home Diagnosis and diseases Military affairs - caliber. Calibers of smoothbore hunting rifles, expressed in millimeters Definition of caliber

Military affairs - caliber. Calibers of smoothbore hunting rifles, expressed in millimeters Definition of caliber

The largest is the first caliber. The barrel diameter of a gun of this caliber is 42.42 mm.

Caliber	Design diameter bore in millimeters	Actual size used
2
4	26,72	26,5
6	23,34
8	21,21
10	19,689	19,7
12	18,59	18,2– 18,5
14	17,6
16	16,834	16,8
18	16,186
20	15,627
22	15,14
24	14,7	0.577 in or (14.6556 mm)
28	13,969	14
32	13,36	12,5
36	12,847	10,4
40	12,4
44	12,01
48	11,67

We are all accustomed to calibers rifled military weapons are indicated by the diameter of the bore and are expressed in millimeters or fractions of an inch. Moreover, in some countries, to determine caliber they take the full diameter of the barrel bore, and in our case - the distance between the rifling protrusions. Therefore, our bullet diameter turns out to be 0.2-0.3 mm larger than the caliber of the weapon. Thus, the bullet of the 7.62 mm intermediate cartridge mod. 1943 of the Elizarov system used in, has a diameter of 7.87 mm, a bullet from a pistol cartridge has a 7.82 mm diameter, and a rifle bullet from a domestic cartridge of the 1908 model has a diameter of 7.9 mm.
However, to indicate calibers smoothbore hunting rifles use a different system: the number caliber means the whole number of spherical bullets that can be cast from one English pound of lead (453.59237 g). The bullets must be spherical, identical in mass and diameter, which is equal to the internal diameter of the barrel in its middle part. The smaller the bore, the more bullets can be produced from a pound of lead. Thus, the twentieth gauge is less than the tenth, and the sixteenth is less than the twelfth.
In the designation of cartridges for smooth-bore weapons, as in the designation of cartridges for rifled weapons, it is customary to indicate the length of the cartridge case, for example: 12/70 - a 12-gauge cartridge with a cartridge case 70 mm long. The most common case lengths: 65, 70, 76 (magnum). Along with them there are: 60 and 89 (super magnum). The most common hunting rifles in Russia are 12 gauge. There are guns in calibers (in descending order of prevalence) 16, 20, 36 (.410), 32, 28, and the spread of caliber 36 (.410) is due solely to the release of Saiga carbines of the corresponding caliber.
The actual bore diameter of a given caliber in each country may differ from those indicated within certain limits. In addition, we should not forget that the shotgun barrel hunting weapons usually has various types constrictions (chokes), through which not any bullet of its caliber can pass through without damaging the barrel, so in many cases bullets are made according to the diameter of the choke and are equipped with easily cut sealing bands, which are cut off when passing through the choke.
It should be noted that the common caliber of signal pistols is 26.5 mm - this is the same 4th hunting caliber.

Caliber of rifled small arms

The most popular pistol calibers:

577 (14.7 mm) - the largest of the serial ones, the Eley revolver (Great Britain);

45 (11.4 mm) - the "national" caliber of the United States, most common in the Wild West. In 1911, the Colt M1911 automatic pistol of this caliber entered service with the Army and Navy and, having been modernized several times, served until 1985, when the US Armed Forces switched to 9mm for the Beretta_92.

38; .357(9mm) - currently considered optimal for hand weapons(less - the bullet is too “weak”, more - the gun is too heavy).

25 (6.35 mm) - TOZ-8.

2.7 mm - the smallest of the serial ones, had a “Hummingbird” pistol of the Pieper system (Belgium).

Caliber of smoothbore hunting weapons

For smoothbore hunting rifles, calibers are measured differently: caliber number means number of bullets, which can be cast from 1 English pound of lead (453.6 g). The bullets must be spherical, identical in mass and diameter, which is equal to the internal diameter of the barrel in its middle part. The smaller the barrel diameter, the greater the number of bullets. Thus twenty gauge is less than sixteen, A sixteenth less than twelfth.

