Contents
Click on the calibre shown on the right to take you to more details
1..50 Browning Machine Gun |
10. 10mm Auto |
19. 7.92 33mm Kurz |
28. 300 Winchester Magnum |
36. 5.56x45mm NATO |
Overview
The bullets shown here are only a small subset of the calibres available today. From my collection I've chosen the ones I consider represent the most significant and iconic rounds, plus a couple of favourites.
All the pictures shown are from my collection alongside some of my weapons to give examples that match each calibre.
Display Sets - Sniper Set on a Wooden (Rimu) Base
Eight military sniper calibres are available on a rimu display base.
The bullets are held in place with magnets which allow each bullet to be easily removed and held, or placed elsewhere for display. When returned to their correct position they are gently pulled into place. A guideline for the positioning and some detail about each round is provided on a two page information sheet for reference.
Display Sets - Wooden Box
Sets of different calibres are available together in a solid rimu display box.
The bullets are held in place with magnets which allow each bullet to be easily removed and held, or placed elsewhere for display. When returned to their correct position they are gently pulled into place. A guideline for the positioning and some detail about each round is presented on the underside of the box lid for reference.
NOT ALWAYS AVAILABLE - PLEASE ENQUIRE
Display Sets - Acrylic Case
Sets can also be displayed in a clear acrylic presentation box.
The bullets are mounted to a base which can be removed for closer inspection by lifting the removable front. The mirrored backing is engraved with information on each calibre and there is a wall-mounting option available.
SORRY, NOT IN STOCK
.50 BMG (50 cal Browning Machine Gun)
Initially developed by John Browning for his Browning Machine Gun it has been used in many other machine guns since then, as well as sniper rifles including:
- Barret "Light Fifty" M85, M90, M95, M99, M109
- Accuracy International AS-50, AW-50
- Armalite AR-50
- McMillan Tac-50
- PGM Hecate II
- Steyr HS .50
- Zastava M93 Black Arrow
It is a NATO standard round and comes in dozens of types such as armour piercing, incendiary, tracer, explosive, etc.
1921
.510 / 13mm
138 mm long
860 - 928 m/s
17,821 - 20,195 J
500 S&W Magnum(12.7 41mmSR)
After the "Dirty Harry" films made the S&W .44 Magnum Model 29 revolver extremely popular, S&W developed the 500 S&W with Cor-Bon to regain the title of most powerful handgun with their S&W Model 500 revolver .
Most revolvers in this calibre hold five rounds due to the thickness of the cylinder needed to withstand the enormous pressure.
Rifles
- Big Horn Armory Model 89
- Thompson-Center Encore
- NEF Handi Rifle
- Towner pump rifle
Revolvers
- S&W Model 500
- Taurus Raging Bull Model 500
- Magnum Research BFR
- JTL-E .500 S&W Magnum 12"
- Gary Reeder Custom Guns Ultimate 500
2003
.500 / 12.7mm
586 mm long
434 - 632 m/s
3,056 - 3,901 J
50 AE (.50 Action Express)
Designed relatively recently in 1988 it was as large in diameter as the US sporting firearms regulations would allow and as at 2009 was still one of the most powerful pistol cartridges in production.
Semi-autos
- (IMI) Magnum Research Desert Eagle
- Arcadia Machine & Tool AutoMag V
- LAR Manufacturing Grizzly Mark V
Revolvers
- Freedom Arms Model 555
1988
.500 / 12.7mm
32.6 mm long
398 - 470 m/s
1,666 - 2,200 J
45 Colt (.45 Long Colt)
Originally a black powder cartidge specifically made for the Colt Single Action Army revolver it became the official US military handgun cartridge for nearly 20 years. It is still in use today, mainly with Western Shooting enthusiasts using smokeless powder and big game pistol hunters because it is comparable to .44 Magnum rounds.
The more powerful .454 Casull round was based on this 45 Colt and so was the .460 S&W Magnum cartridge. Pistols chambered for these newer rounds will also fire 45 Colt without modification.
Lever action rifles didn't take the 45 Colt until nearly 100 years after inception because Colt wouldn't license it to other gun manufacturers.
