I get a lot of questions from people interested in going shooting, or from those looking to buy their first firearm. One of these questions is about the different calibers. This is by far the most annoying question! No, it is not annoying that one would be asking this question, rather it is an annoying because Hollywood and the traditional media have painted false pictures about firearms, and have therefore succeded in altering people’s perceptions and expectations about them. In an effort to address this often asked question, I have decided to take the photos shown above and describe, in the best way I am able, what they are and are not capable of. This aims to give an overview to people new to the shooting sports and those interested in the Second Amendment, but there may be some unknown info for the seasoned shooter as well. This overview covers the calibers that I personally own, so of course there are hundreds of other options that are left out. Enough with the yappin’, let’s talk about calibers!
.22LR: Also known as the .22 Long Rifle, the twenty-two, the “deuce deuce,” or whatever other hood or backwoods slang you might hear. It is the cheapest bullet in the world, and up until recently, it was the smallest firearm caliber available. It also happens to be one of the weakest calibers available. It is an ideal cartridge to use when learning the fundamentals of marksmanship, as the ammo is cheap and plentiful, noise is minimal, and recoil/kick is practically non-existent. What it will do: Aid in effectively training a beginner, kill small critters, and give the seasoned veteran some amusing entertainment for a short while. What it won’t do: Bounce around inside the human, enter the body at the foot and zip its way around the body before exiting the head, scare off a would-be attacker (even though SOME type of gun is better than no gun at all), or be useful on anything past 50 yards. Yep, I’ve said it. The .22LR can be a good trainer, and it can put meat in the crock pot, but it is the worst choice for self-defense.
9 millimeter: Also known as 9mm Parabellum, 9×19mm, 9-M-M, or the “nine.” This cartridge was developed by the Germans some 100 years ago. It is still one of the most popular pistol cartridges today, although many consider it the minimum caliber for self-defense. With modern ammunition designed for self-defense, this bullet is a formidable force. It is my personal favorite because it is relatively cheap to practice with (~$11 per 100) and it offers acceptable power if needed to fend off two-legged vermin. It is also easy to learn to shoot due to it’smoderate recoil/kick. The 9mm is the current NATO standard pistol cartridge, and is used by the US military. There are some complainers about this catridge’s ability to stop a man, but that problem seems to vaporize when using the aformentioned modern self-defense ammunition. Most police agencies have moved away from this cartridge, but it remains the most widespread caliber in the world. Seriously folks, despite what gun-people say, since when did humans start becoming more and more immune to bullets?! What it will do: Serve as an effective self-defense tool that is cheap to practice with and tons of fun, bag critters, make those thuggish types all excited. What it won’t do: Become reactionary to rap music in the air, killing all white babies in the vicinity, travel for miles on end before stopping, turn the owner into an ominous, evil person.
.45 ACP: Also called the .45, the forty-five auto, forty-five automatic, the .45 Automatic Colt Pistol, or the rap culture favorite “four-five” and “four fifths.” This is America’s cartridge and Americans have been in love with it for almost 100 years. It is generally accepted as more powerful than the 9mm, although the bullet moves at a slower speed. Physically speaking, would you rather get punctured by a ballpoint pen, or be hit by a Mack truck? Both could easily kill you, it’s just more of a style thing. The .45 was replaced by the 9mm in many police agencies and the military because the .45 guns were typically larger and had more recoil/kick than 9mm pistols. It it usually easier to teach someone to shoot with the 9mm than the .45 auto. It is a very effective cartridge. It’s got a big ole bullet that makes a big hole. It is about twice as expensive to shoot as a 9mm, coming in at around $25 per 100. It it usually more difficult for novices to shoot due to the aforementioned size of the guns, and the heavier recoil/kick. The .45 is now going back into circulation in certain military circles because it is a very effective manopener. A man shot once in the chest with a .45 usually doesn’t need any more fodder volleyed at him. He’ll go down and stay down! What it will do: Stop most big men, BIG wild cats & dogs/wolves, give you a huge grin, clear out any $pare bill$ in your wallet. What it won’t do: Kill bears, save you money, turn you into a veritable “Special Ops Ranger Seal Beret.”
7.62 x 39mm: A.K.A. 7.62, seven-six-two, or 7.62 Russian. This is the bullet fired in the AK47 assault rifle. It is infamous in some eyes because it has been fired at American troops since the Vietnam war, and possible even earlier. It is considered an “intermediate” catridge, as it is smaller than many larger bullets, but much larger than pistol catridges. Up until recently, the ammunition was very cheap. Most of the ammo in this caliber is manufactured in Russia (as pictured) and the majority of it is going into the Middle East at the present time. This has doubled the cost of this ammunition. It currently costs around $17 per 100 rounds. It has a decent recoil/kick to it, which lets you know how powerful it is. It is extremely effective against humans, and even deer and other similar sized game. There are a good number of hunting rifles that shoot this cartridge. It was originally developed as a tool of war, unlike the .22lr and shotgun. It excels at what it was designed for. Right now, this bullet is more common in more corners of the world than fresh water. What it will do: Punch through body armor, vehicles, steel plates, make the rifle smell (a trait of Russian ammo), drop a deer, put gamey meats on the table, and piss off anti-gun political parties. What it won’t do: Turn you into a terrorist, make you go on a wild killing spree, serve as an effective “sniper” bullet, or be very accurate past 200 or 300 yards.
