[SSN Vet]

Now I'm getting somewhere...thanks to all who replied to my posts...

As I understand it, the power or a gun/bullet combination is a function of...
1. bullet size (weight & diameter)
2. bullet type (what it does when it hits flesh)
3.. powder load
4. barell length (longer provides more time for the expanding gas to push the bullet)

Any misconceptions? additions?

Two more areas I'm foggy on...

What does magnum really mean?
Do all cartridge manufactures use the same type and amount of powder for the same size & weight of bullet?

[nbkky71]

From the Latin magnus meaning "large" or "great"

It's a term applied to certain cartridges which generate higher velocity and energy when compared to other rounds firing bullets of the same diameter. The .357 magnum shoots bullets at much higher velocities than the .38SPL Special

I think that Smith & Wesson were the first to market the term "magnum" back in the 1950's.

It's also a bottle that holds 1.5 liters, the equivalent of two standard size wine bottles.

[hso]

Do all cartridge manufactures use the same type and amount of powder for the same size & weight of bullet?

Nope.

You should look at muzzel velocity and bullet weight with bullet design more than how many grains of what powder are used. Also remeber that a .357 magnum fired from a snub nosed revolver will not have the "power" of the same fired from a 6 in. revolver (it even gets worse with a 50 grain 5.56 fired out of a 12in. AR15 vs. a 16in. AR15)

[DaveTN]

A rounds “Power” is its ability to stop the bad guy from being able to fire his weapon at you. Everything else is meaningless. :)

As in this statement… For almost 100 years the .45 ACP has been the most powerful handgun round for conventional carry.

[Nitrogen]

A rounds “Power” is its ability to stop the bad guy from being able to fire his weapon at you. Everything else is meaningless. :)

As in this statement… For almost 100 years the .45 ACP has been the most powerful handgun round for conventional carry.

Check this out.
This might be helpful, maybe not.

http://home.comcast.net/~stephentmontgomery/BulletBaseball_Comparison.txt

This comes from another forum i'm on. It's a chart that compares the force of various rounds against a 149 gram baseball being thrown at various speeds.