tombak tip. The idea of ​​a tombak tip was taken from armor-piercing artillery shells and it performed practically the same functions - protecting the core from premature destruction when encountering armor. The mass of the Kutovoy bullet is 10.8 g. It was the main armor-piercing bullet of the three-line cartridge until the early 1930s, when it was replaced by the B-30 and BS-32 bullets

Fired armor-piercing bullet of a three-line cartridge

Brand of a cartridge case with a Kutovoy bullet

Armor-piercing bullet B-30

The B-30 rifle armor-piercing bullet for the three-line cartridge was adopted in the USSR in 1930. The full designation of the bullet is “7.62 mm armor-piercing bullet model 1930 (B-30)”, and the cartridge loaded with the B-30 bullet is “7.62 B-30 hl”. Such cartridges were produced only with a brass sleeve. The color marking of the cartridges is the tip of the bullet painted black.

The bullet weighs 11 grams, consists of a tombak-clad shell, a lead jacket and an armor-piercing core itself weighing 5.36 grams. The diameter of the tool steel core is 6.1 mm, the length is 29.7 mm, and the total length of the B-30 bullet is 36.2 mm. According to the performance characteristics, the B30 bullet penetrates 7mm armor up to 400 meters, and armor 2-4mm thick up to 1200 meters. Subsequently it was replaced by the B-32 armor-piercing incendiary bullet. Armor-piercing incendiary bullet B-32 Adopted by the Red Army in 1932. The marking of a cartridge with such a bullet is a black top of the bullet and a red band at the bottom. Bullet weight 10.4 grams. In addition to the armor-piercing effect, it also had an incendiary effect, having one feature - due to the presence of an incendiary composition (a mixture of iron oxide, red phosphorus and aluminum) between the bullet shell and the top of the core, the incendiary effect manifested itself only when the bullet shell was destroyed. It was in service for quite a long time; the modernized version of the B-32M bullet was developed only in 1954. The BS-40 armor-piercing incendiary bullet. The 7.62x54 rifle cartridge with such a bullet was adopted in 1940. The markings are that the entire bullet is red except for the black tip, and the bottom of the cartridge case is entirely black. The sleeve can only be made of brass. The weight of the BS-40 bullet is 12.1 grams. The cartridge with this bullet is designed to engage lightly armored targets and fire at highly flammable targets up to 500m. The design of the bullet is similar to the BS-32 bullet, but the armor-piercing core of the new bullet is already metal-ceramic, based on tungsten carbide. The armor penetration of the BS-40 bullet is noticeably higher than that of the BS-32, and the incendiary effect of both bullets is similar. The production of such bullets was mastered at the Novopodolsk cartridge plant (No. 17) and was very limited - in 1941 they stopped producing 7.62 BS-40 bullets. T-30 tracer bullet Design of the 7.62x54R cartridge with a tracer bullet arr. 1930 T-30 7.62x54R cartridges with the T-30 bullet have been mass produced in the USSR since 1932. Marking - green tip of the bullet, white trace color, range more than 800 meters, tracing duration about 2.9 seconds. Structurally, the bullet consists of a metal shell covered with tombac, the same bimetallic (except for the experimental ones produced in 1929, when tombak was used) tracer cup with a tracer composition and calibration ring. The total mass of the bullet is 9.6 grams. Bullet weight: 9.6 grams, length 38 mm. Explosive (expansive) Ivanov bullet (DD)

The “explosive” (essentially expansive, does not contain any explosive) bullet engineer-Lieutenant Colonel V.A. Ivanov was successfully tested at the test site in 1939 and recommended for adoption. This type of DD bullets is designed to increase stopping power and cause more severe damage to unarmored living targets. The design of the bullet is quite simple - a lead core, a bimetallic shell with a truncated top with notches and a ballistic tip made of plastic. It was planned to establish mass production of these bullets at the Lugansk Cartridge Plant, but due to the defective material of the plastic tips, which turned out to be sensitive to moisture and drying out, it did not reach mass production and Ivanov’s bullets were not accepted for service. These bullets were remembered again during the war - in 1942, the Bishkek Machine Tool Plant produced an experimental batch of simplified Ivanov bullets - without a plastic cap. The head of the bullet was bare, according to the standards it should have been painted white, but in fact the cartridges were more often produced without painting. Cartridges with DD bullets were produced for a short time, and are available with both brass and bimetallic sleeves. Ivanov bullet weight: 11.4-11.6 grams, lead core 9 grams. Ivanov bullet, 1943 release Armor-piercing incendiary tracer bullet ZB-46 (BZT) Bullets ZB-46 The main reason for the dissatisfaction of the leadership of the Red Army with the armor-piercing incendiary tracer bullet BT in service was the weak armor-piercing effect. Therefore, in 1936, the BT armor-piercing tracer bullet was replaced by a modernized version - the BZT armor-piercing incendiary tracer bullet, which contained an incendiary composition in the warhead. When firing a BZT bullet, due to its large length (40.7 mm), wear on the barrel bore increased, so in 1940 the BZT bullet was modified - three characteristic grooves appeared on the leading part of the shell to reduce contact with the barrel bore. Another difference was the appearance of a lead jacket around the cup with the tracer composition. All modifications to the bullet were made at factory No. 46, and the resulting armor-piercing incendiary-tracer bullet was named ZB-46 Section of the ZB-46 bullet Three-line cartridge with the Tarasov bullet The rifle cartridge with the Tarasavo bullet is one of the practical short-shooting cartridges of the tsarist army. At the beginning of the century, the task was set to invent a model of a rifle cartridge that had good accuracy at a distance of up to 150m, weak penetration, low weapon wear, the ability to equip such cartridges in any armory, and at the same time low cost. Based on these requirements, many designs appeared - bullets with two flutes, filled with fat, wood and even coconut shells. Of all the options proposed, the three-line cartridge of the Tarasov system turned out to be the most adequate option, and it was adopted for service in 1906. The short-bore Tarasov cartridge of the 1906 model, or in other words, “cartridges for firing with a reduced charge,” was a regular Mosin cartridge case with a primer, 0.3 grams of blank powder and a special bullet. Tarasov's bullet was made of lead, had a blunt-headed shape and weighed 4.7 grams. The cavity in the head of the bullet was filled with a sealant - a mixture of potash and lard. Potash to reduce oxidation of the barrel bore by residues of powder soot. In the bullet, on the leading surface, through channels of 1x1.5 millimeters were drilled symmetrically. When firing, lard and potash were squeezed out through the holes into the barrel, which prevented lead. There are variants of Tarasov cartridges with lead blunt-pointed bullets with a conical recess in the bottom and tin bullets weighing 3 grams. Three-line cartridges of the Tarasov system made it possible to safely shoot in the limited space of shooting ranges and had good accuracy at a distance of about 100 meters. But besides this, the 7.62 cartridges with the Tarasov bullet had a number of disadvantages. For example, before firing such a cartridge, the rifle had to be shaken so that the small powder charge would fall to the bottom of the cartridge case. During the production of bullets there were increased requirements for the quality of stamping. Also, due to the lack of recoil when firing, the bullets deflected. Another drawback of Tarasov’s practical cartridges was their short shelf life. During storage, after some time, the dregs of the bullet seeped into the powder charge, as a result of which, due to firing with rich gunpowder, when fired, the bullet could simply get stuck in the barrel. But in the absence of a better alternative, the 7.62mm short-shooting cartridge with the Tarasov bullet was used by both the tsarist and workers’ and peasants’ armies at least until the mid-1920s. Short-piercing cartridges: 1

— “old” model with a round lead bullet,
2
— Tarasov’s design (general view and section),
3
— a variant of a short-shooting cartridge with a short lead bullet with a conical recess,
4
— a cartridge with a “Margot” bullet made of celluloidine (section),
5
— Tarasov bullet - general view, spent bullet and section,
6
- defective Tarasov bullet without side holes on the leading part,
7
- variant of a short-shooting bullet with a conical
recess Color marking:

Zinc found at the battlefields of the Winter War with Finnish 7.62 x 54 cartridges:

Marking

As mentioned above, the cartridge was significantly modified in order to successfully perform various combat missions. Of course, many different modifications have appeared - their total number is close to fifty. They differ very much - in shape, weight, type of bullet, powder weight, even the material of the bullet and cartridge case. To describe them all, one would have to write a full-fledged book. But not all of them are actively used today. For example, some of them, developed before the war, were replaced with more successful modifications. Therefore, we will analyze several of the most popular ones and briefly describe them.

1. Easy. It is also ordinary - used in most cases when firing from machine guns. Provides a good combat range and allows you to make minimal adjustments when shooting. But it has relatively little breakdown power. Has no markings.
2. Heavy. It is marked with a yellow nose. Solid, without additional inserts. It differs from light in greater weight, which is why it has worse ballistic characteristics. But it provides better penetration of obstacles.
3. With a steel core - indicated by a gray paint mark in the head part. Perfect for defeating enemy personnel protected by body armor and helmets. It also effectively penetrates car bodies and other obstacles.
4. Tracer - used when zeroing weapons and target designation. The back of the bullet is filled with a special flammable composition, thanks to which it leaves a clearly visible mark in flight. Marking: green bullet nose.
5. Armor-piercing incendiary. At the front of the cartridge is a steel core that provides excellent penetration properties. In the back there is a small glass containing a fire mixture. Thanks to this, the bullet effectively penetrates serious obstacles and easily ignites flammable mixtures. It is used to disable enemy equipment - from cars to airborne equipment. The marking is a red stripe on the bullet with a black nose.

This is a very general classification. If only because there are only five armor-piercing incendiary cartridges. They differ not only in the shape and composition of the bullet, but also in the cartridge case itself. The latter can be made of brass, steel or alloys. However, it is not worth going so deep into the jungle - for most people interested in weapons, it will be enough to know the main purpose, features and markings of 7.62 54 cartridges - cartridges for machine guns and sniper rifles.

It’s worth mentioning separately about 7.62x54 blank cartridges. Separately because they are never used in battle. But they are often used during solemn and mourning ceremonies - they are used to salute. In addition, blank cartridges are often used in training. Many soldiers with no shooting experience are first given a gun loaded with safe ammo to get used to the recoil without harming anyone around them.