Caliber designation	Designation option	Barrel diameter, mm	Varieties
36	.410	10.4	-
32	.50	12.5	-
28	-	13.8	-
24	-	14.7	-
20	-	15.6 (15.5 magnum)	-
16	-	16.8	-
12	-	18.5 (18.2 magnum)	-
10	-	19.7	-
4	-	26.5	-

In the designation of cartridges for smooth-bore weapons, as in the designation of cartridges for rifled weapons, it is customary to indicate the length of the sleeve, for example: 12/70 - a 12-gauge cartridge with a sleeve 70 mm long. The most common case lengths: 65, 70, 76 (magnum). Along with them there are: 60 and 89 (super magnum). The most common hunting rifles in Russia are 12 gauge. There are (in descending order of prevalence) 16, 20, 36 (.410), 32, 28, and the spread of caliber 36 (.410) is due solely to the release of Saiga carbines of the corresponding caliber.

The actual bore diameter of a given caliber in each country may differ from those indicated within certain limits. In addition, we should not forget that the barrel of a shotgun weapon usually has various types of constrictions (chokes), through which not any bullet of its caliber can pass through without damaging the barrel, so in many cases bullets are made according to the diameter of the choke and are equipped with easily cut sealing bands , which are cut down when passing the choke. It should be noted that the common caliber of signal pistols - 26.5 mm - is nothing more than the 4th hunting caliber.

Caliber of Russian artillery, aerial bombs, torpedoes and rockets

In Europe the term artillery caliber appeared in 1546, when Hartmann of Nuremberg developed a device called the Hartmann scale. It was a prismatic tetrahedral ruler. On one side the units of measurement (inches) were marked, on the other three the actual dimensions, depending on the weight in pounds, of the iron, lead and stone cores respectively.

Example(approximately):

1 face - mark lead kernels weighing 1 lb - corresponds to 1.5 inches

2nd face - iron cores 1 lb. - from 2.5

3rd side - stone cores 1 lb. - from 3

Thus, knowing either the size or weight of the projectile, it was possible to easily assemble, and most importantly, manufacture ammunition. A similar system existed in the world for about 300 years.

In Russia before Peter 1, no standards existed. At the beginning of the 18th century, on the instructions of Peter 1, Feldzeichmeister General Count Bruce developed a domestic caliber system based on the Hartmann scale. She divided the tools according to artillery weight projectile (cast iron core). The unit of measurement was the artillery pound - a cast iron ball with a diameter of 2 inches and a weight of 115 spools (about 490 grams). A scale was also created that correlated artillery weight with the diameter of the bore, that is, with what we now call caliber. It did not matter what types of projectiles the gun fired - buckshot, bombs or anything else. Only the theoretical artillery weight that a gun could fire given its size was taken into account. This system was introduced by royal decree in the city and lasted for a century and a half.

Example:

3-pounder gun, 3-pounder gun- official name;

artillery weight 3 pounds- the main characteristics of the weapon.

scale size 2.8 inches- bore diameter, an auxiliary characteristic of the gun.

In practice, it was a small cannon that fired cannonballs weighing about 1.5 kg and had a caliber (in our understanding) of about 70 mm.

D. E. Kozlovsky in his book translates Russian artillery weights into metric calibers:

3 lbs - 76 mm.

Explosive shells (bombs) occupied a special place in this system. Their weight was measured in pounds (1 pood = 40 trade pounds = approx. 16.3 kg). This is due to the fact that the bombs were hollow, with explosives inside, that is, made of materials of different densities. During their production, it was much more convenient to operate with generally accepted weight units.

D. Kozlovsky gives the following. ratios:

1/4 pood - 120 mm

A special weapon was intended for bombs - a bombard, or mortar. Her performance characteristics, combat missions and calibration system allow us to talk about a special type of artillery. In practice, small bombards often fired ordinary cannonballs, and then the same weapon had different calibers - general at 12 pounds and special at 10 pounds.

The introduction of calibers, among other things, became a good financial incentive for soldiers and officers. Thus, in the “Book of Marine Charter”, printed in St. Petersburg in 1720, in the chapter “On rewarding” the amounts of reward payments for guns taken from the enemy are given:

30 pound - 300 rubles

In the second half of the 19th century, with the introduction of rifled artillery, the scale was adjusted due to changes in the characteristics of the projectile, but the principle remained the same.

