there must be an easier way! how in the world can you understand ammunition specs?

Mr. Friendly

Mr. Friendly

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 96.9%
29   1   2
Location
British Canuckistan
that's about it...I'm lost in the world of so many different specifications for ammunition. has anyone made a system that helps you figure out how to navigate all the numbers more easily? :runaway:

30-30, 30.06, .308, 7.52x62 and so on! :eek:
 
yeah... don't think about it too much... load what it says on the firearm...

the only exceptions that I can think of right off (and I know there are others, but these are the common ones) are:
.223 ammo is usable in 5.56mm rifles (see various threads for the other way 'round debate)
.308 is the same as 7.62mm
in some cases you can use .22 short in firearms chambered for .22 long, and .22 long in firearms chambered for .22 mag (but not the other way)
.38 special ammo can be fired in firearms chambered for .357 magnum (but definitely not the other way 'round)
but... keep it simple... really, you only need to know what can fire out of the guns you own...
 
Pick up the latest edition of the book called "Cartridges Of The World".IMHO this is a must have book for any serious shooter,a wealth of information,and some basic loading data.The book should be available at most stores that stock handloading supplies or it is available from Amazon on line.Enjoy!!
 
"...specifications for ammunition..." Those are just the cartridge names. Don't try to figure why a particular cartridge is called what it is though. It can give you brain damage.
The first number, for North American cartridges, is the bore diameter in inches. The bore diameter is the size of hole that gets drilled. The second number can be nearly anything. The '30' in .30-30 is the original weight of the powder. So is the .45-70. The '06 is the year the .30-06 was adopted for use by the U.S. military. They changed their nomenclature around the turn of the 19th to 20th Century.
Metric designations, like 7.62mm x 51mm, are usually the bore diameter and the length of the case, obviously in mm's, but it's not always the bore diameter. (The .308 Win is the commercial/marketing name for the same cartridge.) Both the 7.62 x 51 and .308 Win use a .308" bullet. As does the .30-30 Win. Not all 7.62mm cartridges use that bullet diameter though. The 7.62 x 39 and x 54R, for example, use a .311" bullet. So does the .303 British(7.7mm x 56R). The .303 Savage is a totally different cartridge and uses a .308" bullet. The 7.5mm x 55mm Swiss uses a .308" bullet too. Your head hurting yet?
Like furface says, get a copy of Cartridges of the World. It'll let you compare cartridges without needing any medication.
 
sunray said:
Metric designations, like 7.62mm x 51mm, are usually the bore diameter and the length of the case, obviously in mm's, but it's not always the bore diameter. (The .308 Win is the commercial/marketing name for the same cartridge.) Both the 7.62 x 51 and .308 Win use a .308" bullet. As does the .30-30 Win. Not all 7.62mm cartridges use that bullet diameter though. The 7.62 x 39 and x 54R, for example, use a .311" bullet. So does the .303 British(7.7mm x 56R).
Click to expand...

d'oh... thanks for pointing that out... I was trying to make things simple and totally forgot about things outside my little niche...
 
No.

.22 S/L/LR cannot be safely fired in a .22 Magnum chamber.
the case will probably split with some danger of injury to the shooter.

shazam* said:
yeah... don't think about it too much... load what it says on the firearm...

the only exceptions that I can think of right off (and I know there are others, but these are the common ones) are:
.223 ammo is usable in 5.56mm rifles (see various threads for the other way 'round debate)
.308 is the same as 7.62mm
in some cases you can use .22 short in firearms chambered for .22 long, and .22 long in firearms chambered for .22 mag (but not the other way)
.38 special ammo can be fired in firearms chambered for .357 magnum (but definitely not the other way 'round)
but... keep it simple... really, you only need to know what can fire out of the guns you own...
Click to expand...
 
ok, I defer to your experience... I had thought that you could "in some cases"... but it has been a while since I looked into it...
"a little knowledge is a dangerous thing"
 
That's just the way it is

The Europeans as usual, have an exact metric way of doing it and the Americans have a more random way. Others have made a clearer explanation than I can attempt, but I agree that cartridges of the world is a dandy book to own. Fun to read too.

My favourite cartridge/calibre anecdote is the one about the guy that had a European Mauser designated 7.62x63 and went from sporting goods store to sporting goods store looking for ammo and could never find it, so he put the gun away and forgot about it, thinking with such an obscure European calibre he'd never find ammo.

Then one day he was talking to an informed firearms enthusiast who told him what he had.
























A 30-06.
 
Last edited:
Donny Fenn1 said:
delete your post i'll delete mine...
Click to expand...


can't delete posts... mutter mutter... stupid internets...
ah well... thought about editting my first post, but it was already quoted elsewere, so there was little point...
I have often told people to think first, post later, then (seriously undercaffeinated, in my own defense) ignored my own advice...
ah well...
hopefully we didn't leave the OP even more confused than when he started.
 
shazam* said:
can't delete posts... mutter mutter... stupid internets...
ah well... thought about editting my first post, but it was already quoted elsewere, so there was little point...
I have often told people to think first, post later, then (seriously undercaffeinated, in my own defense) ignored my own advice...
ah well...
hopefully we didn't leave the OP even more confused than when he started.
Click to expand...
no worries Shazam, we still luv you...just as punishment you have to wear the dunce cap for a bit ;)
 
MD said:
............Mauser designated 6.62x63..............
..............A 30-06.
Click to expand...

With all due respect, I am aware that a lot of weird things
can be found on both sides of the ocean,
but from 6.62mm to .30" is a looooong way,
no matter how you measure it.




Did Mauser really mark the gun like that?

Wasn't it marked, by any chance,
lets say, 7.62 instead of 6.62 ???
Just wondering...
 
Last edited:
shazam* said:
ok... fine, so I am an idiot... I already admitted I was wrong... thanks for pointing it out again...
Click to expand...

Ah .. no worries, I've posted lots of things that were pointed out to be wrong ... assumptions, regurgitation of urban myth .. what ever. I was not (and I doubt you were) deliberately trying to mislead folks, I honestly "thought" I was right. Happens all the time. The only "idiot" is the one that takes free advice as gospel without finding out for sure. How much time and effort goes into "finding out for sure" depends on the consequences of being wrong.
 
Last edited:
I thought so. That would make more sense.

Yeah, there are some weird cartridge names
when you try to transform from a system to another.

Not to mention some wildcats that have names
as a weird combination between metric and standard.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom