[damooster]

I am thinking about getting a handgun, but I have one question...and I'm a little embarrassed to ask it...

Could someone explain to me the different size caliber rounds? I've heard 9mm and .45 and all that stuff, but I have no idea what they all mean.

Before you say it, I am planning on taking as many courses as I can to learn more about guns, but I am also trying to find some information on the web as well.

Thanks in advance.

[FrogClan]

HUGE subject, and since you clearly are just getting started it would be hard to say where to get started! The short version of the answer is that the caliber has to do with the diameter of the bullet (cross section). But there is much more to it than that. When we say ".45 caliber" or ".45 acp" we are talking about a bullet that is about 0.45" in diameter, but we also imply a cartridge case that is so long, and which holds so much powder, which moves the bullet at such and such a velocity. So.... two places to start.

One is to take yourself down to your local gun store, or anywhere else you can find ammuntion for sale, and get the clerk to open up a few boxes so you can look at the size and shape of the different cartridges. You'll be interested in the .22 long rifle, the .380 acp, the .38 special, the 9mm, the .357 magnum, the .40 S&W, and the .45 acp for starters.

The other is to do some reading here: http://www.corneredcat.com/Words/Caliber.htm

which is part of this wonderful web site here:

http://www.corneredcat.com/

Emjoy! and welcome to a wonderful new hobby.

[Spot77]

Hi there, welcome to THR.


You didn't list where you're from, but I'd bet there's a bunch of THR members near you that would be willing to meet you at a range and let you try shooting a few different guns to see wht you like before buying anything.

Your question is not stupid at all. I had very little knowledge of calibers when I bought my first handgun.

[damooster]

Thank you both for your responses. FrogClan, I read the article regarding calibers and it was exactly what I needed...thank you very much.

Spot77 I am from the DC metro area. It was an embarrassing question to ask for me because I was in the Army for 6 years and carried an M16 and M9 everywhere I went. Unfortunately for me, the Army didn't teach me about different calibers...just how to shoot straight which I can do a little bit.

I had already decided on buying a 9mm Beretta (the M9 I am used to carrying) because I'm so comfortable with it. I just wanted to know about the different caliber rounds out there and how to understand what they can do.

[FrogClan]

I just wanted to know about the different caliber rounds out there and how to understand what they can do.

Then you may also want to take a look at this page:

http://www.chuckhawks.com/handgun_power_chart.htm

...which is part of this great site:

http://www.chuckhawks.com/index2.guns.htm

[ETXhiker]

The Chuck Hawks table is good for ranking handgun cartridges if you simply use it to compare bullet weight, muzzle energy and velocity. It gives a quick reference for how calibers compare. Two of the columns on the right, however, should be completely ignored. The mythical "Strasborg Goat Test" is complete BS that someone made up 20 years ago - no photos, no documentation, results that were too ridiculously uniform to have actually happened.

Likewise, the "one-shot-stop" percentage coming from Marshall and Sanow has been thoroughly discredited for its total lack of scientific method and flawed statistical analysis.

[FrogClan]

The mythical "Strasborg Goat Test" is complete BS that someone made up 20 years ago - no photos, no documentation, results that were too ridiculously uniform to have actually happened.

LOL :D The mis-information continues! And you know all these facts how? Not meaning to start a pi$$ing contest here (and this will be my last post on the subject), but the least you could do is get the dates right, eh? Have you at least actually read it for yourself? Or are you so firmly in Fackler's camp that you would rather ignore it? If not, give it a look and make up your own mind.

http://www.thegunzone.com/strasbourg.html

It's on the internet, so it must be true :neener:

[ETXhiker]

Frogclan, you are right about the dates. I've been into guns for about 40 years and it seems to be like I've been hearing about Strasborg's goats for half of that, but I was mistaken. It wasn't 20 years, it just seems like it.

Was the link you posted supposed to convince me the tests were real? Strange, since the article clearly leaves open the possibility they were not. I put no special faith in Marvin Fackler, but instead speak from my own beliefs, i.e., the fog of uncertainty surrounding the whole business reeks of fraud.

Beyond that, the more important question is whether the results the study claimed are credible. In the study, the claimed results were absurdly predictable and linear. If velocity for a caliber increased slightly, the goat died a few seconds faster. The fast, trick bullets ALWAYS outperformed the normal stuff. The slow heavy bullet always lost out to the then fashionable light and fast. We all know that the .38 Spec. 158 GR. round nose is lousy for defense, right? The claim was made that during the Strasborg test, the goat that was shot with the .38 RN CONTINUED EATING ITS FOOD after being shot. The point is, that after shooting a claimed 600 (!!!) goats, there was no evidence of the normal unpredictable nature of shooting living creatures. Anyone who has hunted can tell you that animals don't always react the way they would be expected to. In these tests, the perfect correlation between what was expected and waht was observed is unlikely, verging on impossible.

Did the tests happen? I personally doubt it very much, for the reasons stated. But, in case you missed my point (you did), it is ridiculous to actually be using "data" from them in a chart meant to educate shooters, when the whole thing is likely made up from whole cloth.

[FrogClan]

But, in case you missed my point (you did)... No; I got it. I just disagree with your assumptions and conclusions. But you missed my point. The link above is to a web page with links to PDF copies of the report on the tests in question. Give it a read. It will help to clarify the actual details and refute hyperbole such as ...

The point is, that after shooting a claimed 600 (!!!) goats, there was no evidence of the normal unpredictable nature of shooting living creatures.

...and...

...goat that was shot with the .38 RN CONTINUED EATING ITS FOOD after being shot.

...see page 7.

[C-grunt]

the caliber is basically how wide the bullet is. This is expressed in either metric, ie..9mm, or in standard American inches, ie...45. If its in the standard format, 1.00 is one inch, so a .45, .40, and the .357, are that size.

For what ever reason, not all rounds are actually the size of their designation. For example the .38 special is the same diameter as the .357 magnum. The .357 is longer than the .38 though. Also the .44 magnum, is actually, I believe, closer to .42 caliber.

Welcome to THR, you will learn a lot here and the people here are more than happy to answer all your questions. They havent got sick of me yet and I ask A LOT of questions here.

[sig228]

Here's another article on ammo from the Chuck Hawks website. I've consulted this many times:

http://www.chuckhawks.com/ammo_by_anonymous.htm

[Sharps Shooter]

Hey Damooster! Welcome!
The book “Cartridges Of The World” by Frank C. Barnes is one of the best sources of information on small arms ammo I know of. You can find it at many sporting goods stores selling guns and ammunition, such as Sportsman’s Warehouse, often at Wally World, and at amazon.com. It costs around $20.00. The book donates an entire chapter, over 50 pages, to just handgun ammo. It’s interesting and just plain fun for me read and learn about cartridges I’d never even heard of. I’ve been around guns and shooting a long time - well over a half century. But every time I pick Barnes' book up, it seems like I see a picture and write-up of some weird cartridge that wasn't there before. You don't suppose I'm getting senile, do you?:eek:
By the way C-grunt, you’re right about .44 Magnums/Specials not being truly 44 caliber. But they shoot .429” or .430” bullets – actually closer to 43 caliber.:)

[ZeSpectre]

Damooster,
Welcome to the line. I sent you a PM.

[Furncliff]

At first glance this site:http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot1.htm

Might not seem to fit your question. But there's alot information about weapon size.

[damooster]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I read through every link you guys put up and I will be buying the book you recommended Sharps Shooter.