1872
.454 / 11.6mm
32.6 mm long
283 - 404 m/s
649 - 1,718 J
455 Webley (.455 Eley, .455 Colt)
Used mainly in the Webley revolvers (Mk I - Mk VI) which were first adopted into military service in 1887, the Mk II round was shorter than the Mk I because the propellant was changed from black powder to cordite. It was replaced in 1898 with the Mk III hollowpoint 'Manstopper' round but reintroduced from 1900 because the Mk III 'Manstopper' did not meet the Hague Convention regulations. It was finally superceded by the Mk IV in 1912.
Although other calibres were used in Webley reolvers, .455 Webley rounds were still in use up until their official retirement in 1963.
1891-Mk I, 1897-Mk II
.454 / 11.5mm
31.2 mm long
180 - 231 m/s
287 - 457 J
.45 ACP (.45 Automatic Colt Pistol)
Designed by John Browning for his prototype Colt semi-automatic .45 pistol and later the M1911
- M1911, SOCOM (and many variants)
- Thompson submachine gun
- Uzi
- HK Mk23, UMP, USP, HK45
- Grease Gun
- MAC-10
- Glock 21, 30, 36
- Springfield Armory XDM
- Smith & Wesson M&P
- Jericho 941
- KRISS (TDI) Vector Super-V
1904
.452 / 11.5mm
32.4 mm long
250 - 373 m/s
477 - 835 J
44 Magnum (.44 Remington Magnum)
Essentially an over-pressured .44 Special, it was designed to fire a heavier bullet and was produced in a slightly longer case to prevent accidental use in guns chambered for .44 Special as this could have caused damage or injury.
Smith & Wesson first produced the Model 29 revolver in this calibre, followed by Ruger's Blackhawk. There are some carbines and lever-action rifles also using 44 magnum, but the only successful semi-auto pisol to use it is the (IMI) Magnum Research Desert Eagle.
1955
.429 / 10.9mm
41 mm long
381 - 460 m/s
1,030 - 2,078 J
.416 Barrett
The bullet was designed carefully for low drag at subsonic speeds and the case is basically a cut down .50 BMG to fit the 416.
The bullet will stay supersonic past 1,700 metres and will hit targets accurately at more than 2.2 km, although this is dependent on using a Barrett Optical Ranging System (BORS) module on the scope.
This round can be fired from the followng rifles:
- Barret M85A2, M99
- Tactilite .416 Barrett upper for AR-style rifles
- Bohica Arms FAR-50 MK-II bolt-action, single-shot AR-15 upper
- Noreen 416
- Desert Tactical Arms 416 (bullpup)
SORRY, NOT IN STOCK
2005
.416 / 10.6mm
116 mm long
960 m/s
11,887 J
41 Magnum (.41 Remington Magnum)
The .41 Magnum was a compromise in the 1960s between the .357 Magnum and the .44 Magnum. The .357 were considered ineffective with their lead projectiles at the time, and the .44 required a heavy revolver which was too difficult to control and carry for front-line Police officers. However Remington insisted on producing the new .41 round in a load considered too powerful for most agencies who were still using .38 Special revolvers.
Firearms in this calibre:
- Smith & Wesson Model 57, 59 and 29
- Ruger Bisley, Blackhawk and Redhawk
- Freedom Arms Model 83
- Taurus Model 415, Raging Bull 416, Tracker model 425
- Coonan Arms (M1911 variant)
- IMI Desert Eagle (Mark VII)
- Colt D.A. 41
- Marlin 1894 FG, Armalon PC, Henry Big Boy rifles
1964
.410 / 10.4 mm
40.4 mm long
380 - 480 m/s
832 - 1,539 J
10mm (10mm Auto/Automatic)
The 10mm was designed by handgun expert Jeff Cooper (known for inventing the modern technique for pistol shooting) to have better performance than both the .45 ACP and 9x19mm cartridges. The FBI tested it but found the recoil to be too hard on agents and pistols and recommended a lighter load which Smith & Wesson shortened into the .40 S&W. Most pistols using this round are variants of the M1911.
More common firearms using 10mm are:
- Heckler & Koch MP5/10 submachine gun
- Corporate Arms SMG
- Bren Ten, Colt Delta Elite, EAA Witness
- Kimber Eclipse
- Rock Island Armory TAC Ultra 1911
- Smith & Wesson Model 1006, 610
- Dan Wesson M1911
- Glock 20, 29, 40 Gen 4
- Para Elite LS (Long Slide) Hunter
- Sig Sauer P220 Elite, Wilson Combat Classic
- STI Perfect 10, Nitro 10
1983
.400 /10.17mm
32 mm long
310 - 490 m/s
575 - 1,041 J
.40 S&W (Smith & Wesson .40)
This cartridge was designed for Law Enforcement to match the FBI's reduced velocity 10mm Auto for adapted 9mm semi-auto pistols. It has more manageable recoil than the 10mm but far better performance than 9x19mm.
