I recall the day before deer season with 2 friends. One of them turned bad on me so I have not seen either of them for years. I was using my Finn M39 that year. The obligatory practice before opening day was backed up by a decently sized Eastern Red Cedar log. The 7.62.54R out of the Finn was knocking chunks out of the back of the log. The other 2 guys did not have such luck. My own experience is that the round is one of those that hits out of all proportion to it's paper ballistics. Kind of a mystery. The .22 Magnum is another, while not in the same class by any means as the 7.62x54R, I use it as an example. They both punch above their respective weights.