rifle calibers

s-cogan

can someone explain to me the different rifle calibers.
i always thought rifle calibers were just in inches(decimal of inches) but then i seen swift and .204 ruger, .338 federal and loads more on the tikka t3 website and i was wondering what the story is??



any help appreciated
thanks

dwighet

american ammo is in inches and euro ammo is metric...

I think thats right.im no expert.

Jonty

not necessarily dwighet, 7mm remington magnum would be an american calibre.


It just that way OP. Some are metric and some are imperial. swift is an imperial calibre, .22 of an inch, but actually is .224. .223, .22 swift .22-250 and even .22 magnum are all .224 calibre, but different chamberings

http://www.chuckhawks.com/22mag.htm


similarly, .30-06, .308 and 300 winmag are all the same "bore/calibre" but different chamberings

CJhaughey

Wiki can be inaccurate but this seems to be a pretty good explanation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caliber
The European system seems to be better in that regard, First Calibre then Length of case 5.56x45 7.62x51 6.5x55 etc

It wasn't me!

Calibre is actually probably the most misused term in shooting. There's a world of difference between calibre, which is the diameter of the barrel, and chambering, which is the cartridge the barrel is intended to fire. So .338 Federal, .338 Win Mag and .338 Lapua Mag are all the same calibre, but vastly different chamberings, being based on a .308 case, a .375 H&H case and a .416 Rigby case respectively.

Calibre effectively refers to the bullet being fired. For instance, all of the above rounds could fire a 250 grain .338 calibre bullet, at varying speeds and trajectories, which are decided upon by the capacity and design of the case involved, or chambering.

This is probably just way too much information for what you're looking for, but it may make it clear to you that the metric or imperial designations of a given round (7x64; .204 Ruger; .220 Swift; .308 Win; 9.3x62) are not all the information you need to know about a cartridge before using it. You then have to look at case dimensions and ballistic information about the particular cartridge.

It helps to decide what sort of calibre you're looking for (6.5mm? .30? .338?) and then decide what bullet weight you want to use and how hard you want to push it. For instance, if you decide you want to use a .30 calibre bullet, for whatever reason, you then look at the bullet weights, which range from about 110 grains to about 240 grains. Let's say you settle on a range of 180 to 200 grain bullets, which you want to drive at moderate velocities, such as 2500 to 2900 fps. First off, you can eliminate the smaller case of the .308 Win, as it doesn't have the capacity to drive those bullets at those speeds. Have a look then at the .300 Win Mag, which'll drive a 180 grain bullet at about 3000 fps, give or take. It'll do what you ask of it, but with room to spare, and at the expense of meat damage and recoil, which will be substantial. Look then, at the .30-06, which does exactly what you want, exceeding the capabilities of the .308 Win, without going overboard, like the .300 Win Mag does. As such, in this hypothetical choice, it's the ideal candidate. All three cartridges could use the same bullets, but it's your purpose that will dictate the chambering used in the end.

dwighet

Jonty wrote: »

not necessarily dwighet, 7mm remington magnum would be an american calibre.


It just that way OP. Some are metric and some are imperial. swift is an imperial calibre, .22 of an inch, but actually is .224. .223, .22 swift .22-250 and even .22 magnum are all .224 calibre, but different chamberings

http://www.chuckhawks.com/22mag.htm


similarly, .30-06, .308 and 300 winmag are all the same "bore/calibre" but different chamberings

I hear ya...but did the 7mm bullet originate in the states or europe. ie mauser..

This is going to be a good thread now

foxshooter243

Heres the proper link for the job;)

http://www.chuckhawks.com/cartridge_names.htm

J.R.

You may be interested in this

Sparks

Adding to IWM's post above, there's the further complication that there are two main ways to measure a barrel's diameter (land-to-land and groove-to-groove) and both are valid and have been used for hundreds of years.

s-cogan

thanks a lot lads.


so would i be right in saying that the word descriptions of a particular round are describing the casing and the bullet itself is the decimal (or otherwise) numbering???

Sparks

Er...sometimes
Not always (eg. the 30-30, where neither 30 refers to the actual metal bits in the round accurately - the first 30 is meant to be calibre, but it should be "308" to be accurate, and the second 30 is the number of grains of propellant in the original casings, but they only called it that because Marlin didn't want to stamp the Winchester name on their rifles).

Personally, I think of calibre as not being any kind of measurement, but being like a name. Just learn it and don't dig so deep looking for a system

s-cogan

not so easy sparks!!!!!!!
thanks alot though ill try to figure it out
twill be a while before its any use to me tho!!!!!!!!
thanks lads yeer great

Cass

If you don't mind me asking why are you asking about calibers? Are you trying to choose a caliber to buy a rifle or is it a general curiosity?

I'm shooting many years now and every week is a school week. I seem to discover a new caliber (as in i didn't know about it before) or something new about a caliber/bullet i already knew about.

s-cogan

hope to get into stalking and lamping in the next few years but at the mo its just the good old cat killer!!!!!:D:D:D:D:D:D
considering there is such a wealth of knowledge and experience on tap here twould be a waste not to exploit such a valuable resource!!!!


now if youl excuse me i have to wash the taste of yeer arses off my tongue!!!!!:p:p:p

rowa

ezridax wrote: »

If you don't mind me asking why are you asking about calibers? Are you trying to choose a caliber to buy a rifle or is it a general curiosity?

