Understanding ammo

chemo

chemo

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Alright, in my life I've shot a fair ammount of ammo but I still don't understand how to sort them (except shotshells)

I mean what does the grains represent? more grains= bigger bullet or more powder?
for instance a 308, 165 grain n other numbers i won't bother

after you put on the lights on what the grain number represent, can you tell me what an increased/lowered grain count affects the shot?
 
Many others will have better advice than me, in the case you mentioned, it represents bullet weight.

If you looking to understand more about bullets and ballistics, picking up a reloading manual is always a good investment, and an interesting read.
 
as it has already been pointed numerous times i'm a cheap bastard, i'm glad such book exists tho, i wish my province wasnt washed down by left ideas... libraries contain only ideologist bullcrap
 
even an old reloading manual picked up at a gun show is full of information. A bullet weight is in grains ie;165 vs 180 the 180 is heaver and usually will be slower.(much like me I'm now slower than when I was 180). Powder is also measured in grains. Grains are simply a weight. 7000 to the lb. different powders have burn rated some fast, think pistol. Some like shotshell, slow. In each caliber there are suitable powders to use. Powder A may use 20 to 30 grains of powder with 20 being light (slower & less pressure usually, 30 beinig the maximum that can be used & only after trying the lesser loads & checking for preassure sighns): Powder B for the same bullet may use between 40 and60 grains. Again start low & work the way up till u find a load the gun likes. Reloadinig manuals do all the calculating for you. Factory ammo uses loads designed for all the rifles it that caliber. You must try different brands & weights to see what your gun shoots best. You may find that one brand with 165 will group all the shots in 3" at 100 yds & the next brand 1 1/2" with the same 165gr bullet. Trail & error. I hope this does not muddy the water as it is clear in my mind but getting it across ??? AJ
 
a j cave said:
even an old reloading manual picked up at a gun show is full of information. A bullet weight is in grains ie;165 vs 180 the 180 is heaver and usually will be slower.(much like me I'm now slower than when I was 180). Powder is also measured in grains. Grains are simply a weight. 7000 to the lb. different powders have burn rated some fast, think pistol. Some like shotshell, slow. In each caliber there are suitable powders to use. Powder A may use 20 to 30 grains of powder with 20 being light (slower & less pressure usually, 30 beinig the maximum that can be used & only after trying the lesser loads & checking for preassure sighns): Powder B for the same bullet may use between 40 and60 grains. Again start low & work the way up till u find a load the gun likes. Reloadinig manuals do all the calculating for you. Factory ammo uses loads designed for all the rifles it that caliber. You must try different brands & weights to see what your gun shoots best. You may find that one brand with 165 will group all the shots in 3" at 100 yds & the next brand 1 1/2" with the same 165gr bullet. Trail & error. I hope this does not muddy the water as it is clear in my mind but getting it across ??? AJ
Click to expand...

its pretty clear thanks
 
a j cave said, "-- some like shotshell, slow."

How come no one picked up on this, as shotgun powder is fast, like pistol.
 
There is a book: “Cartridges of the World”
(“A complete Illustrated Reference for over 1500 of the World’s most important sporting cartridges by Frank C. Barnes/ Edited by M.L Mc Pherson) published by Krause publications (2000)
I am European, trained in metrics, to the confusion of inches I added the wildcats loads and 7 mouser, 7 Rem, 7 -08 rem
I might say it is a good book; It cleared my mind a little; the rest is just by learning and memorizing the exceptions. It will be in the library or in inter – library.
 
It's a common misconception that heavier grain weights equals more power, therefore it's a better hunting choice. Not necessarily. In very broad terms, and using, say, the .30-06 Springfield as an example, one could say very light bullets (110 to 130 grain) are of fragile construction, designed for high-velocity application on varmints. Medium-weight bullets in the same cartridge (150 or 165 grain) may be a little slower and a bit more stoutly constructed. The idea is a fairly rapid expansion on medium game like deer. And heavier bullets from 180 to 220 grains are more robust still, driven a bit more slowly, and designed to expand more slowly and penetrate more deeply (controlled expansion) on large animals like moose. This is a really broad rule of thumb, and as someone has suggested, see if you can lay your hands on a reloading book or two.
 
Kinetic energy can change significantly with different bullet weights.

The basic equation for it is: kinetic energy = 1/2(mass) x (velocity squared).
So the velocity of a projectile actually has more of an impact on the energy than the mass of a bullet. So it might actually be better to use ligther bullets that go faster in some cases, but then you get into the aerodynamics of the bullet and if it can retain that speed with a lower momentum than the heavier bullet. Then theres crosswind and the factor of wether the heavier bullet will be thrown off more than the lighter one because the lighter one is going faster.... lots of things to consider that just make you want to not care and shoot the damn thing. :runaway:
 
"...libraries contain only ideologist bullcrap..." No they don't. There are lots of firearm and hunting books in public libraries.
A grain is an avoirdupois unit of measure. It's used for both bullet and powder weight. 7,000 grains to a regular pound. 437.5 grains to an ounce.
 
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