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Hunting rifle barrel calibers. Caliber of small arms, their measurement and designation in different countries What is the caliber of a weapon

Edited 08/31/2019

Caliber - the diameter of the bore by rifling or margin; one of the main quantities that determine power firearms.

Classification of calibers small arms next:

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 - small arms, 20 mm and above - artillery.

Caliber is measured

For projectiles (bullets), the caliber is determined by their largest diameter

Guns with a conical barrel are characterized by input and output calibers.

Caliber of smoothbore weapons

U smoothbore weapons the caliber number refers to the whole number of spherical bullets that can be cast from 1 English pound of lead (453.59 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.
You can also use the formula for determining caliber (K) by barrel diameter (D, cm):
When designating the caliber of cartridges for smooth-bore weapons, it is customary to indicate the length of the cartridge case, for example: 12/70 - a 12-gauge cartridge with a sleeve length of 70 mm. The most common case lengths: 65, 70, 76 mm (Magnum); Along with them there are 60 and 89 mm (Super Magnum).

The length of the chambers of hunting shotguns in millimeters is indicated below

The actual diameter of the bore of a given caliber depends, firstly, on the specific manufacturer and, secondly, on the drilling for a certain type of cartridge case: metal, plastic or folder. For example, a 12 gauge barrel, drilled for a folder or plastic sleeve, has a bore diameter of 18.3 mm, while drilled for a metal case - 19.4 mm. In addition, we should not forget that the shotgun barrel hunting weapons usually has various types choke constrictions (chokes), through which not any bullet of its caliber can pass through without damaging the barrel, so in many cases the body of the bullet is made according to the diameter of the choke and is equipped with centering bands that are easily crushed when passing through 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 rifled weapons

Caliber of rifled weapons in fractions of inches (English system)

The caliber of rifled small arms in countries that use the English system of measures is measured in fractions of an inch: in the USA - in hundredths(0.01 inch), in the UK - in thousandths(0.001 inch).

In the entry, the zero of the integer part of the number and the designation of the unit of measurement (inch) are omitted, and a dot is used as the decimal separator. For example, .45, .450. In Russian texts, traditional English and American calibers are written in the same way (with a period rather than a comma, the decimal separator adopted in Russia): cal.45, cal.450

IN colloquial speech they say only fractions of an inch: forty-five caliber, four hundred and fifty caliber.

In the West, for civilian cartridges, the name of the company or cartridge standard is usually added to the caliber: .45 Colt, .41 S&W, .38 Super, .357 Magnum, .220 Russian.

Caliber of rifled weapons in the metric system

In countries that use the metric system of measures (in particular, in Russia), the caliber is measured in millimeters; in the designation, the length of the sleeve is added through the multiplication sign: 9 × 18 mm.

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 and have different case lengths.

In the West, such digital recording is used mainly for military cartridges.

Caliber of rifled weapons in lines

In Russia until 1917 and a number of other countries, caliber was measured in lines. One line equals 1/10 inch (0.254 cm or 2.54 mm). In modern speech, the name “three-line” has taken root, which literally means a rifle of the 1891 model (Mosin system) of three line caliber (i.e. 7.62 mm or, if you are wondering, .30).

There are also more complex designations, for example, several designations for the same cartridge: nine millimeters, Browning, short; three hundred eighty, auto; nine by seventeen. 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

Caliber comparison table

IN general case, calibers are converted based on the fact that 1 inch (1") is equal to 25.4 mm.
But it should be kept in mind that in different countries caliber is measured in different ways (by the margins or bottom of the rifling). In addition, the designation of the cartridge caliber can be conditional - for example, the .22LR and .222Rem cartridges actually have the same caliber, but differ radically in type (the first is rimfire, the second is central) and the size of the cartridge case. Likewise, .38 and .357 caliber cartridges have de facto the same bullet diameter, but the .357 magnum cartridge has a longer case (32 mm versus 29 mm) and a more powerful powder charge.

No, we are not talking about ammunition capable of penetrating a teapot. I will try to convey the basic basics of the differences, markings and designations of small arms calibers as simply and easily as possible. And also, I can answer your questions in the comments.

So, the caliber - it would seem nothing complicated. We have all heard these hackneyed phrases hundreds or thousands of times - “caliber nine millimeters”, “caliber seven sixty-two millimeters”, “three-ruler”, 12 gauge, 45 gauge, etc.