Encyclopedia of weapons

Cartridge 7.62×54 R, 1891, Russia

Tactical and technical characteristics 7.62x54 R
Caliber, mm - 7.62 Bullet weight, g - 8 -13 Cartridge length, mm - 77.16 Case length, mm - 53.72 Flange diameter, mm - 14.48 Case diameter y flange, mm - 12.37 Case diameter at the slope, mm - 11.61 Case neck diameter, mm - 8.53 Bullet leading part diameter, mm - 7.92

The first version of the Russian rifle cartridge, with a sleeve measuring 7.62x53.72 mm, was adopted by the Russian army in 1891 along with the Mosin rifle. The cartridge project was developed by Colonel N. Rogovtsev.

Cartridge 7.62×54 R model 1891

At first, the cartridge was produced with a nickel-copper plated bullet with a rounded head, which was secured in the neck of the cartridge case using three thrust recesses. The cartridge had a brass bottle sleeve with a protruding flange and was filled with smokeless pyrocollodion flake powder.

Since the cartridge case had a protruding flange, which made it difficult to design and operate feed mechanisms, in 1908 it was decided to consider the cartridge as temporary, but to switch to a pointed bullet weighing 9.6 g with improved ballistics designed by Professor S. G. Petrovich. The cartridge received the designation M 91/08.

7.62×54 R model 1908

In connection with the development of new weapon systems, Soviet gunsmith designers modernized the cartridge. The brass sleeve has been replaced by a steel sleeve clad with tombac or brass; a varnished steel sleeve is currently available.

The bullet casing is steel, clad with tombac. The bullet is secured in the case by compressing the barrel of the case into the groove on the bullet; there are cartridges with the bullet cored. With improved characteristics, the cartridge was adopted under the designation M 1908/30 and has been at the disposal of the army since 1930.

These cartridges are still used today, but not for firing from modern automatic rifles, but as ammunition for certain models of machine guns, both earlier and newer types.

In the post-war period, they also limited themselves to modernization (the third in a row) - the adoption in 1954 of a light bullet with a steel core "LPS" weighing 9.6 g for a sniper cartridge for the SVD rifle, in 1974 - the T-46M bullet.

Later, the fourth modernization of the cartridge was carried out, during which the cartridge began to be equipped only with bullets with heat-strengthened cores: in 1988 - with an ordinary PS bullet (index - ST-M2), in 1999 - with an armor-piercing tracer bullet BT (cartridge index - 7BT1).

During all the modernizations, the changes did not affect the protruding flange of the cartridge case, which was once accepted as temporary.

Cartridge caliber 7.62x54R - 7.62 mm, initial bullet speed - 780-870 m/s, bullet kinetic energy - 2920-4466 J, cartridge weight - 22.7-25.1 g, bullet weight - 9.6- 11.8 g, powder charge weight - 3.1.

The range of bullets for military 7.62x54 R cartridges includes conventional, tracer, armor-piercing incendiary and other bullets, which include: Bullets: a - with a steel core; b - light; c - heavy; g - tracer; d - armor-piercing incendiary; 1 - shell; 2 - lead jacket; 3 - core; 4 - glass; 5 — tracer composition; 6 - incendiary composition.

Bullets:

a - with a steel core; b - light; c - heavy; g - tracer; d - armor-piercing incendiary; 1 - shell; 2 - lead jacket; 3 - core; 4 - glass; 5 — tracer composition; 6 - incendiary composition.

- Ordinary bullets - a bullet with a steel core (a), weighing 9.6 g, the head part of the shell was painted silver. Designated as "LPS". It consists of a tombak-clad steel shell, a lead jacket and a steel core. After 1970, this bullet does not have a colored nose. New versions of bullets with increased penetrating action are designated 7N13 and 7N26 and have armor-piercing cores made of hardened tool steel in the design of their bullets. The 7N13 cartridge has purple varnish on the primer and at the junction of the bullet and the cartridge case.

— T-46 tracer bullet — Designed for target designation and fire adjustment at distances up to 1000 m. The first version of the bullet (T-30, produced since 1932) of this type had a length of 38 mm (cylindrical rear part) and contained a metal container for the tracer composition. A later version of the bullet (T-46 produced from 1938) was 35 mm long and had a slightly tapered rear. Both bullets have a mass of 9.4-9.6 g, the head part of the shell is painted green. They consist of a shell, a lead core and a cup with a pressed tracer compound. The T-30 bullet left a luminous trail (path) behind it at a distance of up to 800 m, and the T-46 bullet, which used a new tracer composition developed by Plant No. 46, left a luminous trail up to 1000 m.

— The B-30 armor-piercing bullet weighs 11.0 g. The length of the bullet with a conical rear part is 36.2 mm. Has a steel core. The head part of the shell is painted black. Bullets: 1 - B-30 armor-piercing; 2 - B-32 armor-piercing incendiary; 3 - BT armor-piercing tracer; 4 - armor-piercing incendiary-tracer BZT; 5 — modernized BZT (ZB-46); 6 - ZP (PZ) sighting and incendiary.

Bullets:

1 - B-30 armor-piercing; 2 - B-32 armor-piercing incendiary; 3 - BT armor-piercing tracer; 4 - armor-piercing incendiary-tracer BZT; 5 — modernized BZT (ZB-46); 6 - ZP (PZ) sighting and incendiary.

- Armor-piercing incendiary bullet B-32 - (d), weighing 9.5-10.0 g, is designed to ignite flammable liquids and to destroy enemy personnel located behind light armored cover at ranges up to 500 m. Consists of a shell , steel core, lead jacket and incendiary composition. The head part of the shell is painted black with a red belt. The early version of the bullet had a length of 36.8 mm, its rear part was conical. The incendiary composition was placed in the front of the bullet in front of the steel core. A mixture of aluminum and phosphorus was used as an incendiary composition, and in later versions of the bullet, thermite was used. The later version of the bullet was slightly longer than the first. The steel core was moved slightly forward and the incendiary composition was placed not only in the front of the bullet, but also in the rear.

- Armor-piercing incendiary bullet BS-40 - a bullet with a cylindrical rear part weighing 12.1 g and has a tungsten carbide core. The bullet and the upper part of the cartridge case are painted red, the black stripe on the neck of the cartridge case, the head of the shell is painted black.

— The BT armor-piercing tracer bullet is a bullet with a cylindrical rear part, weighing 9.9 g. It consists of a shell, a steel core, a lead jacket and a cup with a pressed tracer composition. The head part of the shell is purple. It was subsequently completely replaced by the BZT bullet.

- Armor-piercing incendiary tracer bullet BZT - a bullet with a cylindrical rear part, 40.7 mm long, weighing 9.0-9.2 g. Consists of a shell, a short steel core, behind which the incendiary composition is placed, a lead jacket and a cup with a pressed tracer composition. The head part of the shell is colored red and purple.

- Modernized armor-piercing incendiary tracer bullet ZB-46 - due to the relatively large length of the BZT bullet, the wear of the barrel increased significantly, which was the reason for the modernization of the BZT bullet. As a result, it received three characteristic grooves on the leading part of the shell, reducing the contact area of ​​the bullet with the barrel, and a lead shirt appeared around the cup with the tracer composition. The modernization of the bullet was carried out at plant No. 46, so it is also known under the index ZB-46.

— MDZ-2 or sighting-incendiary PZ (ZP) bullets are designed for target designation and ignition of flammable objects up to 1000 m. ZP and PZ bullets are practically no different from each other and have in their design a simple fuse and an incendiary-explosive charge. Cartridges with ZP bullets were produced by order of the GAU, and with PZ by order of the Air Force Main Directorate. At the very beginning of the war in 1941, the drawings for bullets were unified and became uniform; only one bullet remained - PZ (weighing 9.7-10.4 g). The head of the bullet and the capsule are painted red.

— Bullets with subsonic speed (until 1941). The bullet and the upper part of the cartridge case are painted green.

— Training cartridge (after 1941). Bullet weight 3.9 g. The head of the bullet and the capsule are painted green.

- Target and sniper cartridges - Finnish-made cartridges, such as D-46, D-47, D-166, have the best accuracy. In the 1950s, the USSR developed quite successful sports cartridges “Goddess”, “Typhoon”, “Extra” (bullet weight 13 g) and “Vostok” (bullet weight 11.7-12.0 g). Standard army sniper cartridges 7N1 and 7N14 have a lower bullet mass, corresponding to the mass of an ordinary bullet (9.6 g), which allows for the matching of the bullet trajectories of conventional and sniper cartridges and the use of a single sight scale. However, the lower mass of bullets, compared to sports cartridges, worsens the accuracy when shooting at medium and long distances. The 7N1 cartridge bullet has a lead core, and the 7N14 cartridge has a sharpened, hardened steel core.

— Cartridge with enhanced charge (UZ) — the entire bullet is completely black.

There is also a large number of training, blank (including for throwing rifle grenades) cartridges.

The 7.62×54 R cartridge was used for shooting from a syst. Mosin arr. 1891, arr. 91/30, carbines mod. 38, model 44, rifles SVT-38, SVT-40, AVT-40, ABC-36, light machine guns of the Degtyarev system (DP, DT, DA, DTM), Maxim and Goryunov heavy machine guns, aviation machine guns ShKAS, and many experimental weapons. The cartridge could also be used for Finnish weapons. In the period 1941-45, the cartridge was produced in the USA, England and was supplied under Lend-Lease.

7.62×54R

Nomenclature of 7.62×54 R cartridges: - 7.62 B-30 hl (GAU Index - 57-B-222) - cartridge with a B-30 armor-piercing bullet and a brass sleeve; - 7.62 B-32 gzh (GAU Index - 57-BZ-323) - cartridge with an armor-piercing incendiary bullet B-32 and a bimetallic sleeve; - 7.62 B-32 gzh (GRAU Index - 7-BZ-3) - cartridge with an armor-piercing incendiary bullet B-32 and a bimetallic sleeve; - 7.62 B-32 gl (GAU Index - 57-BZ-322) - cartridge with an armor-piercing incendiary bullet B-32 and a brass sleeve; - 7.62 B-32 gs (GRAU Index - 7-BZ-3-01) - cartridge with a B-32 armor-piercing incendiary bullet and a steel sleeve; - 7.62 BZT gl (GAU Index - 57-BZT-322) - cartridge with an armor-piercing incendiary tracer bullet BZT and a brass sleeve; - 7.62 BP (GRAU Index - 7N26) - cartridge with an armor-piercing bullet BP (7BM4); - 7.62 BT gl (GAU Index - 57-BT-322) - cartridge with an armor-piercing tracer BT bullet and a brass sleeve; - 7.62 BT gzh (GRAU Index - 7BT1) - cartridge with an armor-piercing tracer bullet BT-90 and a bimetallic sleeve; - 7.62 D gzh (GAU Index - 57-D-423) - cartridge with a heavy (long-range) D bullet and a bimetallic sleeve; - 7.62 D gl (GAU Index - 57-D-422) - cartridge with a heavy (long-range) D bullet and a brass sleeve; - 7.62 Z gl (GAU Index - 57-Z-322) - cartridge with an incendiary bullet Z and a brass sleeve; - 7.62 L gzh (GAU Index - 57-N-223) - cartridge with a light L bullet with a bimetallic jacket and a bimetallic sleeve (supplied in clips); - 7.62 L gzh (GAU Index - 57-N-323) - cartridge with a light bullet L with a bimetallic jacket and a bimetallic sleeve; - 7.62 L gl (GAU Index - 57-N-221) - cartridge with a light bullet L with a nickel silver jacket and a brass sleeve (supplied in clips); - 7.62 L gl (GAU Index - 57-N-222) - cartridge with a light L bullet with a bimetallic jacket and a brass sleeve (supplied in clips); - 7.62 L gl (GAU Index - 57-N-321) - cartridge with a light bullet L with a nickel silver jacket and a brass sleeve; - 7.62 L gl (GAU Index - 57-N-322) - cartridge with a light L bullet with a bimetallic jacket and a brass sleeve; - 7.62 LPS gzh (GAU Index - 57-N-223S) - cartridge with a light LPS bullet with a steel core and a bimetallic sleeve (supplied in clips); - 7.62 LPS gzh (GAU Index - 57-N-323S) - a cartridge with a light LPS bullet with a steel core and a bimetallic sleeve; - 7.62 LPS gs (GAU Index - 57-N-223S-01) - cartridge with a light LPS bullet with a steel core and a steel sleeve; - 7.62 P gl (GAU Index - 57-P-322) - cartridge with a sighting bullet P and a brass sleeve; - 7.62 PZ gzh (GAU Index - 57-ZP-323) - cartridge with a PZ sighting-incendiary bullet and a bimetallic sleeve; - 7.62 PZ gzh (GRAU Index - 7-ZP-2) - cartridge with a PZ sighting-incendiary bullet and a bimetallic sleeve; - 7.62 PZ gl (GAU Index - 57-ZP-322) - cartridge with a PZ sighting and incendiary bullet and a brass sleeve; - 7.62 PZ gs (GRAU Index - 7-ZP-2-01) - cartridge with a PZ sighting and incendiary bullet and a steel sleeve; - 7.62 PP gzh (GRAU Index - 7N13) - cartridge with a bullet of increased penetration of PP and a bimetallic sleeve; - 7.62 PP gs (GRAU Index - 7N13-01) - cartridge with a bullet of increased penetration PP and a steel sleeve; - 7.62 SNB (GRAU Index - 7N14) - sniper armor-piercing cartridge; - 7.62 T-30 hl (GAU Index - 57-T-322) - cartridge with a T-30 tracer bullet and a brass sleeve; - 7.62 T-46 gzh (GAU Index - 57-T-323) - cartridge with a T-46 tracer bullet and a bimetallic sleeve; - 7.62 T-46 gl (GAU Index - 57-T-322) - cartridge with a T-46 tracer bullet and a brass sleeve; - 7.62 T-46 (GRAU Index - 7T2) - cartridge with T-46 tracer bullet; - 7.62 T-46M (GRAU Index - 7T2M) - cartridge with T-46M tracer bullet; - 7.62 T-46M1 (GRAU Index - 7T2M1) - cartridge with T-46M1 tracer bullet; — 57-U-322 — cartridge with a reinforced charge and a brass sleeve; — 57-U-323 — cartridge with a reinforced charge and a bimetallic sleeve; — 57-U-423 — high-pressure cartridge; - 57-X-322 - blank cartridge with brass sleeve; — 57-Х-323 — blank cartridge with a bimetallic sleeve; — 57-Х-340 — blank cartridge; — 57-NE-UCH — training cartridge; — 7N1 — sniper cartridge.

7.62×54 R for the ShKAS machine gun

For special purposes (for the ShKAS machine gun), under the leadership of N. M. Elizarov, cartridges were developed that had tracer, incendiary and combined action armor-piercing incendiary bullets capable of igniting gasoline tanks protected by armor.

In these cartridges, to prevent the cartridge from being dismantled (dismantled) at a huge rate of fire of 30-50 rounds per second, the walls of the cartridge case are thickened, the fastening of the primer in the socket is strengthened, and a double ring crimp of the bullet is introduced in the barrel of the cartridge case. The bullet was fastened in the case with two folds, and the fastening of the primer was strengthened.

At the bottom of the cartridge case for ShKAS machine guns, in addition to the standard designations, the letter “Ш” was placed. The capsule is painted red. Otherwise, the coloring is standard for the corresponding types of bullets. Cartridges intended for infantry weapons could not be used in ShKAS machine guns.

Besides the former Soviet Union, the 7.62x54 caliber cartridge is produced in many other countries, not only for military purposes, but also as a hunting cartridge.

In Russia, this cartridge is practically the main rifled hunting ammunition used when hunting medium and large game - deer, wild boar, elk. Both modifications of army weapons (KO-44, Tiger carbines) and purely hunting ones are produced for it.

Hunting modifications of this cartridge are often designated 7.62x53 mm and are equipped with semi-jacketed bullets with an expansive notch or with a soft nose.

Also, the 7.62x54 R cartridge that goes on sale may be designated 7.62x53, 7.62x53 R, which creates a lot of confusion. This confusion arose because different countries round the length of the case differently (the letter "R" denotes that the case has a protruding flange). But after Russia joined the European Commission, the final designation of this cartridge, 7.62×54 R, was approved.

In addition, in Finland, based on the 7.62x54R cartridge, the 7.62x53R cartridge, also known as 7.62x53R Finnish, was developed.

Cartridges of 7.62x53R and 7.62x54R calibers should not be confused, although it is often indicated in periodical literature that these cartridges are interchangeable.

The 7.62x54R cartridge is somewhat “larger” than the 7.62x53R cartridge of Finnish origin. But the main difference between them is the diameter of the bullet and the diameter of the bore, respectively. If the 7.62x54 cartridge uses a Russian bullet with a diameter of 7.92 mm (a bullet of the same diameter is used in the 7.62x39 mm machine gun cartridge), then the Finnish 7.62x53R uses a bullet with a diameter of 7.85 mm - the one that is used in the countries NATO (the same diameter bullet is used in the .308 Winchester and .30-06 Springfield cartridges).

The 7.62×54 R cartridge has the designations: 7.62×54 R, 7.62 mm Mosin-Nagant, 7.62 mm Mosin-Nagant M91, 7.62 mm Mosin, 7.62x54R Mosin, Mosin M1908/30, 7.62× 54 R Russian, 7.62×54 R Russian model 1891, DWM 378, GR 683, S262(r).

‹ Cartridge 7.62×53 R Up Cartridge 7.62×63 PZ, PZA, PZAM ›

Military use

Now it’s worth telling what kind of weapon the 7.62x54 cartridge is used for. The list is quite extensive, so first we’ll talk about military weapons.

Of course, the most famous weapon produced under this cartridge is the Mosin rifle, which was already mentioned earlier. Many modifications were created on its basis. For example, a rifled carbine, which was shorter in length. Special sniper rifles were also created, with which our snipers confidently mowed down the ranks of enemies during the Great Patriotic War. Today it is not produced, as it was replaced by much more successful samples.

The SVD or Dragunov sniper rifle is the most common weapon in Russia used by snipers. Developed in the late 50s of the last century, it has still not lost its relevance. Several more rifles were developed on its basis: SVU (short, with a bullpup system) and SVDS - with a folding stock, used by the landing force.

Other sniper rifles were also developed: VS-121, MS-74, SV-98, SVK. They were not even adopted for service and, accordingly, were not put into mass production. Others are the latest developments and are being tested in the field.

If we talk about machine guns, then it is worth highlighting the PKM (modernized Kalashnikov machine gun), which is the main machine gun in the army of Russia and many other states of the post-Soviet space. High penetration power, reliability, unpretentiousness - all this makes it a truly terrible weapon.

It is worth noting that it was this cartridge that was used by the Maxim machine gun, which was once a real legend.

This also includes AEK-99, MT, DP, RP-46, PKP (aka “Pecheneg”). Among heavy and aviation machine guns, we can distinguish SG-43, GShG, ShKAS.

Rifled carbines and rifles were also developed, enjoying varying levels of popularity: SVT, AKT-40, ABC-36.

MAKSIMOV.SU

Sports shooting is an expensive business.

A rifle, bracket, optics, a bunch of devices and accessories, renting a shooting range - all this costs a pretty penny.

But the biggest expense comes from ammunition.

BPZ bullets
in bulk

Cartridge 7.62x54 R —

one of the most popular and widespread in Russia. A lot of weapons were produced for it and they continue to be produced. Most hunters and those who like to shoot “on paper” are content with Russian-made three-line cartridges.

Some

They consider it acceptable to shoot in this caliber with imported cartridges supplied to us by the Swedes, Finns and Serbs. But the price for them today is very high.

In Russia

a year and a half ago, independent loading of cartridges for rifled weapons was allowed. Today our factories ship bullets for rifle cartridges to the civilian market.

In this article

we will find out whether it is possible to assemble an accurate cartridge using domestic consumables and how economically profitable it is. For the experiment, bullets produced by the Barnaul Cartridge Plant (BPZ) were used.