5.56 mm: The 5.56, 5.56 x 45mm, or five-five-six is the current military issue rifle cartridge. It fires a small bullet really, really fast. When it hits the intended target, it destabilizes and begins to flip end-over-end, creating a nasty cavity. Unfortunately, it is dependent on a high rate of speed for this to occur. After about 100-125 yards, the speed drops below this point and this flipping does not happen. At that point it is just punching small holes the same size as the .22 long rifle. For a modern rifle cartridge, it is relatively inexpensive to shoot at $23 per 100 rounds. It is easy to shoot well, as it does not recoil/kick very much. It is also highly accurate, but the small bullet makes it an inhumane cartridge to hunt with, causing unnecessary suffering and slow death. America has used this cartridge since the Vietnam days, so it can’t be all that bad. What it will do: Punch through body armor, leave a nasty, gaping wound, remain accurate up to 600 yards, flip and lose velocity & change trajectory after hitting solids. What it won’t do:Punch through armor or other barricades and keep going straight, keep going through homes in the neighborhood, kill medium or larger game, or become uncontrollable under rapid fire.
The 7.62 x 51: Also known as 7.62 NATO, or commercially as .308 Remington (although loaded slightly more powerful). This used to be the bullet used by the USA prior to the 5.56 being adopted. It is considered a full-powered cartridge. It is still used as a sniper rifle bullet, as well as in machine guns used in warfare. It is known to cut through walls, vehicles, and other hard coverings. It is very accurate out to long distances and is well suited for most medium sized critters, and can even be used to kill black bears. It has a fairly stiff recoil/kick, makes a LOT of noise and blast, and is not for the untrained shooter. It is NOT cheap to shoot, by any means. The rifles that fire this cartridge are typically very expensive, as well as the ammunition. The current price of the bullets are about $50 per 100, or $.50 every time you pull the trigger. What it will do: Take care of almost any (non-Grizzly) two or four legged vermin you are likely to come across while living in the continental United States, cut through walls and vehicles like a bully in the cafeteria line, serve as an accurate sniper cartridge that will still have enough “oompf” to put a man’s d1ck in the dirt after travelling 600 yards. What it won’t do: make a good home defense weapon (unless you want to kill your neighbors the next house over), leave you with enough money for nice Christmas gifts, or make a good choice for a new shooter.
12 gauge: The shotgun was originally created for bird hunting. It was quickly realized that it’s easier to kill a small, moving target with a hail of projectiles than it is to try with a single projectile. Shotguns and their ammunition evolved to eventually fire everything from small pellets for bird hunting to single projectiles (called slugs) for hunting deer-sized game. As such, they are quite versatile. Shotguns are usually pretty cheap to buy, and the prices of ammunition vary. The small pellet ammo (called birdshot) is fairly cheap, at around $15 per 100. Typical self-defense amunition can be upwards of $1 for each shotgun shell. The recoil/kick varies greatly depending on what type of shell is being fired. many small southern belles can handle a 12 gauge shotgun with heavy loads, but the recoil can be punishing to those not used to it. On the other hand, shotguns make GREAT home defense weapons, as every person knows the sound of a shotgun cocking, wether or not they have actually heard it in person. They deliver a devastating payload at close range. What it will do: Rain hell, fire and brimstone upon anything within 30-50 yards, allow you to choose different shells for different purposes, audibly communicate that you are armed and mean business, and leave you with a nice bruise if you shoot it for extended periods. What it won’t do: Spread out so far that you destory everything in front of you, make it impossible to miss your target, or knock a man right off his feet.
Now that you’ve got a pretty good idea of what certain bullets can and will do and what they CANNOT do, you are armed with the most valuable weapon…KNOWLEDGE! If you are considering a firearm for the first time, please consider the immediate physical environment and also the politics of where you live. An AK47 rifle may sound like a wonderful idea as your choice for a home defense weapon, but if you ever have to shoot someone, it will be confiscated, and there will be a trial. Wether or not it is morally right, you WILL be painted in a different light for using an AK47 on a burgular versus a pistol or traditional shotgun. On the other hand, it is always better to be tried by a jury of twelve than to be carried out by six. A responsible gun owner always follows the safety rules and knows what’s beyond the target! Shoot smart, shoot safe!
