Several years late to the party, here to sprinkle some facts about the shown/discussed ammo in this video! (Yes it is late in the evening on a Friday as I am commenting on this, yes I have been drinking and eating Italian ice soaked in cold vodka, it is hot as a snakes balls in a wagon rut out here in Arizona and I wanna have a colt treat and unwind from a crazy week, vodka soaked lemon Italian ice is delicious and solves both problems!) [Top Left] 7N1 - As stated in the video, this is "sniper" ammunition and it was developed as the standard load for the SVD-63 Dragunov rifles. This particular load was tailor made for this platform and was paired with the Soviet issued PSO-1 scope to form a designated marksman rifle platform that was almost unmatched for quite some number of years. [Top 2nd Left] Lead-Core Heavy Ball - This yellow tipped ammunition is a 180-grain bi-metal jacketed lead-core load and was used primarily in heavy machine guns. Its use in standard rifle platforms was not common due to excessive recoil that would damage most semi-auto rifles (SVT-40, SVD-63) and had a marked increase in barrel wear when used excessively in the Mosin-Nagant rifles. [Top Middle] Steel-Core Heavy Ball - This yellow and silver tipped ammunition was produced exclusively in Hungary for a few years but was very quickly discontinued due to a tendency for the steel core to separate from the rest of the projectile causing questionable accuracy. All other specification were more or less identical to standard lead-core heavy ball. [Top 2nd Right] Armor Piercing (AP) - The ammunition pictured appears to be B-30 type AP ammunition. My information in this load is limited, all I know for sure is that it has a hardened steel core for enhanced penetration over standard light ball ammo and is distinguished by a black tip. [Top Right] Tracer - these appear to be T-46M tracer loads, identifiable by the green tips and the stepped bullet shape. [Bottom Left] ??????? - I am unable to positively identify this ammo without further information. Case headstamp markings would be useful in determining country of origin and production year to narrow down what type of projectile is used, but the bullets appear to be shorter than standard 7.62x54r ammunition. [Bottom 2nd Left] Armor Piercing/Incendiary (API) - This red and black tipped ammunition looks like soviet B-32 API, however this particular ammo appears to be pulled projectiles reloaded in modern brass cases, as the original soviet loads were always loaded into copper-washed steel cases and had the case mouth/bullet base sealed with red lacquer. [Bottom Middle] Steel-Core Light Ball - This silver tipped ammunition is the most common and most heavily produced service load made. Consisting of a steel core 147 grain projectile, this was the standard Soviet rifle cartridge and later the standard machine gun cartridge in military service. The majority of imported surplus ammo on the market is falls into this category. [Bottom 2nd Right] Steel-Core Light Ball (Unmarked) - This ammunition is identical to the above mentioned silver tip load. Sometime in the early 1980's the silver tip marking was discarded and all further light ball ammo produced was left unmarked. [Bottom Right] Hollow Core Czech Training Ammo - This somewhat rare ammunition was only produced in Czechoslovakia. Most of what became available on the US market was produced in the mid 1960's. This load consists of little more than a hollow double-thick jacket with a white marked stubby tip which weighs 46 grains. It produces very little recoil and is reasonably accurate out to 200 meters. Out here in Arizona this load has supposedly been found to make an exceptional coyote killing round by property owners wanting to get rid of their 'pest problem' of coyotes killing animals on their land. These bullets allegedly 'explode' on impact causing severe wounding and quick death. The best explanation I have is that the hollow core bullets reach very high velocities due to being loaded with nearly the same powder charge as standard light ball ammo and that being lightweight hollow core projectiles they stop very quickly and flatten out or fragment when they impact soft tissue, dumping all their kinetic energy very rapidly into the coyote, causing the appearance of an 'exploding' round. And there you have it folks, even more useless information for you to glance over and ignore buried away in the comments section of a KZread video. Could I have done something more productive with my time? Sure, I could have. But that would probably have been boring.

@docbar4885

6 жыл бұрын

Joshua Redhorse Wow, your knowledge on various rounds is impressive. Now tell me how I can get some AP or API rounds?

