Notes

What Is 7.62x25 Ammo?
The 7.62x25 is a Soviet Russian bottlenecked pistol cartridge designed in the 1930s and widely used by the USSR and its satellite states, as well as Pakistan and China. It was basically a more powerful Soviet version of the 7.63x25 Mauser cartridge and was chambered in a number of handguns, including the Tokarev TT-33 pistol and submachine guns such as the PPSh-41 and PPD-40.

The Tokarev is a high-pressure, hot cartridge that relies primarily on velocity to achieve good ballistics. It produces low recoil and a flat trajectory for a handgun cartridge, but its loud report and muzzle flash are not ideal for use in a submachine gun. The cartridge has become one of the more popular pistol calibers in recent years, and despite its somewhat dated ballistics it still makes a fine defensive firearm round for those who want a small pistol cartridge with good power.

While the Tokarev isn't a full-auto round, it does have sufficient velocity to penetrate most levels of modern body armor. In fact, it can even penetrate NIJ level II ballistic panels when fired from a carbine-length barrel. This means that it would be a great choice for a handgun cartridge to use when defensive situations arise in urban environments where armored vehicles are unlikely to be encountered.

Reloading for this cartridge is relatively easy as the case mouth diameter and neck length are similar to those of the.38 Special and.45 ACP cartridges. Standard reloading equipment will work just fine, and most handgun bullets will also be compatible with the Tokarev. However, it's important to note that reloading rifle rounds uses twice as much powder as pistol loads, so the cost of reloading this cartridge can be very high.

A wide variety of commercial ammunition is produced for the Tokarev cartridge, and surplus Tokarev ammo is available from Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, and Austria. It's not uncommon to see some of this commercial ammo being sold in the United States as well. In 2000, ballistician Ted Curtis of Accurate Arms measured surplus Tokarev ammo from China, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic to average 31,000 fps in a CZ-52. The current commercial ammo from Sellier & Bellot has been tested by Accurate Arms to produce 42,000 fps in the same gun.

Handloaders should be careful when loading this cartridge as the short neck can sometimes cause cases to tear, especially when loaded with high-speed bullets. Slower-burning powders such as Alliant 2400, H110/W296, and VVN 110 will work best in this cartridge. They will not only provide support for the bullet base but will also fill the case to near capacity without causing any excess pressure that could potentially blow the neck shoulder off the bullet. 44-40 ammo allows for a bullet base to protrude below the neck-shoulder junction, and this helps prevent the bullet from telescoping into the powder space in the same manner as a black powder load does.
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