7.62×38mmR

• Name — 7.62×38mmR • Origin — Belgium Russian Empire • Type — Revolver • Service — 1895–present • Used By — see users • Wars — Russo-Japanese War World War I Russian Civil War World War II Post 1945 conflicts • Designer — Léon Nagant • Design Date — 1895 • Is Si Specs — yes • Case Type — Rimmed • Bullet — 7.82 (.308) • Neck — 7.26 • Shoulder — 8.38 • Base — 8.94 • Rim Dia — 9.855 • Case Length — 38.86 • Length — 38.86 • Primer — Berdan or boxer small pistol • Is Si Ballistics — yes • Bwunit — gram • Bw1 — 7 • Btype1 — FMJ • Vel1 — 305 • En1 — 325 • Bw2 — 6.35 • Btype2 — FMJ • Vel2 — 225 • En2 — 160 • Test Barrel Length — 114 mm (4.5 in)

Designed by Léon Nagant in 1894 for his gas-seal revolver, and adopted the next year by the Russians to replace the.44 S&W Russian cartridge, the 7.62×38R cartridge mouth expands when fired, forming a gas seal to improve muzzle velocity by preventing gas leaks from the gaps between the barrel and cylinder. Reportedly, Tsar Nicholas II took an interest in the 7.62×38R cartridge as he felt that a cartridge loaded with smokeless powder would make soldiers firing positions less conspicuous than the old black powder.44 S&W Russian cartridge.

• Illustration — 7.62×38R (7.62 Nagant) cartridge (left) next to a.32 S&W Long Cartridge and a.22 LR cartridge for comparison. • Illustration — 7.62×38R Soviet military ammunition Many users of this caliber handload their own ammunition. The proper brass cases are also expensive and difficult to come by. Handloaders have had success using dies for the.32-20 Winchester and.30 Carbine to handload the rounds. 32-20 Winchester brass cases are inexpensive, readily available, and can be reformed and used safely in guns chambered for 7.62×38R, but the resulting cartridges are too short to achieve the gas seal. Cut down. 223 Remington brass reformed in 30 carbine dies can be utilized to load for the Nagant also. These will achieve the gas seal, but the case rims will be undersized. Three other cartridges, the.32 S&W,.32 S&W Long, and.32 H&R Magnum, will also generally chamber and fire in the revolver, but will not achieve the gas seal. The case head of the.32 S&W/H&R is about the same size as the case diameter of the Nagant cartridge, so the case head will sometimes actually end up moving into the chamber, thus preventing an adequate primer strike. Due to the dimensional differences between these cartridges and the original 7.62×38mmR cartridge, this practice is done at the shooter's own risk. The.32 H&R Magnum in particular develops much higher pressures than the 7.62 Nagant or either of the.32 S&W cartridges, which are both late 19th century developments. The most common anomaly when firing these cartridges is the bulging cases.

* • Poland • Russian Empire • Russian Federation *