biggest to smallest.

[PapaD]

Where can i find a list of the most powerful to the least powerful hunting rifle. I have only been hunting for 2 years and am very confused about all of these names. how a 9 mm is less powerful then a 7mm etc. so could some either send a link or just make a list of the most powerful to the least?
thanx

[redsox3624]

http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm





i know your looking for power not recoil but here is a lost of all the calibers.
to find power i would go to www.winchester.com or www.remington.com and look at the balistics.

[Nomercy]

Hey Papa, I'll almost guarantee that NO ONE has a remotely complete list of cartridges..."Cartridges of the World" is a pretty good source for information, but pricey. Personally, I recommend you simply buy Speer's Reloading Manual for Rifle and Handgun Volume 13. It has a good history for all the cartridges listed, and it has a pretty complete list of common cartridges in use in America, you'll be able to clear up some of your confusions. It has life sized drawings of each cartridge listed, and lets you calculate the energy of any respective cartridge, so you can determine which cartridge is more powerful than which.

Typically, the names simply use the caliber and have nothing to do with the cartridges' power level. Like "7mm" you mentioned has a 7mm diameter bullet, however, there are about 10-15 "7mm" rifle cartridges, 7x57mm, 7mm STW, 7mmRem Mag, 7mm WSM, 7mm SAUM, 7mm-08, 7-30waters and the list goes on. There are also several 9mm pistol rounds available, it's kind of like a first name, last name system. Kinda like "John Doe", "9mm Luger" defines the ONLY cartridge that is a 9mm Luger. There are other "John's" out there, like the 9mm Makarov, or 9mm B & B, they all use 9mm bullets, but don't have the same cartridge case.

Hold a 9mm Luger cartridge up beside a 7mm Rem Mag cartridge sometime at a gunshop, it'll start making sense.

[NVMIKE]

Get a reloading manual and look through it. Usually they list the calibers smallest to largest(.17-.500). They are in inches...for example 25 caliber is .25 inches, 50cal is .5inches. then they list the different cartridges of each caliber least powerful to most. for example, the first 7mm cartridge listed would be the one they thought was the least powerful and the last would be the most powerful.

[Slamfire]

When everyone had a muzzzleloader and round balls the size of the ball was the only way to gauge power. Now that there are composite bullets and smokeless ammo, virtually any diameter can be as or more powerful as any other.