The 7.62 round has some punch behind it though. Do you think it might have been a neutered round?
Do you think it might have been a neutered round?
Not likely. My experience with East Block 7.62X39 is that they are of excellent quality. It is easier to assume that it was fired from a considerable distance away. At 500 yards, the 7.62 X 39 is traveling at less than 1200 feet per second, and has about as much energy as a standard 9 mm pistol round at the muzzle.
The 9X19 NATO 124 grain round has a muzzle velocity of 1230 Feet per Second.
At 500 yards, the 7.62X39 122 grain round has a velocity of less than 1200 feet per second.