@joshuaredhorse4030

6 жыл бұрын

docbar The internet is your friend. They won't be cheap, but you can occasionally find sites selling both AP and API rounds at ludicrously overinflated prices.

@bryant7940

6 жыл бұрын

thanks :)

@abrb1223

6 жыл бұрын

Joshua Redhorse You and I need to have a conversation my friend. I've been collecting 54R ammunition for about 5 years and I have some fairly interesting headstamps. I have one of those unidentified rounds with the black casing in my collection. Headstamp is two interlocking rings over the number 59. I also have what I believe to be solid tungsten or solid steel ammunition with no jacket whatsoever, headstamp 10 / 89. I love tracing 54r to it's origins, it's almost as fun as shooting my 91/30. I've actually been compiling photos lately to send to the cartridge collectors forum. Edit: the black round in my collection does NOT have a black tip. Could have been removed, not sure.

@docbar4885

6 жыл бұрын

Kraven I recently bought some silver tipped ammo marked with 10 77. It came in a tuna can but the lid was missing when I purchased it. I'm curious what it is.

Great videos, mainejunker! Excellent stuff. On the 7.62x54r, the yellow tips generally mean heavy (182gr.) ball and the silver tips indicate steel core, usually light(147 gr.) ball. The Hungarian silver over yellow means it's a 182gr. steel core construction.

Yes, I have bought the same stuff for brass too. Still working on my cast loads for 54r. It's a good round in general.

This is SO dated. The average person will never shoot most of that ammo ever again ('cept the milsurp mild steel core). Spam cans now go for over $200. So, thanks for the trip down memory lane.

I love your enthusiasm when it comes to the API rounds :-)

This video would be like walking into a candy store to Vasily Zaytsev. By the way the last rounds in the stripper clips you talked about are called gallery loads.

@LuvBorderCollies

10 жыл бұрын

Got a wood crate of those from Century years ago. IIRC they were termed short range target (or practice) loads. Bullet should be around 30 grains. Core composition is supposed to be powdered metal. They are fun to shoot with all the recoil of a .22 rimfire. Not real accurate at 100 yds about 6-8" groups from a rough bore M44.

Been waiting for this series, can't wait to see the results! I am a huge fan of the 54r cartridge for its multiple practical loads and uses. Keep up the greay work!

I have about 500 rounds of the training ammo. It's surprisingly accurate at 100 yards. I don't know about penetration but I would not be surprised if it performs better than you think. Personally I purchased a bunch of it to pull the heads, dump the powder and reload the primed cases with my own bullet an powder. It was alot cheaper to buy the training ammo at the time than even just the brass to reload.

Heavey ball was marked with a yellow tip, light ball with a silver tip. When heavy ball was discontenued, the colring of the tip was stopped as all ball made since then is light ball.

JUST ORDERED 3 CRATES OF BULGARIAN STUFF FROM CLASSIC FIREARMS ALONG WITH 3 FINNISH M39'S THAT WERE DUG UP IN SOME DEAD GUYS ESTATE.. PRETTY STOKED.

@EdwardSnortin

8 жыл бұрын

+juan toledo He wasn't dead.

@seanhazelwood3311

8 жыл бұрын

+ComradeCase And he's Pissed!

@landcruisertoy9667

8 жыл бұрын

+juan toledo From The Netherlands? Classic firearms?

@Isaihernandez777

Жыл бұрын

Lucky son of a gun.

great camera work!thank you.

7.62x54r is the oldest round used in all military history. And still is highly used in today's high tech age

@graysonbennett1901

8 жыл бұрын

+iTheGeek Actually no, Russia's PKP Pecheneg and Dragunov SVD both use 7.62x54R

@Gh..o..s..t

8 жыл бұрын

iTheGeek your so wrong Russian sniper Dragunov uses that round today is in use.

@Gh..o..s..t

8 жыл бұрын

The Russian Dragunov and the American 243 Bravo still uses to 7.62 by 54 round today

@Hilth0Modding

8 жыл бұрын

+Michael Rigdon SVD and PKP use the 7.62x54R, the M240B uses the 7.62x51mm NATO aka .308.

