Should You Get 7.62×25 Ammo: A Practical Guide

The 7.62 x 25mm (known as 7.62 x 25mm Tokarev) is a Russian, rimless, high-velocity, low caliber, bottlenecked pistol cartridge that was mostly used in ex-Soviet states and China.

However, after the Cold War ended, many weapons — especially pistols — from those former Soviet states became available worldwide, creating the demand that helped this cartridge to remain in production.

If you’re thinking about stocking up on 7.62×25 ammo, you should either already own, or acquire, an Eastern Bloc military or police pistol chambered for it. 

Helpful tip: Firearms chambered for 7.62×25 are not that common in the U.S, so be wary of poorly made knock-offs when purchasing — they work, but will jam up often. Or worse.

You should also keep in mind that if you’re planning on using 7.62x25mm ammunition for self-defense, the Full Metal Jacket type rounds (FMJ) are likely to cause overpenetration (going through your target, drywall, or a car door), putting bystanders in danger. 

You can use FMJ bullets — they’ll get the job done — but for self-defense, we would recommend using Jacketed Hollow-Point (JHP) 7.62x25mm rounds instead, as they have less penetration but greater stopping power.

Interested to learn more about 7.62x25mm ammo, as well as what handguns use it? Then the following information will be right up your alley.

The Story of the TT Pistol and the 7.62×25 Tokarev Cartridge

Often abbreviated as 7.62mm TT, the 7.62x25mm Tokarev ammo was based on another round — the 7.63x25mm Mauser.

These two rounds are almost identical in dimensions, but have different loading specifications. And this has to do with the history and the design of the 7.62x25mm cartridge.

Helpful tip: You may come by the 7.62x25mm ammunition under other names and abbreviations, such as:

• 7.62 TT
• 7.62x254mm TT
• 7.62 Tokarev
• 7.62mm Type 51
• 7.62 Type P
• Czech M48
• .30 Tokarev
• .30 Bore — POF (Pakistan Ordnance Factory)

7.62×25 ammunition is commonly used in Tokarev pistols, as well as in many Soviet submachine guns of the Second World War — but first let’s find out how this ammunition came to be.

Let’s Recoil the History of Shooting a 7.62x25mm

Way back in 1929, the Soviet Artillery Committee wanted to develop a handgun that would chamber the Mauser 7.63x25mm cartridge. The reasons were twofold.

Firstly, they wanted a domestic pistol that would replace the German Mauser handgun widely used across the Soviet Union.

Secondly, during the period of the First World War — from 1914 to 1917 — a great number of Mauser pistols and 7.62x25mm ammo were seized from captured German and Turkish forces, and made readily available to Russians.

This means they had plenty of 7.63x25mm cartridges in stock, as well in use on every front of the Russian Civil War.

Then this Civil War ended, and the Soviet Union was founded in the early 1920s. In cooperation with the Germans (Weimar Republic), the Red Army acquired the license and manufacturing equipment from them to produce 7.62×25 ammunition.

The 7.62x25mm pistol cartridge was practically a 7.63x25mm Mauser round with some minimal changes.

The main difference was the power of the Tokarev round, as the Soviets increased the charge significantly. This resulted in the new 7.62x25mm chambered weapons being able to fire the old Mauser pistol rounds, but not vice versa — as the 7.6×25 cartridge had higher pressure.

The standardization of the new 7.62x25mm ammo brought with it the development of a domestic Soviet pistol. 

The Tokarev.

Tula Tokarev — the TT Pistol

A well-renowned gun for its traits of accuracy, simplicity, and power, the TT-30 — more commonly known as the Tokarev — is a Soviet semi-automatic handgun that is no longer in production.

Developed by Fedor Tokarev — a famous Russian weapons designer — as a Soviet military service weapon, this handgun held its position until it was replaced by the Makarov pistol in 1952.

Several licensed and knock-off versions were, and still are, produced worldwide, mostly by the ex-Soviet Bloc or other communist countries. 

If you’re looking for a handgun chambered in 7.62x25mm, these are your choices:

• Type 51, Type 54, M20, and TU-90 (China)
• Type 68 or M68 (North Korea)
• K54 and K-14 VN, a.k.a. SN7M and the SN7TD (Vietnam)
• TT pistols (Pakistan)
• TTC Cugir (Romania)
• PW wz.33 and Radom M48 (Poland)
• ČZ vz. 52 (Czech Republic)
• Zastava M57 (Yugoslavia/Serbia)

After you decide on your Eastern Bloc pistol, it’s time to get to know the ammo.

7 62×25 Tokarev Cartridge Specifications and Performance

The 7.62x25mm is a powerful round. Its high velocity gives it an extremely flat trajectory, making it very accurate. 
It has the capability of penetrating thick layers of clothing, lighter ballistic vests (NIJ level I and IIA), and some kevlar (PASGT) helmets.

There is a false claim circulating that military surplus 7.62x25mm ammunition can ricochet when used on hard targets, because of its copper-coated mild steel bullets. 

This is a common misconception.

There is copper-coated steel-core 7.62x25mm ammunition on the international market, but the import of that type of ammo is illegal in the United States — federal law defines it as armor-piercing ammunition.

Now, let’s get to some number crunching to uncover the power behind the 7.62×25 round.

Specifications of the 7.62x25mm Round

We already mentioned that the 7.62×25 is a bottlenecked cartridge (meaning the case has a little bit of tapering, then it necks down similar to a rifle cartridge). It’s a fairly light and fast round, and has proved itself particularly effective with submachine guns (accurate to about 270 yards).

It is available as a full metal jacket (FMJ) and jacketed hollow point (JHP) round.

Let’s take a look at its specifications:

7.62×25 is a high-performance cartridge that provides a great shooting experience as well as accuracy, due to its quality ballistic performance. 

Ballistic Performance

The bullet fired from a pistol (test barrel length 4.724”/120mm) produces muzzle velocities of 1200 to 1600 ft/s (feet per second), depending on the grain of the bullet.

The muzzle speed and energy define the penetration power (greater velocity) and stopping power (greater energy). 

Let’s take a look at how 7.62x25mm stands with different grains:

Some may deem 7.62×25 too penetrating, but these types of rounds are sure to stop a threat — making them a great self-defense choice.

7.62x25mm ammo is not your standard everyday carry round, and that could prove to be its advantage. 

As we face more and more situations of our standard ammunition being harder to come by, carrying a 7.62x25mm chambered pistol could be the solution.

We say give it a try.

Be Sure to Stock Up

During these uncertain times, it’s important to have enough of your favorite ammo stored away. 

If you’re tired of running into empty shelves at your local supply stores, head on to BulkMunitions and order today.

We sell in bulk and ship your orders within 48 hours, with most of them being delivered in 1–4 days.

For those who go through ammo fast and need it often, we suggest signing up for our BulkMunitions Loyalty Rewards Club to get your ammo with free shipping. 

And, if you want to help Christian-based, 2A-supporting non-profits, we’ve got you covered — we at BulkMunitions make sure to tithe at least 10% of our profits every quarter for the cause.

Make the most bang for your buck and stock up on ammo at BulkMunitions today.

Featured Image: Wikimedia