Best 7.62x54R Ammo
Compare loads for defense, target, competition & more
The 7.62x54R is one of the oldest military cartridges still in active service, adopted by Imperial Russia in 1891. The "R" stands for "rimmed"—the case has a protruding rim like old revolver cartridges, which can complicate feeding in box magazines but works fine in the Mosin-Nagant's internal magazine. Standard military loads push a 148-grain bullet around 2,800 fps, while heavier 180-grain loads run closer to 2,600 fps.
Millions of Mosin-Nagant rifles were imported to the US as surplus, making the 7.62x54R popular among collectors and budget-minded shooters. The cartridge also feeds Dragunov-pattern rifles and some modern bolt actions. Performance sits between .308 Winchester and .30-06 Springfield. Surplus ammo is often corrosive and requires cleaning after shooting, but commercial loads from PPU, Wolf, and others offer non-corrosive options for hunters and target shooters.
All 7.62x54R Loads
Compare ballistics and prices across 1 products
| PRODUCT ↕ | GRAIN ↕ | VELOCITY ↕ | ENERGY ↕ | BC ↕ | USE CASE ↕ | BEST PRICE ↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Prvi Partizan 7.62x54R 150gr SP-BT Ammo
150gr
• 2840 fps
|
150gr | 2840 | 2686 | .41 | — | $2.17/rd |
7.62x54R Trajectory Calculator
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Advantages and Disadvantages
Pros
- Effective on deer and similar-sized game to 300 yards
- Commercial ammo available from PPU, Wolf, and others
- Affordable surplus rifles chambered for it
- Ballistics comparable to .308 Winchester
- Historic significance for military collectors
Cons
- Rimmed case can cause feeding issues in some rifles
- Surplus ammo often has corrosive primers
- Brass is harder to find than common calibers
- Most available rifles are heavy military surplus
- Surplus ammo quality varies widely by lot