@Itapirkanmaa2

7 жыл бұрын

The Finnish Army is then a one such very poor unit, with the Russian PKM machine gun, and also the Mosin-derived sniper rifle 7.62 TKiv 85. Well, considering the amount of GDP % spent on army, perhaps we are.

Surplus is an amount of something left over when requirements have been met.

Thanks for that info, it is much appreciated.

Cool, looking forward to the videos

RIP to the surplus market. We lived through the heyday of it, if only I had bought more when I had the chance. Now we have M91/30's going for $500 and spam cans going for almost that much. Thanks, boomers!

Spraying WINDEX or similar cleaner w/ammonia is a good idea and easy to do. I also keep a can of compressed air (like for cleaning a computer keyboard) handy to help dry things out to avoid rust.

Soft targets behind barriers gets my vote for testing. Also, longer distances are always interesting to see how the ballistics act.

Yep, been reading about this recently. It's already on my list of things to investigate. Thanks.

I have about 1100 rounds of the East German training ammo that a guy gave me when I bought a mosin 91/59 from him. It seems to be full power w/ a 122 grain projectile, I haven't chronoed it, but I have been shooting ground squirrels w/ it through an old Finn M39; the stuff is just devastating, besides being accurate once your rifle is sighted in for the low projectile weight. Tears things up like a .22-250 does.

Man awesome video, I love that round too. Basically a 30-06 for cheap!

I'd really like to see some commercial ammo reviews and tests for 7.62x54r, like Brown Bear, Red Army Standard, PPU, and S&B, amongst others.

What i want to see: More video's, i love them alot!

This is a great caliber for reloading Brass is a little $$ but well worth buying it.

I bought an m53 for cheap ammo. Glad you made this video and I have subbed!

What markings would be found on a spammo can of 7N1? Is there a video or a link that describes/explains all of the markings on a spammo can; the only thing I know for sure is the year of manufacture

On the topic of Cleaning your rifle after using corrosive ammo. It's no big deal. Lots of products out there will stop the "corrosive" agent from damaging the barrel's Bore and other inner workings of the weapon. People say "Corrosive" ammo, but in my dealings, it's actually just the primer that is of a corrosive nature, not the powder, and certainly not the bullet itself. All the Comm-Block ammo being sold here is production from 35-50 yrs ago. They are just rotating stock. Getting rid of the old (selling it in the USA) and restocking their warehouses with FRESH ammo. Everyone that shoots a SKS, AK, or Nagant (or similar) AND uses any of the green spam can ammo, should consider it corrosive. Windex is fine, It's the ammonia in the Windex that neutralizes the corrosive agent.. You don't even have to put it in a spray bottle, just get yourself a little bottle with a plastic applicator, or saturate a patch on a cleaning rod. Those steel rods that come on the rifles are more damaging that the ammo itself. Use a softer rod (Carbon fiber) is great, it doesn't damage the rifling. There is a product called "Sweets" and one other called Copper Killer....both stop the corrosive agent. If you can afford the gun and the ammo, you can afford the time to clean it properly and care for it. It only takes 15mins or less to do it. Happy shooting

I have a few crates of silver tips and one crate is no markings factory 188 Russia. According to your video, that should be a steel core like the silver tip but just no marking or silver color coded. Nice vid and wish I can have this as a collection. It would be fun to look back when 7.62x54r is completely dried up. I would say at least another 10 years, but price will definitely way high than .25 cents per round.

i just want more of these amazing videos!

Yup, I'm in the same boat as far as being able to afford lots of gear or hunting, so I'll probably keep it simple and low key this year. My chances are probably best for White Tail deer around this area. They're freaking everywhere.. As for the conversation, it's good to see an actual conversation rather than a flame-war.

Would like to see the hollow tip meeting ballistic gel, that entire nose section folding in on its self ought to make for amazing energy transfer!

I like watching your videos and seeing what the bullets penetration capabilities are on hard objects. I think it would be interesting to see what effects these different bullets have on organic material. Especially since there are a lot of hunters who use this 7.62x54r caliber.

