Total newbie to rifles - cartridge question

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valnar

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I've got a handle on handguns, but don't know where to start with rifles. At this point in time I have no purpose in buying one, not plinking, not hunting. I'm just trying to educate myself.

Can anyone list the most common cartridge types "in order" so to speak of power? The list of cartridges as I peruse ammunition sites is quite large. I'm sure some are speciality, rare or obsolete. But some are the regular mainstream rounds.

Which are those?

Sorry for the "dumb" question. :confused:

-Robert
 
there are so many cartridges that you are asking quite a bit... here's a brief overview of what the most common cartridges are. for sure, i will miss many, but these are common for each bore size...

.224: 222, 223 rem, 22-250, and 220 swift.

.243: 243 win, 6mm rem

.257: 257 roberts, 25-06

.264: 260 rem, 6.5 swede, 264 win mag

.277: 270 win

.284: 7-08, 284 win, 7 saum, 7 wsm, 7 rem mag, 7 stw, 7 rum

.308: 30-30, 308 win, 30-06, 300 saum, 300 wsm, 300 win mag

.323: 8x57, 8 rem mag

.338: 338 win mag, 338 rum

anything beyond this is likely well beyond the scope of what you'd be looking for. there are many, many holes in the list, but the list has the basics. as far as power rankings, generally as you increase bullet diameter, you increase power (many exceptions). as you move right in each bullet diameter, you increase power (eg in the 257, the 25-06 has more power than the 257 roberts).
 
There are so many out there I will never be able to keep them all straight.

I have an excellent book "Cartridges of the World" that I refer to often. It will answer most if not all of your questions.
 
dakotasin, Those are all considered common? Wow.

I was looking at Marlin lever actions specifically (in addition to others).

Where does the .45/70 and .22 Winchester Magnum fall?

-Robert
 
There are many, many, MANY more "common" rifle loads than there are common handgun loads. Rifle rounds carry velocity and energy levels that handguns simply can't touch. Keep in mind that the .223, used by the military, is considered "weak" by rifle cartridge standards. Even so, a 55 grain standard ball load reaches 3100-3200+ fps and carries over 1200 lb-ft of energy. The right .223 load will penetrate a 1/4" steel plate from 500 yards away.

Valnar, what do you want to do with your rifle?
 
Valnar, what do you want to do with your rifle?
Click to expand...

Absolutely nothing yet. I really don't have a reason to get one at all. Just gettin' edjumacated.

I've been reading a lot of posts, as I should have before i posted myself, and am slowly getting the gist of it.....

-Robert
 
You don't need to have a reason to get one. I know I didn't (still don't) have a reason for a rifle, I just woke up one morning and decided I wanted one. :) I liked the looks and a "cool" factor of AR, so I started asking dumb questions to learn more about them and shortly after bought my first AR. It’s fun to shoot and “play around†with (as in accessorizing it).
 
Here's my top ten

Most common are those akin to the military usage including:

1) 30-06 - used in the 1903 Springfield and the M-1 Garand
2) 7.62 mm Nato and its civilian counterpart the .308 Winchester. Used in the M-14 (M-1A Springfield as the civilian counterpart is sometimes called), FN-FAL, HK-91/CETME.
3) 7.62x39 mm - Russian bullet for the AK series & SKS rifle
4) 45-70 - Developed by our military after the Civil War. Popular for lever action guns like the Marlin Guide Gun.
5) .303 Enfield - readily available rimmed cartridge popular also because of the surplus of Enfield rilfes
6) 8 mm Mauser - or 7.92 mm Mauser. For the German Mauser 98 and its derivatives
7) 7.62 x 54 mm Russian - for all the surplus Moisin Nagant that have entered this country and the Dragunov sniper rifles.
8) 5.56 mm Nato (and the .223 Winchester) - fodder for the AR-15 family of weapons and perhaps one of the most popular cartridges today.

Non-military include:

9) 22 LR - can't forget America's favorite and most affordable plinker round
10) 30-30 Winchester - bottleneck & rimmed cartridge, it probably has killed more deer than any other cartridge.
 
Well, to simplify even further: The two "standard" calibers are .22 and .30. Anything above that is considered to be quite large. There are different chamberings that produce vastly different power levels.

In .22 caliber, you have .22LR, .22mag, .223rem/5.56NATO/5.56x45.

In .30 caliber, you have .30/.30 win, .30-06, 7.62x39, .308win/7.62NATO/7.62x54.

The .270win is also a very common deer round even though its never been adopted by the military to my knowledge.

The above are the MOST common rifle rounds; ones that you are absolutely guaranteed to be able to buy anywhere. Might want to start with those.
 
well, if the purpose is just plinking, and you want a lever gun, and you're mostly a handgun guy anyway.... why not just get a pistol caliber carbine? There's .357/.38, .44, and .45 Colt versions out there that I know of.

Not only can you share ammo back and forth with a handgun, you're also halfway to playing with the cowboy guys. :)

-K
 
Those last few replies were *extremely* helpful.

Is there a difference between the .223rem and .223winchester?

How do the ballistics of a .357Mag or .44Mag from a Marlin lever action compare to a .223 (either one)?

Thanks!
Robert
 
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What you're seeing on the ammo sites is simply the tip of the iceberg...

With foreign cartridges (that US companies don't load, but for which you'll still find guns), proprietary cartridges, wildcats, obsolete rounds, etc., it's not inconceivable that the list of rifle cartridges runs to 5,000 or more.
 
