Topic
of the Month: August 2003
Why Did
They Call It That?
Probably
there is no firearm subject more confusing to the new shooter or handloader
than cartridge nomenclature. No standard method of naming cartridges
was ever devised, so several methods of naming cartridges has evolved,
particularly for American cartridges. Using the American system for
rimfire cartridges the caliber is expressed in hundredths of an inch.
If more than one cartridge was developed for a given caliber then the
case length was designated by extra short, short, long and extra long.
For instance the .32 caliber rimfire is available in .32 extra short,
.32 short, .32 long and .32 extra long. Sometimes the designer or country
of issue was also added to the cartridge name such as .257 Roberts,
.44 Henry or .41 Swiss.
The
American system of naming centerfire blackpowder cartridges gave the
caliber in hundredths of an inch, weight of powder charge, weight of
bullet and basic name in that order. For example, the Springfield, .45
caliber service rifle, model 1873, used the .45-70-500 Government cartridge.
This cartridge was loaded with 70 grs. of blackpowder and a 500 gr,
bullet.
The
blackpowder naming system was applied to some of the early smokeless
cartridges such as the 30-30 WCF (Winchester Centerfire) which was a
.30 caliber cartridge loaded with 30 gr. of smokeless powder. The U.S.
Army .30-40 Krag also used this same nomenclature. Even though powder
capacity of modern smokeless powder was reduced the cartridges still
retained their original blackpowder designation.
Another
common method of nomenclature, adopted by the U.S. Military was the
year of adoption. For instance the .30-03 was a .30 caliber service
cartridge developed in 1903. This cartridge was modified in 1906 and
designated as the .30-06 cartridge. The .30 Carbine was named for the
weapon it was fired in.
In
some cases the advertised muzzle velocity became part of the cartridge
nomenclature. The Savage .250-3000 was named for the Savage model 1899
lever-action rifle firing a .25 caliber bullet with a 3,000 fps muzzle
velocity.
A
few of the earliest smokeless powder cartridges were designated by caliber
expressed in thousandths of an inch. Examples of this are the .303 Savage
and the .236 U.S.N. The .236 U.S.N. was later designated the 6mm Lee
and was one of the first American cartridges given a metric name.
Sometimes
it is not possible to determine the real caliber of a cartridge from
the factory designation. For example the .38 Special handgun has a bullet
diameter of .357 inches, not .38 inches. This is also true of several
of the .22 center-fire cartridges such as the .222 Remington, .221 Fireball,
.219 Zipper, .220 Swift and .218 Bee. All these cartridges are loaded
with .224 bullets.
Several
of the larger more powerful cartridges, in both rifle and pistol calibers,
are given the name "Magnum." Examples of these are the .44
Magnum of Clint Eastwood fame that will "Blow your head clean off"
or the 460 Weatherby Magnum rifle cartridge who's recoil often feels
like it will "Blow your shoulder clean off."
Another
designation often applied to British cartridges is the term "express."
These express cartridges are generally loaded with light bullets and
heavy loads to give very high muzzle velocity.
Perhaps
the system that makes the most sense, for cartridge nomenclature, is
the European metric system where both the bullet diameter and case length
are given in millimeters. The name of the designer or cartridge manufacturer
may supplement the dimensional data. If the cartridge is rimmed the
suffix "R" is added. An example of the metric system of nomenclature
is the popular 7 X 57 Mauser, where the bullet diameter is 7mm and the
cartridge length is 57mm. The 9mm Luger pistol cartridge is designated
9mm X 19. The 7.62 NATO cartridge is designated 7.62mm X 51. The Germans
changed their 8mm bullet from .318-inches to .322-inches and used the
"I" and "J" suffix to distinguish cartridges loaded
with these two bullets.
When
it comes to "wildcatters" anything goes. For instance the
7mm-08 is a 7mm bullet stuffed into a necked down .308 Winchester case.
The 25-06 is a .25 caliber bullet loaded into a necked down 30-06 case.
A .243 Ackley Improved is the .243 Winchester case with increased powder
capacity due to Ackley's improvement. I designed the 6.35 X 47mm by
opening the neck of the .222 Rem. Magnum to hold a .25 caliber bullet.
See our Topic of the month item, "The Fastest Handgun in the World?"
I
am sure I have left out some cartridge naming methods, but I have tried
to cover the more common methods. If some of the nomenclature seems
confusing, don't worry about it too much. The more time you spend around
handloading the more you will become accustomed to these strange names.
Watch
our web site for the next topic of interest. Until then, shoot safely
and know where you bullets are going.
Sincerely,
The Ballistician
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