Some time ago I was talking with some range friends about the rather similar features (rim aside) of the 7,62x54R compared to the new Winchester Short Magnums...a fat and relatively short case (basically identical length), sharp shoulder angle (for the 54R compared to its contemporary rivals)...even for the Russian round the reason for the short wide case was said to be efficient powder burning.
Today I did draw some performance comparisons between the old Russian round (introduced in 1891) and the 300 WSM arrived on the market in 2001, exactly 110 years after....well, ok, let's say that the final modern version of the 7,62x54R with lighter spitzer bullets was introduced in 1908....
I calculated the total average velocity difference among the various bullet weight pairs for the two cartridges for several loads from more than one reloading source......it all came down to 236 fps...
A relatively modest difference....easily explained by the higher pressure of the 300 WSM (65K psi SAAMI vs. 58K psi CIP....no SAAMI standard for the old Russian round) and the higher case capacity (the 300 WSM case is even fatter and the shoulder is a bit more forward compared to the 54R)
Progress........110 years (or 93 years if you consider the modernized 1908 7,62x54R) and 236 fps....
Now, think what were the standard ballistic performances of firearms only 30 years before the 7,62x54R....
Yep...seems like when it comes to brass cases and gunpowder, the technology pretty much peaked....all is left is scraping the bottom of the barrel...
Today I did draw some performance comparisons between the old Russian round (introduced in 1891) and the 300 WSM arrived on the market in 2001, exactly 110 years after....well, ok, let's say that the final modern version of the 7,62x54R with lighter spitzer bullets was introduced in 1908....
I calculated the total average velocity difference among the various bullet weight pairs for the two cartridges for several loads from more than one reloading source......it all came down to 236 fps...
A relatively modest difference....easily explained by the higher pressure of the 300 WSM (65K psi SAAMI vs. 58K psi CIP....no SAAMI standard for the old Russian round) and the higher case capacity (the 300 WSM case is even fatter and the shoulder is a bit more forward compared to the 54R)
Progress........110 years (or 93 years if you consider the modernized 1908 7,62x54R) and 236 fps....
Now, think what were the standard ballistic performances of firearms only 30 years before the 7,62x54R....
Yep...seems like when it comes to brass cases and gunpowder, the technology pretty much peaked....all is left is scraping the bottom of the barrel...
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