Cartridges with the BPZ FMJ “Super” bullet and shooting results

Economy

Price for imported cartridges

bites. In July 2022, a search for online stores for 7.62x54R cartridges yielded the following results: Norma 11.7 g. Alaska - 395 rubles, Lapua 7.62x53R 12.0 g. Mega - 190 rubles, match PPU Partizan 7.62x54R 11.8 city ​​- 118 rubles. Sellier&Bellot 11.7 SP and 11.3 HPBT cartridges cost 131 and 202 rubles, respectively.

Sako cartridges

11.7 Hammerhead SP and 8.0 Range FMJ - 280 and 230 rubles, respectively. What, taking into account exchange rate swings, will happen to the prices of imported cartridges by the end of March - we don’t yet know. But it’s a fact that everything will become more expensive.

BPZ bullets, choice
before starting experiments
If

take a pack for hunting - no matter what. But using these cartridges for target practice or even competitions is unreasonably expensive. We need to look for a way out. It would seem that the easiest option is to use our cartridges. But there are also nuances here.

Domestic "Extra"

7.62x54 FMJ with a bullet weight of 13.0 g is not always suitable for modern hunting carbines. At least it doesn’t “fly” from my trunks. At best you can squeeze just under 1 MOA. And one such cartridge costs from 86 rubles. The Extra-70 cartridge costs 105 rubles, but even its price-to-result ratio “on paper” did not suit me.

Ulyanovsk Cartridge Plant

Back in 2022, he announced the appearance of Rapier match cartridges in a three-line caliber, but so far they have not appeared in stores.
The selection of
inexpensive cartridges, ranging from 25 to 50 rubles, in the “Orthodox” caliber is impressive - I counted more than 30 items from various domestic manufacturers.

And these cartridges

, from personal experience, are capable of showing results from 1-1.5 to 2 MOA. For most hunting, as well as recreational and training shooting, this is enough. If you want more, there is only one way - reloading. We'll talk about him.

BPZ bullets

Objectives
and initial data
Cover the entire spectrum

of Russian bullets sold chambered for 7.62x54R is an impossible task for one article. And technically speaking, this is not easy to do - not all announced bullets are on sale.

I decided

First, try bullets from one manufacturer, and rely on existing experience of successful use. Bullets were purchased for assembling 7.62x54R (.311) cartridges of four models produced by BPZ: “Super” weighing 11.3 g, regular “bimetal” 11.3 g, a bullet in a brass jacket weighing 11.5 g and 12 -gram bullet with a bimetallic jacket with a cone. This selection seemed optimal.

Purpose of the experiment:

determination of the most accurate bullet with standard parameters of the assembled cartridge (weight of the sample and total length of the cartridge - ODP). Tasks: shooting collected cartridges from rifles with the most common rifling pitches in this caliber, that is, 240 and 320 mm.

BPZ bullets

More about BPZ bullets

For shooting

4 models of bullets produced by BPZ were used:

lFMJBT (Full Metal Jacket Boat Tail)

- jacketed bullet weighing 12 grams (185 grains) with a conical tail, bimetal.
The actual weight matches the declared one; lFMJ 11.3
- jacketed bullet weighing 11.3 grams (174 grains), bimetal.
The actual weight is within 11.32 g; lFMJ “Super”
- jacketed bullet weighing 11.3 grams (real weight within 11.36 g), bimetal;
lFMJ
- jacketed bullet weighing 11.5 grams (177 grains), brass jacket. The actual weight matches the declared one.

A selection of three-line bullets for comparison:

1 — Sierra MK 174 gr., 2 — 12-gram BPZ bullet with cone, 3 — BPZ FMJ 11.5 g brass, 4 — BPZ FMJ 11.3, 5 — BPZ FMJ 11.3 “Super”, 6 — FMJ 13.0 g. "Extra" (USSR), 7 - Refinery 9.8 g. two-component (analogue 7N1), 8 - Bullet 13.73 g. three-line cartridge mod. 1891, 9 - Pointed rifle 9.5 g bullet mod. 1891/1908

Visual inspection

showed that bullets selected at random from all 4 models can have different press-in depths for the lead core.

Weighing bullets

“out of the box” gave a spread in mass within 0.07 grams, the “Super” bullet turned out to be more stable - the difference in mass of 10 bullets chosen at random was within 0.05 grams.

Cartridges
with BPZ FMJ “Super” bullet
Cartridges
with BPZ FMJ 11.3 g bullet
Cartridges
with BPZ FMJ 11.5 g bullet in brass jacket

Cartridges
from 12-g.
BPZ bullet with a cone For comparison

— the reference Sierra MK 174gr gave a weight spread of 0.03 grams. The total length of the bullets “danced” within a few “hundreds”, but I took these measurements just for fun.

These parameters

taking into account the known characteristics of test bullets, they are not decisive. And the spread of values ​​was not so fatal. I didn’t have a runout indicator at hand, so the question regarding this parameter remains open for now.

Selection of BPZ “Super” bullets by ogive using a Tirex comparator and an electronic caliper

Now

Some facts obtained about Barnaul bullets. The Barnaul Cartridge Plant produces 25 models of 8-caliber bullets for sale on the domestic market for reloading. Every month, from 80 to 140 thousand bullets in all calibers are shipped to dealers.

Unfortunately,

It is not possible to sell any ammunition to individuals directly from the factory. BPZ bullets can be purchased in specialized stores or from dealers who sell on various online platforms. This product is almost always more expensive in stores.

The back of the BPZ “Super” bullets. In macro photography, bullets do not look very presentable, but this is due to their design and production technology

Bullets

are produced on automatic rotary lines or on separate multi-position equipment. Productivity - up to 200 pcs./min. The technology differs from that of foreign manufacturers. Bullets with a brass jacket can be conditionally classified as a premium segment.

Tolerances

for the manufacture of bullets (for “rolling” 11.3 g and for similar “Super” bullets) are set out in
table No. 1
. The same information gives an idea of ​​the differences between these two types of bullets. Exclusive information, published for the first time.

Table No. 1

Higher parameters

bullets and “Super” cartridges are determined by several factors:

— manual selection according to geometric and weight characteristics in the manufacture of shells and bullets; — special restrictions on tolerances for charge mass and bullet extraction force when mounting the cartridge, etc.;

Cases used for the experiment,
from left to right:
brass Czech S&B for the Boxer primer, brass Russian refinery for the Berdan primer, steel refinery for the Berdan primer

Primary recipe

Cartridge:

Sako sleeve, Murom batch 9/18K capsule 3.0 grams, BPZ bullets, the total length of the cartridge in all cases is standard - 76.2 mm, case processing - full crimping, no annealing, no crimping. Yes, the specified powder for a three-line cartridge is slow.

Primed cartridges, gunpowder and bullets produced by BPZ are prepared for cartridge assembly

But what happened

I took advantage of that. Moreover, “Sunar 30-06” is used by many owners of weapons chambered for 7.62x54R. An important point - when loading a bullet of the “Super” type, it is advisable to slightly widen the barrel of the cartridge case - it will be easier to work with the bullet this way, and at the same time you will avoid deformation of the barrel and a crooked landing of the bullet.

Loading optional Sierra MK 174 gr bullets. Taking into account the March jump in exchange rates and general confusion, shooting with American bullets is becoming wasteful...

Optional

cartridges in an iron case and a Novosibirsk brass case LVE under the Murom KV-27N Berdan capsule were shot. Looking ahead, I’ll note that the results turned out to be almost identical to shooting cartridges in a Sako brass sleeve, and reloading cartridges for a Berdan primer has more disadvantages.

It was decided

simplify the task and focus only on imported “brass” for the “boxer” type capsule. In the end, I still returned to the steel sleeve once again, but more on that below.

Three-line cartridges
equipped with BPZ “Super” bullets

Equipment

Russian press from Tirex-L

, but the dies, cartridge case expander and auxiliary tools are imported, from Lee and RCBS. Some tools like the depuller, primer and powder funnel are the work of private Russian craftsmen. The powder dispenser is a “combine” RCBS ChargeMaster 1500.

Press Tirex-L

Weapon

Carbine "Tiger"-SAG.

Barrel length - 530 mm, rifling pitch - 320 mm. To avoid damage to the brass cartridges, the carbine was switched to non-automatic firing mode, for which the gas outlet was completely blocked with a special “Rotor 43” plug.

Optics:

sight "Daedalus" DH 5-20×56.
The rifle's trigger was modified by master R. Efimov
to match level without loss of reliability.

The first participant in testing is the Tiger carbine in the SAG chassis

Carbine KO91/30M.

Barrel length - 610 mm, rifling pitch - 240 mm. Laminate stock made by Mastergun. Optics: Meopta Meostar R1 4-12×40 on V. Rassolov’s bracket.

For a rifle

USM “BV-KO91/30-Ohota” manufactured by Belyj-veterStocks was installed. Both rifles are equipped with DTK.

Second test participant: KO91/30M rifle in position

Firing conditions

Outdoor shooting range,

shooting bags, shooting from a prone position. Distance 100 meters. Air temperature +12°C, side wind, gusts up to 7 m/sec.

Shooting

was carried out in series of 4 and 5 shots. The rifle barrels were cooled between series to a temperature of about +40°C. Each bullet model was shot in 2 series from each rifle in one go. Shooting was carried out on A4 sheets with black “apples” and special printed targets.

Carbine "Tiger" in action

results

I bet on the “Super” bullet.

She “flew” immediately. Without searching for “heap shelves” of gunpowder, without experimenting with bullet seating depth, without any selection of bullets, using the only gunpowder available.

Methodological principle

was simple - all work on equipping cartridges was carried out at a basic level, characteristic and optimal for a beginning “reloder”.

Tiger carbine
in position
First results:

only about 10% of the groups shot from the main part of the experiment slightly exceeded 1 MOA, but this was no more than 32 mm. Average results are from 24 to 30 mm. Several series, probably with breaks inside the group (just kidding), fell within 20-23 mm.