Interesting fact: Nowadays artillery pieces, calibrated by weight, are still in service. This is due to the fact that in Great Britain a similar system was maintained until the end of the Second World War. Upon completion a large number of guns were sold and transferred to countries like this. called Third world. In the WB itself, 25-pound (87.6 mm) guns were in service until the end of the 70s. last century, and now remain in fireworks units.

In 1877, the inch system was introduced. At the same time, the previous sizes on the “bruce” scale to new system had nothing to do with it. True, the “Bryusov” scale and artillery weight remained for some time after 1877 due to the fact that many obsolete guns remained in the army.

Example:

Notes

The caliber of aerial bombs is measured in kilograms.

What are the calibers of hunting rifles?

The answer is simple - the diameter of the bore. Correct, but to a first approximation. The fact is that the barrel bore has a complex profile. But we’ll come back to this a little later.

When talking about shotguns, we usually say: “12-gauge, 16-gauge, 20-gauge, 28-gauge, or 32-gauge shotgun.” At the same time, we know for sure that a 28-caliber shotgun has a thinner bore than a 12-gauge shotgun. It is clear that these numbers are not units of length.
The caliber rating (4-gauge, 8-gauge, 10-gauge, 12-gauge, etc.) corresponds to the number of round bullets cast from an English pound of lead.

It’s no easier with nomenclature rifled weapons. The famous Russian Mosin rifle is called a three-line rifle, and the caliber of the Simonov self-loading carbine is indicated in millimeters - 7.62, with completely identical barrel bore diameters.

Shotgun calibers

Let's try to figure it out first with smooth-bore weapons. Now in Russia they produce guns of only five named calibers.

But earlier, in addition to them, guns of 4, 8, 10 and 24 calibers were produced. The numbers denoting these calibers correspond to the whole number of round bullets produced from one English (trade) pound of lead (453.6 g).

This definition allows for a simple but useful equation: K x M = 453.6 g, where K is the caliber of the barrel, M is the mass of a round bullet with a diameter equal to the diameter of the barrel bore.

This equation makes it possible to calculate three important parameters:

The mass of a round bullet of any caliber is obtained by dividing 453.6 g by caliber;
If we substitute the mass of the bullet, expressed in terms of the volume of the ball and the density of lead (11.34 g/cm3), it is easy to calculate the barrel diameter (in mm) for any caliber. It is equal to 42.5/(cube root of caliber). The caliber can be determined if the bore diameter is known;
The caliber is equal to the third power of the ratio 42.5 / (barrel bore diameter in mm).

History of calibers

At the beginning of the last century, all integer calibers (4, 5, 6, 7, and so on up to 36) were in use. It seems very strange that such an irrational designation of calibers has survived to this day.

After all, designations of calibers in linear units, especially decimal ones, would be incomparably simpler and clearer. However, our general inertia is very great.

IN early XIX century, Napoleon Bonaparte tried to introduce a definition of calibers through the number of bullets according to the diameter of the barrel, which is obtained not from a pound, but from a kilogram of lead. French guns of that period occasionally show traces of that reform. A 12-gauge shotgun was designated 40 in Napoleonic style.

Shotgun bore profile

From the breech there is a chamber - a socket for a cartridge. The chamber begins with a groove under the rim of the sleeve. Its total depth for a 12-gauge shotgun is 1.9 mm. The first half is a cylinder with a diameter of 22.5 mm, the second is a cone with an apex angle of about 80 degrees.

This groove under the rim of the cartridge case not only positions the bottom of the cartridge case in the plane of the breech cut of the barrels, but also, with the help of a cone, centers it in the chamber. The chamber is a truncated cone, expanding towards the breech by 0.3 mm. This is necessary for free removal of the spent cartridge case.

The length of the chamber must match the length of the cartridge case. Longer cartridges lead to unacceptably high pressures of powder gases in the barrel when fired; cartridges that are shorter than the chamber lead to uneven pellet and sharpness and, in addition, ruin the chambers.

Shells for shotguns

Our industry produces guns for cartridges with lengths of 70 and 76.2 mm. These dimensions are based on the inch system. In the world, chambers are made from 51 to 89 mm long. A generally accepted standard requires that the length of the cartridge case in the unwound state be marked on the finished cartridge.