More common firearms using .40 S&W are:
- Ruger P97
- SIG Sauer P226, 229, 239
- Taurus PT 24/7, PT140
- Walther P99, PPS, PPQ
- Beretta PX4 Storm, 9000
- Browning HiPower
- Glock 22, 23, 24, 27, 35
- Springfield XD-M 40
- HK USP, MP5, UMP
1991
.400 / 10.2mm
28.8 mm long
320 - 367 m/s
575 - 680 J
9mm Makarov (9x18mm Makarov PM)
Created to replace the 7.62 25mm Tokarev after World War II, the Makarov round was deliberately designed to be larger than the 9x19mm Luger round so that it would be no good for use in NATO weapons. Although there are variations for penetrating body armour, the Makarov round is not as powerful or effective as the 9x19 Luger equivalents.
Some of the Soviet bloc weapons using this calibre include:
- Makarov
- Arsenal Shipka
- Stechkin APS
- MP-448 Skyph
- CZ vz 82
- Skorpion vz. 65, vz. 82
- PM-63 RAK
- PP-90 Penal, PP-91 KEDR, PP-93
- PP-19 Bizon
1951
.365 /9.27mm
25 mm long
305 - 319 m/s
286 - 313 J
357 Magnum (.357 Smith & Wesson Magnum 9x33mmR)
This is an extended 38 Special cartridge to provide a faster round capapble of penetrating car doors and early ballistic vests around the time of gangsters and bootleggers in the 1930s.
It has an identical calibre to the 38 Special and so 357 Magnum revolvers like the Smith & Wesson Model 28 will also fire 38 Special rounds. It has been used in some rifles and even a few semi-auto pistols, notably the Desert Eagle, but is mostly known as a very effective revolver calibre.
1934
.357 / 9.1mm
40 mm long
370 - 490 m/s
870 - 1,049 J
38 Special (.38 Smith & Wesson Special)
This rimmed, centrefire cartridge is based on the 38 Long Colt but is slightly longer and the bullet is actually .357 inches in diameter.
It was the predominant sidearm calibre for most US Police departments for 70 years, until revolvers were phased out in favour of semi-auto 9mm pistols in the 1990s. It is almost exclusively a revolver cartridge, shown here with the Smith & Wesson Model 28.
1898
.357 / 9.1mm
39 mm long
207 - 300 m/s
212 - 319 J
38 Super (.38 Super Automatic)
Create in the 1920s to penetrate body armour of the time which the .45 ACP could not but only 5 years later the .357 Magnum came out and was very quickly adopted as the superior calibre for law enforcement. The M1911 pistol was the only pistol at the time chambered for .38 Super.
It is still used mostly in M1911 variants for competition shooting. Common pistols using .38 Super include:
- Arsenal Firearms AF2011A1 (twin barrel)
- Taurus PT 1911
- CZ-USA Dan Wesson Pointman 38
- Astra A-80, BUL M-5, Wilson Combat
- Colt Commander & Colt Government 1911
- STI Trojan 5.0, Kimber Eclipse
- Rock Island Armory 1911
- STI Grandmaster, EAA Witness
1929
.356 / 9.04mm
32.5 mm long
350 - 475 m/s
595 - 674 J
.357 SIG (SIG Sauer .357)
Based on the .40 S&W and designed to provide .357 performance for semi-auto pistols, it is mainly used by law enforcement and the US Secret Service.
The most common pistols chambered for this cartridge are:
- Glock 31, 32, 33
- SIG Sauer P226, 229, 239
- HK USP
- HS2000 (Springfield XD)
- Smith & Wesson M&P
1994
.355 / 9.02mm
28.96 mm long
380 - 470 m/s
510 - 614 J
9mm (Luger 9x19mm Parabellum)
Designed by Georg Luger in 1901 and first used by the 'Luger' P.08 it has become the most widely used pistol calibre since and is still very strong more than 100 years later in both pistols and submachine guns.