Typical targets for cartridges with the BPZ “Super” bullet

A successful series of shots with cartridges containing the BPZ “Super” bullet from the “Tiger” carbine

Visual influence of choke tubes on the displacement of the STP.
All three targets were shot from a KO91/30M rifle with BPZ “Super” bullets in series of 5 shots. From left to right:
barrel without DTK, barrel with titanium “can” from “Rotor-43”, barrel with DTK “Eger”

On weapon forums

I read that not everyone can “fly” BPZ bullets in a brass jacket, although some colleagues were able to get excellent results in the region of 0.5-0.6 MOA.

Bullet 7.62x54 FMJ 11.5 g.

in the brass shell I was able to get reasonable results within 1 MOA, although there were groups that were off. Here, most likely, you need to be closely involved in selecting a sample of gunpowder, because these bullets fly better at relatively low speeds.

One of the groups with a BPZ bullet in a brass jacket, I note that this is not the best series

After “zeroing” the sight
chambered for the BPZ “Super” bullet, it was possible to do this trick with coins at a distance of 100 m.
Bullet with a cone in the tail.

showed a result of 1.2 to 2.5 MOA and was excluded from further experiments. Surely it can be made to fly well, but during the experiment I was more interested in bullets that immediately showed good results.

Looking ahead

I note that this bullet showed excellent results at subsonic speeds from the VPO-136 carbine chambered for 7.62x39 mm.

BPZ bullets
with a reverse cone in the tail usually flew like this

Bullet weighing 11.3 grams

, which does not differ in appearance from the “Super” bullet, gave groups of 0.8-1.3 MOA. Some groups did not differ from the diameters obtained with Super bullets, but there was less stability. It is this bullet that is loaded by the factory into cartridges, which are sold at a price of 24 rubles apiece and are considered excellent training and post-shooting ammunition.

Barrels with different pitches

rifling in my case did not show a fundamental difference in accuracy with BPZ bullets. The situation with imports is different. For example, a Sierra MatchKing .311 bullet weighing 11.3 grams from a three-line bullet consistently flies at 0.5-0.6 MOA; there are also much better groups, up to “one hole”. But from the “Tiger” this bullet did not fly at all - a crazy spread of up to 2 MOA.

Shooting from the Tiger

was overall more effective. But this can be explained by the superiority of the optics used, the impeccable condition of the barrel and a more effective DTK.

Shooting
from the Tiger carbine-SAG

But quite

the average results and the simplified method of loading cartridges gave me no rest. A few days before the article was submitted for layout, I decided to take a different route and loaded 20 rounds of Super bullet cartridges into more carefully processed cartridges.

Dulca

were pre-annealed and cut to length to one size. Annealing was carried out manually, according to the classical methodology - with a gas torch using a screwdriver.

BPZ bullets

All bullets

were selected by mass, by an ogive comparator and placed in a sleeve with the same force in sensation, which was not observed previously (before annealing).

Powder weight

was increased to 3.05 grams, the same crimp (compression) of the bullet in the barrel was made using a special Lee matrix.

A carbine that has not yet cooled down, spent cartridges and an excellent result on targets.
What could be better for a lover of experiments?

Efforts

were not wasted. The starting pressure returned to normal - the barrels of the spent cartridges were now free of soot. When shooting carefully collected cartridges from the KO91/30M, four groups out of five gave a diameter of 23-25 ​​mm, the worst group fell within 31 mm with one obvious gap.

Stable, heaping

- this is about shooting with cartridges with a “Super” bullet, assembled according to a more careful recipe.

One of the groups with the BPZ “Super” bullet
after taking into account possible errors when assembling cartridges, the second stage of
testing

Here

A remark about steel casings is appropriate. Optionally, I conducted another experiment - I re-wrapped a dozen steel sleeves with a “full-size” matrix, but without an expansion mandrel (“nut”).

Super bullets

were planted with great tension, on the same 3 grams of Sunar 30-06 gunpowder, with standard ODP. The result in series of 4-5 shots is less than 1 MOA. Conclusion: a steel sleeve also works well, but you shouldn’t use it more than twice.

Imported Sako cartridges, shot from a KO91/30M rifle. The smoked barrels are clearly visible - these are cartridges from the first trial batches

Market specifics

I would like to hope

that our factories will continue to ship bullets to the domestic market. From an economic point of view, this is not entirely feasible for manufacturers - due to the meager volumes of sales of this product. But for now there are domestic bullets on the market.

I note

that there are bullets from both our large cartridge factories and several private enterprises (one, two, and miscalculated). There is a choice, and there are platforms for sharing experiences. This is the main thing.

BPZ bullets

conclusions

Russian made bullets

can show good results. Or good enough if we are talking about hunting or training shooting without claims to high-precision shooting.

From my own experience and the experience of friends

I know that it is possible to make domestic bullets fly consistently and accurately. This requires “dancing with a tambourine”, incl. selection of bullets according to basic parameters. The search for optimal gunpowder and heap weight will affect the results.

Bullet seating depth

in a three-line cartridge it is not so critical (you still won’t be able to reach the rifling of an ogive bullet), but you can experiment a little with this parameter.

Shooting
from the KO91/30M rifle

Especially

this can help when the bullet entry is very hot. The real results from the search for the correct recipe for a cartridge with the BPZ “Super” bullet are a fairly stable 0.8 MOA for the three-line KO91/30M in series of 4 shots.

Again

Let's get back to economics. Factory cartridge 7.62x54 BPZ FMJ 11.3 g in a varnished steel sleeve can be purchased for 24 rubles. A bullet for this cartridge retails from 9 to 12 rubles. The cost of the assembled cartridge will be approximately 1.5 times less than the factory one. Profitable, but still not as tempting as we would like.

BPZ bullets

With a more accurate cartridge

the numbers are much more interesting. We count: factory cartridge 7.62x54 BPZ FMJ 11.3 g. “Super” costs 45-50 rubles. Separately, the “Super” bullet can be purchased at a price of 17 to 22 rubles, depending on the quantity in a one-time purchase.

Three-gram sample

“Sunar 30-06” gunpowder for a 7.62x54 cartridge costs about 5 rubles, a Murom “Boxer” type capsule costs 2-3 rubles.

Three-line cartridges
equipped with BPZ “Super” bullets

High quality brass sleeve

“runs” up to 20-30 cycles if it is regularly annealed and does not use excessively “hot” samples. The average cost of one cycle of imported “brass” can be determined with a margin of 10 rubles, and domestic - no more than 2 rubles. And this is if you bought the cartridges new, and not someone else’s “one-shot”. And in general they bought it, and didn’t collect it at the shooting range.

Total:

the cost of a self-assembled three-line cartridge with a super bullet in an imported case costs 33-35 rubles. If desired, and if there are large suppliers of components nearby, the cost of such a cartridge can be reduced to 25-27 rubles. The difference is 1.5-2 times, while you assemble the cartridge under your barrel and get a stable accuracy of less than 1 MOA.

BPZ bullets

The article was published in the magazine “Hunting”,
No. 3 for 2022

Use in hunting

Having studied the characteristics of the ammunition, it is difficult to be surprised that the 7.62x54 hunting cartridge is in considerable demand today when hunting medium and large animals - from wild boar and roe deer to elk and bear.

The most famous model is the “Tiger” - a sniper rifle developed on the basis of the SVD. Accordingly, it retained almost all the advantages of its military counterpart. There are a large number of modifications, differing mainly in the material of the fore-end and the type of stock.

A terrible weapon in the right hands is the KO-91 Hammer, the creation of which was based on an ordinary three-ruler.

VPO rifled carbines can be called quite successful. Their design strongly resembles a Kalashnikov assault rifle. Accordingly, reliability and ease of use are very good.

It’s hard to imagine, but even weapons such as the Degtyarev and Maxim machine guns can be purchased today as hunting weapons. They are slightly modified (deprived of the ability to fire in bursts) and are freely sold in many specialized stores.