---Perhaps it would help if you listed the country you reside in: if you are looking for a plinking gun, then one important factor is to be able to find cheap ammo.
~
 
The difference between the .223 and the .357/.44 is effective range; the .223 Rem is a high-velocity rifle round good for varmints, etc. out past 300 yards or so, depending on the rifle, but the .357 and .44 are handgun cartridges that just happen to be available in a rifle, with an effective range out to maybe 100-150 yards. Yours is a real "chicken and egg" question, because it helps to know what you're planning on using it for before you narrow it down to a specific cartridge.
 
because it helps to know what you're planning on using it for before you narrow it down to a specific cartridge.
Click to expand...

Hmmm. Without a good answer, I will say from plinking to self-defense. Killing bears or elks are not a priority, but stopping a human would be the only real use of one, not that I have anything planned along those lines!
:eek:

-robert
 
Hmmm. Without a good answer, I will say from plinking to self-defense. Killing bears or elks are not a priority, but stopping a human would be the only real use of one, not that I have anything planned along those lines!
Click to expand...

I use my rifles for the same thing.

The two best rifle rounds for these purposes are the .223/5.56mm and the 7.62x39, fired from the AR and the AK, respectively.

Both rounds are CHEAP compared to other rifle rounds (for deer hunting, etc), and both are much more effective than pistol rounds, especially from any distance away. Both are fired from lightweight, high capacity military proven platforms.

People will debate the AR vs AK until the end of time. Suffice it to say that both are excellent guns. The AR is much more accurate and a bit more effective at longer range, is lighter, and more ergonomic. The AK is more effective at close range and is generally more reliable under extreme adverse conditions.

Anyway. You've opened a can of worms. Good luck.:D
 
4V50 Gary and ttbadboy gave answers more to what I was seeking.
So I guess a better question would be:

What are the top 10 calibers and their relative power rankings, common availability in the USA and cost?

I'm not a naturalist or survivalist by any stretch of the imagination (I live in a vinylville in a suburb), but if I wanted to have a couple a rifles "just to have", what tops the list?

At that point, when I find a use for them, I'll go buy more. To give you an idea, when I bought my first handgun 5 years ago, it was a 9mm. After I shot that for a few years, I've come to realize .38sp/.357Mag is my favorite caliber (moving from semi-autos to revolvers as you can surmise.) :D
I don't really have a need for those either, but that's another story.

-Robert
 
Likely your longest, close, rifle range is going to be 100 yards, 200 at the most. The choices I'd recommend, in order of power, are

.22 LR (cheapest ammo, not recommended for defense)
.223 Rem / 5.56 NATO (inexpensive to premium ammo available reansably priced, best bet for home defense, good on people, doesn't go through walls well)
7.62x39 Russian (cheapest, big enough to take small-medium game, least expensive guns)
.308 (lots of ammo choices from cheap to premium. Too much penetration for urban defense, big enough to take about any animal in the US.)

If I was going to only have 1 rifle it would be a semi-auto .223 for combination of fun, cost-effectiveness, target, and still be viable for home defense.
 
**4V50 Gary and ttbadboy gave answers more to what I was seeking.
So I guess a better question would be:

What are the top 10 calibers and their relative power rankings, common availability in the USA and cost?

I'm not a naturalist or survivalist by any stretch of the imagination (I live in a vinylville in a suburb), but if I wanted to have a couple a rifles "just to have", what tops the list?

-Robert**

6 Calibers: 5.56X45 which is essentially identical to .223 Remington, 7.62X51 which is essentially identical to .308, 30.06, .243, 30/30, and 7.62X39. Of these, all are military loads except for .243 and 30/30.

If you want a good rifle, look no further than the AR series. I personally prefer the Bushmaster and Armalite products. Excellent ergonomics, easy to shoot with low recoil and good range and power. Everyone should own one. This is the centerfire rifle to start with. Later you'll want an AK in 7.62X39 and also an M1A or M14(7.62X51) but the AR is the one to start on. Standard 20" barrel and standard A2 sights. Rounds are about $0.15 each.

98G
 
Here's something else to think about; ammo availability.
.22LR, .22mag, .223, 30/30, .243, .270, 30.06 are available just about anywhere ammo is sold.
I personally like 25.06 for deer, shoot .30 cabine and .22 Hornet for varmits and fun but you probably can't find ammo for them at WallMart.
 
I still am on the fence from an earlier thread about getting a Marlin levergun for plinking too.

Question for y'all.

Out to 100 yards, how is the .44Mag from a rifle barrel? How about .357Mag? Does it compare in power to any rifle caliber at short ranges?

-Robert
 
Valnar...yes, the .44mag at 100 yards is generally considered "good for Deer Hunting". The .357 Mag is considered light-to-marginal for deer hunting.

Another way to look at your original question is, what rifle cartridges sell the most?

This is not scientific, but my hunch is that the following centerfire rifle cartridges sell the most:

-.30-30
-.223
-.30-06
-.308

The 7.62 X 39 also sells pretty well, but only shoots in AKs, SKS's and a very few bolt-action rifles (notably CZ).

The cheapest of those listed for off-the-shelf cartridges are probably .223 and .308. .223 has less recoil, and that's what I'd start with if I were starting again.

OTOH, if you go with .44mag in a lever gun, no one could say you made a bad choice.
 
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