This left an unanswered question: How do you lube the bullet?Īt first, lube was simply was smeared on the exposed portion of the heeled bullet. Of varying lengths with no loss of accuracy caused by freebore space (think about revolvers that can fire. also, when heeled bullets are used, you can fire cartridges Revolver cylinders for heeled bullets were easier to manufactureīecause they could be drilled straight through, and didn't need a smaller diameter 'step' to form the throat. 38 Caliber Bullets - Note the smaller diameter hollow base This way, the dimensional relationship could remain the same as it did for a cap and ball revolver. 357' diameter base that is inserted in the cartridge, with a Using what were called 'heeled' bullets (see below). If the bullet was to fit inside the case, it would have to have a smaller diameter than the bore, and that wouldn't work. So the dimensional relationship between bullet, chamber and barrel is now out of whack. The bullet must go inside the case, and the case must go inside the chamber. There was no longer a need for a rammer (that was used to pack in the loose powder on a cap and ball revolver), so this was removed,Īnd an ejector (to eject the spent cartridge cases) was put in its place. The early cartridge revolvers were simply modified cap andīall designs with the chambers drilled through so you could load from the breech end, a hinged loading gate on the recoil shield, and a hammer reshaped so that the The case was charged with powder, and a bullet was seated in the mouth and crimped. As you probably know, a metallic cartridge was a case of brass or copper, with a primer replacing the old

38' diameter bullet.Īfter the Civil War, metallic cartridges took over. In fact, the bullet, chamber, and groove diameter of the barrel (the bore) wereĪll the same. The part of the cylinder where the powder sits and the part where the bullet sits are the same diameter. Unlike modern cartridge revolvers, the chambers in cap and ball revolvers have no cylinder 'throats'. To understand it, you have to go back to the days of cap and ball revolvers. 429') use these particular caliber designations. 45 caliber (.452' diameter) bullet.Ī no-so-recent example is the. A recent real example of this is the Smith & Wesson.

400' and name it the '.420 Super Magnum', even though the bulletĭiameter is actually. However, for marketing reasons, or to distinguish a new cartridge from a similar existing one, the creator of the round may decide to call it something different.įor example, I could create a wildcat round by necking down a. Of an inch, thousandths of an inch (357 Magnum) or millimeters. 40 caliber bullet has a diameter of 40/100ths

Generally speaking, the 'caliber' is the diameter of the bullet in can be expressed in 1/100ths of an inch - a. The short answer is, 'Because whoever comes up with the cartridge gets to name it whatever he/she wants to name it - even if the name is misleading'. This classic S&W 38 Special Revolver fires a.

38 special vs 9mm bullet size