In the years between the Great War and the Great Patriotic War a number of studies showed that the full power cartridge was not necessary for effective infantry combat.  This was due to the fact that although most full power cartridges like the 7.62x54R were accurate out to 800 meters or more, most infantry combat occurred at 300 to 600 meters.

During the war another fact became apparent.  Small automatic weapons chambered in pistol calibers (submachine guns) were becoming very prevalent.  This gave the infantryman a large volume of fire, but only over a very short range, normally only 150 meters.  Attempts to increase their range by using the rifle calibers were both heavy and difficult to control.  Something new was clearly needed.

The answer was the development of a reduced power or intermediate cartridge.  This idea had been pioneered by Federov when he designed his Avtomat in 1917, but failed to find favor with other designers for many years.  Only in the late 1930's did Soviet designers begin work on a short cased 5.45mm round.  The project unfortunately went nowhere, the war with Finland and the deteriorating European situation caused designers to shift priorities. 

Work would again resume in 1943 when it was decided that a new intermediate cartridge would be required.  Several prototypes were examined, but the most successful was the one developed by Nikolay Elizarov and Boris V. Semin.  It met the requirements of weighing between 15-17 grams, being lethal out to 600 meters, and of functioning effectively in a weapon with a barrel 50 to 52 centimeters long.  It would be designated as the M-43 intermediate cartridge.

The cartridge was first used in the Simonov SKS-45 self loading rifle, but it was the AK-47 assault rifle introduced in the late 1940's that would make the cartridge famous.  The round would also find its way into at least one machine gun as well as the RPK-47 squad automatic weapon.

Perhaps the only real drawback to the M43 cartridge is its low muzzle velocity and rather high bullet weight.  This gives the bullet a curved trajectory as it moves through the air which makes it impractical for accurate long range shooting.  Even so, at most practical combat ranges of 300 meters or less, the cartridge is highly effective.  Perhaps this is why it is the most widely used cartridge in the world today.  It is so effective that when the Soviets (and later the Russians) attempted to sell the 5.45mm M74 cartridge to nations using the M-43 round most refused claiming that the older M43 round performed just as effectively as the newer one.

Like the earlier 7.62x54R the M43 was made in a number of versions.  Tracer, incendiary, armor piercing, and training rounds were developed.  All are still in production today.

Round Type	Picture/Color	Bullet Weight	Comments
M-43 Standard Ball	Unmarked	123 grains	Common standard ball round in use with all Russian 7.62mm weapons.
T-45 Tracer	Coming Soon!!    Green Tip	__ grains	Tracer variant of the 7.62mm cartridge.  Can ignite dry grass.
BZ Armor Piercing-Incendiary (Broneboino-zazhitgaltel'naya trassiruyushchaya)	Coming Soon!!    Black -Red Tip	__ grains
Z Incendiary (Zazhigatel'naya)	Coming Soon!!    Red Tip	__ grains
Inert Training Aid	Unmarked, Crimped Case	123 grains	Empty crimped cartridge case and bullet used for training purposes.
Blank	Crimped Tip	No projectile	Used for training purposes.

 

To return to the weapon you were viewing click the link below:
SKS-45 Semi-Automatic Rifle AK-47 Assault Rifle RPK-47 Automatic Weapon   At right is a size comparison of the M-91 7.62x54R cartridge and the later M-43 cartridge.

• Soviet Small-Arms and Ammunition, by D.N. Bolotin, published by Finnish Arms Museum Foundation 1995
• AK-47 The Complete Kalashnikov Family of Assault Rifles, by Duncan Long, published by Paladin Press, Boulder Colorado, 1988