Craig Boddington was the senior contributing editor of our modern gun and ammunition caliber dictionary. Craig was involved in the development and testing of many of these and writes from first hand experience. This dictionary was written exclusively for Wholesale Hunter with unique information found nowhere else.
GUN CALIBER DICTIONARY
Centerfire Handgun
10mm Auto
22 Remington Jet
22 TCM
25 ACP
25 NAA
30 Luger
30 Super Carry
32 ACP
32 H&R MAG
32 North American Arms
32 S&W
32 S&W Long
32 Short Colt
327 Federal Magnum
357 Magnum
357 Maximum
357 Sig
38 Colt Short
38 Long Colt
38 S&W
38 Short Colt
38 Special
38 Special +P
38 Super Automatic
380 ACP
4.6X30 Heckler & Koch
40 S&W
400 Cor-Bon
41 Colt
41 Remington Magnum
41 Special
429 Desert Eagle
44 Auto Mag
44 Colt
44 Rem Magnum
44 Russian
44 Special
45 ACP
45 Auto Rimmed
45 AUTO+P
45 Colt
45 Glock Automatic Pistol (GAP)
45 Schofield
45 Winchester Magnum
454 Casull
455 Webley
460 Rowland
460 S&W Magnum
475 Linebaugh
480 Ruger
50 Action Express
500 JRH
500 S&W
500 Wyoming Express
7.62 Nagant
7.62X25mm Tokarev
7.63mm Mauser
9mm Luger
9mm Luger +P
9mm Makarov
9mmX18mm Ultra Police
9X21mm
9X23mm Winchester
Centerfire Rifle
17 Hornet
17 Remington
17 Remington Fireball
204 Ruger
218 BEE
22 Creedmoor
22 Hornet
22 Nosler
22-250 Remington
220 Swift
221 Remington Fireball
222 Remington
223 Remington
223 Winchester Super Short Magnum
223 Wylde
224 Valkyrie
224 Weatherby Magnum
225 Winchester
240 Weatherby Magnum
243 Winchester
243 Winchester Super Short Magnum
25 Winchester Super Short Magnum
25-06 Remington
25-20 Winchester
25-35 Winchester
250 Savage
257 Roberts
257 Weatherby Magnum
26 Nosler
260 Remington
264 Winchester Magnum
27 Nosler
270 Weatherby Magnum
270 Winchester
270 WSM
275 Rigby
28 Nosler
280 Rem Ackley Improved
280 Remington
284 Winchester
30 Carbine
30 Nosler
30 Remington AR
30 Thompson Center
30-06 Springfield
30-30 Winchester
30-378 Weatherby Magnum
30-40 Krag
300 AAC Blackout
300 H&H
300 HAM'R
300 Norma Magnum
300 OSSM
300 PRC
300 Remington Short Action Ultra Magnum
300 Remington Ultra Magnum
300 Ruger Compact Magnum
300 Savage
300 Weatherby Magnum
300 Whisper
300 Winchester Magnum
300 Winchester Short Magnum
303 British
303 Savage
307 Winchester
308 Marlin
308 Norma Magnum
308 Winchester
32 Winchester Special
32-20 Winchester
32-40 Winchester
325 Winchester Short Magnum
33 Nosler
338 Federal
338 Lapua Magnum
338 Marlin Express
338 Norma Magnum
338 Remington Ultra Magnum
338 Ruger Compact Magnum
338 Winchester Magnum
338-378 Weatherby Magnum
340 Weatherby Magnum
348 Winchester
35 Remington
35 Whelen
350 Legend
350 Remington Magnum
356 Winchester
358 Winchester
370 Sako Magnum
375 Flanged
375 H&H
375 Remington Ultra Magnum
375 Ruger
375 Weatherby Magnum
375 Winchester
376 Steyr
378 Weatherby Magnum
38-40 Winchester
38-55 Winchester
40-65 Win
404 Jeffery
405 Winchester
408 Cheyenne Tactical
416 Barrett
416 Remington Magnum
416 Rigby
416 Ruger
416 Weatherby Magnum
425 Express
44-40 Winchester
444 Marlin
45-110 Sharps
45-120 Sharps
45-60 Winchester
45-70 Government
45-75 Winchester
45-90 Winchester
450 Bushmaster
450 Marlin
450 Nitro Express
450 Rigby Rimless
450/400 Nitro Express 3"
458 LOTT
458 Socom
458 Winchester Magnum
460 Steyr
460 Weatherby Magnum
470 Nitro Express
5.45X39mm
5.56mm NATO
The 5.56X45mm NATO cartridge was designed by James Sullivan, a member of Eugene Stoner's engineering team that developed both the M16 rifle and its original cartridge. The 5.56X45mm NATO was adopted by the U.S. military in 1964 and by NATO in 1980. With bullet diameter of .224-inch, the original M193 military cartridge used a 55-grain bullet at 3250 fps; the current M855A1 cartridge, developed by FN, uses a 62.5-grain bullet at 3020 fps, offering greater range and better penetration. The civilian version of the 5.56X45mm is 223 Remington; the cartridges are dimensionally identical but military chamber dimensions and specifications for military brass are different. It is considered safe to use 223 Remington ammo in a 5.56X45MM NATO chamber, but not a good idea to use 5.56X45mm ammo in a rifle specifically chambered for the 223 Remington. Although the stopping power of .22-caliber bullets remains controversial the 5.56X45mm has served well in now multiple generations of M16 rifles. — Craig Boddington