7.62×25mm Tokarev
7.62×25mm Tokarev | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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FMJ 7.62mm Tokarev cartridge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Type | Pistol | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of origin | Soviet Union | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Production history | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Produced | 1930–present[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Specifications | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parent case | 7.63×25mm Mauser | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Case type | Rimless, bottleneck | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Bullet diameter | 7.85 mm (0.309 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Land diameter | 7.62 mm (0.300 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Neck diameter | 8.49 mm (0.334 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Shoulder diameter | 9.48 mm (0.373 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Base diameter | 9.83 mm (0.387 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Rim diameter | 9.95 mm (0.392 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Rim thickness | 1.32 mm (0.052 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Case length | 25.00 mm (0.984 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Overall length | 35.20 mm (1.386 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Case capacity | 1.09 cm3 (16.8 gr H2O) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Rifling twist | 240 mm (1:9.45 inches) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Primer type | Berdan or boxer small pistol | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Ballistic performance | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Test barrel length: 120mm (4.724 in) |
The 7.62×25mm Tokarev cartridge (designated as the 7.62 × 25 Tokarev by the
History
Prior to the
The Mauser and its cartridge were used on all fronts of the
In 1929, the Soviet Artillery Committee made a proposal to develop a domestic pistol chambered for the Mauser cartridge. After considerable research and development, it was decided that the "Model 1930 7.62 mm pistol cartridge," essentially the Mauser round with minor modifications, was to become the standard caliber for Soviet pistols and submachine guns. Early versions of the Vasily Degtyaryov-designed PPD-40 submachine gun were marked for Mauser cartridge caliber 7.62 mm.
Although dimensionally similar to the Mauser cartridge (so much so that both cartridges will chamber, load, and fire in any of these firearms), the Soviets increased the power of the Tokarev cartridge powder charge significantly. As such, while the lower-power Mauser rounds can be safely used in any of these firearms, the Tokarev cartridge is not safe for use in firearms which were not designed for the added pressure.
Cartridge dimensions
The 7.62×25mm Tokarev has 1.09 ml (16.8
7.62×25mm Tokarev maximum C.I.P. cartridge dimensions[5] All sizes in millimeters (mm).
Americans would define the shoulder angle at alpha/2 = 19 degrees. The common
According to the official
Design
The cartridge is in principle an enhanced Russian version of the
When fired from a carbine-length barrel, the cartridge may penetrate NIJ level II, but is sometimes stopped by the current standard armor NIJ level IIIA. (Level IIIA is an advanced version of the Level II that can stop faster bullets than Level II, but does not meet the Level III standard. NIJ standards factor in up to 1,400 fps of bullet velocity; higher-velocity rounds can eventually penetrate them, but by definition, level III must be able to stop any 7.65 mm bullet [8]). Although most firearms chambered in this caliber were declared obsolete and removed from military inventories, some police and special forces units in Russia, Pakistan, and China may still use it because of the large quantity of stored ammunition available.
There is a common misconception that military surplus 7.62 Tokarev ammunition uses copper-coated mild steel bullets, and that this increases the chance of dangerous ricochets when fired at hard targets and can damage bullet traps often used on shooting ranges. While steel-core ammunition in 7.62×25 is available internationally, in the United States the importation of 7.62×25 cartridges loaded with copper-coated steel bullets is illegal; federal law defines these as armor-piercing pistol ammunition. So-called steel bullets sold are generally lead-core bullets with copper-washed steel jackets, and these do not present a significantly greater risk of ricochet than a standard copper-jacketed projectile.[citation needed]
In 2018, 7.62×25 ammunition was available for export from Romania, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Russia.