But why is the 12th caliber larger than the 9th, and the 45th smaller than the 12th, but larger than the 9th, and 7.62 is simultaneously suitable for the Nagan revolver, TT pistol, Kalashnikov assault rifle and “three-ruler”???

Technically, the concept of caliber refers to the diameter of the barrel between the opposite rifling (in a rifled weapon) and the walls (fields) in a smooth-bore weapon.

To understand at least a little where all these calibers, grains, gauges and lines come from, it’s worth taking a little look back at the history and geography of systems for measuring dimensions and weight. So today we use the metric system and measure weight in grams.

America, Britain and some other countries use non-metric measurement systems. This causes confusion. Also, units of measurement from those years when certain caliber and ammunition standards were actually created have migrated into weapons terminology.

Let's first consider key points metric system. So, the caliber in the metric system will look like this - rounded bullet caliber (barrel rifling diameter) X the approximate length of the sleeve from the base to the edges. That is, 9x19 mm, 7.62x25 mm, 7.62x39 mm, 7.62x54mm, 9x39 mm, etc.

Actually, understanding this is already enough to answer some of the questions regarding caliber. But if you dig a little deeper, additional questions will arise. The fact is that the length of the cartridge case and the diameter of the bullet are not all factors of caliber. There are also a huge number of other nuances - the type of ignition of the cartridge, the type of primer, the shape of the cartridge case and the type of its extraction, the shape of the bullet itself, the “filling” of the bullet, its weight and other equally interesting details.

I won’t touch on everything, since most people are simply not interested in them, and then the material will be on a completely different scale.

Let's move on to our foreign colleagues. In the USA, caliber is expressed in inches:

The inch (from the Dutch duim - thumb) is a unit of measurement of distance in some European non-metric systems of measures. Historically, the width of an adult man's thumb. Typically, an inch is equal to 1/12 or 1/10 (“decimal inch”) of a foot of the corresponding country (in Russian and English measurement systems, 1 inch = 10 lines (“big line”)). The word “inch” was introduced into the Russian language by Peter I at the very beginning of the 18th century. Today, an inch is most often understood as an English inch, equal to 2.54 cm. - Vika helps us.

Here, by the way, lies the answer to the word trehlineika - third line rifle - 3x2.54 = 7.62 mm. By the way, in the West they use a special designation for “Russian” cartridges - R. For example, 7.62x54 R - where R = Russian (popularly) or Rimmed (according to classification).

Rim (from the English ring) is a separate point in ammunition terminology and it tells us either about the type of ignition or the type of cartridge case extraction.

Many of you have seen rimfire cartridges - the 0.22 LR cartridge - or popularly “small”.

As for extraction, cartridges of this type (with a rim) most often refer to revolver cartridges, as well as to rather outdated rifle cartridges, for example, 7.62x54R. This cartridge is still used in our area and is in service (PC, SVD). Despite the fact that in the West they have long abandoned sleeves of this type, preferring an annular groove.

But let's get back to calibers. So, Americans use the inch system to designate calibers, so their calibers are usually designated as follows. The diameter of the bullet (barrel caliber) in inches and the name of the company that developed the cartridge, or the type of weapon where it is used.

For example, .45 ACP = 0.45 inches (11.43 mm) Automatic Colt Pistol. In those years, self-loading pistols were called automatic (in comparison with single-action revolvers). In this caliber, it was necessary to indicate the type of weapon, since the cartridge case of the .45 ACP cartridge differed from the cartridge case of the same caliber for the Colt revolver in precisely the same rim.

308 Winchester - (0.308 inch Winchester cartridge) = 7.62x51 mm - it is noteworthy that many originally hunting cartridges subsequently entered NATO service, and as army ammunition they received the names 7.62 NATO (.308 Winchester) 5.56 NATO (.223 Remington) and etc.

40 Smith & Wesson, .380 ACP and other similar calibers are named after the same scheme. But she's not the only one! Who promised that it would be easy?

There are many other diagrams and designations for cartridges in the West. For example, I lived with a revolver cartridge.38 (9.65mm) - I lived and did not know grief. But users began to complain about the low lethality. And twin brothers appeared - .38 Special and 357 Magnum - “the twins look alike, only they are different in size.” Magnum was also in a hurry - significantly reinforced cartridges in a longer cartridge case.

Moreover, older models of .38 caliber revolvers easily accommodated twin cartridges, and when firing they often tore the revolver’s bridge to shreds. In connection with this, manufacturers began to install a limiter along the length of the cartridge case in revolver drums. And in general, there are a huge number of similar, but different .38 cartridges from Colt, Smith & Wesson and other manufacturers.