Some of the many weapons in this calibre include:
- Luger P.08
- Browning HiPower
- Walter P38
- Beretta M92
- CZ75
- Glock17
- Walther P99
- MP5 & UMP
- MP40
- Steyr TMP
- Uzi (also in .45 ACP)
- MAC-11
1901
.355 / 9.01mm
29.69 mm long
360 - 435 m/s
518 - 704 J
.338 Lapua (.338 Lapua Magnum 8.6 70mm)
Based on the 416 Rigby it was developed for long range anti-personnel and anti-materiel sniping. In November 2009 a British sniper, Corporal of Horse Craig Harrison, set the record for the longest sniper kill in Afghanistan at 2475m with an Accuracy International L115A3. Some rifles using this round include:
- Accuracy International Arctic Warfare, L115, AWM
- Blaser 93 Tactical
- Barret M98
- M24 Sniper Rifle system
- PGM 338
1989
.338 / 8.58mm
93.5 mm long
826 - 1,019 m/s
6,516 - 6,810 J
7.9mm Kurz (7.92 33mm Kurz)
This was designed in the lead up to WWII as an intermediate cartridge between the (7.92 57mm) rifle round and the 9mm Luger pistol round, intended for automatic fire in early assault rifles. Towards the end of WWII when brass was in short supply they were made with steel cases.
Although used some prototypes and adapted rifles, the main weapons using this cartridge were the Sturmgewehr (Stg)44 and Volkssturmgewehr 1-5 assault rifles, and the Astra 300 pistol. The Stg-44 is still in use today.
SORRY, NOT IN STOCK
1938
.324 / 8.22mm
48 mm long
685 m/s
4,000 J
8mm Mauser (7.92x57 Mauser)
Often referred to in a variety of ways including 7.9 Mauser, 8mm Mauser, 7.92x57 and 8x57, this cartridge was the main one used in German rifles through World War I and II. It was also used by Britain in WW II in their Besa machine guns, and has been used as a military round by Egypt, China, Spain, Turkey, Iran and Israel. There were various projectiles available for armour piercing, indenciary and specialised sniper use. It is still recognised for its performance and used as a sporting round.
The "Mauser" part of its name is due to the extensive use of this cartridge by Mauser rifles, though Mauser had no part in its design.
Some of the weapons that used this calibre are:
1905
.323 / 8.20mm
82 mm long
800 - 820 m/s
3,934 - 4,096 J
8x22 Nambu
Introduced in 1904 for the first of the Nambu automatic pistols, which were thought to be strongly influenced by the Mauser C96 pistol, this was an underpowered cartridge compared to existing counterparts like 9mm Parabellum, .45 ACP, and 7.62 Tokarev. Official manufacture was halted along with all other Japaneses military production at the end of World War II.
The Nambu pistols were also used by forces in British Malaya, Indonesia, The Philippines, Thailand and North Korea.
Some of the weapons that used this calibre are:
1904
.320 / 8.13mm
31.6 mm long
290 m/s
274 J
7.62 Rifle (Russian 7.62x54R)
This cartridge was first used in 1891 with bolt-action Mosin-Nagant rifles but holds the record for having the longest service life of any military cartridge (125 years as of 2016), still in use today with modern weapons like the SVD squad marksman rifle and the PKM general-purpose machine gun.
SORRY, NOT IN STOCK
1891
.312 / 7.92mm
77.16 mm long
786 - 865 m/s
3,593 - 3,779 J
.303 British
Originally put into service for the Lee Metford rifle in late 1888, it remained the British and Commonwealth standard rifle round until the 1950s, becoming very well known through its use in Lee Enfield rifles and various machine guns during World War II.
Well over 7 billion rounds of .303 ammunition were produced during World War I alone. Weapons chambered for 303 include:
- Bren gun
- Browning Model 1919
- Lewis gun
- Hotchkiss .303
- Vickers machine gun (various)
- Lee Enfield rifle
- Lee Metford rifle
- Martini Enfield rifle
- Winchester Model 1895
1888
.312 / 7.92mm
78.1 mm long
761 - 844 m/s
3,265 - 3,574 J
7.62 Soviet (Russian 7.62x39mm)
This is the round that the AK-47 was designed to use. It was first made for the RPD machine gun but is now prolific due to the huge numbers of AKM and copies around the world. It was finally replaced in general service by the 5.45 39mm cartridge in the 1970s but is still in official use by some smaller police units.
The green tipped bullet shown is a tracer round.
