Caliber question
 

Just curious here, but what does the 06 stand for in 30-06? Is this the same diameter bullet as a .30-30 and .30 M1 carbine?

RE: Caliber question
 

Hi coolbrze0,

The " 06" stands for the year the .30-06 was adopted for military service, 1906. The caliber is actually .308 which is the same as a .30-30 and most other .30 calibers. (In .30-30 the first 30 stands for caliber, the second thirty represented the charge weight in black powder for the original load.....30 grains.)

RE: Caliber question
 

By the Way....

Most American manufacturers name their cartridges with little rhyme or reason. They use such a variety of means to name their cartridges that there really is no " rule of thumb" . You simply just have to know.....if you want to.

Germans...and most other continental Europeans...use a somewhat simpler system. An example:

8X57 8mm' s is the caliber 57mm' s is the cartridge case length

9.3X62 9.3mm' s is the caliber 62mm' s is the cartridge case length

And so it goes.....

Good luck!

RE: Caliber question
 

AK.....good reply.....

Cartridge designations are horribly difficult to understand unless you grew up with it.

RE: Caliber question
 

Ah, gotcha. Thanks for the explanation! So in terms of a 9mm (9x19), 9mm is the caliber, 19 is the length of the cartridge case. Thanks again.

RE: Caliber question
 

akbound certainly summed it up.

If only the United States would adopt the metric system. It is so much easier. I am completely American, through and through. COMPLETELY! But as a math teacher in a middle school, my opinion is that the metric system is 10 times better/easier.

RE: Caliber question
 

Hi mainehunt,

But what fun would that be? ;) (After all the time I spent learning to recognize at a glance that .375 is 3/8. Let' s not even talk about /32' s, /64' s, etc.)

Besides the eight years I spent living in Germany, (actually FRG), it always sounded so much more cool to say I' d spent the last couple of hours cruising the autobahn at 230kph...rather than 150mph.

In all seriousness though, after the trouble I see many of today' s youngsters have simply making change, without an electronic aid......I believe you to be right! But I don' t think we will overcome the " metric stigma" any time soon.

RE: Caliber question
 

Just thought I' d chime in here, hearing my " name" being called and all. :D

I agree with mainehunt. We don' t need to hold onto the ENGLISH measurement system to be Americans. It would be nice to use a system that was created with some reason to it.

RE: Caliber question
 

U.S. Rifle, Model of 1903, chambered for U.S. cartridge, caliber .30, Model of 1906......

RE: Caliber question
 

ak, you are right about the nomenclature in which the last 30 stands for the weight of the powder, BUT the .30/30 was NEVER loaded with black powder. Neither was the .30/40 Krag, but the .303 British was!!