This is a table of selected
pistol
A pistol is a type of handgun, characterised by a gun barrel, barrel with an integral chamber (firearms), chamber. The word "pistol" derives from the Middle French ''pistolet'' (), meaning a small gun or knife, and first appeared in the Englis ...
/
submachine gun
A submachine gun (SMG) is a magazine (firearms), magazine-fed automatic firearm, automatic carbine designed to fire handgun cartridges. The term "submachine gun" was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun, to descri ...
and
rifle
A rifle is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting and higher stopping power, with a gun barrel, barrel that has a helical or spiralling pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus o ...
/
machine gun cartridges by common name. Data values are the highest found for the cartridge, and might not occur in the same load (e.g. the highest muzzle energy might not be in the same load as the highest muzzle velocity, since the bullet weights can differ between loads).
Legend
* Factory loadings. Number of manufacturers producing complete cartridges - e.g. Norma, RWS, Hornady, Winchester, Federal, Remington, Sellier & Bellot,
Prvi Partizan. May be none for obsolete and
wildcat cartridge
A wildcat cartridge, often shortened to wildcat, is a custom-made cartridge (weaponry), cartridge for which ammunition and/or firearms are not mass-produced. These cartridges are often created as experimental variants to optimize a certain ballis ...
s.
* H/R: Handgun (H) or rifle (R) - dominant usage of the cartridge (although several dual-purpose cartridges exist)
* Size: Metric size - may not be official
* MV: Muzzle velocity, in feet-per-second
* ME: Muzzle energy, in foot-pounds
* P: Momentum, in
pound (force)
The pound of force or pound-force (symbol: lbf, sometimes lbf,) is a Units of measurement, unit of force used in some System of measurement, systems of measurement, including English Engineering units and the foot–pound–second system.
Pou ...
(lbf) times seconds.
A guide to the recoil from the cartridge, and an indicator of bullet penetration potential. The
.30-06 Springfield (at 2.064 lbf-s) is considered the upper limit for tolerable recoil for inexperienced rifle shooters.
* Chg: Propellant charge, in grains
* Dia: Bullet diameter, in inches
* BC:
Ballistic coefficient
In ballistics, the ballistic coefficient (BC, ''C'') of a body is a measure of its ability to overcome air resistance in flight. It is inversely proportional to the negative acceleration: a high number indicates a low negative acceleration—the ...
, G1 model
* L: Case length (mm)
Table
See also
*
Firearm
A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions).
The first firearms originate ...
*
History of the firearm
*
Physics of firearms
*
Terminal ballistics
Terminal ballistics is a sub-field of ballistics concerned with the behavior and effects of a projectile when it hits and transfers its energy to a target. This field is usually cited in forensic ballistics.
Bullet design (as well as the veloci ...
*
External ballistics
External ballistics or exterior ballistics is the part of ballistics that deals with the behavior of a projectile in flight. The projectile may be powered or un-powered, guided or unguided, spin or fin stabilized, flying through an atmosphere or ...
*
Internal ballistics
Internal ballistics (also interior ballistics), a subfield of ballistics, is the study of the propulsion of a projectile.
In guns, internal ballistics covers the time from the propellant's ignition until the projectile exits the gun barrel. The s ...
*
Stopping power
Stopping power is the supposed ability of a weapon – typically a ranged weapon such as a firearm – to cause a target (human or animal) to be incapacitated or immobilized. Stopping power contrasts with lethality in that it pertains only to a ...
*
Hydrostatic shock
*
Point-blank range
Point-blank range is any distance over which a certain firearm or gun can hit a target without the need to elevate the barrel to compensate for bullet drop, i.e. the gun can be pointed horizontally at the target. For targets beyond-blank range ...
References
External links
Terminal Ballistics Research: Detailed history and terminal performance discussion for numerous hunting cartridges, organized by bullet diameter.
{{metricate
*
Cartridges pistol and rifle
handgun and rifle