1944
.312 / 7.92mm
56 mm long
631 - 738 m/s
2,056 - 2,179 J
32 ACP (.32 Auto Colt Pisol /7.65 17mmSR Browning)
Created by John Browning in 1899 for the FN M1900 pistol, the 32 Auto was quickly adopted for blowback pistols in the first half of the 20th century, especially in Europe where it's more commonly called the 7.65mm Browning.
More pistols have been chambered for 32 Auto than any other calibre, including
- CZ VZ 27, and VZ 61 Skorpion submachine gun
- Beretta Model 70, 81, 82, 90, 3032 Tomcat
- Sauer 38H, SIG Sauer P230
- Smith & Wesson Model 35
- Taurus Millennium PT132, FEG PA-63, 37M
- Walther PPK, PP, Heckler & Koch P7K3
- Webley & Scott M1905-M1908
- Welrod, Ruby, Zastava M70
- Mauser HSc, Kel-Tec P-32
- Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless
- FN M1900, M1903, Model 1910
1899
.3125 / 7.94 mm
25 mm long
282 - 335 m/s
167 - 240 J
7.7 Japanese (7.7 58mm Arisaka)
Introduced in 1939 as a rimless copy of the .303 British round, the 7.7 Japanese was intended to replace the outdated 6.5 50mm Arisaka cartridge after witnessing how effective the 8mm Mauser round was in China when used in a heavy machine gun.
The following were chambered in this calibre
- Type 99, Type 99 Sniper Arisaka rifles
- Dutch Mannlicher rifle
- Type 4, 30, 35, 38, 99 rifles
- Type 1 heavy machine gun
- Type 97 and 99 light machine guns
1939
.311 / 7.89 mm
79.5 mm long
740 m/s
3,136 J
7.63 Mauser / 7.62 TT (7.63x25 Mauser / 7.62 Tokarev)
Originally built for the C96 Mauser, or "broomhandle Mauser", this bottlenecked cartridge was based on the only successful semi-auto pistol cartridge around at the time, the 7.65mm Borchardt.
The Russians copied the 7.63 Mauser and, without changing the dimensions, strengthened it for a more powerful charge as the basis for the Tokarev TT-33.
7.63 Mauser rounds can be fired in any gun chambered for 7.62 TT such as Russian PPSh-41 and Czech Sa 24 submachine guns, and Tokarev TT-33 and Czech CZ-52 pistols, but not vice versa.
1896
.309 / 7.86mm
34 mm long
441 - 525 m/s
545 - 760 J
300 Win Mag (300 Winchester Magnum / 300WM)
Winchester released this in 1963 for use in the Model 70 rifle as a slightly extended .338 Win Magnum case necked to take a .308 projectile. It wasn't used by the US military until 2009 for sniping with match grade ammunition and is now used by the following:
- Bundeswehr G22, Savage Model 110BA/10FP
- Barrett MRAD, DSR-Precision GmbH DSR-1
- M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle
- M86 sniper rifle, SIG Sauer SSG 2000
- Desert Arms Stealth Recon Scout
- Armalite AR-30, GOL Sniper Magnum
- FN Ballista, Special Police Rifle, Tactical Sport
- Steyr Mannlicher SSG08, Howa M1500
- Remington 700, 700 Police Long Action tactical, Modular Sniper Rifle, XM2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle, Mk. 13 Sniper Weapon System
- Weatherby TRR Threat Response Rifle
- Accuracy International Arctic Warfare
- Blaser 93 Tactical, Walther WA2000
1963
.308 / 7.8mm
85 mm long
870 - 990 m/s
5,299 - 5,548 J
7.62 NATO (7.62 x 51mm NATO)
Originally developed as a rifle round and based on the .308 Winchester it was slowly replaced by the 5.56 for assault rifles but remained in use with light machine gun and sniper rifles. Some weapons chambered for this round are:
- IMI Galil (also in 5.56 NATO)
- Accuracy International Arctic Warfare
- Blaser 93 Tactical
- FN FAL, MAG
- Browning Automatic Rifle, M1919
- FN Minimi 7.62 (also in 5.56 NATO), Mk48 mod0
- Sterling 7.62
- PSG 1
- KH 417
- M14 U.S. Army Sniper Rifle
- M24 Sniper Rifle system
- M60
- Knight's Armament SR-25
- Walther WA2000
1954
.308 / 7.82mm
69.85 mm long
786 - 833 m/s
3,304 - 3,506 J
300 BLK (300 AAC Blackout 7.62x35)
Advanced Armament Corp [AAC] developed this cartridge in conjunction with Remington to provide a heavier round for the M4/M16 platform. It is fundamentally a 5.56/.223 case shortened and necked to take a 7.62/.308 bullet that can fit a standard M4 or M16 magazine. It is the same length as a 5.56 round and comes in supersonic and subsonic configurations (the subsonic has a heavier bullet), both of which will work with the gas systems of the M4/M16.