In addition, when indicating the caliber of a smooth-bore weapon, the length of the cartridge case is written through a slash. For example. 12/70 or 20/76. Some hunters have a misconception that in order to easily remove metal cartridges from the chamber, they must almost dangle in it. In fact, the brass sleeve in the chamber must fit tightly so that when fired, its deformation does not exceed the elastic limit. If a loose chamber allows the case to reach the limits of plastic, irreversible deformation, it will be very difficult to remove it.

In order for a gun to be able to fire using cartridges of different designs (with different wall thicknesses), a transition cone or projectile entrance follows the chamber. Cases made from different materials have different internal diameters of the barrels, which differ from the diameter of the barrel bore. The purpose of the transition cone is to prevent the breakthrough of powder gases either into the shot charge or into the gap between the chamber and the sleeve when the projectile passes from the chamber to the barrel.

To prevent such a breakthrough, it is necessary that the height of the felt wad be at least one and a half times greater than the length of the transition cone. Its profile varies, but the length rarely exceeds 10 mm. Behind the transition cone the actual barrel channel begins, which continues to the muzzle device. In rare cases when it is not present, the channel continues to the muzzle without a significant change in diameter.

Thus, the caliber in a smoothbore gun is the internal diameter of the barrel from the projectile entrance to the muzzle device.

Practical difficulties

Now in theory everything seems certain, but in practice there are a couple of complications. Each company has its own tool sizes and equipment for processing barrel bores of each caliber. Even in our country of complete standardization, the Tula Arms Plant produces 12-gauge shotguns with a bore diameter of 18.5-18.7 mm, and the mechanical plant in Izhevsk produces 18.2-18.45 mm.

Moreover, practically the barrel channels are not a strict cylinder, but a truncated cone. From the chamber to the muzzle they taper slightly. This expansion in the breech occurs naturally. Any deep hole on the entry side of the processing tools becomes slightly wider. However, this imperfection also plays a positive role.

Moving from the chamber, the wad, while somewhat abraded, still does not stop working (preventing breakthrough of powder gases) because the diameter of the channel decreases. This reasoning fully applies to both the traditional felt wad and the polyethylene seal wad.

For the sake of fairness, it should be noted that the best piece gunsmiths make special efforts, and their barrels between the transition cone and the muzzle device really have a constant diameter, they are a real cylinder.

In addition, sometimes a small cone is specially made in the first third of the channel (from the breech).

Returning to the definition of the caliber of a shot barrel, we must understand some conventions of this parameter.

Typically, shotguns have choke tubes, the main purpose of which is to finally form the shotgun. Barrels without choke constrictions are rare in smoothbore shotguns, although they tend to shoot better with zeros. Such trunks are called “cylinders”.

What is a choke and what is it for?

The most common form of constriction is called a “choke.”
From the muzzle side, it is a cylinder, the longer the greater the narrowing.

A full 12 gauge choke is 18mm long. It mates with the main channel with a sloping conical surface (taper 1:120);
The payday has a cylindrical part length of 10 mm.

Let's first define the concept of "chok".
This narrowing of the shotgun bore is located near the muzzle. This narrowing very rarely exceeds 40 thousandths of an inch (in metric system- 1.01 mm). Each "thousandth" can be considered as a unit of reduction.

More details about the marking of checks can be found in the article: “Marking of replaceable chokes”.

The barrels of guns intended for shooting on a round platform have wider chokes: from 10 thousandths to a strict cylinder. High-end shotguns for this exercise are sometimes made with a choke drill, but on the muzzle side a “bell” of 10-15 thousandths of an inch is made.

Currently, many manufacturers of hunting and sporting weapons equip their weapons with replaceable chokes, which are light tubes that are screwed into the barrel from the muzzle side. A special key is included for this purpose.

Choke shapes

Replaceable chokes are sometimes made in the form of barrel extensions, usually not exceeding 150 mm.
However, the famous French company Verneuil Carron made a real revolution by producing a series of barrel extensions for semi-automatic shotguns with a length of 820 mm.

Designation of chokes size

To indicate the size of the chokes there is different variants(no general standard yet). One of them is to use asterisks: * - full choke, ** - 3/4 choke, *** - half choke, **** - quarter choke or cylinder.

Other manufacturers use the letter “0” to designate chokes. For example, the Beretta company puts the “0000” sign on the cylinder. This means that the barrel is truly cylindrical. And on the free ends of the replaceable chokes you can see small marks. And again, one risk corresponds to a full choke.

