Mystery Cartridge Found today?

[MallardAddict]

The boys sniffed this out quick. Surplus 7.62x54 for sure

 

[ElkSurgeon]

S

I'd have to say .303 British or 30/40 krag

so 30/40 krag was the closest thing in my manuals I could find....the krag dimensions were a lot larger

 

[CVCOBRA1]

Wolf still has steel cases in the states.

 

[ElkSurgeon]

So 7.62x54r it is, thanks guys.....I haven't googled it yet so was it developed to out-perform the .308?

 

[Joefrazell]

So 7.62x54r it is, thanks guys.....I haven't googled it yet so was it developed to out-perform the .308?

It's basically very close to a 30-06 from what I've heard. Mosin nagant is probably the rifle that shot that case. Old cartridge from ww2 era

 

[JMW67]

So 7.62x54r it is, thanks guys.....I haven't googled it yet so was it developed to out-perform the .308?

this round is from the late 1800 or early 1900 not sure which

 

[ElkSurgeon]

Has it always been steel cased or is there a brass version that is more accurate?

 

[JMW67]

Has it always been steel cased or is there a brass version that is more accurate?

there were brass cases

 

[Buck Fever]

Brass cases may be slightly more accurate due to more consistent neck tension but that is not why brass is more common. Brass is fairly easy to form with punches, dies and swages. Steel is cheaper when made in huge quantity but it rusts easily, it is about as hard as barrel steel so it's possible to scratch your chamber and it can't be reloaded easily because it doesn't form and resize like brass.

Also, .308 is pretty new, it was developed after WWII.

The Mosin Nagant was designed in 1891 and I think 7.62x54r might be as old.

The "r" in 7.62x54r is for rimmed. Most newer cartridges are rimless or even rebated rim unless they are intended for use in a revolver. It's so old that most 7.62x54r ammo has corrosive primers that I think might even contain mercury. Almost all modern ammo has abandoned that long ago.

 

[redleg1013]

That's a 7.62x54r from the old USSR someone was likely shooting a Mosin with milsurp ammo. They are about as common as dog turds. In some circles they are referred to as the Russian 30-06.

 

[TBell]

Probably a Mosin-Nagant

 

[JASmith]

I'd have to say .303 British or 30/40 krag

Ammoguide.com has an excellent cartridge search tool that one can insert dimensions into and come of with the cartridges that map into them.

Don't forget to apply a small margin so that when your measurements are inevitably slightly different than the standard, you'll still find them.

PS My at a glance check suggests either the 7.62x54R but I can't rule out the Finnish 7.6x53R.

 

[RetiredSniper]

Hey guys, my 6yr old boy was collecting spent cartridges for his collection today when we were shooting at the range. It's visibly close to a .308 but definitely longer. Put the caliper on it & is way different than.308. Significantly longer & definitely wider. Rim of case is more wide as well. Also, I'm sure the case is definitely steel & Not brass. My boy asked me what it was & I said 308 buddy, then I looked closer & Im wrong, however I do know some shooters that can probably answer our question......

That looks like a 7.62 X 54 R (R for rimed) 7.62 just like a 308 or 30-06 but slightly longer than 51 mm of the 308. and it has a protruding rim.

 

[ntsqd]

The biggest give-away that is a 7.62 X 54R is the large but shallow angle chamfer on the backside of the rim. Can see it in the OP's first pic. To my knowledge the 54R is the only case that features this.

EDIT: I realized that I seem to recall that the French 11mm (?) Lebel case also has this feature. Been a very long time since I've seen one of those cases, so memory is dim.