Yellow tip is heavy ball, nominal 182 grain. Silver tip is nominal 147 grain for older ammo; after the heavy ball fell out of favor many countries stopped painting the tips, since it was all 147 gr.

It really makes sense to shoot the 7.62x54R as a regular plinker gun due to the availability and affordability of the cartridge. I'm sort of getting bored with bolt-action though, would love to find a deal on an SVT-40!

Great round!

Hey there Nordic Viking. I think I have some of those somewhere. This makes me want to dig them out! :) Nice find my friend.

Hi Guys. That "practice round" ammo (bottom right) is a hollow copper round nose bullet with a lot of air inside, surrounding a thin hard steel funnel-shaped core. Looks a bit like an air-rifle pellet with that skirt. The round weighs about 46 grains (about as much as a 22LR) and rips along about 4,000 fps. I don't know about practice shooting with a steel insert, but it makes a helluva low recoil home defense round!

I don't recall the situation but no bother, we're all friends... and I'm glad your here. :)

id love to see some videos on the 147 grain steel core you had in the middle on the bottom. most of my ammo for my Mosin is that exact ammo, and id love to know some specs on it such as penetration, accuracy, etc. thanks in advance!

Are all steel cased 7.62x54R corrosive? If not, is there any way you can tell which ones are and are not? Thanks.

Years ago I bought half a case of late 40s vintage Russian 7.62X54R. Every round was a hang fire of approx 1/2 to 3/4 of a second but damn if they didn't all fire

Romanian PSL rifles, PK and PKT MGs, Dragunov rifles and everything based on these weapons, all fires the 7.62x54r. This round is not going to disapear very soon!

Also, having never been to Utah, I need to get out there. Some amazing terrain you guys have, I'd love to at least get to Virgin, UT to check out Red Bull Rampage next year. Also (obviously) to do some riding on burly mountains.

hey so wut kinda ballistics r we dealing with when a person or animal gets hit with something like an AP incendiary? Im very curious.... like do you just get over penetration with no explosion? or wut? Thanks man

I'd like to see just how well the 7n-1 ammo performs compared to the standard surplus.

how can you tell if its steal core with out taking it apart

There also fmj with lead core, and soft-tip cartridges available for hunting purposes

Thanx man .. waiting the vids

Hey man, i am looking for 7.62x54R that is non magnetic. The reason is because during fire season i need ammo to shoot at my local indoor range. what would you recommend?

I'd like to see you try some 7.62x39 projectiles specificity AP or API in a 7.62x54r case to see if the higher velocity of the round penetrates has a better effect then regular 7.62x54r AP and API. Velocity is usually attributed to penetration but who knows.

NATO 7.62 tracer was red tipped as standard - it wasn’t general issue to riflemen when I was in the TA in 1977-80 but it was always every fifth round in belted ammo for the GPMG. I never used it directly for sighting but just to remind me / check where my GPMG fired - although I always got the same gun, I never got to zero it and it fired slightly to the side and hence I used the first tracer to confirm again my how much, then corrected and once that was done I could hit an area the size of a cigarette packet at 400m with every round (although I never zeroed the gun I had “balanced” both barrels so it fired as slow as possible).

I hand-load for this caliber; very difficult to find brass cases for it. I bought Privi Partisan ammo with a brass case and boxer primer for a reasonable price. It is a fun round to load although a bit taxing on my old Lee turret press. I loaded semi-hard cast bullets with a gas check to about the same power as a 30-30 round; makes for the cheapest hand-load possible. Surplus in my area is around 25 cents a round or so, haven't seen much in the way of specialty rounds.

Satisfied

great info.

Great Vid just saved and upgraded a 1928 M28 Finnish Gard Riffle, with a Tikakoski barrel and it has very low #s. When I say saved "I mean I found this gun with no stock in a water socked card board box. Now it's a "Tack Driver" .

great video

According to the manual the full color coding list for 7.62x54 is: no color - light bullet (for carbines), yellow - heavy bullet, white - steel core, red - incendiary, green - tracer, red+black - armor piercing incendiary, red+violet - armor piercing incendiary tracer, green+black - low speed (for silenced shots), black - armor piercing.

