I just laugh more at people thoughts on lethal ability.

I once heard a 410 was no more then a pop gun

Yep and the kids growing up that had 22 wars because a 22 at 100 yards wouldnt even break the skin etc.

Agreed.

Calling a magazine a clip!

In 1964 the Sergeant called it a clip. I still do.

In 1964 you were probably still shooting Garand rifles which use a "clip".

M1 Manual

If you were using M14s then they use a magazine.

M14 Manual

Debait tis all in d spelling...

THIS. "What should my next caliber be?" Then you see 300wsm, 300PRC, 300wm, 30NOS all listed....

What is engraved on the side of a rifle barrel? Never had anyone ask me what "cartridge" rifle I'm shooting. Cartridges for a given caliber rifle can include bullets with different weights and design, which results in different amounts of powder behind them. The only parameter that doesn't change with any given cartridge in a given caliber is the diameter of the bullet. I suspect that's why few people use the term "cartridge" when referencing a given rifle or the ammo for it. Quote the caliber and you safely identify the rifle.

A quick google search shows that Ruger, tikka, glock, and winchester list their guns by caliber. As in caliber 6.5 CM, 9 luger, 308 winchester, 45 acp, 7mm rem mag, etc. So it appears that interchanging cartridge with caliber is widely accepted by the people who make the guns. After checking those 4 companies i quit looking, so there might be other gun companies that list their guns by cartridge and not caliber, but in my quick search it was 100% caliber. So don't get too uppity LOL

Dan that’s a dangerous statement. Quote the caliber and you can get in trouble. A .30 caliber could be anything with a .30 caliber bullet. 30-30 Winchester, .308 Winchester, 30-06 Springfield,.300 Warbird, etc etc. I think you’re thinking backwards. Or the truth of it is most people are wrong. Caliber ONLY denotes the diameter of the bullet. Cartridge is the complete package that you can find in SAAMI specs.

Your point is well taken. Thankfully, it appears the industry has long since adopted a standard where caliber designations may include other parameters that make it unique. Perhaps someone more well-versed can explain how this combination of bullet diameter and other parameter (30-06 for example) came into existence. In some cases, it's the company that developed the cartridge that gets tagged when referencing the caliber. Granted, the lines between cartridge and caliber can get lost in everyday slang. I mean, how many times do you hear someone say they own a rifle chambered in .270 Winchester? 99.9% of the time the word "Winchester" is dropped.

While i don't technically disagree with you, why do at least the 4 gun companies i listed above show their guns in a certain "caliber" such 7 rem mag, 6.5 cm, etc?

None of the ones i listed, listed their rifles by cartridge, but by caliber. And not the bore size, but the cartridge name.

Hell, even APR list guns in caliber 28 nosler, etc......

No question, it's the Marketing folks who take such things most seriously. I can't remember it but there's a term that describes when a given product name is linked to everything like it. "Thermos" is a good example of this. If it holds hot coffee and you can throw it in a lunch box, you probably call it a thermos no matter who made it. And a lot of stuff is "FedEx'ed" that never sits in a FedEx truck or plane.

Colt firearms list their guns by caliber too, as the 6920 comes in caliber 223 Remington/5.56 nato....

Maybe they are using the word that people most identify with. I am guilty of this at times as well. I was concerned about Dan saying you could safely identify a rifle based on its caliber.


Dan, I think I overlooked your question earlier. What is engraved on the side of the barrel is the cartridge. Not the caliber.

Larry is just one of many thousands of people you need to send letters correcting them of their mistake.

The ATF in the NFA also identifies it as “caliber or gauge” in 7.4.2 which clearly supports your statement and not mine.


That’s right, I am also saying the ATF is wrong.

I’ll just start stamping .284 on all my barrels no matter what. I’ll let you guess what to feed it.

Smartest man in the room on the topic has spoken

Texas Dan made my point is spades-- what makes me shake my head is folks not knowing the difference and the point of this thread is our own opinion. Those two words have different definitions and standards of measurement.

Cartridge is the specifically formed brass case, caliber is the bore diameter-- you can have many cartridges within a specific caliber but not the other way around. There's a difference and the gun companies still have to sell guns and they'll do it whether you say caliber or cartridge or magazine or clip.

It does get down to common usage but it doesn't mean that it can't be annoying... or humorous-- case in point when I was recently at Scheels and folks had bought all the 6mm "caliber" ammo.... and will probably be disappointed when that 6mm REM ammo doesn't work so well in their 6CM.

Same reason stores had to put big [censored] signs on reloading components stating "THESE ARE BULLETS ONLY"

Just because millions of people are doing something wrong, does not make it right.

Democrat voters are a great example of this.

Calibers:
.17
.204
.224
.243 (6mm)
.257
.264 (6.5mm)
.277
.284 (7mm)
.308

Of course there are more. But hundreds of cartridges fit on that list of calibers.

I hear you. However, we often see cases where manufacturers and customers come to agreement on industry "jargon" that's used to identify specific products. You go into a store and ask the guy behind the counter, "Do you have any 9mm ammo?" You need say nothing more for him to know what you want. Of course, today we all know his/her answer will likely be "No" for reasons we need not discuss. Of course there are exceptions, and in the case of the 6mm ammo you mentioned earlier. Still, that doesn't negate how the caliber is usually all you need to reference when looking for a cartridge that fits your firearm. From there it's matter of the design, construction, and weight of the bullet, going with whatever load your rifle likes best.

The answer would or should be 9x19 or 9x18. Lots of Tarkov’s still out here in Texas.

I agree it's an accepted jargon thing for the most part, and if you ask for 9mm, 40, or 45 ammo you'll likely get the right thing. However, if the customer doesn't check to make sure he got the right thing he's a fool. The guy at the counter is also a fool if someone asks for 7mm ammo and he doesn't confirm what the customer actually wants. It could be 7mm-08, 7mm Rem. Mag., 7mm WSM, etc.
Using caliber instead of cartridge has definitely become the norm and is generally accepted, but is it still wrong. It doesn't bother me when people do it, but it is not correct.
I actually corrected a guy at Academy a few years ago who was buying "45 ammo". I happened to overhear him talking to his buddy while he was pulling the boxes of .45 ACP off the shelf and figured out quickly that he was buying it for a Glock 37 (.45 GAP). All he knew was that he was buying 45 ammo.