Choke profiles vary not only for ballistic reasons, but also based on the type of shot. Nowadays, the problem of replacing lead shot with steel shot is very urgent to improve the environmental situation in reservoirs where waterfowl are intensively hunted.

However, the use of steel shot requires very smooth transitions in the bores. Otherwise, they will experience catastrophic wear. To prevent this from happening, modern manufacturers of shotguns make all transitions in bore diameters hyperbolic.

In addition to the “regular” choke, barrels with several other options for muzzle devices are produced around the world.

The complexity and variety of profiles of smooth-bore weapons, even of the same caliber, must be taken into account when selecting wads, gaskets and, of course, bullets not only for each gun, but also for each barrel. It is almost certain that the left and right barrel (top and bottom) of a shotgun will "prefer" different designs of zeros.

Types of channel drilling

Speaking about gun calibers, we must talk about two types of channel drilling, which allow you to shoot both shot and bullets at incomparably greater distances than from conventional smoothbore guns. We are talking about a rifled choke - a paradox and Lancaster drilling, in which the barrel bore has an oval cross-section, “twisted” with a pitch of a regular rifling.

Fortunately for our hunters, weapons with such barrels are formally considered smoothbore. This allows you to purchase it under the same licenses as regular hunting smoothbore weapons.

Shapes of muzzle devices

Muzzle device shapes (top to bottom):

a) normal conical choke;
b) choke with pre-muzzle expansion;
c) bell with pre-barrel constriction;
d) parabolic choke;
e) normal bell;
e) strong choke;
g) rifled choke (paradox).

Total articles

A hunter is not just a man with a gun; first of all, he is a man with a big soul.

What are the calibers of hunting rifles?

The answer is simple - the diameter of the bore. Correct, but to a first approximation. The fact is that the barrel bore has a complex profile. But we’ll come back to this a little later.

Shotgun calibers

Let's try to figure it out first with smooth-bore weapons. Now in Russia they produce guns of only five named calibers.

This equation makes it possible to calculate three important parameters:

The mass of a round bullet of any caliber is obtained by dividing 453.6 g by caliber;
If we substitute the mass of the bullet, expressed in terms of the volume of the ball and the density of lead (11.34 g/cm3), it is easy to calculate the barrel diameter (in mm) for any caliber. It is equal to 42.5/(cube root of caliber). The caliber can be determined if the bore diameter is known;
The caliber is equal to the third power of the ratio 42.5 / (barrel bore diameter in mm).

History of calibers

After all, designations of calibers in linear units, especially decimal ones, would be incomparably simpler and clearer. However, our general inertia is very great.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Napoleon Bonaparte tried to introduce a definition of calibers in terms of the number of bullets along the diameter of the barrel, which is obtained not from a pound, but from a kilogram of lead. French guns of that period occasionally show traces of that reform. A 12-gauge shotgun was designated 40 in Napoleonic style.

Shotgun bore profile

Shells for shotguns

Thus, the caliber in a smoothbore gun is the internal diameter of the barrel from the projectile entrance to the muzzle device.

Practical difficulties

In addition, sometimes a small cone is specially made in the first third of the channel (from the breech).

Returning to the definition of the caliber of a shot barrel, we must understand some conventions of this parameter.

What is a choke and what is it for?

The most common form of constriction is called a “choke.”
From the muzzle side, it is a cylinder, the longer the greater the narrowing.

A full 12 gauge choke is 18mm long. It mates with the main channel with a sloping conical surface (taper 1:120);
The payday has a cylindrical part length of 10 mm.

Let's first define the concept of "chok".
This narrowing of the shotgun bore is located near the muzzle. This narrowing is very rarely made by more than 40 thousandths of an inch (in the metric system - 1.01 mm). Each "thousandth" can be considered as a unit of reduction.

More details about the marking of checks can be found in the article: “Marking of replaceable chokes”.

Choke shapes

Designation of chokes size

There are different options for designating the size of chokes (there is no general standard yet). One of them is to use asterisks: * - full choke, ** - 3/4 choke, *** - half choke, **** - quarter choke or cylinder.

In addition to the “regular” choke, barrels with several other options for muzzle devices are produced around the world.

