Some help w/ ammo

mrtopher39 · 11-02-2009, 11:48 AM

Im sure I will get hammered for asking what might be a really stuipd question but:
Can someone please explain ammo to me:
I dont get what a 5.56 / 7.62 / 9MM /.45 / 50 cal. / 30mm / refers to
Is it the bullet size meaing a 5.56 bullet is 5.56 mm long or is it the diameter of the casing? Is a 9mm round bigger than a 5.56? What is a 50 cal or .45 then?
I just dont get it.

Thanks for the help.

Leopardi · 11-02-2009, 11:50 AM

bullet width

chulo_allen · 11-02-2009, 11:59 AM

Yea, its abit confusing

a .22 is slightly smaller than a .233 but a .223 is nearly the same as a 5.56 (which is a .224) And the .22 can also be called the 5.6x15mmR.
Why? it is the .22 relates the the Bullet diameter, the difference is the metric vs. inch conversion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caliber#Metric_versus_inch

BRAVO JULIET · 11-02-2009, 12:01 PM

Caliber is inches, so .50cal is half a ich, .45cal is .45 of an inch. MM is just that millimeter, so .50cal would be 12.7mm -ish.

mrtopher39 · 11-02-2009, 12:04 PM

Holy cow chulo, that sounds almost like a tongue twister but thanks.

mrtopher39 · 11-02-2009, 12:05 PM

So a 50 cal bullet itself is half an inch long or is it half an inch wide?

chulo_allen · 11-02-2009, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrtopher39

So a 50 cal bullet itself is half an inch long or is it half an inch wide?

look at the chart http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caliber#Metric_versus_inch

its apx .50 inch in Dia. a .22LR is over an inch long

BRAVO JULIET · 11-02-2009, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrtopher39

So a 50 cal bullet itself is half an inch long or is it half an inch wide?

Wide, its not so much the bullet, it is bore diameter. now in a 7.62x39mm, the 39 is how long the round is.

mrtopher39 · 11-02-2009, 12:15 PM

Oh I get it now: Another dumb question but a round is refered to as just the bullet or the entier thing casing and all?

chulo_allen · 11-02-2009, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrtopher39

Oh I get it now: Another dumb question but a round is refered to as just the bullet or the entier thing casing and all?

Round

Bullet

Quote:

A modern cartridge consists of the following:
1. the bullet itself, which serves as the projectile;
2. the case, which holds all parts together;
3. the propellant, for example gunpowder or cordite;
4. the rim, part of the casing used for loading;
5. the primer, which ignites the propellant.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullet
Wikipedia is a good place to start for most questions (besides school)

flanker7 · 11-02-2009, 12:48 PM

It has to also be said that nowadays the name of the ammo doesn't neccesarily matches it's excact dimensions.
So, a manufacturer may name it's ammo .224 but it actual dimensions be .2236
(fictional excample....)

18SASS · 11-02-2009, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chulo_allen

Round

Rounds are called rounds because at one time spherical balls were used in firearms. Today a 'round' is a complete assembly. How many rounds you loading? 30.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BRAVO JULIET

Wide, its not so much the bullet, it is bore diameter. now in a 7.62x39mm, the 39 is how long the round is.

You mean case length right? 39mm?

BRAVO JULIET · 11-02-2009, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 18SASS

You mean case length right? 39mm?

yes the casing is 39mm

Dean1962 · 11-02-2009, 09:54 PM

Calibre sizes get even weirder the more that you look into it. Many bullets with identical calibres are different, due to the fact that some of them used the calibre of the bullet, while others used the calibre of the weapon barrel. Yet others measured the barrel calibre from land to land, while others measured from groove to groove. Still others rounded the number off! In fact, there is no universal agreement on bullet measurement, or even on casing measurements for that matter. As an example, many people believe that 7.62x51 NATO is the same as .308 Winchester. In fact, they are not. 7.62 NATO has a higher shoulder and is virtually always made with thicker brass, resulting in a lower powder capacity. All in all, cartridges, bullets and weapons are a very strange world.

Migs · 11-02-2009, 10:53 PM

and dont even start with shotgun gauges....

Quote:

An n-gauge diameter means that a ball of lead (density 11.352 g/cm3) with that diameter weighs 1 / n pounds (453.59237 grams). Therefore an n-gauge shotgun or n-bore rifle has a bore diameter (in centimeters) of approximately

feel bad for the guy who had to make that
im terrible with equations

11-02-2009, 11:48 AM	#1
mrtopher39 Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Age: 18 Posts: 82	Some help w/ ammo Im sure I will get hammered for asking what might be a really stuipd question but: Can someone please explain ammo to me: I dont get what a 5.56 / 7.62 / 9MM /.45 / 50 cal. / 30mm / refers to Is it the bullet size meaing a 5.56 bullet is 5.56 mm long or is it the diameter of the casing? Is a 9mm round bigger than a 5.56? What is a 50 cal or .45 then? I just dont get it. Thanks for the help.

11-02-2009, 11:50 AM	#2
Leopardi Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 18	bullet width

11-02-2009, 11:59 AM	#3
chulo_allen behind the times Join Date: May 2005 Location: Time traveling-In Waterloo convincing Napoleon to hold the Imperial Guard just a little longer Posts: 12,137	Yea, its abit confusing a .22 is slightly smaller than a .233 but a .223 is nearly the same as a 5.56 (which is a .224) And the .22 can also be called the 5.6x15mmR. Why? it is the .22 relates the the Bullet diameter, the difference is the metric vs. inch conversion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caliber#Metric_versus_inch

11-02-2009, 12:01 PM	#4
BRAVO JULIET Coffee Extraordinaire Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Cheney, no not Dick. Age: 20 Posts: 8,363	Caliber is inches, so .50cal is half a ich, .45cal is .45 of an inch. MM is just that millimeter, so .50cal would be 12.7mm -ish.

11-02-2009, 12:04 PM	#5
mrtopher39 Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Age: 18 Posts: 82	Holy cow chulo, that sounds almost like a tongue twister but thanks.

11-02-2009, 12:05 PM	#6
mrtopher39 Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Age: 18 Posts: 82	So a 50 cal bullet itself is half an inch long or is it half an inch wide?

11-02-2009, 12:15 PM	#9
mrtopher39 Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Age: 18 Posts: 82	Oh I get it now: Another dumb question but a round is refered to as just the bullet or the entier thing casing and all?

11-02-2009, 12:48 PM	#11
flanker7 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: cyprus Age: 32 Posts: 4,533	It has to also be said that nowadays the name of the ammo doesn't neccesarily matches it's excact dimensions. So, a manufacturer may name it's ammo .224 but it actual dimensions be .2236 (fictional excample....)

11-02-2009, 09:54 PM	#14
Dean1962 Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: looking for the Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator Age: 47 Posts: 250	Calibre sizes get even weirder the more that you look into it. Many bullets with identical calibres are different, due to the fact that some of them used the calibre of the bullet, while others used the calibre of the weapon barrel. Yet others measured the barrel calibre from land to land, while others measured from groove to groove. Still others rounded the number off! In fact, there is no universal agreement on bullet measurement, or even on casing measurements for that matter. As an example, many people believe that 7.62x51 NATO is the same as .308 Winchester. In fact, they are not. 7.62 NATO has a higher shoulder and is virtually always made with thicker brass, resulting in a lower powder capacity. All in all, cartridges, bullets and weapons are a very strange world.