Cartridge naming questions...

[lee]

Hi all, first post. Long time shooter.

I have a question about ammo, I hope this is right place to post it.

Well, I get how old time black powder loads were named, but can anyone explain how they do it now? Example, a .480 Ruger is .45 cal,and a .475L is a .45 cal, and the .480 sounds "bigger" than the .475, but as I understand it,the .480 is a smaller cartridge.

Now, I don't reload these cartridges, so my experience is limited.
Can't understand for the life of me why these names are what they are tho!

Thanks all, Lee

[squigz]

Sept 12, 2024 10:52:00 GMT -5 lee said:

Hi all, first post. Long time shooter.

I have a question about ammo, I hope this is right place to post it.

Well, I get how old time black powder loads were named, but can anyone explain how they do it now? Example, a .480 Ruger is .45 cal,and a .475L is a .45 cal, and the .480 sounds "bigger" than the .475, but as I understand it,the .480 is a smaller cartridge.

Now, I don't reload these cartridges, so my experience is limited.
Can't understand for the life of me why these names are what they are tho!

Thanks all, Lee

Well, I can see that your experience is very limited... 

475 Linebaugh is actually a .475" cartridge and the 480 Ruger is basically it's "little brother" which is also a .475" 

Nomenclature to the cartridges physical name do not coincide with the relative cartridge power factor or caliber.  

[potatojudge]

The 480 is a .475 bullet, and so is the Linebaugh. They're identical except the 480 case is a tiny bit shorter and runs at very slightly less pressure. You can fire 480 ammo in a 475 like you can 38 special in a 357 Magnum. 

Like a lot of rounds, they're called whatever the designer decided to call them. I guess Ruger just rounded to 480 to help differentiate it further from the 475 Linebaugh, which was named for the bullet diameter as you might have guessed. 

[sharps4590]

"how they do it now"?

Drop a dictionary open and pick a name from any words on those two pages that strike your fancy. If that doesn't work, try two more pages. There's no rhyme nor reason and I'm not sure there ever was.

38 Spl. = .357
44 Russian, Spl., Mag. = .429
380 Auto = .355

I won't even get into rifles.

[Fowler]

For new cartridges if you create it and pay for the SAAMI standardization you get to name it whatever you like.

Now how that name is generated is often unclear...

[bushog]

Troll?

[sharps4590]

Might be.

[contender]

I don't think he's a troll. I've had a lot of folks ask me about how a caliber gets it's name.

And yes,, it can get a little confusing to many.

[z1r]

Sept 13, 2024 10:39:01 GMT -5 contender said:

I don't think he's a troll. I've had a lot of folks ask me about how a caliber gets it's name.

And yes,, it can get a little confusing to many.

So true.  So many caliber designations evolved from the way Black Powder chamberings were named.  Hence the actual diameter being smaller than what the cartridge name suggests.  In many cases, this being due to the Caliber being derived by the projectile diameter plus the patch.

Where it gets really interesting is when a new cartridge is derived from an existing or parent cartridge. 

Take the .22-250 for example.  It is a 22 caliber, .224" diameter, whose parent case is the .250-3000 Savage. Hence, .22-250.  The .250-3000 got it's name by being a 25 caliber (.257" grooves, .250" bore) that launched an 87 grain bullet at 3000 FPS. Hence .250-3000.

Thanks for pointing out my error David Bradshaw!

[bushog]

Yeah, but 475 is a .45 caliber? C’mon….

If OP is for real he needs to be here.

[sharps4590]

30-06? 30 cal., adopted in 1906, now that makes sense, huh.

I think the Europeans have a good idea in listing caliber and case length, 8 X 68, 9.3 X 72R, adding the "R" suffix for rimmed. BUT!!!! There is also duplication and "caliber" difference in reference to bore/groove diameter. I own and know of many, many 9.3 caliber rifles that are actually .358 in groove diameter...which, makes bore diameter also smaller than 9.3, (.366).

It's just one of those things a fella commits to memory, if he wants to know it. There is neither rhyme nor reason to it.

[marlin35]

Sept 13, 2024 22:57:22 GMT -5 bushog said:

Yeah, but 475 is a .45 caliber? C’mon….

If OP is for real he needs to be here.

I think the 460 S&W contributes to that confusion. I know it took me a little while starting out to understand these big bore cartridges especially because they aren’t so commonly known as the 38/357 and the 44’s.

[bigbrowndog]

I was 12 when I realized Roy Weatherby upped the number for his own gratification 340, 378, 460. As to European designations 7.62x51 and 7.62x51R are not rimmed and rimless versions of each other. Yes there is confusion to new shooters however the OP did claim “long time shooter”, so I can understand Bushys thoughts as well.

Trapr

[gnappi]

Sept 13, 2024 10:39:01 GMT -5 contender said:

I don't think he's a troll. I've had a lot of folks ask me about how a caliber gets it's name.

And yes,, it can get a little confusing to many.

 Sure, just look at the .38 super, .357 SIG, .44 mag among others and anyone not loading or shooting them can get confused. 

[marlin35]

And let’s not forget the .38-40