A similar round, the 300 Whisper, had been developed In the 1990s but the 300 AAC Blackout was made to military standards and was formally designated the 300 BLK in 2011.
2011
.308 / 7.82mm
57 mm long
310 (sub) - 675 m/s
675 (sub) - 1,840 J
30-06 Springfield (7.62 x 63mm)
Introduced in 1906 as the standard US military round and using adapted 30-03 Springfield rifles, the 30-06 was improved after World War I. It was replaced by the 7.62 NATO round in 1954 after the Korean Conflict.
British forces also used 30-06 from 1940 up until 1993, although in WWII it was mainly used in modified Enfield rifles by the Home Guard. Some of the weapons that used this calibre include:
- M1903 Springfield rifle
- 1909 Ben t-Merci light machine gun
- M1917 Enfield
- Lewis Gun
- M1 Garand
- M1941 Johnson Rifle
- M1941 Johnson light machine gun
- Famage Mauser
- Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR)
- M1917/M1919 machine guns
- Model 1895 Winchester lever-action rifle
1906
.308 / 7.8mm
85 mm long
760 - 890 m/s
3,820 - 4,042 J
7.5 French (7.5x54 French MAS)
Like many other nations, France revised its main rifle cartridge during World War I. It replaced the obsolete 8mm Lebel with a 7.5x57 round that was again replaced six years later with the 7.5x54.
This round was very successful and served them through WW II during which the occupying German forces continued production of this calibre and the MAS rifle in the French factories for some of their own forces. The main weapons that used this calibre are:
- MAS-36, MAS-49 and FSA MAS 49/56 rifles
- FR F1 sniper rifle
- FM 24/29 light machine gun
- Reibel machine gun
- Darne aircraft machine gun
- MAC 1931, MAC 1934 machine guns
- FN-Browning MLE 38 aircraft machine guns
- AA-52 machine gun
- Fusil Mle 1907/15-M34
- Lebel 1886-93 M27
1929
.31 / 7.8mm
78 mm long
790 - 850 m/s
3,038 - 3,650 J
30 Carbine (.30 M1 Winchester Carbine)
The 30 carbine came about as an attempt to get more firepower than a .45 ACP pistol in a lightweight carbine just before World War II. The resulting cartridge and M1 carbine were introduced in 1942 but its ineffectiveness was apparent during the Korean conflict and it was eventually withdrawn. It is still in use by a few police units and the only successful semi-auto pistol to fire this round, the AutoMag III.
1942
.308 / 7.62mm
41.91 mm long
606.5 m/s
1,131 J
6.8 SPC (6.8x43 Remington Special Purpose Cartridge)
This intermediary calibre was designed by the US Army Marksmanship Unit in conjunction with Remington as a possible replacement for the 5.56 NATO round with more stopping power and distance. It uses the same projectile as the .270 calibre hunting round and the same case length as 5.56 NATO, but with 44% more effective power when shot from an M4 assault rifle. It also weighs less than 7.62 rounds allowing troops to carry more ammunition and has less recoil which helps with accuracy.
Arms manufacturers are beginning to adopt this calibre starting with the Barret 468, now known as the Rec-7, which is basically an upper receiver modification for standard M4s.
Other weapons using 6.8 SPC are the Adaptive Combat Rifle (ACR), ST Kinetics BR18, Colt CM901, the Indian MultiCal IWS, Robinson Armament XCR and Beretta ARX 160.
2004
.277 / 7.0mm
58.8 mm long
750 - 785 m/s
2,068 - 2,297 J
6.5 Carcano (6.5x52 Parravicini-Carcano/Mannlicher-Carcano)
This smallbore military cartide was designed for the new Italian infantry rifle and despite other countries having larger calibres (Germany, Austria, France, Russia, Japan, Britain, US) it was adopted due to the advantages of less material to produce, lighter weight, less recoil, flatter trajectory and excellent penetration at distance.
In 1963 US President John F. Kennedy was assasinated by Lee Harvey Oswald using ex-World War II ammunition in this calibre.