Types of channel drilling

Fortunately for our hunters, weapons with such barrels are formally considered smoothbore. This allows you to purchase it under the same licenses as regular hunting smoothbore weapons.

Shapes of muzzle devices

Muzzle device shapes (top to bottom):

a) normal conical choke;
b) choke with pre-muzzle expansion;
c) bell with pre-barrel constriction;
d) parabolic choke;
e) normal bell;
e) strong choke;
g) rifled choke (paradox).

Caliber(from Italian qua libra - “pounds here”) - the diameter of the bore along the rifling or margins; one of the main quantities that determine power firearms.

The caliber is determined by smoothbore weapons according to the internal diameter of the barrel, for a rifled one - according to the distance between the opposite fields of the rifling (in countries former USSR) or by the distance between the bottom of opposite rifling (NATO), for shells (bullets) - the largest diameter.. Guns with conical barrel characterized by input and output gauges.

Bullets of various calibers.

The caliber is determined by the internal diameter of the barrel. Barrel 18 calibers long

Caliber of rifled small arms

It is indicated in the USA, Great Britain and a number of other countries in fractions of an inch (in the USA - in hundredths (0.45 inches), in the UK - in thousandths (0.450 inches). When writing, zero and comma are replaced by a dot, and "cal." is used instead of "inch" or omitted altogether ( .45 cal; .450 cal.) V colloquial speech say: " forty-fifth caliber", " four hundred and fiftieth caliber".

In other countries it is measured in millimeters - 9×18(the first number is the caliber in millimeters, the second is the length of the sleeve in millimeters). It must be taken into account that the length of the cartridge case is not a characteristic of the caliber, but a characteristic of the cartridge. With the same caliber, cartridges can be of different lengths. A similar “digital” recording is used mainly for military cartridges in the West. For civilian cartridges, the name of the company or a special characteristic of the cartridge is usually added to the caliber, for example forty five Colt,forty-one Smith and Wesson, thirty eight super, three hundred fifty seven Magnum, two hundred twenty Russian (Russian). There are also more complex designations, for example, several designations for the same cartridge: nine millimeter browning short, aka three hundred eighty cars, aka nine by seventeen, aka nine kurtz. This state of affairs is due to the fact that almost every arms company has its own patented cartridges different characteristics, and a foreign cartridge accepted for service or into civilian circulation receives a new designation.

In Russia until 1917 and a number of other countries, caliber was measured in lines. One line = 0.1 inch = 2.54 mm. The name “three-line” has taken root in modern vocabulary, which literally means “a rifle of the 1895 model (Mosin system) of three-line caliber.”

In some countries, the caliber is considered to be the distance between the fields of the rifling (the smallest diameter of the bore), in others - the distance between the rifling (the largest diameter). As a result, with the same caliber designations, the diameters of the bullet and bore are different. An example is the 9x18 Makarov and 9x19 Parabellum.

Makarov has 9 mm - the distance between the fields, bullet diameter - 9.25 mm.

Parabellum has a distance between grooves of 9 mm, respectively bullet diameter 9.02 mm, and the distance between fields is 8.8 mm.

Classification of small arms calibers:

small-caliber (less than 6.5 mm)
normal caliber (6.5-9.0 mm)
large-caliber (9.0-20.0 mm)

Caliber up to 20 mm - weapon. Caliber over 20 mm - artillery.

As a rule, small arms differ from artillery weapons by the type of ammunition. Small arms are designed to fire bullets, and artillery systems fire projectiles. At the same time, for rifled firearms, the main difference between bullets and projectiles as ammunition is the fact that bullets, when passing through the bore, cut into the rifling with their shell. This creates a torque that increases the stability of the bullet in flight. When fired, the projectile is given rotation with the help of driving belts (made from materials of less hardness than the shell of the projectile body). However, this is not the only difference that exists and it is not applicable to all types of artillery and small arms weapon systems.

The most popular calibers of pistols, rifles and machine guns:

577 (14.7 mm) - the largest of the serial ones, the Eley revolver (Great Britain);

.50 (12.7 mm) - used for machine guns and large-caliber sniper rifles. Sometimes for pistols, for example - the Desert Eagle hunting pistol caliber 50 Action Express;

.45 (11.43 mm) - the "national" caliber of the United States, most common in the Wild West. In 1911, the Colt M1911 automatic pistol of this caliber entered service with the army and navy and, repeatedly modernized, served until 1985, when the US armed forces switched to 9 mm for the Beretta 92, and is still used in civilian use.

