7.62 mm ammunition on this page refers to the Soviet-pattern 7.62x54R/7.62x54mmR rifle and machine-gun cartridge family, especially the load documented on the BMD-2 for its PKT machine guns. C.I.P. lists the cartridge as a rimmed 7.62 x 54 R round with a 77.16 mm maximum cartridge length, while Rosoboronexport catalogs 7N1 sniper and 7N13 enhanced-penetration loads. Direct CAR and Small Arms Survey reporting documents 7.62 x 54R ammunition in Ukraine, Iraq/Syria, and northern Mali, with notes distinguishing recovered ammunition from confirmed firing events.
Conflict Armament Research documented 7.62 x 54R mm ammunition in Ukraine during its investigation of materiel recovered from armed formations in Donetsk and Luhansk; this supports recovered ammunition presence, not a confirmed firing event.
Role detailsConflict Armament Research documented 7.62 x 54R mm ammunition recovered from Islamic State forces in Iraq and Syria, including Chinese and Russian-manufactured cartridges found in multiple battle areas.
Role detailsConflict Armament Research and Small Arms Survey documented 7.62 x 54R mm ammunition in northern Mali, including Gao in 2012-2013 and examples from an abandoned MUJAO base.
This record uses 7.62x54R/7.62x54mmR as the working family label because the available sources describe a rimmed 7.62 mm rifle and machine-gun cartridge rather than a single vehicle-specific round.
C.I.P. lists a 53.72 mm case length, 77.16 mm maximum cartridge length, 14.48 mm rim diameter, 240 mm rifling twist, and 3,900 bar Pmax for 7.62 x 54 R.
Rosoboronexport groups 7N1 and 7N13 under 7.62x54mm ammunition, with 7N1 presented as a sniper cartridge and 7N13 as an enhanced-penetration cartridge.
Conflict rows are limited to sources that directly document 7.62 x 54R ammunition in that conflict; platform pages do not automatically transfer their conflict claims to this ammunition record.
Public Russian export listings treat 7N1 and 7N13 as purpose-built 7.62x54mm loads rather than separate weapons: 7N1 is listed as a rifle sniper cartridge, while 7N13 is listed as an enhanced-penetration cartridge.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| 7N1 | Rifle sniper cartridge | Rosoboronexport lists 7N1 in its 7.62x54mm family as a rifle sniper cartridge for sniper rifles, with a 77.16 mm cartridge length and 815-830 m/s average bullet velocity. Sources: 7N1 |
| 7N13 | Enhanced-penetration cartridge | Rosoboronexport describes 7N13 as a 7.62 mm enhanced-penetration cartridge and lists PKT-fired penetration of a 10 mm 2P armor plate at up to 200 m with at least 70 percent probability. Sources: 7N13 |
Army Guide lists the BMD-2 with 2,940 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition for its PKT machine guns.
| Carrier | Carrier type | Carriage evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Airborne infantry fighting vehicle | Army Guide lists the BMD-2 as carrying 2,940 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition for its PKT machine guns. Sources: Army Guide BMD-2 |
The entries below link the ammunition family to cataloged weapons that source material explicitly identifies with 7.62x54R chambering.
| Firing weapon | Weapon type | Firing evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun family | Small Arms Survey identifies the PK family, including PK, PKM, and PKT variants, as belt-fed weapons chambered for the 7.62x54R rimmed cartridge. |
 | Designated marksman rifle | Small Arms Survey identifies the original Dragunov SVD as a 7.62x54R rifle fed from a ten-round detachable box magazine, matching the 7N1 sniper-cartridge context. |
The 7.62x54mmR cartridge family originated with the Russian Empire's 1891 service rifle cartridge and later remained in Soviet-pattern rifles and machine guns.
Sources: 7.62x54mmR
C.I.P.'s 7.62 x 54 R table records the cartridge's rimmed case geometry, proof-barrel dimensions, and 3,900 bar Pmax pressure basis.
Sources: C.I.P. 7.62 x 54 R
Conflict Armament Research and Small Arms Survey documented 7.62 x 54R mm ammunition in Gao during April-May 2012 and again in February 2013.
Sources: Rebel Forces in Northern Mali