The birth of the three-line chuck

Some sources indicate that the Russian 7.62x54R cartridge was created on the basis of the French 8x50R Lebel or the Austrian 8x50R Mannlicher.
Perhaps there is a certain amount of truth in these statements, especially since the Commission actually had information about other foreign developments, for example, about the rifle mod. 1888 cal. 8 mm and the English rifle "Lee-Metford" cal. .303. Let's try to briefly consider the historical events that led to the creation of the final cartridge - 7.62x54R. In 1889, by order of the GAU, instead of the Commission for Testing Magazine Rifles, a new Commission for the Development of Magazine Guns was created, which, as before, was headed by N. I. Chagin. At the beginning of the same year, a new Lebel rifle mod. 1886, but only with bullets and cartridges, since gunpowder at that time was a secret component of the French cartridge. After comprehensive research, the Commission noted the main advantages of the French rifle - a good barrel, overall low weight and 8 mm caliber. But the French cartridge case was considered too massive and too complex in shape. In 1889, the Commission received for research an Austrian Mannlicher rifle mod. 1888 cal. 8x50R and a repeating rifle by the Belgian gunsmith Leon Nagant with a barrel and a 3.15 line caliber cartridge chambered for Rogovtsev. After testing, the Austrian cartridge 8x50R Mannlicher was recognized as “worthy of imitation.” However, members of the Commission noted that the steel jacket of the Austrian bullet is susceptible to corrosion and leads to increased wear on the barrel. They also decided to abandon the copper casing of Rogovtsev’s bullet, since copper did not have sufficient rigidity for the bullet to fit normally into the rifling of the barrel. For the bullet shell of the new cartridge, the material developed in France was cupronickel - an alloy of copper and nickel (German Melchior from the distorted French maillotchorier). Despite the fact that variants of the alloy of copper and nickel were known back in the 3rd century BC. e. like “white copper”, their common name comes from the name of its modern developers - the French Maillot and Chorier. In mid-1889, smokeless powder was developed for a new small-caliber cartridge, and in 1890, a primer was developed. At the same time, Colonel Petrov and Staff Captain Savostyanov carried out work on the design and drawing up of drawings of a three-line caliber barrel and the corresponding cartridge based on the Rogovtsev cartridge and the experimental cal rifle. 3.15 lines. The Commission's conclusions recommended a sleeve with a solid monolithic flange, instead of a bent one like the Berdanov one, and without an internal reinforcing cup. In addition to the solid brass sleeve, the new cartridge was originally created for smokeless powder and a bullet with a cupronickel silver jacket. After the initial problems with smokeless gunpowder were resolved and the new gunpowder produced by the Okhtensky Powder Plant began to fully satisfy all requirements, the Commission in its conclusions recognized the advantages of the new 3-line caliber and demanded at the end of 1890 that the experimental Mosin and Nagant caliber rifles be re-barreled. 3.15 lines (8 mm) for the new 3-line (7.62 mm) barrel and cartridge. Thus, the direct developers of the cartridge, which is commonly called the “3-line cartridge mod. 1891,” were the clerk, Colonel Petrov, and staff captain Savostyanov, who were members of the Commission for the development of repeating rifles. Three-line live ammunition: 1 - mod.
1891, 2-7 - arr. 1908, produced in 1908-1917, 4 - a cartridge with a bullet seated on the 3rd line (PPZ, 1909), 7 - a reloaded live cartridge from the First World War period. For the new Russian cartridge, a solid-drawn brass sleeve with a protruding flange was developed. The capsule socket of the sleeve had a central anvil and two seed holes. The cartridge was equipped with a blunt-pointed bullet 30.4 mm long and weighing 13.73 g in a cupronickel silver jacket with a core made of an alloy of lead and 1.5% antimony. A charge of smokeless powder weighing 2.2-2.35 g gave the bullet an initial speed of 620 m/s. It is obvious that the design of the Austrian 8x50R Mannlicher case had a certain influence on the Russian cartridge case. However, the Russian cartridge case took into account some of the disadvantages of the Austrian one - a short barrel, which does not allow the bullet to be securely fixed; a capsule socket with a central anvil and one central seed hole, requiring a certain precision during production; relatively thin bottom partition. That is, precisely those shortcomings of the 8x50R Mannlicher cartridge that Austria “corrected” only 42 years later, after adopting the 8 mm M.30 S-Patrone (8x56RM.30) cartridge into service. As a result, the Russian cartridge case did not undergo such significant modernizations as the Austrian 8x50R Mannlicher, which was used from 1888 to 1918. has undergone at least eight modifications. In general, the Russian 3-line cartridge mod. The 1891 was a typical military ammunition of its time. Its main disadvantage is the rather large diameter of the sleeve and the protruding lip. There is no point in retelling all the pros and cons of this cartridge design - quite a lot has been and is being written about this. However, the authors clearly share the point of view of those who consider it expedient and justified to adopt a cartridge of just such a design, taking into account the requirements of that time, as well as the state of the economy and technology in Russia at the end of the 19th century. The main arguments in favor of a 3-line cartridge with a protruding rim are that it is still in service with the Russian army in the line of main ammunition for small arms, including sniper rifles, and the “constructive reserve” put into it back in the 19th century. , allows for successful modifications of ammunition even taking into account the requirements of the 21st century.

In which countries is it used?

After the collapse of the USSR, a huge number of weapons developed for the 7.62x54 cartridge remained throughout the post-Soviet space. It is not surprising that in most cases these countries use it. The exception is the Baltic states - they are actively trying to switch to NATO models, but due to an extremely meager budget, they have not been able to cope with this task for a quarter of a century.

This cartridge is used in many Warsaw Pact countries. Some of these states have even developed their own weapons. A prime example is the Romanian PSL. China also created the Type 80 machine gun using this cartridge.

In general, this ammunition is used as hunting (and not only) in almost all countries of the world. It is no coincidence that it has remained one of the most popular for many years, second only to its NATO analogue 762x51 mm.

Ours, three-line (Part III)

(End. Beginning in the articles “Ours, three-linear (Part I) and (Part II)”)

Ammo “hunger” was a constant companion of Russia during all major military conflicts of the early 20th century. Already during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. The army was faced with a huge expenditure of ammunition. The reasons for their shortage in this war are considered to be errors in planning ammunition consumption rates, the remoteness of large military depots from the main theater of military operations, outdated tactical views of the high command on the use of small arms in battle and the active use of a new type of weapon - machine guns.

The depletion of ammunition stocks in warehouses in the European part jeopardized the supply of the army in the event of the outbreak of a European war. Therefore, the GAU placed large orders at Russian cartridge factories. In addition, about 500 million cartridges were ordered from the largest foreign ammunition manufacturers - the Hirtenberger Patronenfabrik AG, Hirtenberg, the Manfred Weiss Patronenfabrik, Budapest, enterprises in Karlsruhe, Germany, from the German Arms and Ammunition Factories JSC (Deutsche Waffen-u. Munitionsfabriken AG (DWM), Karlsruhe), in Magdeburg (Polte-Werke, Magdeburg), the National Military Weapons Factory in Herstal , Belgium (Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre (FN), Herstal). 7.62 mm rifle cartridges were supplied to Russian orders during 1905-1906.

Foreign-made cartridges were manufactured in strict accordance with Russian drawings and were structurally no different from Russian-made cartridges. European grades of gunpowder were used to equip them, and each manufacturer selected the load in such a way as to ensure the specified initial velocity and pressure in the barrel bore when fired in accordance with the requirements of Russian technical documentation.

Subsequently, the Hirtenberg cartridge factory received an additional order from the Russian government, which was manufactured in 1909. The cartridges for this order were filled with a steel-jacketed bullet.

During the First World War, the shortage of rifle cartridges in the Russian army acquired even more dramatic proportions. According to the mobilization schedule of 1910, the stock of rifle cartridges should have been 2,745,674,546 pieces. When Russia entered the war, their actual number was 2,446,000,500, i.e., less than 90% of the required number. The standards for artillery supplies themselves were initially underestimated, since the commission to develop standards for stocks of rifle cartridges, headed by Assistant Minister of War General Polivanov, was guided by somewhat simplified considerations. The duration of the future war was determined to be 2-6 months. When calculating the standards for ammunition reserves, the experience of the war with Japan was taken as a basis. At the same time, the loss of weapons and ammunition during hostilities was not taken into account. The volume of reserves was chosen in such a way as to ensure combat operations during the first months of the war; in the future, the army's need for rifle cartridges had to be covered by developing the productivity of cartridge factories.

American orders

The inability of Russian ammunition factories to meet the ever-growing need of the army for rifle cartridges became obvious to the GAU already in 1915. Therefore, along with taking all kinds of measures to speed up the production of ammunition at domestic factories, it was decided to turn to the allies for help. England, France and Japan provided loans to Russia for the purchase of ammunition. In addition, England acted as an intermediary in placing Russian orders in America. In the spring of 1915, the three largest ammunition manufacturers in the United States, or, as they called it, the United States of America (USA), received their first orders for Russian 7.62 mm rifle cartridges. Under the terms of the agreements, Winchester Repeating Arms Co. of New Haven, Connecticut, was to produce 300 million cartridges between February 1916 and February 1917. Remington Arms - Union Metallic Cartridge Co., Bridgeport, Connecticut, was to produce 250 million cartridges between January 1916. to March 1917. The “smallest” order of 200 million cartridges was received by the United States Cartridge Company, Lowell, Massachusetts, which were to be manufactured from March 1916 to February 1917. The first batches of 7.62 mm rifle cartridges began to arrive from Winchester Repeating Arms Co already in 1915, two other firms began deliveries in 1916. In early June 1915, the Russian representative in America, Sapozhnikov, was instructed to enter into any other additional contracts for “gun cartridges.” In total, during the First World War, Russia ordered 2,250,000,000 cal cartridges from America. 7.62 mm, of which about 570 million pieces were produced.

Drawings for the production of the Russian cartridge in America were developed by Frankford Arsenal. Apparently, to adapt the ammunition to American standards and speed up the start of its production, characteristic changes were made to the design of the 7.62x54R cartridge. The sleeve received an annular groove in front of the flange to improve extraction. The capsule socket has changed significantly. Its diameter was reduced, and the “Berdanov” ignition system was replaced with a “Boxer” one - with one central seed hole, a separate anvil and a primer. The cartridges were filled with tubular gunpowder of the IMR 16 type, which was subsequently taken as the basis for the development of the Soviet VT brand gunpowder. Also, in the process of fulfilling the Russian order, American manufacturers for the first time used ring knurling with notches on the leading part of the bullet to improve its fixation in the cartridge case. It is worth noting that the American packaging of 7.62 mm rifle cartridges also differed from Russian standards: 20 cartridges without clips were placed in long rectangular cardboard boxes. In turn, 50 boxes (1000 rounds) were placed in a galvanized steel box.

After the revolution of 1917, the main supplies to Russia from America were stopped, and the weapons and ammunition remaining with the manufacturers were offered for sale on the free market. The American government purchased 278,950 Mosin rifles for the needs of its own army. These rifles used American and English-made cartridges, manufactured according to Russian orders in 1915-1917. In 1918, Remington Arms Co. received an order for 500,000 training cartridges 7.62x54R, which was fully completed by January 1919. American training cartridges consisted of a galvanized brass sleeve with one or four holes in the body and a regular bullet in a nickel silver jacket with a lead core. In 1918, she received another order for 6,000 high-pressure cartridges 7.62x54R. These cartridges were intended to test Mosin rifles that had undergone repairs. The high-pressure cartridges were loaded with a regular bullet and featured a completely blackened brass sleeve.