What else is indicated on cartridges in the West? Since we started with the rim and primer, let's move on - the type and amount of gunpowder in the cartridge is indicated by markings +P or +P+, etc. These are, as a rule, outwardly identical cartridges, but with much greater muzzle energy. They require careful handling, since not every barrel is designed for them.

The type of bullet is also indicated - expansive, lead, soft nose, tracer, armor-piercing and other fruits of the imagination of cruel people.

The weight of the bullet is indicated in grains - grain is an old unit of measure based on the weight of a grain. IN modern classification equal to 0.064 grams.

As a result, if on a pack of cartridges we see something like Winchester 9mm Luger 147gr. JHP, then we understand that we are looking at Winchester cartridges of 9 mm Luger caliber (9x19) with a heavy expansive jacket bullet weighing 9.4 grams.

Separately worth noting hunting calibers. Almost everyone has heard about the 12th, 16th and other calibers, but few people know what the numbers 12 and 16 actually mean, and why 16 is less than 12. Perhaps someone noticed that in English markings Next to the gauge is the word Gauge. So, gage is an ancient weapon measure that came to us from the times when the width of the barrel was measured in a simple way.

A gage is a lead ball that is passed through the barrel of a gun to determine the caliber. And the balls were rolled out from one pound of lead. Therefore, if you cast ten even balls from one pound of lead, then a barrel one ball wide will be 10 gauge, if you cast 16 (each ball will naturally be smaller), then the barrel will be 16 gauge. These calibers have remained in hunting weapons since those times.

The nominal caliber of a 12-gauge barrel is 18.5 mm

Finally, a photo of my cartridge collection. Law enforcement officers can relax - the collection is located outside of Ukraine. If you recognize someone in the photo or want to meet someone, ask.

Interesting questions sometimes arise during the writing and then discussion of materials about weapons. This happened after mine and the law enforcement officers. To be honest, it was somewhat unexpected for me.

An interesting conversation arose about the weapons that were used during the tests. More precisely, about the calibers of these weapons. The fact is that the data provided corresponded to the standards of the manufacturing countries. Which created some confusion in the perception of the material. Confusion caused precisely by poor knowledge of the very concept of “caliber”.

After some thought, I decided to make up for my mistake. Indeed, even those who professionally deal with small arms rarely think about the theoretical part. For what? There are our weapons, there are European ones, there are American ones. And this weapon is used with the appropriate cartridges. When using others, completely unnecessary delays and other troubles arise.

So, let's start with the basics.

Caliber is a numerical expression of the diameter of the bore, measured between opposing fields.

Everything seems to be clear. However, existing on this moment weapons do not always meet this definition. Why did this happen? The thing is that military personnel use rifled weapons in their work. This circumstance makes the standard definition conditional.

For the most part, weapons meet the standard. But there are exceptions. Calibration by rifling is much less common. Simply put, the caliber is determined not by the field of the barrel, but from the depth of the rifling to the opposite depth of the rifling. But that's not all. Very rarely, but a third method of measuring caliber is also used. Along the rifling and field of the barrel opposite to each other.

So the questions that arose were quite correct. Although they arose during the use of weapons. Cartridges of the same caliber “do not fit” or “lobble” in the barrel. But more on that below.

Now about the designation of calibers in different countries.

Many have wondered about the famous Russian three-ruler. Why does this weapon have this particular name? Excellent rifle, 7.62 mm. Why three-line?

The caliber measurement system adopted in Tsarist Russia is to blame. 1 line corresponded to 2.54 mm. The attentive reader has already seen where the legs grow from. That's right, an English inch. 1″ = 25.4 mm. But since the calibers of small arms are still smaller, they were divided into lines. 1″ = 10 lines. And then simple arithmetic. 3 lines = 7.62 mm.

What I wrote above is a fairly well-known fact. But this fact has a continuation. When discussing the Mosin rifle, another name for the caliber was used: 30 points. Imagine: “the famous Russian thirty-point”... Indeed, this calibration system was also used at that time.
1 inch = 10 lines = 100 dots = 25.4 mm.

But let's return to our days. We're still more interested modern notation weapon calibers.

In most countries of the world, caliber is expressed in the notation we know. Millimeters. These can be either whole numbers or fractions. Fractional numbers are usually written to the second digit. 9 mm pistol and 5.45 mm machine gun. This entry gives more precise definition caliber.