.40 (10.2 mm) is a relatively new pistol caliber. Provides better efficiency, for which it has gained great popularity in US law enforcement agencies.

.38; .357 (9 mm) - is currently considered optimal for short-barreled weapons (less - the cartridge is “weak”, more - the gun is too bulky and heavy, uncomfortable recoil).

.30 (7.62 mm) - for the Nagan revolver and TT pistol, Mosin rifle, AK assault rifle.

.22 (5.6 mm) - for the TOZ-8 rifle.

.223 (5.56 mm) - for the M16 assault rifle.

5.45 mm- at the AK-74 assault rifle.

2.7 mm is the smallest serial caliber, used in the Hummingbird pistol of the Franz Pfannl system (Austria).

Methods for measuring the caliber of trunks of various sections Smoothbore weaponsRiflePolygonal slicing

Common mistakes

In television programs and series you can often hear: “9-caliber pistol.” This refers to a 9 mm caliber pistol.

Caliber of Russian artillery, aerial bombs, torpedoes and rockets

In Europe the term artillery caliber appeared in 1546, when Hartmann of Nuremberg developed a device called the Hartmann scale. It was a prismatic tetrahedral ruler. On one side were marked the units of measurement (inches), on the other three the actual dimensions, depending on the weight, in pounds, of the iron, lead and stone cores respectively.

Example(approximately):

1 face - mark lead kernels weighing 1 lb - corresponds to 1.5 inches

2nd face - iron cores 1 lb. - from 2.5

3rd side - stone cores 1 lb. - from 3

Thus, knowing either the size or weight of the projectile, it was possible to easily assemble, and most importantly, manufacture ammunition. A similar system existed in the world for about 300 years.

In Russia, before Peter I, there were no uniform standards. The cannons and squeaks available in the army were each characterized separately by the weight of the projectile, in Russian national units. Pre-Petrine Inventories mention guns ranging from 1/8 hryvnia to a pood. At the beginning of the 18th century, on behalf of Peter I general-feldtzeichmeister Count Bruce developed a domestic caliber system based on the Hartmann scale. She divided the tools according to artillery weight projectile (cast iron core). The unit of measurement was artillery pound- a cast iron ball with a diameter of 2 inches and a weight of 115 spools (about 490 grams). It did not matter what types of projectiles the gun fired - buckshot, bombs or anything else. Only the theoretical artillery weight that a gun could fire given its size was taken into account. Tables were also developed correlating artillery weight (caliber) with bore diameter. Artillery officers were required to operate with both calibers and diameters. In the “Book of Naval Regulations” (St. Petersburg, 1720), in Chapter Seven “On the Artillery Officer, or Constable,” in paragraph 2 it is written: “You must measure the cannonballs to see if their diameters are similar to the calibers of the guns and place them on the ship according to to their places." This system was introduced by royal decree in 1707 and lasted for more than a century and a half.

Example:

3-pounder gun, 3-pounder gun- official name;

artillery weight 3 pounds- the main characteristics of the weapon.

size 2.8 inches- bore diameter, an auxiliary characteristic of the gun.

In practice, it was a small cannon that fired cannonballs weighing about 1.5 kg and had a caliber (in our understanding) of about 70 mm.

D. E. Kozlovsky in his book gives a translation of Russian artillery weight into metric calibers:

3 lbs - 76 mm

Explosive shells (bomb) occupied a special place in this system. Their weight was measured in pounds (1 pood = 40 trade pounds = approx. 16.3 kg). This is due to the fact that the bombs were hollow, with explosives inside, that is, made of materials of different densities. During their production, it was much more convenient to operate with generally accepted weight units.

D. Kozlovsky gives the following relationships:

1/4 pood - 120 mm

A special weapon was intended for bombs - a bombard, or mortar. Its tactical and technical characteristics, combat missions and calibration system allow us to speak of a special type of artillery. In practice, small bombards often fired ordinary cannonballs, and then the same gun had different calibers- general at 12 pounds and special at 10 pounds.