British cartridges

Following America during the First World War, orders for Russian cal cartridges. 7.62 mm were placed in England. Production volumes, distribution to factories and monitoring of the implementation of the Russian order were controlled by the British government. Most of the 7.62mm rifle cartridges were manufactured by the English Government Cartridge Factories (GCF), so they are worth mentioning separately. Before the outbreak of the First World War, production of .303 British cartridges for the British armed forces was approximately 108,000,000 pieces per year. About a third of this quantity was produced by the Royal Laboratory (Arsenal) in Woolwich (Royal Laboratory, Woolwich), the rest were supplied by private cartridge factories under separate contracts. In August 1915, cartridge factories received an urgent order for 158,000,000 cal cartridges. 303 British. In late 1915 the Woolwich Arsenal and private suppliers such as Kynoch, Birmingham Metal and Munitions Co. (BMMCCo), Kings Norton Metal Co. (KNMCo), Greenwood & Batley (G&B), Eley Brosers, Nobel's and Rudge Whitworth, produced approximately 150 million cal cartridges. .303 per month. However, requests for ammunition supplies were constantly growing, and the War Ministry estimated the monthly requirement for ammunition at 300,000,000 pieces. In April 1916, the Minister of Munitions, Lloyd George, authorized an increase in the production of .303 British cartridges to 550 million pieces per month. Of these, 300 million were intended for the British army, the rest - for supplies to Russia along with English weapons. To implement this order of the Ministry of Munitions in 1916, it was decided to create four State cartridge factories with a total capacity of 36 million rounds of .303 British Mk VII cartridges per week. State and private cartridge factories were brought in to create factories and manage their production. Thus, BMMCCo entered into a contract with the government to create State Factory No. 1 with a capacity of 12 million cartridges per week in Blackheath, Staffordshire. Factory No. 2, with a capacity of 6 million rounds of ammunition per week, was established on the premises of the Royal Laboratory at Woolwich under the direct supervision of the Chief Superintendent of Ammunition Factories. KNMCo led the establishment of State Factory No. 3 in Blackpole, Worcestershire to produce 6 million rounds of ammunition per week. Eley Brosers was awarded a contract to build Factory No. 4 in Edmonton (one of the 32 administrative boroughs of London (Edmonton, London)) with a planned capacity of 6 million cartridges per week. Negotiations with Greenwood & Batley were unsuccessful, and the order for another factory with a capacity of 6 million rounds per month was cancelled. It is interesting to note that she refused to participate in this project, since its management considered it inconvenient to manage a factory located far from their main production in Birmingham. It is now difficult to name the exact date of the launch of state-owned factories, since some of them began producing cartridge components even before departments for assembling finished ammunition were prepared. The approximate start of ammunition production can be considered for GCF1 - December 1916, GCF2 - early 1917, GCF3 - spring 1917 and GCF4 - May 1917. By that time, the situation with the supply of ammunition for small arms had changed significantly. Russia turned to England with a request to supply 6.5x51 SR Arisaka cartridges for Japanese rifles, and from the beginning of 1916, the Kaynok and Royal Laboratory factories received an order for the production of 40 million cal cartridges. 6.5 mm for Russia. Following this, in June 1916, the Russian military representative in England, Colonel Belyaev, asked to additionally include 7.62x54R rifle cartridges in the order for the supply of ammunition. The British Ministry of Munitions agreed to supply 52,000,000 cal cartridges to Russia. 7.62 mm monthly. This number soon increased to 78,000,000 rounds per month. In November 1916, the British side proposed another increase in the volume of the Russian order by 65 million rounds of ammunition per month. The Russian government agreed. According to English sources, Russia’s position aimed at increasing the production of cartridges in England was associated with the intention to refuse orders for rifle cartridges in America and, thereby, save about 2,500,000 pounds sterling per year (or about 10 million USD at the 1917 exchange rate G.).

Fulfillment of the Russian order for the supply of 7.62 mm rifle cartridges was entrusted to two state factories - GCF1 and GCF2, which were still in the process of being completed. Given the urgency of supplies to Russia, Greenwood & Batley was ordered to temporarily stop producing .303 British cartridges and completely switch to the production of Russian rifle cartridges. The choice of this company to produce a new type of ammunition was due to several circumstances. By that time, G&B had completed its contract with the French government to supply 8x50R Lebel cartridges. In addition, the company had some experience with the 7.62x54R cartridge, since it was fulfilling a contract with Russia for the supply of equipment for cartridge production.

At the end of 1916, Kynoch and Eley Brosers were also involved in the production of 7.62 mm cartridges. An additional 50% of the Woolwich plant's capacity was also transferred to the production of Russian cartridges. By the spring of 1917, almost 60% of the production capacity of existing British cartridge factories was used for the manufacture of 7.62 mm rifle cartridges. Soon the Ministry of Munitions ordered the conversion of the new GCF3 and GCF4 factories exclusively for the production of cal cartridges. 7.62x54R.

Of course, the production of Russian cartridges by English factories could not begin immediately after the conclusion of the first agreements in 1916. It took some time to draw up technical documentation and prepare for production. Drawings for the cartridge, which in England received the designation Cartridge Small Arm Ball 7.62 mm (Mark I) |L| (a 7.62 mm caliber handgun cartridge with a conventional bullet), were officially approved on January 2, 1917. According to the specification, the cartridge had a solid-drawn brass sleeve. It should be noted that the English case differed from the Russian one in a slightly modified shape of the bottom partition, similar in design to the .303 British case. The cartridge was filled with Dupont No.16 Military powder. The powder sample was selected separately for each batch of gunpowder, taking into account the specified values ​​of pressure in the barrel bore and the initial velocity of the bullet.

A contract was signed with the Greenwood & Batley company for the production of 2 million cartridges per week, with full production capacity reached on February 16, 1917. Another contract involved the connection of an auxiliary factory of the Greenwood and Batley company on March 15, 1917 for the production of Russian cartridges, with the achievement maximum output of 8 million rounds by July 21, 1917

Kynoch has entered into a contract with the Ministry of Munitions to produce 20 million cal cartridges. 7.62 mm reaching full production on June 30, 1917

GCF1 began production of cal cartridges. 7.62 mm in December 1916, but initially was unable to establish the production of bullets, which had to be purchased from the Kynoch company in the first half of 1917. The maximum production of cartridges by this factory was 6,176,500 pieces. per week in November 1917

There is no exact data on the production of 7.62 mm cartridges at GCF2, since its production volumes were “lost” in the total production volume of Royal Laboratory.

GCF3 reached a production rate of 2 million rounds per week in June 1917, and a maximum output of 3 million rounds per week was reached in October of the same year. In total, GCF3 produced more than 49 million Russian rifle cartridges.

The contract with Eley Brothers provided for the merger of the company's old factory with GCF4 to produce 7.62 mm cartridges. Production of components for the 7.62x54R cartridge began at GCF4 in May 1917, but the first deliveries of finished ammunition took place only in August. Previously, only small quantities of cartridges had been manufactured in the old Eley Brothers factory. Together, the two companies reached a maximum output of 1,788,000 rounds per week only in December 1917. GCF4 was closed in April 1918.

In the second half of 1917, a shortage of cal cartridges began in Britain. .303 British. In this regard, in October 1917, the Ministry of Munitions reviewed production plans and made significant changes to them. The Kynoch and Royal Laboratory factories were ordered to stop producing 6.5x51SR Arisaka cartridges, and use the freed-up capacity to produce .303 British cartridges. In November, Kynoch received the task of reducing the production of 7.62 mm cartridges to 24 million per month. Royal Laboratory and Eley Brothers received similar instructions.

In December, Britain's need for cal cartridges. .303 rose to 150 million per month. In this regard, it was decided to suspend all deliveries to the allies, but to leave a potential production reserve for the production of 100 million 7.62 mm rifle cartridges for Russia. GCF1., GCF2., GCF3. were converted to produce .303 British Mark VIIz cartridges filled with American Du Pont No. gunpowder. 16 Military Powder. In total, English factories produced about 1.458 million cal cartridges. 7.62 mm according to Russian order. The last 2,359,000 rounds were fired in May 1918.

Except for Russia and the USSR, cal cartridges. 7.62x54R were in full or partial service with other countries. The geography of distribution of 7.62x54R cartridges was determined by various factors. During the First World War, Russian weapons were supplied to the allies and captured by the enemy, and also remained in the warehouses of one or another country that was previously part of the Russian Empire, such as part of Poland, Finland, Bessarabia and the Baltic countries. England and America produced weapons of Russian caliber to order from Russia. After the end of the imperialist war, Russian weapons did not receive significant distribution in the world. Only a few countries have adopted it as a main or auxiliary weapon. After World War II, the proliferation of rifles, carbines and machine guns. 7.62x54R was determined by the sphere of interests and influence of the USSR. Russian 7.62 mm rifle cartridges were used by Austria-Hungary, Austria, Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Germany, East Germany, Egypt, Zambia, Iraq, China, Mexico, Poland, Romania, North Korea, Syria, USA, Turkey, Finland, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.

Sports options 7.62x54R

At the end of the 1940s. In the USSR, work began on the creation of sports cartridges “for important all-Union and international competitions.” In 1948, one of the leading institutes for the development of ammunition - NII-44 (in 1949 it became part of NII-61, since 1966 - TsNIITOCHMASH), was given the task of developing a domestic target cartridge. Before that, Soviet athletes used either bulk domestic military cartridges of specially selected batches with L and D bullets, or high-quality cartridges from the Finnish company Lapua.

Work on the creation of a domestic sports cartridge was carried out by research institute engineer Claudia Timofeevna Makarova. In 1953, on the basis of the Makarova cartridge, the research institute developed a target cartridge “CP” (bullet weight 11.63-11.88 g) with an accuracy of no more than 80 mm when shooting at 300 m. However, such accuracy characteristics did not satisfy the athletes’ requirements, and work to improve the cartridge continued. The result was the “Extra” sports target cartridge (bullet weight - 13 g), developed jointly by NII-61 and the Novosibirsk Low-Voltage Equipment Plant No. 188 (NZNA) for use in various competitions in shooting from sports rifles at a distance of 300 m. Target cartridge " Extra" was mass-produced since 1953 at NII-61 (TsNIITOCH MASH) from components from plant No. 188. It was used by Soviet athletes who repeatedly won the international challenge prize of Argentina (in 1954, 1958, 1962). An image of this prize in the form of a cup with the goddess Nike was even placed on the cartridge cap of the “Extra”, which subsequently led to the popular nickname for these cartridges - “Goddess”. By the way, even now the “Extra” cartridges produced by the Novosibirsk Cartridge Plant also depict the ancient Greek goddess of victory.

The "CP" target cartridges were mass-produced sporting cartridges and were intended for firing from standard army weapons (rifles and carbines), as well as special army sporting rifles AB and AVL. The “CP” cartridges had a bullet 33.0-33.8 mm long, weighing 11.68 g and a charge of VTC gunpowder weighing about 3.0 g. The weight of the cartridge was 24.38 (25.3) g. The bullet of this cartridge had a speed of V25 - 740-755 m/s.