But the UK and the US retained the caliber designation in inches. By the way, this also applies to other countries where the English system of measures has been preserved. Our “familiar” lines were also preserved, albeit in a slightly modified form.

In the UK, calibers are measured in thousandths of an inch. The Americans simplified the measurement a little. They make do in hundredths.

To fully understand this system, it is still necessary to return to our beautiful three-ruler. Officially, according to English requirements, the caliber of this weapon was recorded as 0.3 (3 lines = 3 x 2.54 mm).

IN English designation this caliber will be recorded as 0.300. In American - 0.30. The zero was removed for convenience, and today we have two remaining calibers: .30 and .300. But even this is most often not used today. You don't need a period either. Calibers today are simply designated 300 in the UK and 30 in the US. But for us this is the well-known 7.62 mm caliber.

30 (USA) = 300 (UK) = 7.62 mm (Russia).

This way it looks clearer. Now you, dear readers, can easily calculate the caliber of any weapon and convert it to a measurement system that is familiar to you.

We multiply the American caliber 30 by 0.254 mm and get our 7.62. We multiply the English caliber 300 by 0.0254 and get the same result.

By the way, I had one more question that tormented one of the readers. Why do Americans use a 5.6 mm rifle, and in Russian army 5.45mm automatic? In principle, I already gave the answer at the beginning of the article. And this answer lies in the caliber measurement technique. I’m not sure, but I think there was someone who wanted to dig into weapons and measure the bullet of our AK-74. Not when she's shot. And right in the cartridge. You will be surprised, but you were shooting with a 5.6 mm caliber. This is the diameter of the bullet itself.

The caliber of Russian weapons is measured according to a standard procedure. From field to opposite field. But if you measure the depth of the rifling, you get the desired 5.6 mm. But what I just described does not apply to all bullets. There are many factors that "reduce" the caliber of a bullet to the caliber of a weapon. And they even make this caliber smaller than the caliber of the weapon. This includes the amount of gunpowder in the ammunition, the hardness of the bullet, the number of rifling in the weapon, and the length of the leading part... The barrel of the weapon is not rubber. And the wear of such a barrel is an order of magnitude higher.

I didn’t want to “climb” into the wilds. But if the need arises, I’ll open up a little bit about this side of modern weapons, namely, cartridges. Today, the majority of small arms users (meaning rifled military weapon) are sure that the cartridge designation matches the caliber. And, alas, they are wrong.

The cartridge designation does not correspond to the caliber of the weapon. No, the calibers of the cartridge and the weapon are very close to each other, but do not completely coincide.

American police officers use 38-caliber revolvers. Using the method I described above, you can easily calculate this caliber in millimeters. 9.65 mm! But such a caliber does not exist in principle. And the cartridges used by the police are nothing more than ordinary 9mm cartridges! And such cartridges are used in weapons whose true caliber is only 8.83 mm.

And what is shown in Hollywood films, when a policeman takes out particularly powerful cartridges from a safe and proudly loads a drum with them, turns out to be, in the light of this article, complete nonsense. The “.38 Special” cartridges used in these revolvers are actually 357 caliber!

By the way, exactly the same thing is happening today with the Kalashnikov assault rifle, popular in the United States. Our cartridges and cartridges made in the USA, as they say, are two big differences. Both in terms of equipment and the caliber (true) of the bullet. But more about this some other time.

In general, the current system for designating weapon calibers is as simple as it is complex. Today it is impossible to count millimeters or inches in a primitive way. Existing weapons even the same caliber has different receivers. The cartridges for most rifles and machine guns are “our own”. Unification, which was discussed quite recently, is becoming a thing of the past. Modern small arms are becoming highly specialized. The use of “foreign” cartridges can lead not only to weapon failure, but also to more dire consequences.

