I'm not exactly sure how many different rifle calibres exist but know enough to know there is a lot. There's people out there who make it their business to know about all of them, I just don't have that much time in my day so focus on those relevant to me. Depending what type of shooting I'm doing and what I'm killing, the calibre changes so over the years have worked with a wide variety of calibres but, as stated above, have focused only on those that are specifically pertinent to me and the situations I am in and I find no joy in talking about rifle calibres endlessly, I prefer to be shooting them.
I have done a lot of hunting over the thirty three years I've been shooting and a lot of other types of in-the-field shooting as well, but in this post I'm referring only to hunting-suitable calibres although they're interchangeable at times.
Calibres have names like 17HMR, 221 Remington Fireball, 22-250 Ackley Improved, 6.5mmx55 Swedish Mauser, 7mm WSM, 465 Nitro Express, 7.62x54R Russian and 30-40 Krag among others, and are as individual in nature and use as the names they have. Sure, they all essentially do the same thing; that is, get loaded into a rifle and sent downrange, but their purposes are vastly different and they've been developed for specific uses and applications.
To further complicate matters, different projectiles can be inserted so each calibre has multiple applications and then to further complicate things again, different gunpowder's can be used, each with various individual characteristics, and so for each calibre there's so many variations it can make the head spin. There's about one hundred and sixty hunting-suitable calibres and between them hundreds and hundreds of different combinations - Thousands probably.
Getting back to basics, the right calibre must be selected for the purpose at hand.
Bullets, (projectiles) don't necessarily do the killing; a projectile is simply a delivery system for energy, and it is the energy imparted into the target that causes it to die. That's why it's important to select the right calibre and projectile for the job at hand. A large calibre full-metal jacketed military round striking an animal is likely to result in a through and through wound but may fail to impart enough energy to kill. Sure, it may hit vitals, but that doesn't always mean a rapid and humane death.
A hunting round (projectile) is (generally) designed to mushroom on impact and it's that larger surface area that helps to impart the energy, and do more damage inside the creature. Just so you know, a lot of military rounds are designed to wound, not kill. A wounded man needs others to tend to him, a MEDEVAC (helicopter) to remove him from the battlefield maybe, and that reduces a unit's effectiveness in combat and puts the aircraft crew and aircraft itself in jeopardy.
Choosing the right calibre and projectile is very important to me when I shoot. I am not one who enjoys killing, I derive no pleasure from it, don't smile when I do it, or celebrate it in any way. It's for that reason I carefully select my calibres, projectiles and, indeed, the firearms itself, with the view to dispatching targets quickly and humanely. I've seen how targets suffer when the wrong calibres are used, or the shooter is not capable of the shot being made, and it's disturbing.
I use calibres across the range for hunting purposes such as 17HMR and 22-250 for small to small-medium sized targets like rabbits, hares and foxes. The .243, 7mm and .308 calibres for medium to medium-large targets and 300 WINMAG for larger targets or those being engaged from great distance.
The selections are made based on the amount of energy in foot-pound ft-lbf that will be imparted into the target. There are other things considered like environmental factors, flight time and so on also.
The above chart is generated from my ballistics solver based on many different factors I've put into it like rifle twist-rate and barrel length, scope height, ammunition details, muzzle speed, wind direction and speed, temperature, humidity and altitude calculated into a density altitude reading, the bullet drag model plus a lot more. This is done for each situation and as the environmental conditions change it needs re-doing as the data will also change.
You can see the energy reading in the third column from the left and how it reduces the more distance the bullet flies. You can also see where the projectile goes transonic - below the speed of sound - and all are considered before taking a shot, especially at long range. It's not just a point and shoot thing when the range gets further and further out there.
Calibre selection is critical to making effective shots, that means accurate and humanely; they also need to be repeatable and not fluke shots. I mean for me of course, others do it differently; I'm just not inclined to see something suffer and so make sure I do the work ahead of time reducing the chance of that. I've heard a lot of people talk about guessing shots, using Kentucky windage and the like, and that's all good and well, but I'm more of a one-bullet-one-kill sort of hunter and don't like leaving things to chance so choose my calibres, and the other factors around making quality shots, carefully.
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised so be humble and kind
Any images in this post are my own
I just saw you. Your article caught my attention, I did my military service for 1 year, but your knowledge is very advanced. Regards.
Hey mate, thanks for taking a look and commenting.
I'm sure you know a lot from your year of service and things that may come in handy in your future.
