Rifle caliber
In relation to rifle ammunition, caliber is generally understood to be a size specification relating to the outer diameter of projectiles. Often, however, the type of cartridge or ammunition is also referred to as caliber.
For example, in 7 x 64 caliber, the projectile has a diameter of about 7 mm, and the length of the cartridge case (without the projectile) is 64 mm.
The number of different rifle calibers is in the hundreds, with most gun manufacturers limiting themselves to a selection of about twenty calibers.
But even with this selection, opinions in the hunting community differ: if you ask different, experienced hunters for opinions on the subject of caliber, it is very likely that you will hear something different from everyone - which, in case of doubt, can only lead to even more confusion.
Basically, there are two opposing factors when it comes to choosing a caliber:
The larger and more powerful the cartridge, the safer the shot piece of game already lies in the blast, i.e. remains in place after it has been fatally hit. This saves the game unnecessary suffering - and saves oneself a tedious search. On the other hand, the larger the caliber, the shot destroys more of the game or bellows of the game, which speaks for the choice of the smallest possible caliber.
Further, larger, more heavily loaded ammunition brings more recoil and muzzle flash, which can be uncomfortable for the shooter and affect accuracy when firing - in anticipation of the heavy recoil and loud bullet sound, many shooters tend to "muck" with large calibers - that is, to flinch when the shot breaks, thus "wrenching" the rifle.
The choice of caliber is therefore basically a matter of finding the right balance between effect and protection.
In addition, the price also plays a role that should not be underestimated. Larger, more powerful calibers do not always cost more; it is more likely that special, rare calibers are difficult and expensive to purchase.
The most important factor in the decision is what type of game is being hunted. For example, a red deer requires a much higher "penetrating power" than a fox.
Too large a caliber can even be detrimental with small game if the projectile exits the body of the game again without doing its job. To illustrate: If light game, such as a deer is shot at close range with a large caliber, the projectile may penetrate the game body without fragmenting or mushrooming. The effect would thus be insufficient, as with a full metal jacket bullet.
In the following, the most common rifle calibers will be described and which game species can be hunted with them.
For young hunters, calibers that can be used as universally as possible are recommended.
The group of the smallest calibers used for hunting is the one that begins with the Anglo-Saxon designation ".22": The calibers .22 lfB, .22 Winchester Magnum and .22 Hornet have a bullet diameter of only 5.6 mm and are only permitted in Germany for hunting predatory game. Unlike larger calibers, which are also permitted for predatory game, this caliber group causes little damage to the bellows, so it can be used in a variety of ways. Compared to other cloven-hoofed game, lower limits apply to roe deer with regard to the diameter of the projectile and the impact energy of the bullet on the game body. As a result, ammunition as small as .222 Remington (5.6 x 43 mm) is permissible for roe deer, but as already mentioned, not for other cloven-hoofed game. The difference to the ".22" category is the stronger propellant charge, which is visually recognizable by the longer case.
In this context, the term "small caliber" is also commonly used. Historically, rifle ammunition with a projectile diameter of less than 7 mm fell into this category; today, the upper limit for small caliber is 5.6 mm projectile diameter. The most common small caliber is .22
For all cloven-hoofed game larger than roe deer, ammunition is permitted in Germany in which the projectile has a diameter of at least 6.5 mm and the impact energy at one hundred meters is at least 2,000 joules.
This sounds very technical, but the most common calibers to which these requirements apply are the Anglo-Saxon .270 Winchester (7 × 64.5 mm), .308 Winchester (7.62 x 51 mm), . 30-06 Springfield (7.62 x 63 mm), .300 Winchester Magnum (7.62 x67 mm), and the German 6.5 x 57, 7 x 64, 7 x 65 R, 8 x 57 IS, 8 x 68 S and 9.3 x 74 R.
A bullet diameter of 9.53 mm (0.375 inch) or more is called a large caliber. Among hunters, however, the widely used .300 Winchester Magnum caliber is often counted as a large caliber, even though its smaller bullet diameter means that it does not actually meet the requirements for this category.
All calibers have different ballistic properties in detail, such as the curvature of the trajectory, the velocity of the bullet or the impact energy in the target. As a rule of thumb, however, the longer the case, the more elongated the trajectory, making it easier to aim at long range. On the other hand, it increases recoil and possibly muzzle flash when fired.
Finally, it should be noted that different ammunition of the same caliber may behave differently from each other, which depends on the laboratory - despite the same caliber, the composition of the bullets or the priming charges may differ, resulting in different ballistic properties.
An overview of the most important approximate key data:
V0 = projectile velocity at the muzzle.
E0 = energy at the muzzle
| Caliber: | Metric: | V0: | E0: | Scope: |
| .22 Win | 5.7 x 27 mm | 500-670 m/s | 410-440 J | Trap hunting |
| .22 Hornet | 5.7 x 35 mm | 612-930 m/s | 640-1160 J | small game (up to badger), geese |
| .222 Remington | 5.6 x 43 mm | 900-1100 m/s | 1300-1700 J | up to roe deer |
| .270 Win | 7 × 64.5 mm | 933-957 m/s | 3840 J | mountain hunting, deer, wild boar, elk hunting |
| 7 x 57 | 7 × 57 mm | 720 m/s | 2900 J | Universal |
| 7 x 64 | 7 x 64 mm | 779-969 m/s | 3200-4154 J | Universal |
| 7 x 65 R | 7 x 65 R | 820-920 m/s | 2200-3700 J | Universal - the 7 x 64 for break-barrel guns, due to the rim the cartridge is slightly larger but the powder charge slightly smaller |
| .308 Win | 7.62 x 51 mm | 785 m/s | 3500 J | Universal |
| .30-06 Spr | 7.62 x 63 mm | 820-900 m/s | 3200-4126 J | Universal |
| 8 x 57 IS | 7.92 × 57 mm | 750-900 m/s | 3600-4100 J | Universal |
| 8 x 68 S | 8 x 68 mm | 870-990 m/s | 5200-5570 J | strong big game, mountain hunting |
| 9.3 x 74 R | 9.3 x 74 mm | 662-853 m/s | 3400-5045 J | strong big game, mountain hunting, GEE over 200 m |
| .300 Win Mag | 7.62 × 67 mm | approx. 910 m/s | 5000 J | strong big game, mountain hunting |
Shot caliber
The most common shot calibers in Germany are 12, 16 and 20, with the largest barrel diameter having the lowest number.
The reason for this is that the conversion follows a rather peculiar calculation:
To determine the shot caliber 12, 12 identical sized balls were formed from one English pound of lead. The diameter of one of these identical balls is the diameter of the caliber 12. Correspondingly, if 16 identical balls are formed from one English pound of lead, the caliber 16 is obtained. The diameter of one of 16 balls is lower than one of 12 balls, therefore the barrel diameter is also lower.
Shot caliber 20 was determined according to this calculation.
The complete caliber specification also includes the information about the case length of a fired cartridge in this caliber. from shotguns, however, cartridges can also be fired that are shorter than the cartridge chamber would allow, in which case this can have a negative effect on the shooting performance.
In the case of cartridges, in addition to the caliber and length of a fired cartridge, the diameter of the individual shot grains is also specified, whereby shot of different strengths can be fired from the same shotgun.
Marktplatz
More exciting reports on the subject of caliber
You can also find exciting, interesting and informative reports on the subject at our premium partner, the hunting magazine hunting time. for example in the overview of all articles on the subject of caliber.
