Background
The 7.62×54mmR is the oldest cartridge still in regular combat service with several major armed forces in the world. In 2011 the cartridge reached 120 years in the service mark. The 7.62×54mmR is currently (September 2012) mainly used in sniper rifles like the Dragunov sniper rifle and machine guns like the PKM. The ballistic performance is similar with the .308 Winchester/7.62×51mm NATO cartridge. The .30-06 Springfield cartridge (7.62x63 mm) with its higher service pressure and case capacity outperforms the 7.62×54mmR, especially when same length test barrels are used in this comparison. Even when comparing a 24 inch barrel .30-06 Springfield to a 28 inch barrel 7.62×54mmR, the Russian round still is more in line with the .308 Winchester but a handful of modern loads of the 7.62×54mmR nearly reach the 30-06's power. Because of performance near the iconic American .30-06 cartridge, a similarly rich military and historic heritage and amazing longevity, the 7.62×54mmR is nicknamed "the Russian 30-06" by some. It is also one of the few (along with the .22 Hornet, .30-30 Winchester and .303 British) bottlenecked, rimmed centerfire rifle cartridges still in common use today. Most of the bottleneck rimmed cartridges of the late 1880s and 1890s fell into disuse by the end of the First World War.
The 7.62×54mmR originally had a 13.7 g (210 grain) "Jager" round-nosed full metal jacket (FMJ) bullet. Due to experiences in the Russo-Japanese War, the projectile was replaced in 1908 by the "L" 9.5 grams (147 gr) spitzer bullet, which basic design has remained standard to the present.
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