Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Do you really need to call a cartridge or chambering a caliber?

For real? This is supposed to be the rifle looney site!

Carl, here's part of a short article I wrote on this subject a year or two ago:

In 2017 I started collecting firearms websites that use caliber when they should use cartridge or chambering. You’d think shooting industry folks would know better, but here’s the list—though some companies (including Hornady and New Ultra Light Arms) have apparently heeded the calls for caliber correctness since I started the list:

Barrett Firearms
Federal Ammunition
Fierce Arms
Franchi
GA Precision
Heym
Hill Country Rifles
Holland and Holland (calibre)
Hornady
Howa
H-S Precision
Kimber
Lapua
Lyman
Mauser
New Ultra Light Arms
Norma
Rigby (calibre)
Ruger
Sako
Sauer
Shaw Barrels
Smith & Wesson
Speer
Tikka
Weatherby Rifles
Winchester Rifles

Listing caliber-incorrect websites, however, might imply this is a recent development, caused by the general semi-literacy of the Internet. But it’s apparently traditional—and sometimes perpetrated by revered members of the shooting profession.

Col. Townsend Whelen, perhaps the best-known American rifle writer during the first half of the 20th century, misused caliber quite a bit, even well into the second half of the century, doing so several times in the 1965 book Mister Rifleman, co-authored with Bradford Angier. Ken Waters, the long-time “Pet Loads” columnist for Handloader magazine, published a column on the .300 Weatherby Magnum in 1971, where he stated the barrel on his rifle is “the No. 1 contour barrel, standard in Weatherby Mark V rifles of this caliber.”

The English language complicates this by being more flexible than some other languages. German, for instance, tends to be pretty rigid, especially the written form, though major controversies have erupted over recent attempts at uniformity. The German orthography reform of 1996 (Reform der deutschen Rechtschreibung von 1996) simplified and sometimes deleted older rules, such as capitalizing all nouns. But so many traditional Germans rebelled that a decade later the Council for German Orthography reversed many “reforms,” including capitalizing nouns.

American English is far more flexible, largely due to Noah Webster. His original 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language (which Webster called Federal English, as opposed to British English) was based on his belief that spelling, grammar and definitions should be based on how most people actually spoke and wrote—which is how he came up with his commonly understood meanings.

“Caliber” is so commonly used for cartridge and chambering at least 90% of us wouldn’t hesitate when somebody takes a look at one of our rifles and asks, “What caliber is it?” Instead of arguing about the meaning of caliber, we’d reply .243 Winchester or .30-06 or .375 H&H. Only the other 10%, who firmly believe there’s ONE definition of caliber, get as upset as traditional Germans who know nouns MUST start with a capital letter. (These percentages are just guesses, of course. In my experience the percentage of caliber Websterists is probably higher, perhaps even 99%.)

Of course, caliber-correctness has not died, despite widespread changes in American common usage since we rebelled against the British government. This is why you probably won’t see any of my articles describe the .270 Winchester or .300 Weatherby as a “caliber.” However, I am getting older and more forgetful, so won’t guarantee anything—though I still believe ranting against the “misuse” of caliber resembles trying to block a tidal wave with a sand castle.

What caliber would be best matched with a 6x18 Leupold and Hardscrambles?

Prolly 30 caliber

This has been chewed more times than I can remember since I joined in
2010.

Communication is more important than nit picking.

Jerry

^^^^^ Arkansas

Spinning projectiles down the tube.

Thanks, it's a big relief to get this out....

Damn! Now that we finally got this straight I will be able to sleep tonight 😁......Hb

Yes

You’re DANG right !!

We can read New Rifle Boxes and know what they’re talking bout.


[quote=Mule Deer]

In 2017 I started collecting firearms websites that use caliber when they should use cartridge or chambering.

Barrett Firearms
Federal Ammunition
Fierce Arms
Franchi
GA Precision
Heym
Hill Country Rifles
Holland and Holland (calibre)
Hornady
Howa
H-S Precision
Kimber
Lapua
Lyman
Mauser
New Ultra Light Arms
Norma
Rigby (calibre)
Ruger
Sako
Sauer
Shaw Barrels
Smith & Wesson
Speer
Tikka
Weatherby Rifles
Winchester Rifles


“Caliber” is so commonly used for cartridge and chambering at least 90% of us wouldn’t hesitate when somebody takes a look at one of our rifles and asks, “What caliber is it ?

——————————

We have known long before the WWW and The Hunter’s Campfire that “Caliber, 30-06, 270 Win.” et.al designated the cartridge the gun fired.

Communication buddy not nit picking.

Jerry

Calling a cartridge a caliber is nothing but ignorant,
if not willful stupidity.



Like calling a cartridge a bullet by the uninformed.

Some folks reading comprehension is lacking to say the least.


Jerry

Considering that manufacturers literally stamp "CAL. 30-06 Springfield" or "CAL. XYZ Cartridge" on the barrels of guns since forever, it's understandable people use it that way. I don't sweat the small stuff and won't nitpick someone over it generally. However, the distinction becomes more important in the context of handloading and ballistics, especially handloading since you need a proper designation for every component and aspect to properly discuss it.

I don't get worked up over somone calling a detachable magazine a "clip" either. Context makes it clear what they mean. Good enough.

Don't go there!


I found examples of Remingtoon calling their part for the 760 all three terms:
CLIP
MAGAZINE
MAGAZINE CLIP


Almost two much too bare.....

Long lost brother? AMEN

You're welcome. I felt it was time.

Clip,
shells/bullets,
groupings,
pattern (for rifles)
it goes on and on.


Unfortunately (for me) I have a long list of more important things to
waste blood pressure points on.

Stand in any gun shop on a busy day, if you can stand to.
If every customer got all of this right, how many wouldn't still show
their complete ignorance. And ignorance of that ignorance.

Don't destress, but a random old dude today asked me, at Brownells, if 22LR HP ammo was for a 22 LR..... I had to do a double-take and then figured out he was serious. Yes sir, it sure is. It's both LR and HP.....

Random peeps get a pass, not 'Fire regulars. Come'on Man.

What are you trying to say?