do any manufacturers come out with new caliber rifles/pistols? or has the envelope been met and the typical calibers are all there is and they just mess with the detalils?
also what caliber is a m-16 and a ak-47? is a m-16 a 16 mm bullet? surely not....thanx, jk.
2007-10-17 16:32:15 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Sports ➔ Outdoor Recreation ➔ Hunting
YES! There is a huge number of 'wildcat' cartridges now, meaning someone cut a case from something else down, changed it's shape, or changed some other aspect of the casing. One of the really big ones recently is the line of Winchester Short Magnums, and the Winchester Super-Short Magnums. They're designed to be the best shooting load in each caliber they're made while still using small amounts of powder.
If you'd like more information about wildcatting cartridges, look at www.ammoguide.com for a complete list of cartridges, including some of the more popular wildcats.
An M16 is typically chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO, or more commonly known as the .223 Remington, but capable of higher pressures.
An AK-47 is typically chambered for 7.62x39mm, but the newer AK-74s are chambered for the 5.45x39mm round, a necked down version of the original round. This same cartridge has also been stretched out to accomidate a heavier subsonic bullet in a 9x39mm cartridge, and is used in supressed sniper rifles such as the VSS Vintorez. AK clones, such as the Saiga rifles, are available in 5.56x45 NATO, 7.62x51 NATO, and 12, 20, and .410 shotgun versions, as well as the standard 39mm long Kalashnikov calibers.
2007-10-17 16:43:38 · answer #1 · answered by fishtrembleatmyname 5 · 4⤊ 1⤋
New calibers do come out sometimes, but there are so many already established calibers that a new cartridge/caliber is very difficult to get to be successful. One example is the .480 Ruger. It did not find any niche where it was much better than any other established cartridge. It was more powerful than a .44 Magnum, but less powerful than the .454 Casull. This area is not really in need of much overlap, therefore it didn't take off. Another example is the 6.8mm SPC. It isn't really that much better on paper than the 5.56 NATO.
The caliber of an M-16 is 5.56mm NATO (almost an exact duplicate of the .223 Remington--the differences can be found on the site www.thegunzone.com). The AK-47 is 7.62mmX39mm. 16mm is about .63 caliber-not a caliber range usually found on modern shoulder fired weapons.
2007-10-18 12:41:10 · answer #2 · answered by boruma35 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yeah, sometimes there are new cailbers. However, ballastics are becoming quite a mature field, most of what can be done has been done. Although Ruger did introduce the new .204 Ruger cartridge, I feel it is a bit redundant of other currently existing calibers.
As far as AK's go, there are several calibers. 7.62X39 is the orginal and oldest. There is the newer 5.5x39 made for the AK-74 series. Lastly some are available in .223 even.
The M-16/ AR-15 Platform has even more. .223 Being the standard and issue caliber. But I have seen some in 5.45x39 (custom and very rare), 6.8 SPC, .308 (7.62x51), 6.5 Grendel, and then there are uppers even in .50 BMG.
2007-10-18 01:51:23 · answer #3 · answered by Matt M 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Yes, manufacturers come out with new calibers, etc. ever so often. Many new calibers are solutions to problems that don't exist so many calibers just don't catch on. Others are just fads like trying build the world's most powerful handgun. If you can't kill it with a .454 Casull then maybe you should just leave it alone!
The M-16 is chambered for the 5.56/.223 caliber round (same thing except that the 5.56 is loaded hotter); the AK-47 is loaded for the 7.62x39 SOVIET (and sometimes also in 5.56/.223) and no, neither one is loaded for a 16mm bullet which would be a .64 caliber size bullet.
Best.
H
2007-10-18 05:23:19 · answer #4 · answered by H 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Not so much new calibers as new cartridges in the standard calibers.
The latest round of new cartridge introductions are in the UltraMagnum and Winchester Short Magnum lines.
99.9995% of these new cartridges won't do anything any better than other cartridges that have been around for decades. They just give the gunmakers a chance to sell rifles and ammunition to the folks who think they MUST have the latest development.
The last NEW factory cartridges that really caught my attention were the .358 Winchester, introduced in 1958, and the .41 Magnum, introduced in 1964. Now if some one will domesticate the wildcat .41 Special, they just might tickle my interest.
Doc
2007-10-18 00:24:41 · answer #5 · answered by Doc Hudson 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
The M-16 uses a 5.56 mm which is a .223 caliber round..... the AK-47 uses a 7.62 mm caliber round which is a .30 in size...... all sizes stay the same. manufactures dont make new calibers anymore.....
2007-10-18 06:14:46 · answer #6 · answered by Stampy Skunk 6 · 1⤊ 3⤋