“Extra” target cartridges were produced according to individual orders from sports organizations and differed from “TsP” cartridges in having a more ballistically perfect bullet shape and higher accuracy. “Extra” were intended for use with a number of domestic sporting rifles (MTs-13, TsV-50(D), TsV-55, Zenit, BI-7.62, etc.), which began in 1949 with the production of “weaponry” of the domestic shooting sport with the sports target rifle “S-49” by the famous designer E. F. Dragunov. For shooting from the Typhoon-1 sports rifle, which appeared in 1970, high-class shooters use specially selected batches of “Extra” cartridges with accuracy rates up to 60 mm at 300 m. Probably, information about existence of sports target cartridges "Typhoon", however, the authors have not yet been able to find official confirmation of such a designation for serial target cartridges. “Extra” cartridges were loaded with bullets 33.8 mm long and weighing 13 g. The weight of the cartridge was 25.4-26.0 g. A charge of gunpowder weighing 3.09-3.2 g gave the bullet a speed of V25 - 735-750 m/s. For “Extra” cartridges, gunpowder brands VTOD (VT special delivery, imported) and VADD were used.

Bullets of sporting target cartridges “CP” and “Extra” are structurally similar to the heavy bullet D and consist of bimetallic (for bullets of target cartridges “CP”) and tompak (for bullets of target cartridges “Extra”) shells and a lead core. Sports cartridges are loaded into brass sleeves with an annular core core. In general, sports cartridges differ significantly from standard military models, both in terms of the requirements for accuracy, and in the quality of manufacture and the use of more expensive materials. This difference can be clearly demonstrated using the example of tolerances for some characteristics of sports and ordinary cartridges:

• for bullet weight - 0.05 g instead of 0.3 g;
• for V25 bullet speed - 20 m/s instead of 35 m/s;
• for extraction force - 25 kg instead of 55 kg.

All batches of target cartridges were subjected to mandatory firing tests, after which the cartridge code and serial number of the batch were applied to the closure, for example: “TsP-64” (for “target cartridges”) or “E-13” (for “Extra” cartridges). For the early period of production of “TsP” cartridges (1950-1960), it was typical to apply additional information on the closure about the components or characteristics of the cartridges, which could differ from batch to batch. Thus, the weight of the bullet could fluctuate between 11.67-11.88 g, and the charge of gunpowder - 3.13-3.26 g. Guided by these data, athletes had the opportunity to select the most suitable batches of cartridges for certain models of rifles.

On the metal covers of “zinc” cartridges with “Extra” cartridges, the average dispersion diameter of each batch was additionally indicated. In addition, for important army competitions, “Extra” cartridges were produced in special closure under the designation “target cartridges with improved accuracy.” Lots of these cartridges were identified by the abbreviation “UTC” (improved target cartridges) and the lot number on the closure. Apparently, this overprint on the pack subsequently led to the appearance in some sources of information about the existence of TsUK cartridges, which is not entirely true regarding the designation.

Currently, NVA produces “Extra” sporting and hunting cartridges with a bullet weighing 13 g, both with brass (“Extra” and “Extra-70”) and bimetallic sleeves (under the designation of cartridges with “high” and “increased” accuracy ). The “Extra” and “Extra-70” cartridges differ in accuracy characteristics when shooting at 300 m, respectively - up to 88 mm and up to 70 mm, and cartridges with “high” and “increased” accuracy have accuracy characteristics up to 100 mm and 120 mm respectively.

For use in sports shooting competitions at the “Running Deer” target in the early 1950s, a special cartridge “Olen-O” was developed, the batches of which were abbreviated as “BO”. The cartridge had a lightweight high-speed bullet weighing 6.15 g and a length of 23.8-24.2 mm, developing an initial speed of up to 1025 m/s (V25). The bullet consisted of a tombak shell and a two-component core made of aluminum (in the head) and lead (in the tail). Another feature of this cartridge was the enhanced fixation of the bullet in the cartridge case with the help of 6 cores. The length of the cartridge was 72.8 mm, weight - 19.08 g.

The next stage in the development of domestic sporting target rifle cartridges was a reduction in the caliber of cartridges from 7.62 mm to 6.5 mm, which occurred in the late 1950s. This made it possible to improve some accuracy characteristics in exercises, as well as to use almost the entire range of models of sporting weapons chambered for the 7.62x54R cartridge, but with barrels adapted for the new caliber - 6.5x54R. For sports shooting in the “Running Deer” exercise, a 6.5-mm cartridge with a high-speed (V25 - 1045 m/s) bullet weighing 5.15 g (serial batch designation - “MBO”) appeared, and for shooting exercises at a distance of 300 m and winter combined events “Biathlon” is a 6.5-mm rifle target cartridge with a bullet weighing 9.9 g (serial designation of batches is “TsMP”).

Cartridge "Running Deer" cal. The 6.5 mm has a bullet with a tombac jacket and a lead core 18.2 mm long. The weight of the cartridge is 18.25 g. The cartridge was loaded with WTC gunpowder weighing 3.2 g.

Bullet target cartridge cal. 6.5 mm long 33.6 mm consists of a tombac shell and a lead core. The cartridge has a length of 72.5-72.8 mm and a weight of 22.3 g. A charge of WADD gunpowder weighing 2.5 g gives the bullet an initial speed of V25 745 m/s.

In 1976, due to the cancellation of the 300 m shooting competition from rifles of 6.5-7.62 mm caliber in the Olympic program, work on further improvement of domestic sports rifle cartridges was practically stopped, and for the 7.62-mm Olen-O cartridge, replaced in in the early 1960s for the 6.5 mm caliber cartridge, they were completely discontinued. After the general collapse of industry in the 1990s. To this day, only cartridges with the “Extra” bullet have survived, which are produced in Novosibirsk in brass and bimetallic sleeves. Batches of finished cartridges undergo test shooting, after which they are divided according to accuracy indicators into 4 “separate” types of sporting and hunting cartridges.

Hunting variants of the 7.62 mm rifle cartridge

Until the mid-1970s. cartridges with the military nomenclature of conventional bullets - light (L) and heavy (D) - were used as hunting ammunition of 7.62x54R caliber. The history of domestic purely hunting cartridges 7.62x54R dates back to 1974, when a cartridge with a semi-jacketed expansion bullet in a bimetallic jacket weighing 13 g with a lead core exposure of 3.7 mm was put into production. The cartridge, 75.4-76.6 mm long, was loaded into a brass sleeve and intended for use with various hunting rifles and carbines developed on the basis of the 3-line Mosin rifle (carbines KO-38, Ko-44, MTs18, etc.), as well as in combined rifles (MC5-02, MC-09, etc.). In the 1990s. Hunting cartridges also began to be produced in varnished steel, copper-plated and even galvanized casings. The range of bullets has also expanded due to the development of various shell (Full Metal Jacket) and half-shell models with a hole in the head (Hollow Point). The main modern manufacturers of 7.62x54R hunting cartridges in Russia are the Tula Cartridge Plant (Wolf brand), the Novosibirsk Low-Voltage Equipment Plant and the Barnaul Machine Tool Plant.

In addition to the direct use of the standard “three-line” cartridge 7.62x54R for hunting purposes, work was carried out in the USSR to create various hunting modifications based on it. These developments were aimed at creating a powerful domestic cartridge with high stopping power for hunting large animals such as bear or elk. The famous Soviet gunsmith and designer of hunting weapons and ammunition Mikhail Nikolaevich Blum, starting in the mid-1950s, presented several types of new hunting cartridges, some of which later went into series, and some were produced only in a few experimental batches. The first group, of course, includes the 9x54R cartridge created in 1963 (sometimes referred to as 9.3x54R) and the semi-flange 8.2x66M. The second group included the high-power cartridge 5.6x47R (with a semi-jacketed bullet, similar in design to the bullet of the 5.6x39 cartridge, a powder charge of 2.8 g and an initial speed of 1200 m/s) and a semi-flange cartridge 9x64SR (developed on the basis of the 8.2 mm cartridge case and filled with a shell bullet weighing 6 g or semi-jacketed bullet weighing 13 g).

The semi-flange cartridge 8.2x66 (or in the modern designation system - 8.2x66SR) was developed in the early 1930s by the famous Tula designer of sporting weapons Dmitry Mikhailovich Kochetov. Technologically, it is made from a blank brass cartridge case 7.62x54R. However, this ammunition was soon discontinued due to the insufficient power of the powder charge and the weak effect of the lead bullet. However, the cartridge's story did not end there. In the early 60s. the cartridge was modernized by M.I. Blum and received the designation 8.2x66M. The modernization consisted of replacing the powder charge and lead bullet with an expansive semi-shell weighing 9.6 g. As a result, the initial speed was increased to 653 m/s, but, ultimately, the 8.2x66M cartridge still remained weak enough for hunting large animals and was finally discontinued.

Thus, the only alternative in the segment of Soviet cartridges “for hunting large game” remained the “Blumov” cartridge 9x54R with a semi-jacketed bullet weighing 15 g. In the late 60s - early 70s, extensive work was carried out in addition to the already used range of basic hunting ammunition to study both promising new cartridges in general, and work to expand the range of bullets to existing models. For 9x54R cartridges, new jacketed and semi-jacketed bullets weighing 15 g and 13 g, respectively, were developed and put into production. However, this cartridge also did not escape persecution due to the very flat trajectory of the bullet. It even went so far as to discontinue production of weapons of this caliber (the KO-9-1 carbine (“Los-9” or “Moose”), the “Zubr” rifle, the “Bear” and “Bear-2” self-loading hunting carbine) in mid-1970 's However, in the 1990s. production of the 9x54R cartridge and weapons for it was resumed. Currently, the VPO carbine, developed on the basis of the Mosin rifle, is produced for the 9x54R cartridge.

Quite an interesting development from the early 1970s. there was a new promising cartridge for marine fishing, 6.5x54R, with a high-speed (Vo - 1020 m/s) semi-jacketed bullet weighing 5.5 g. However, it never went into production.

To some extent, developments based on the 7.62 mm rifle cartridge include the 9x64 cartridge with a semi-jacketed bullet weighing 17.5 g and a flangeless sleeve, developed by Blum on the basis of the 8.2x66M cartridge.