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 gun 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 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:

Notes

The caliber of aerial bombs is measured in kilograms.

weapon caliber- ginklo kalibras statusas T sritis Gynyba apibrėžtis šaunamojo ginklo vamzdžio vidinis skersmuo; sviedinių (minų, kulkų) didžiausias skersmuo. Kalibro matavimas įvairiose valstybėse kiek skiriasi: vienose (Rusija) graižtvinio ginklo kalibras… … Artilerijos terminų žodynas

Weapon caliber- 1) the diameter of the bore of a firearm (for a rifled weapon is determined by the distance between the opposite fields of the rifling or by the distance between the rifling), as well as the diameter of the projectile (mine, bullet) along its largest cross-section. K.o.... ... Glossary of military terms

Weapon caliber- WEAPON CALIBER, i.e. the diameter of the firearm channel. weapons, currently time is expressed in lin. units tsakh (mm., cm., ln. and dm.). Given a given, depending on the required mobility (for hand-held weapons of lightness), the weight and nature of the weapon’s action,... ... Military encyclopedia

Caliber- the ratio of the length of the pipeline to its internal diameter. Source … Dictionary-reference book of terms of normative and technical documentation

The caliber is determined by the internal diameter of the barrel. 18-gauge barrel Caliber is the diametrical size of the bore along its margins; one of the main quantities that determine the power of a firearm. The caliber is determined for smooth-bore weapons by... ... Wikipedia

2017-08-08 17:30:02

In response to the question of calibers in the rubble of the Internet, I found an article that, in my opinion, explains the issue of calibers well.
As they say, the new is the well forgotten old.
The photo is just for color.

For the fifth century now, one of the parameters characterizing the power of firearms is caliber. Any person more or less knowledgeable in the military sphere can answer what a caliber is - it is the size of the ammunition and the diameter of the barrel. The French origin of the term, literally meaning ''how many pounds'', may reveal interesting story parameterizations in weaponry. There is also an opinion that the basis of the word is Arabic: “Ghalib” means “form”. The barrel diameter of modern small arms can be characterized according to four classification systems. For example, the Saiga smoothbore hunting carbine is 36 caliber, 410 caliber, 41 caliber or 10.25 mm.

English system
Two centuries ago, both artillery systems and small arms used round ammunition. Cannonballs and mortars were made of cast iron, and in some cases hewn out of stone. Bullets for rifles and pistols were cast from lead. England, being an advanced industrial power, spread not only advanced technologies in metal processing and the latest weapons systems, but also an original system of weights and measures. The British principle of measuring the internal diameter of a barrel was widespread in all armies of the world. The standard was the English pound (453.59 g) of lead (for guns) or cast iron (for cannons) and ammunition made from it. Thus, a cannonball weighing three pounds of cast iron served as ammunition for the corresponding weapon - a three-pound cannon (according to modern classification - 76 mm). And the number of bullets made from one pound of lead placed in the bore of a gun explains what the caliber of a small arms is. For a barrel with a larger diameter, correspondingly, less ammunition was obtained. How less number markings, the larger the barrel diameter. The fourth caliber is significantly larger than the thirty-six. Nowadays, this measurement system is used only for smoothbore hunting weapons. Some foreign ammunition is equipped with the inscription Gauge next to the number - the caliber indicator. A gage is a measuring lead ball that was used to determine the caliber of a weapon a couple of centuries ago.

and in the West they measure in inches
After 1917, Russia switched to the metric system, and in the countries of the British Commonwealth and the United States, trunk diameter is still measured in fractions of an inch. In Russia, parameters are calculated in millimeters: the caliber of an AK-47 assault rifle is 7.62 mm. In the New World, this weapon is called an AK-47 of thirty caliber, that is, thirty hundredths of an inch. Moreover, in the UK and the USA different designation principles are used. The zero in the English-speaking world is omitted, separating tenths and hundredths in decimal is not a comma, but a period. In England, the bore diameter of the legendary AK will be written “caliber 300”, and in the USA “caliber 30” - in thousandths and hundredths of an inch, respectively. In colloquial speech the picture is the same: the machine gun we are used to will be called an automatic carbine of three hundred or thirty caliber.

what is the caliber of a rifled weapon?
Arms companies use two systems for measuring bore diameter. In Russia, states former USSR, as well as in the armies of our former satellites in Asia and Africa, the caliber is determined by the distance between opposite grooves (shortest distance). In the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance, caliber is the distance between the bottom of the rifling (largest diameter). So, the most common type in the West small arms, the M 16 rifle, has a caliber of 5.6 mm according to NATO standards, and 5.42 mm according to domestic standards. Caliber is a parameter that determines the type of gun and small arms. Barrel length is measured in calibers. If the characteristics of a gun say 130/55, this means that the caliber of the gun is 130 mm, the barrel length of 55 caliber is 7150 mm. If the barrel length is less than 30 calibers, then the gun is a howitzer; if it is longer, it is a cannon. The same principle applies to small arms. Rifles have a barrel length of 70 calibers, carbines - 50. The domestic AKM assault rifle has a cartridge caliber of 7.62 mm, barrel length - 54 calibers. Consequently, this type of weapon is a carbine with the ability to fire automatically. The AK-74 assault rifle with a 5.45 caliber cartridge has a barrel length of 76 calibers. In accordance with the generally accepted classification, this is an automatic rifle. And the term “machine gun” was introduced into circulation for ideological reasons.

