Question about caliber of guns/bullets and velocity and accuracy.?

Question

As far as I understand, a .44 (rifled handgun or regular rifle) caliber is fairly accurate. Okay, I also understand that caliber is actually hundredths or thousandths of an inch so that a .22 is a little shy of 1/4 of an inch, .45 is almost a half inch, etc. Got that. What I am confused about is why an itsy bitsy single hundredth of an inch (.01")--which is the difference in diameter between a .44 and a .45 (as far as I understand it)-- makes such a difference in velocity and accuracy!!! I mean a .44 is as I said earlier, fairly accurate and yet a .45 is not supposed to be accurate beyond like 50 yards!! WHY??? This makes no sense to me!! How is it possible that so small a difference is crucial between these two calibers and yet you can, if you want, shoot a .38 bullet out of a .357 handgun which is a much bigger difference than the other two! Help!!

Answer 1

Caliber numeration is deceptive. A .44 Magnum is actually closer to .429 than it it is to .44; a .45 acp is closer to .454 than to .450 and the .38 and .357 Magnum are actually EXACTLY the same diameter: about .356!

The reasons for this are far too numerous and complicated to try to explain in this format except that it suffices to say that caliber sometimes measures the actual bullet diameter, and sometimes it measures the inside diameter of the barrel the bullet it is intended for. The barrel has to be slightly wider at the breech in order to accept the bullet.

Why is the .44 more accurate beyond fifty yards than the .45 acp? Because the .44 is a magnum (extra-power) cartridge intended to be shot out of revolvers or rifles. The .45 acp is intended mainly as a handgun cartridge (though the longer carbine barrels help it out a little bit but not as much as if it were a magnum cartridge). The .45 doesn't have much powder left to burn in a longer barrel. The .44 Magnum does.

I hope that helped at least a little bit.

Best.

H

Answer 2

The short answer is the length of the cartridge case. Compare the .45 ACP case next to a .44 mag. case and you will see the difference. Much more gun powder goes into the larger case. In the example of the .38 out of a .357 mag. handgun; you again have to look at the cases. The .38 is shorter and straight walled. The .357 is longer and slightly flared at the base. So you can shoot the .38 out of the .357 but the longer and wider .357 won't fit into the .38 gun.

Here's something else to drive you nuts. The .380, 9mm, 38 spl., and the .357 are pretty much the same size projectile. You can take the 95 gr. 380 projectile, load it into a .357 mag. case, and fire it. Not real advisable, but it can be done.

Answer 3

The quality of the gun and your ablity to shoot it determine accuracy. A short barreled gun like the 45 is difficult to aim and get repeatable accuracy because it is designed to be held at arms lengh when fired. So to with a revolver but the longer barrel lends itself to a better aim. A rifle of any caliber with telescopic sights fired from a rest should yield the most accuracy. Consistancy of ammuntion from one round to the next can also greatly effect accuracy. The more velocity from propelant charge the flatter the trajectory. When a bullet leaves the barrel of a gun it is falling at that point because it can not escape gravity. Bullets travel in an arch called the trajectory. The faster they are moving the flatter the arch. When a bullet leaves the barrel the bullet tough falling is still going up from its exit point of the barrel because the barrel properly sighted is acctually pointed slightly upward to meet the line of the sight. Thus a trajectory drawn on paper rises from the barrel through the site plane and above it and then falls back through it on its way to the ground. It hits zero twice. The faster the velocity the closer the bullet stays to the site plane for a longer distance. People might say this is more accurate but not if you know the distance to the target and aim accordingly. Just the other day a freind said he was shooting an old 45-90 cartridge at 1600 fps and hitting tartgets at 500 yards. Some calibers will shoot up to about 4000 fps. This is good if you're varmit hunting and taking shots at varying yardage allowing you to hit the mark through a greater span of ranges. Snipers on the other hand use bullets traveling 2600 to 2900 fps and adjust sites to each mark bringing down the intended foe at ranges from 500 yards to as much as 2300 yards with a 50 cal.

Answer 4

Well, you seem to be missing the fact that they are all different loads. There are .44 Rem Magnums, .44 Russians, .44 Special, .44-40's, etc..

Speaking of the projectile alone on one of the examples you gave, there is not a "much bigger difference" between a .357 and .38 special - they are the same bullet diameters - .357 in.. The difference lies in the case and powder charge - that is why a .38spl is a .38spl and a .357 is a .357 - the .38 started as a black powder cartridge.

A bullet's velocity and accuracy relies on its weight, how well its made, the way the propellant burns, and the gun its fired out of. This is why people reload - for instance, using different powders with different burn rates behind the same exact bullet types may yield different results. A slower powder may result in a more stable acceleration of the bullet or vice versa.

Answer 5

The accuracy difference is not based on the size of the bullet. These rounds are two totally different rounds. The .45 acp is shot out of a semi-auto handgun. The .44 is a revolver round. The casings are a different shape and the .44 has more powder behind it, hence, the higher muzzle velocity. The accuracy is mostly determined by the gun.

Answer 6

i'm putting my vote in with the "no longer so rapid" crowd. you could elect some thing like 17 Remington or 204 Ruger, yet you will land up disappointed on 3 hundred backyard photos if there is any wind. it is likewise slightly difficult to locate a 220 quick to any extent further, so 22-250 could be a simpler determination. My very own determination is for 6mm Remington, and the 70 grain a lot poke alongside at a leisurely 3580 fps or so, which ain't tortoise speed.

Answer 7

Different bullets have different weights and amounts of powder which effect the impact and distance of the round. Also a major thing that effects the accuracy of a weapon is the barrel length and how well it was manufactured.

More weight = more stability
more stability=more accuracy
more powder= higher velocity
higher velocity= more stability

Answer 8

Velocity and accuracy are not determined by caliber. They are determined by the amount of propellant used and the weight of the bullet (for velocity), and the consistency of the loads, and construction of the gun (for accuracy.)