7.62x54R
Russian and Soviet service round, still in use: one of the longest-serving military cartridges.
Good for: 1800s, WWI era, WWII era, Cold War & modern, Deer today, Elk today
A typical factory load is a 148 gr light ball FMJ bullet at about 2,800 ft/s, with roughly 2,576 ft-lbs of energy at the muzzle.
Typical load
148 grlight ball FMJMuzzle speed
2,800 ft/sMuzzle energy
2,576 ft-lbsTypical BC (G1)
≈ 0.38typical, varies by brandTwist rate
1:9.5Point-blank range
263 yd6" vital zoneHunting today
Yes: deer, hogs and elk; similar to .30-06.On the Military Surplus chart
Service history
Russian and Soviet service round, still in use: one of the longest-serving military cartridges.
Service rifles
Mosin-Nagant, SVD Dragunov, PKM
Military load
148 grlight ball FMJ
Typical muzzle fps
2,800ft/s
Typical muzzle energy
2,576ft-lbs
Typical BC (G1)
≈ 0.38typical, varies by brand
Twist rate for typical load
1:9.5
MPBR (iron sights)
263 yd6" vital zone · Near zero 16 yd · Far zero 224 yd · Min PBR 0 yd · Max PBR 263 yd · Sight-in @100 2.86" high
Hunting today
Yes: deer, hogs and elk; similar to .30-06.
Open the full Military Surplus chart →
Head-to-head comparisons
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Speed, energy and BC are typical figures for the listed load; real numbers vary by brand, lot and barrel length. Always check the ammo maker's data for your exact load.