[mr-ponce]

hello everybody im thing about buying this rifle for deer/ javelina. i was going to buy a savage but life happened and i cant afford it anymore so do you guys thing this is a good rifle im going to buy the one with iron sights and i don't plan to put a scope on it.

 

[tacklebury]

The 7.62x54 is basically identical or nearly so to .308 which will kill either easily. Your only issue may be finding ammo that has hunting bullets and not FMJ military ball ammo. There is some, but it's not stocked locally typically. That being said, if you reload and get boxer primed brass, you should be able to reload for it. Basically out to 400 yards anyway, it'll put down your game.

 

[kdub]

Naw - it killed millions of Russians and Germans and the like, but doubt if it will be adequate for the more delicate deer and javelina.

 

[bsn]

The 7.62X54R is closer to the more powerful 30-06 than the .308. Its a bit heavy but works fine as a hunting rifle.

 

[spitfire_er]

I have heard of many stories of guys using these for brush guns around here with great success.

 

[hailstone]

Actually since I started shooting this round/rifle combination half dozen years ago ammunition for it has become easier too obtain. Several local gun stores, grocery store, Cabela's, Midway, Mid South Shooters Supply and Grafs have all started carrying soft point ammo for this round. Makers vary but PriPartisan, Winchester, Friochi, Norma, Hornady and others are included in that list.

 

[Big Z]

I'd not worry about it doing the trick, if you can...

 

[tacklebury]

The 7.62X54R is closer to the more powerful 30-06 than the .308. Its a bit heavy but works fine as a hunting rifle.

Here's a quote from the wiki entry of the 7.62x54R:

The 7.62x54mmR is the oldest cartridge still in regular combat service with several major armed forces in the world. This round is mainly used in the Dragunov sniper rifle and PKM. The ballistic performance is comparable with the .308 Winchester/7.62x51mm NATO. The .30-06 Springfield with its higher service pressure and case capacity outperforms the 7.62x54mmR, especially when same length test barrels are used in this comparison.[3] Even when comparing a 24 inch barrel .30-06 Springfield to a 28 inch barrel 7.62x54mmR, the latter still is more in line with .308 Winchester power and in many loads near identical. Because of its just short of ballistic closeness with the iconic American cartridge, a similarly rich military and historic heritage and amazing longevity, is nicknamed "the Russian 30-06" by some. It is also one of the few (along with the .22 Hornet, .30-30 Winchester and .303 British) bottlenecked, rimmed centerfire rifle cartridges still in common use today. Most of the bottleneck rimmed cartridges of the late 1880s and 1890s fell into disuse by the end of the First World War.

Here's a link to the full entry if interested. 8)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7.62x54mmR

This was the reason I compared to the .308 mainly. I think there are some limitations to what level one can reload to safely in a service rifle also, although these are a strong action.

 

[broom_jm]

308 or 30-'06...it'll kill deer, javelina, wild hogs, elk, bear, pronghorn...etc, etc.