Reloading
If reloadable cartridge cases are not available they can be produced by resizing and trimming
However, firing the 7.62×25 out of a Mauser C96 is not recommended, as it is too powerful and it may damage the pistol. Firearms that use the 7.62x25 cartridge can reliably fire 7.63x25mm rounds.[9] Hornady makes an 85-grain .309" "XTP" bullet that functions well in all these pistols. On the Starline website, information is given about using the slightly less powerful, but otherwise nearly identical ammunition designed for the Mauser C96 pistol (7.63×25mm Mauser) from which the Tokarev cartridge was derived, in pistols chambered for the Tokarev round. This was common practice by Finnish and German forces in WWII.[10]
Performance
Various Tokarev cartridges achieve muzzle velocities around the range of 1,300 to 1,800 fps. A common velocity is around 442 metres per second (1,450 ft/s) with about 544 joules (401 ft⋅lbf) of energy. Given the wide disparity in ammunition manufactured in many different nations, ammunition is encountered that yields higher and lower velocities. Some newly manufactured ammunition intended for commercial use has a velocity of approximately 1,560 feet per second (480 m/s).
Wolf Gold FMJ tops out at 1,720 feet per second (520 m/s) with 745 joules (549 ft⋅lbf) of energy, as does PPU ammunition. Some of this ammunition, such as the Wolf Gold and Sellier & Bellot, use boxer primed brass cases that are reloadable.
Notable variants
The Soviet P-41 was a 74 grain, steel-cored, incendiary variant produced for use in the PPSh-41 and PPS-43 during World War II. This ammunition would achieve a velocity of 1,600 feet per second when fired from these firearms.
The Chinese 7.62mm Type P is a special subsonic, heavy, pointed (spitzer) loading of the cartridge, designed specifically for use in
Firearms and Service Use
The most notable use of this cartridge was in the
One of the strangest weapons attempted for this cartridge was the
Outside
Gallery
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7.62mm Tokarev rounds. Left: Brass caseFMJ. Right: lacquered steel case.
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Round comparison.40 Smith & Wesson, .45 ACP(hollow point)
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Rear view of the head-stamp on a Sellier & Bellot 7.62mm Tokarev cartridge
Synonyms
- 7.62mm Type P
- 7.62mm Type 51
- 7.62mm Tokarev
- 7.62×25mm TT
- .30 Tokarev
- Czech M48
- 7.62 TT
- .30 Bore - Pakistan Ordnance Factory (used for both 7.63mm Mauser and 7.62mm Tokarev)
See also
- 7.62×25mm Tokarev firearms
- 7.65×25mm Borchardt
- 7.63×25mm Mauser
- 7.65×21mm Parabellum
- .30 Carbine
- 7 mm caliber
- 9x39mm
- Table of handgun and rifle cartridges
References
- ISBN 0-87349-178-5.
- ^ a b "Load data". Makarov. Archived from the original on 6 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
- ^ "Sellier and Bellot Cartridge Data". Archived from the original on 2008-12-19. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
- ^ a b "Wolf Ammunition Cartridge Data". Retrieved 2008-12-19.
- ^ a b c d "C.I.P. TDCC datasheet 7,62 x 25 Takorev" (PDF).
- ^ "Журнал для спецназа "Братишка" — АРСЕНАЛ: Пистолет ГШ-18 - детище тульских оружейников". bratishka.ru. Archived from the original on 2011-10-05. Retrieved 2011-05-13.
- ^ PSM Shooting: 5.45x18mm vs 7.62x25mm on Soft Armor. Forgotten Weapons. July 1, 2017. Archived from the original on November 28, 2021. Retrieved June 6, 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Ballistic Resistance of Body Armour" (PDF). Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- ^ Polish Tokarev (PW wz.33) Pistol, Shooting 7.63 Mauser?. MilsurpBros. June 23, 2016. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ "JAEGER PLATOON: FINNISH ARMY 1918 - 1945 WEBSITE". www.jaegerplatoon.net. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023.
- ^ "Type 85". Modern Firearms. 2010-10-27. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
- ^ "Norinco P226 Style "7.62×25 Tokarev" – MARSTAR CANADA".
- ^ Руслан Учмак, "Не вписавшийся в классификации. Лёгкий пулемёт под пистолетный патрон конструкции Лютого, Афанасьева и Дейкина.", Братишка 2012/5, pp. 82-87
- ISBN 978-0-7106-2869-5.
- Cartridges of the World 11th Edition, Book by Frank C. Barnes, edited by Stan Skinner, Gun Digest Books, 2006, ISBN 0-89689-297-2pp. 288, 337