Big machine gun or small cannon?
The countless variety of small arms for military and civilian purposes according to the size of the bore is conventionally divided into three groups:
small caliber - less than 6.5 mm - sports and special weapon, as a rule, rimfire cartridges;
normal caliber - from 6.5 mm to 9 mm - the most common type of small arms;
large caliber - from 9 mm to 30 mm - machine guns for weapons technical means and special weapons.
Small arms, as a rule, have a barrel diameter of up to 30 mm. Small-caliber artillery begins at 30 mm. Ammunition for small arms is cartridges, for artillery - shells. There may be exceptions to this classification. Thus, aircraft weapons with a caliber of 23 mm are called cannons, and shells are made for the heavy American 20 mm sniper rifle. In the specialized literature, products with a caliber of 30 mm are classified as small arms. This type of automatic weapon does not have devices that absorb recoil after a shot, characteristic of artillery systems.

Main caliber of hunters
This term, of course, does not apply to the field of small arms. The main caliber is the guns largest size, which formed the basis of the power of artillery warships. The larger the caliber of the guns, the more powerful the ship was. With small arms the situation is a little different: a large caliber is not always convenient. Only a specialist can understand the variety of modern guns and classification systems. The archaic English system of measures is still used in marking the parameters of smooth-bore samples. What is a caliber for a big game hunter? It's a matter of life and death. Compare the caliber of smoothbore hunting rifles with metric system measurements can be found in the following table.

Caliber value Caliber in mm
4 23,7
8 21,8
10 19,7
12 18,5
16 16,8
20 15,7
24 14,7
28 13,8
32 12,7
36 10,2

Civilian small arms around the world are produced in the range from 4th to 36th. In Russia, the most common hunting calibers are twelfth, sixteenth and twentieth. It should also be borne in mind that each weapon manufacturer has its own specific barrel manufacturing. Even among such serious arms concerns as Izhmash and TOZ, the 12 gauge bore has a difference of almost a millimeter.

Twelve gauge
12 gauge guns are the most popular among hunters these days, although in previous years they were not very common. This is very powerful weapon. The target can be hit at a distance of up to 35 meters. Due to its versatility, it is used when fishing for any type of game - from squirrel to elk and bear. Firing eight millimeter buckshot from a shotgun is equivalent to nine shots from a .32 caliber pistol.

Renaissance smoothbore

Renaissance smoothbore
In the seventies of the last century, smoothbore guns began to return to combat service, first as a weapon of self-defense, and then as equipment for combat units. Many weapons experts believe that the most effective close combat weapon (up to 50 m) is a tactical gun, providing a fire density no less than automatic weapon. Smoothbore shotgun ammunition has a significant stopping effect. The most common police shotgun is the 12 gauge.
In some countries, shotguns are classified as assault weapons and are used not only by law enforcement forces, but also by special forces. Shotguns of this caliber are equipped with US Marines guarding embassies abroad. The 12 gauge gun is universal and allows the use of various types of ammunition: from rubber bullets to special devices that throw “cats” onto the roofs of houses. Samples have been created with the ability to conduct automatic fire. The most successful example is the Protecta twelve-round assault carbine made in South Africa.

Sixteen gauge
Lighter in recoil - 16 gauge. This type of guns Soviet time became most widespread due to the mass production of Tula gunsmiths. These days, domestic manufacturers, focusing on the foreign market, practically do not produce guns of this caliber. Hunting rifles are produced in Italy and France. The weapon is lighter than the twelfth, but more powerful and cheaper than the twentieth. Very often, weapons of this caliber are pump-action without a stock. 16 gauge is popular with security personnel, although some hunters call it “dying.”

choice of professionals
20 gauge is primarily used by professional fishermen. It has less destructive power than the first two options. The weight of the ammunition is 10-12 grams less than that of 12 gauge. The main advantage is lower weight, which is of great importance during long walks. 20 gauge received a second life with the advent of new Magnum cartridges with shot weights up to 36 grams. Owners note significantly lower recoil force with the same weight of ammunition and the comfort of using such weapons.

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