I'm shooting many years now and every week is a school week. I seem to discover a new caliber (as in i didn't know about it before) or something new about a caliber/bullet i already knew about.

you should buy a copy of "cartridges of the world" by barnes ezridax , its amazing the amount of different rounds that were devised over the years , especially the old obsolete american blackpowder rounds and british heavy game rounds , literally thousands of them .

johnner1

J.R. wrote: »

You may be interested in this

might be a stupid question but here goes i have a brno mod5 .22 lr. which of these calibers should i be able to make a substitution exchange with,as the FO officer said you can trade for same or smaller but not bigger can anyone spread a little light on this confusing subject please.

dwighet

johnner1 wrote: »

might be a stupid question but here goes i have a brno mod5 .22 lr. which of these calibers should i be able to make a substitution exchange with,as the FO officer said you can trade for same or smaller but not bigger can anyone spread a little light on this confusing subject please.

None of them..well maybe the 22 wmr....no worries with a 17 hmr..

If your selling the bruno can you pm me a pic and a price...Ive been looking for one of them for a while..

Cheers

IRLConor

johnner1 wrote: »

might be a stupid question but here goes i have a brno mod5 .22 lr. which of these calibers should i be able to make a substitution exchange with,as the FO officer said you can trade for same or smaller but not bigger can anyone spread a little light on this confusing subject please.

It depends on what he/she considers "smaller" or "bigger".

Some just look at the number, so to them a .220 Swift is the same as a .22lr and a .17HMR is smaller than a .22lr. Both are cartridges I would consider "bigger" than the .22lr but your FO might differ.

shannonpowerlab

Is this what you are looking for?

Cass

johnner1 wrote: »

might be a stupid question but here goes i have a brno mod5 .22 lr. which of these calibers should i be able to make a substitution exchange with,as the FO officer said you can trade for same or smaller but not bigger can anyone spread a little light on this confusing subject please.

In the old system you could swap for a smaller caliber and have your license stamped then and there. Some FOs (given the appropriate reasons and the nod from the Super) could stamp for a larger caliber.

Under the new system a subtitution can only be made on a like for like basis. Meaning a .22lr for a .22lr. A 22wmr or .22 magnum may have the same size bullet but the Gardai may look at the casing and load and use this as a factor for refusing a staight substitution. That being said they may utilise a factor of common sense and allow the swap. A .22lr for a .220 swift or .223 would definitely not be a like for like so would require a new application.

Again all the above is my opinion based on what i've experienced and dealt with but others in different districts may be more or less lenient.

johnner1

shannonpowerlab wrote: »

Is this what you are looking for?

not really sure what im looking for or if im going to change at all,

but here is another question if i changed to say a WMR would i be able to shoot .22lr bullets with this type of gun aswell so i could get the best of both rounds wmr for mr/mrs fox and lr for mr/mrs rabbit.

dwighet i will keep you in mind if i do consider moving it on;)

Jonty

it isn't really best practice to fire .22lr in a .22wmr. It will erode the throat of the chamber.

shannonpowerlab

I am not quite sure if these ammunitions are interchangeable...Not that I would know much about rifles. I'd imagine you'd lose accuracy if the bullet is placed too far back from the rifling...

Cass

johnner1 wrote: »

not really sure what im looking for or if im going to change at all,

Based on posts by others and general consensus why not look at the Sako quad. 1 rifle with 4 interchangeable barrels of different calibres (.22lr, .22wmr, .17M2 and .17HMR)

dwighet

ezridax wrote: »

Based on posts by others and general consensus why not look at the Sako quad. 1 rifle with 4 interchangeable barrels of different calibres (.22lr, .22wmr, .17M2 and .17HMR)

Now theres a good option..I think you should go for the Quad and move the old bruno on to me;);)

Im looking for an old bruno to restore as a project...

shannonpowerlab

That is a nice feature.

Of course a lot of rifles come with different options...

Just out of curiosity...when you are to apply for a license for one of those...

do you have to make application for all the barrels separately?

Cass

Technically yes. You may get away with the .22 and .22 magnum but will need a seperate license for the .17HMR.

johnner1

i never knew such a thing was available looks like a nice and tidy bit of kit im sure the price of something like this would break the bank:o

then again how much is a mod 5 brno thats in quite good dont really need restoring condition worth nowdays considering iv already two interested might be an auction yet;)

johnner1

ezridax wrote: »

Technically yes. You may get away with the .22 and .22 magnum but will need a seperate license for the .17HMR.

should not be a real problem as they say it's a smaller round and you can only use one barrell at a time;) so might be worth looking into.

Cass

Bit more info here http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055693309 . This one was second hand. New they can't be much more.

Jonty

I think they are about 750 new

johnner1

ezridax wrote: »

Bit more info here http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055693309 . This one was second hand. New they can't be much more.

great looking gun just had a look at the hunter pro version sweet looking but there might be a few licence issues by the looks of things will have to sit back and see, i wonder where the other two barrels are gone from the above add.

sfakiaman

Sparks wrote: »

Er...sometimes
Not always (eg. the 30-30, where neither 30 refers to the actual metal bits in the round accurately - the first 30 is meant to be calibre, but it should be "308" to be accurate, and the second 30 is the number of grains of propellant in the original casings, but they only called it that because Marlin didn't want to stamp the Winchester name on their rifles).

To add a further complication, the 06 in 30/06 refers to the year 1906