30 pound - 300 rubles

2 and below - 15

In the second half of the 19th century, with the introduction of rifled artillery, the scale was adjusted due to changes in the characteristics of the projectile, but the principle remained the same.

Interesting fact: in our time, artillery pieces calibrated by weight are still in service. This is due to the fact that in Great Britain a similar system was maintained until the end of the Second World War. Upon its completion, a large number of guns were sold and transferred to the countries of the so-called Third World. In Great Britain itself, 25-pounder (87.6 mm) guns were in service until the end of the 70s of the last century, and now remain in fireworks units.

In 1877, the inch system was introduced. At the same time, the previous sizes on the “bruce” scale had nothing to do with the new system. True, the “Bryusov” scale and artillery weight remained for some time after 1877 due to the fact that many obsolete guns remained in the army.

Example:

“Six-inch gun” of the cruiser “Aurora”, with a shot from which it allegedly began October Revolution , had a caliber of 6 inches or 152 mm.

From 1917 to the present, caliber has been measured in millimeters. In the USSR and Russia it is measured by the rifling fields (the smallest bore diameter). In the USA, Great Britain and some other countries according to their bottoms (largest diameter), but also in millimeters.

Sometimes the caliber of a gun is used to measure the length of the barrel.

Examples:

153 mm howitzer, 20 calibers (or 153/20). Finding out the barrel length is quite simple.

24-pounder gun, 10 calibers. Here you first need to find out in which system the gun is calibrated.

Caliber aircraft bombs, measured in kilograms or pounds (for non- nuclear bombs) or power expressed in kilotons/megatons TNT equivalent(for nuclear bombs). It should be noted that the caliber of a non-nuclear bomb is not its actual weight, but its correspondence to the dimensions of a certain standard ammunition (which is usually a high-explosive bomb of the same caliber). The discrepancy between caliber and weight can be quite large - for example, the SAB-50-15 illumination bomb had a 50-kg caliber and weighed no more than 15 kg (a discrepancy of 3.5 times). On the other hand, the FAB-1500-2600TS aerial bomb has a caliber of 1500 kg and a weight of 2600 kg (the discrepancy is more than 1.7 times).

The caliber of torpedoes is measured in mm by their diameter.

Caliber rockets(unguided rockets) are measured in mm by their diameter. In this case, the length indicated in the calibers serves as an important characteristic. Feathered projectiles are 20 calibers long, and turbojet projectiles are 6-8 calibers long.

Notes

It must be taken into account that the projectiles have sealing belts made of soft metal, which prevent the breakthrough of gases between the projectile and the walls of the barrel bore. According to the obturating belts, the largest diameter of the projectile will be greater than its caliber. For example, copper sealing bands of 125-mm tank smoothbore gun shells ensure firing with barrel wear of up to 3.3 mm (that is, the actual caliber of a 125-mm gun with wear can be 128 mm).
IN THE USSR ( Russian Federation) the term “small-caliber” is usually used to refer to rimfire cartridges. For cartridges with a center fire, the term “low-impulse” is also adopted.
There are also exceptions:
- the aforementioned 4th hunting gauge used in signal pistols
- there are rifles for 20mm artillery shells
- carbine KS-23
- underbarrel grenade launchers and other systems for the same grenades are also classified as small arms table

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Military affairs - caliber. Calibers of smoothbore hunting rifles, expressed in millimeters Definition of caliber

The largest is the first caliber. The barrel diameter of a gun of this caliber is 42.42 mm.

Caliber of rifled small arms

Caliber of smoothbore hunting weapons

Caliber of Russian artillery, aerial bombs, torpedoes and rockets

Notes

see also

See what “Weapon caliber” is in other dictionaries:

What are the calibers of hunting rifles?

Shotgun calibers

History of calibers

Shotgun bore profile

Shells for shotguns

Practical difficulties

What is a choke and what is it for?

Choke shapes

Designation of chokes size

Types of channel drilling

Shapes of muzzle devices

What are the calibers of hunting rifles?

Shotgun calibers

History of calibers

Shotgun bore profile

Shells for shotguns

Practical difficulties

What is a choke and what is it for?

Choke shapes

Designation of chokes size

Types of channel drilling

Shapes of muzzle devices

Caliber of rifled small arms

Common mistakes

Caliber of Russian artillery, aerial bombs, torpedoes and rockets

Notes