I have some of that brass cased Bulgarian lead core yellow tip stuff. I believe it's heavy ball. That's what I've come up with researching online. Due to the difficulty of finding cheap brass cased 7.62x54R and the new videos showing how to convert to berdan primers and make zombie max mosin ammo, I do not think I will be shooting too much more of it. Going to stick to cheap Russian steel core.

what about putting a cinder block behind the steel?

Mainejunker, I just picked up 18 boxes of 7.62x54R blanks with 80 per box. Not much use I know. However they do make one very nice sounding report and a good sized muzzle flash. I should say a very big muzzle flash. If you're interested I'll let a box go for $10 plus shipping.

I find them everywhere. Occasionally locally at the small shops, gun shows, classifieds. Internet forums, google, etc. Occasionally a viewer will jump in and throw me a bone here and there. I usually only buy small lots though, enough to test. There are a lot of places online selling counterfeit and reloaded/remarked so be careful as this could be very unsafe too. I've been had before.

Sucks that the non-corrosive has been difficult to find. I usually sit on that stuff then reload the brass when I can. The surplus is what I use at the range mostly. For what it's worth, my M91/30 wouldn't produce a clean patch for damn near the first year I had it -and that's with cleaning that borders on OCD material. water, bore snake, then oil/patches work really well for me. I don't shoot corrosive through any semis though, too many hiding spots for the salts.

I got some Egyptian 7.62x54r green tracer. Anybody know anything about them

Please make a video 7.62x54r vs 8x57 which caliber is stronger??

What kinds of parts this ammo?

With the tracers and incendiary rounds, I would like to see if they would ignite a small gas can.

so I've been getting some that is 4.99 for a pack of 15. they just stuck em in a bag and marked them 7.62x54r surplus. they look kind of like the 7n1. all copper in color with red primer seal but no visible sealer on the neck. the color is the exact same from the case all the way to the top of the bullet almost like it was sprayed with copper coloring. the head stamps are almost unreadable saying what looks like 545 and then 44. any idea where these come from? I guess they're from 1944 but they shoot great and are cheap so I'd like to find more if I knew what they were it might help. Also a magnet sticks to the bullet.

@chiphailstone589

6 жыл бұрын

factory 545, 1944. There was no 7n1 back then, just what the commissar dumped into your hands before battle.

I'm looking for some with smaller diameter bullets

The most interesting rounds I have in this caliber are 10 rounds from Finland. They are brass cased, nickel jacketed and date to 1936,1937, and 1938.

What is that sniper ammo called?

i saw green can "7.62x54r BALL" with 400pcs. can you tell me what is her type

What an honor. :)

Good question. After a day at the range I just pull the bolt, take it apart, run some water down the barrel then wipe and clean as any other firearm. Works well for me, but I'm just a range jockey.

How do get that smooth zoom and pan? What's your editing software. It looks very professional.

If you are shooting corrosive ammo clean you barrel and other parts with soap and water. Butt also be sure to dry your gun good so it doesn't rust.

My Mosin is my favorite weapon to fire! That 147gr steel core has pretty impressive penetration in my experience. Love this round! Where can I find the armor piercing ammo?

I went out firing an old batch of 303 british recently and realized they were tracers when they were hissing in the mud. One jumped out of the ground, landed in some dry leaves surrounding the bean field, and started a little fire. You may want to bring a bucket of water with you when you shoot those.

where did you get your API ammo?

Greetings, Are you really in Maine or just your handle? I live just outside of Augusta. Great vids. Thanks for taking the time to review everything.

How effective is the 54r for a hunting load, or do they even make a specific hunting round for it. Id love to get my hands on some if they do.

@mrsquishyboots

9 жыл бұрын

Garett Castle ppu makes a soft tip and Winchester makes hunting rounds also. It will kill anything in north America.

Finding boxer primed brass for 7.62x54R is the problem. The other issue is bullet selection unless you are going to cast boolits (which will reduce the velocity of your rounds). Regardless slugging your barrel to verify the actual bore diameter is a necessity before buying bullets or a mold.