Sure, I know a lot, I'm a long range shooter and have been shooting in generally for many years...training and practice have come together to leave me with some skills for certain. I'm glad to have them.
You really deserve respect. I have always loved long range shooting especially, but I had no experience. I hope I can start this one day :) It's really nice to meet you. I will follow your every post carefully from now on.
I have spent a long, long time honing my skills and yet I still get a real buzz out of sending rounds out past 1600m accurately; It's something special, bringing all that science and one's own body and mind together in a single moment and towards a single goal, getting that projectile onto the target despite all the factors that stand in the way, not least of which is gravity itself and the turning of the earth! It's an epic feeling and one I hope you get to experience.
The more you talk, the more I realize how professional you are in your work. Whatever job you do, you should do your best. I think this is the secret of success.
Have a nice weekend. 😎
When I saw your post, I thought of my father. He used to take me hunting in the Mountains when I was a kid. He was such a good marksman that all his friends wanted to go hunting with him. I would also like to read your hunting posts.
It's a good skill to have. I don't write much about my hunting activities however my last post in this community before this one is about hunting.
It's so informative. I've learned a lot from this @galenkp. Projectile motion has something to do with trajectory, particularly in science subject that's where I first encounter that word. Thank you for sharing this one. I am eager to learn also in the proper handling of a particular gun. Now I know that it has something to do with such information you have shared well later if given a chance to hold a gun again then I will apply it. Stay safe and God bless.
Hello there, I kept it very basic as most people wouldn't know what I was talking about if I talked plainly.
Yes, trajectory is the name for a projectile in flight. It's really interesting to to watch a long range shot through the scope as the shooter, one can actually see the bullet trace, the projectile, arcing downrange to the target if the environmental factors are correct. It's satisfying to watch the projectile land on the target.
If you want to see it you can on YouTube. If you fast forward to 0:34 on this video there is a very good demonstration videoed through a spotting scope. If you watch to about 0:54 you'll see some more.
A lot of science goes into shooting at long range which is one of the aspects I like about it the best.
Anyway, thanks for your comment.
I found it very interesting. Yeah! I agree once I was there looking at the people shooting they were very happy once they shot the target. It feels like a success if I were in their shoes too. My foster father in Germany loves hunting also that's why I had a little information about it. It has been added to the information you've shared as well. My pleasure, don't mention it.. God bless.
So much information and science packed in a little object that can be smaller in size than my pinkie yet can make a big impact.
And I never thought of this
Good to know.
Indeed, a little thing, but one that can have such devastating impact. As for the science, I've written about some of it before and always try to keep it rather basic, but the concepts can be very complex without a little practical experience behind it and I find it difficult to write about sometimes. Part of the problem is one element is so intrinsic to the next so breaking it down can be problematic.
On the military thing...Rounds kill of course, but the theory behind wounding is that the combat effectiveness of a unit is greatly reduced when burdened by wounded. It's demoralising too; a man screaming in pain for his mother whilst combat ensues affects everyone within earshot. Then when the helicopters come in, the enemy get to shoot missiles and RPG's at it. The debacle that was the Battle of Mogadishu -1993 (the Black Hawk Down incident) demonstrates this situation perfectly and shows how wounded men can see the best laid battle strategies rendered ineffective.
Anyway, that's about enough of that. Thanks for your comment. I know it's often difficult for people to feel they are able to comment effectively when I post these things, but I really like people trying as mostly the comments are really good, like yours here.
Thanks so much for your comment @galenkp. Guns are a tricky thing for me as like to the majority of the British population we've never been exposed to it, and it isn't such a big thing in UK like USA where it's quite common to own a weapon. That said there have been a few shooting incidents in UK which has shocked the nation, just hope these don't escalate and get out of hands. We have enough other problems ☹️
I understand, here in Australia we don't have anywhere near the gun culture of the States but there's certainly guns here. After thirty three years of shooting and owning them I feel comfortable of course, but I understand that it can be an awkward topic for those not familiar with them. That's why I appreciate comments people make on posts like this.
You're right too, there's a lot of problems all over the place, there's a lot of sorting out to do huh?
I read your complete post. I gain alot of knowledge from your post about bullet and hunting. Some days later i will go with my friends for hunting to use this knowledge. Thanks for sharing this informative article.
No worries, maybe you'll do a post about your hunting exploits when they occur.
Thanks for reading my post and for taking a few moments to reply.