7 . 62×54mmR The 7 . 62×54mmR is a rimmed rifle cartridge developed by the Russian Empire and was introduced as a service cartridge in 1891 . Originally designed for the bolt - action Mosin – Nagant rifle , it was used during the late Tsarist era and throughout the Soviet period to the present day . The cartridge remains one of the few standard issue rimmed cartridges still in military use and has the longest service life of all military issued cartridges in the world . The American Winchester Model 1895 was also chambered for this cartridge per a contract with the Russian government . The 7 . 62×54mmR is still in use by the Russian military in the Dragunov and other sniper rifle s , as well as some modern machine guns like the PKM . Originally , the round was designated as " Трехлинейный патрон образца 1891 года " - ( Three - line cartridge model of 1891 ) . It then became widely known under the designation " 7 , 62мм винтовочный патрон " ( 7 , 62mm rifle cartridge ) . The round has erroneously come to be known as the " 7 . 62mm Russian " ( and is still often referred to as such colloquially ) , but , according to new standards , the " R " in the modern official C . I . P . designation ( 7 . 62 × 54 R ) stands for Rimmed , in line with standard C . I . P . designations . The name is sometimes confused with the " 7 . 62 Soviet " round , which refers to the 7 . 62×39mm cartridge used in the SKS and AK - based ( AK - 47 ) rifles . 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 slightly better than the . 308 Winchester / 7 . 62×51mm NATO cartridge . The . 30 - 06 Springfield cartridge ( 7 . 62×63 mm ) with its higher service pressure and case capacity can outperform the 7 . 62×54mmR , especially when same length test barrels are used in this comparison . The 7 . 62×54mmR ' s case capacity prevents it from reaching the most powerful . 30 - 06 loads , but even with this limit , it has been used to successfully kill large bears . Because of performance similar to 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 " spitzer bullet , which basic design has remained standard to the present . Sniper Rounds . To increase accuracy for the Dragunov SVD , the Soviets developed the 7N1 variant of the cartridge in 1966 . The 7N1 was developed by V . M . Sabelnikov , P . P . Sazonov and V . M . Dvorianinov . It used match - grade extruded powder instead of the coarser ball propellant and had a boat - tailed FMJ jacketed projectile with an air pocket , a steel core and a lead knocker in the base for maximum terminal effect . Produced by “ Factory 188 ” ( Novosibirsk Low Voltage Equipment Plant ) , cartridges are only head - stamped with the number “ 188 ” and the year of manufacture . It came packaged 20 loose rounds to a paper packet , 22 packets to a metal “ spam ” tin , and two tins per wooden case for a total of 880 rounds . The individual paper packets , hermetically sealed metal ' spam ' cans , and wooden shipping crates were all distinctly marked " Snaiperskie " ( " Sniper " ) in Cyrillic . Even the wax wrapping paper for the paper boxes was covered in red text to make sure it wasn ' t misused . As hard body armor saw increasing use in militaries the 7N1 was replaced in 1999 by the 7N14 special load developed for the SVD . The 7N14 round is loaded with a projectile containing a sharp hardened steel penetrator to improve penetration which is fired with an average muzzle velocity of . Cartridge dimensions . The 7 . 62×54mmR has 4 . 16 ml ( 64 grains HO ) cartridge case capacity . The pronounced tapering exterior shape of the case was designed to promote reliable case feeding and extraction in bolt action rifles and machine gun s alike , under challenging conditions . Although the design did not help improve reliability , the cartridge ' s shape remains the same to the present day . 7 . 62×54mmR maximum C . I . P . cartridge dimensions . All sizes in millimeters ( mm ) . Americans would define the shoulder angle at alpha / 2 ≈ 18 . 5 degrees . The common rifling twist rate for this cartridge is 240 mm ( 1 in 9 . 45 in ) , 4 grooves , Ø lands = 7 . 62 mm ( 0 . 300 in ) , Ø grooves = 7 . 92 mm ( 0 . 312 in ) , land width = 3 . 81 mm and the primer type is Berdan or very rarely Boxer ( in large rifle size ) . According to the official C . I . P . ( Commission Internationale Permanente pour l ' Epreuve des Armes à Feu Portatives ) guidelines the 7 . 62×54mmR case can handle up to 390 MPa ( 56 , 564 psi ) piezo pressure . In C . I . P . regulated countries every rifle cartridge combo has to be proofed at 125 % of this maximum C . I . P . pressure to certify for sale to consumers . Performance . The attainable muzzle velocities and muzzle energies of the 7 . 62×54mmR are comparable with the . 308 Winchester . The spitzer bullets used in the military variants have a particularly elongated shape which results in a favorable ballistic coefficient and sectional density , contributing to an adequate long range performance and energy retention . http : / / 7 . 62x54r . net / MosinID / MosinAmmo023 . htm When used with modern hunting bullets , the 7 . 62×54mmR is capable of taking game in the medium to large sized class ( CXP2 and CXP3 ) . In Russia the 7 . 62×54mmR is commonly used for hunting purposes mostly in sporterized Mosin - Nagant rifles and civil Dragunov variants ( Tigers ) . The chambering is also used for protection against dangerous game like brown and polar bears . Basic specifications of 21st century Russian service loads . The 7 . 62×54mmR rounds in use with the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are designed for machine guns and sniper rifles . As per 2003 there were several variants of 7 . 62×54mmR rounds produced for various purposes . All use clad metal as case material . Availability . 7 . 62×54mmR is widely available both as military surplus and new production , but less so for match - grade rounds . Most surplus ammunition is steel - cased and uses Berdan primer s , which effectively hinders its use for handloading . However , with the increased popularity of surplus Eastern - bloc Mosin - Nagant rifles in the United States , Boxer primed ammunition and unfired cases are increasingly available ; these cases take large rifle primers . Cartridge derivatives . The 6 . 5×54mmR cartridge used in many Vostok brand target rifles in the 1960s and 1970s is a necked down version of the 7 . 62×54R .