Fun stof but I have to ask ( even thou I know a lot of people don't like to say so there supplier doesnt dry up ) but where do you find such exotic rounds Im just looking for a couple to have some fun with not to horde but have had no Leeds so far and yes iv done my research I know its legal in my state to own and shoot such rounds

Now there is an "interesting" request. LOL Would you settle for balistics gel?

i have a mosin thats not a replica there is a ton of differences in mine and in replicas but they shoot the same i found the best rounds for mine are winchester 180 grain rounds and brown bear 203 grain rounds i have not tested all ammo yet but from what i have tested these 2 type ammos are best in alaska i was able to get lead tip winchester rounds and FMJ 180 and 185 grain both of them was really good and accurate then i just recently got the brown bear the stuff that comes in spam cans and surplus are not that good i dislike them very much i dont even like shooting them can someone let me know where to get some incendiary rounds thou i really want to get some

So is all 7.62x54R that come in spam cans corrosive? I'm trying to determine if its best to treat all 54R ammo as if its corrosive even if its not. All information on the subject is welcome. Thanks in advance.

@rileyfenley522

8 жыл бұрын

Unless it specifically says non corrosive I treat it as corrosive ammo, its just not worth it otherwise. I have seen some modern stuff put into spam cams that is non corrosive and the writing is in english. The only non corrosive stuff I have shot is modern Wolf, Tulammo, Brown/silver/gold Bear, PPU and it all says non corrosive on the box.

Sounds neat. I'll have to think of a safe way. Regardless, you can rest assured there will be explosions and fireballs involved.

Man you're so lucky see where I live I can't even fined regular full metal jacket ammo

I love the 7.62x54r round. I only have the steel core though, wish I had some tracers :)

I hunt with the 7.62x54r over a 308 and I have a sick 308. I use the metric caliber made by winchester 180 grain. great gun

@omikredarhcs8221

2 жыл бұрын

I have a 1943 mauser concerted into a hunting rifle, barrel is cut down, mounted with a scope, I need to go zero it for black bear hunting. and then zero my 30-06

I still have 28 rounds left of Factory 60 and Factory 3B 7.62x54R from WWII with Headstamp dates of 1937 1938 1939 and 1940. Originally had 50 rounds.

I bought a ton of this ammo and mine has the yellow band with the silver tip was told its 147g. it came in a paper wrap inside what looked like an over size sardine can. roughly about 400 rounds for about 100.00

@C0revette789

10 жыл бұрын

That's Slavic surplus ammunition that was probably sealed back in the 1970s. One tin is 440 rounds and the silver tip (and bar on the tin) signifies that it contains Steel-Core FMJ rounds.

Virtually all military surplus ammunition, especially eastern-bloc, is corrosive primed for longevity of storage. I have brass case, berdan primed 182 grain russian 7.62x54R that is corrosive. Nothing on the boxes state it but I pulled a bullet, dumped the powder and CAREFULLY popped the primer from inside the cartridge with a 16p nail and left the nail in it overnight. The next day it was rust covered. That is the only surefire way I know to check primers. I would not advise anyone to attempt.

OK will see what i can find. I know a few butchers around from back when i did chickens buy the 25's. Will ask around or drop ship you one.

It's difficult. I have a video about ID'ing steel core but it involves disassembly. Magnet test doesn't work. Your best bet is to research the round online using what you know about it and its headstamp.

So I was just told at the range I went to that x54r isn't range safe so I couldn't shoot my mosin. [It is an indoor range]. Can you shoot anything else through it like 30-06 ? I am a new gun owner so don't shred me if that is a stupid question 😅

I would love to see you shoot a chunk of meet like a roast or maybe a cow or pig skull behind a steel barrier

I've got some 54r you'd like, East German MG training ammo. It's basically a 124 grain AK47 bullet loaded into the 54r case. It was designed to allow EG troops to train with their MG's on the shorter rifle ranges made for AK's. I would love to see this stuff chrono'd. Let me know if you want a box or two. It's free if you cover the shipping.

Howdy, I tried to send you a message but it says that you have to add me as a contact first due to a contact block setting you have enabled. Lets talk. :)

What was the Russian sniper ammo

Your the man mainejunker!