1891
.267 / 6.77.0mm
75 mm long
661 - 700 m/s
2,293 - 2,572 J
5.56 NATO (5.56 x 45mm NATO)
Based on the .223 Remington this was created to replace 7.62 NATO caliber with a lighter, smaller round for shorter range combat. It is used in assault rifles, light machine guns and sniper rifles. Some more well-known weapons using 5.56 are :
- M16, M4 (and many variants)
- MSSR sniper rifle
- US Army & US Marines Designated Marksman Rifles
- Bushmaster ACR
- Daewoo K2
- FAMAS
- FN F2000 & FN SCAR
- Steyr AUG
- HK G36
- IMI Tavor T-21
- SA80 (L85)
- FN Minimi, M249 (SAW), Mk46 mod0
1963
.224 / 5.70mm
57.4 mm long
905 - 940 m/s
1,679 - 1,796 J
FN 5.7 (FN Herstal 5.7 x 28mm)
Created alongside the P90 submachine gun and Five seveN pistol as a possible replacement for the 9x19mm round, it was recommended by NATO as a standard calibre but vetoed by Germany because HK was pushing for their 4.6x30mm round instead. The result is a very good medium calibre round that will probably only ever be used by some special forces and civilian enthuisasts. The steel penetrator version is not available to civilians and is considered armour-piercing and will pass through a Level II kevlar vest.
The case is unusual because it is deliberately dulled when most military style ammunition is polished.
1991
.224 / 5.7mm
40.5 mm long
716 - 850 m/s
467 - 540 J
5.45 Russian (5.45 x 39mm)
Following the general trend in the 1970s towards smaller, lighter ammunition the Soviets designed this 5.45x39 round to replace the heavier 7.62x39 one and it was first used with the AK-74 in 1974. Lighter ammunition means less recoil and more rounds carried by each soldier.
The front of the 5.45 projectile has an empty pocket which changes the weight distribution to the back of the bullet and also deforms easily on impact.
1974
.220 / 5.60mm
57.0 mm long
303 (subsonic) - 915 m/s
239 - 1,457 J
22 Magnum (.22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire [WMR])
Winchester created this as a more powerful .22 WMF round in 1959 and then adpated the Winchester Model 61 slide rifle for it in 1960. By then revolvers made for this new round had been made by Ruger, Smith & Wesson and Savage, and the Savage Model 24 rifle was already chambered in .22 WMR.
Since then there are additional revolvers chambered for it by Taurus, North American Arms and Heritage Arms as well as newer ones from Smith & Wesson like the Model 648.
Kel-Tec, Grendel and AMT (Automag II) produced semi-auto pistols in .22 WMR and High-Standard made various models of two-shot over/under derringer in this calibre too. The Argentine EDDA submachine gun is the only one using .22 WMR.
1960
.224 / 5.7mm
34.3 mm long
470 - 700 m/s
410 - 439 J
22 LR (.22 Long Rifle)
This calibre has been use for over a century as a training round and for hunting small game. It is usually subsonic and has been used in military pistols and rifles where stealth is important. Some weapons chambered for .22 LR include:
- Remington Zig-zag Derringer
- Walther PP, PPK
- Ruger Mk II, Mk II "S" (Supressed)
- Beretta 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 87, 89
- Mauser 67 (sniper rifle)
- M50 Reising submachine gun
- Armalite AR-7
- Browning Challenger
- Colt Service Ace, Woodsman, Detective Special, Cobra, Diamondback
- S&W .22 Military & Police, Model 17, 18, 34, 35, 43, 45, 63
- SIG Sauer P220
1887
.223-.2255 / 5.6-5.7mm
25.4 mm long
330 - 530 m/s
141 - 259 J
World War I - II
The following rounds are in this World War I - II collection
- .50 Browning Machine Gun
- .30 M1 Carbine
- 30-06 Springfield
- 8mm Mauser
- 6.5 Carcano
- 7.63 Mauser/7.62 TT
- .303 British
- .45 Auto Colt Pistol
- 9x19 Luger
- 7.5 French
- .455 Webley Mk II
- .32 ACP
- 8x22 Nambu
- 7.7x58 Arisaka
US - 150 years
These are some of the US rounds from the last 150 years
1. 45 Colt |
12. 44 Magnum |
1. 50 BMG |
23. 38 S&W
|
43. 458 Lott |
| THIS COLLECTION IS NOT FOR SALE | ||
