How do those of you who don't use inches to measure length and diameter specify your cartridges when talking about them?

My favorite rifle is, in North America, a 6.5x55; most of us refer to that as a "six point five by fifty-five." I'd find it awkward to refer to the 6,5x55 notation as "six comma five," so what words do you use?

You'd think I'd have something better to do than worry about it...

Jaywalker

Some call it the six five Swede or just Swede in the USA.In a similar way the 'seven Mauser'.So how do you call the Caliber .30, Model 1906 ???

The 30, Model 1906, huh? I almost always cal that the "seven point six-two by sixty-three." Doesn't everyone?


Jaywalker

i`m not sure if i understand you correctly, but...

calibers with metric nomenclature
6.5x55 - six point five by fiftyfive
7x57 - seven by fiftyseven
9.3x62 - nine point three by sixtytwo

calibers with inch nomenclature
.223 - two twentythree
.270 - two seventy
.30-06 - thirty o six

i find it awkward to call a american/british caliber by metric nomenclature

when reloaders talk about bullet size, 99,9% of us use inches
6.5mm - .264 - two sixtyfour
7mm - .284 - two eightyfour
8mm - .323 - three twentythree
9.3mm - .366 - three sixtysix

I have a six and a half and a triple two if that helps 6,5x55SE and 222Rem

quote:

Originally posted by Jaywalker:
I'd find it awkward to refer to the 6,5x55 notation as "six comma five," so what words do you use?

The comma sign is used in some European countries the same way you guys use the point. Like they say in Singapore, "same, same but diffelent!"

The metric cartridge is in theory a technical description or data set. However it is as unclear most lf the times as the American calibers. There are f.i. different 8 mm calibers, the diameter of the bullet is never as indicated and strange names like "Brennecke", "RS", "RWS" or even "Magnum" like in the 5,6x50 R are used.

quote:

Originally posted by Jaywalker:
My favorite rifle is, in North America, a 6.5x55; most of us refer to that as a "six point five by fifty-five."Jaywalker

in our places that would be: six five fiftyfive, or in case 9,3x62 it is: nine three sixtytwo...

Thanks, all. Mouse93 cleared it up for me - just cite the numbers and ignore the punctuation.

It's much more efficient than my way, so I believe I'll adopt it...

So reloaders mostly refer to inches? I didn't know that.

Jaywalker

Quite usual to omit the "comma" or "point".

"Neun drei mal Zweiundsechzig" or "Sechs fünf mal Fünfundfünfzig" is clear enough when talking to other hunters.

Fuhrmann

Mouse and Fuhrmann have it right - it is common in Europe to leave out the "dot" or "comma" bit.

However, there is a nasty tendency to become sloppy with our naming. Case in point: the 7x65R (seven-by-sixtyfive-R). Over time, that easily becomes "seven-sixtyfive" - simply because we all know what we are talking about....

Enter Murphy... A hunting acquaintance of mine needed "seven-sixtyfive" ammo for his Drilling. Lo and behold, there was a cheap box of ammo with exactly those numbers on it... The only problem was that the numbers appeared in the configuration: "7.65 Arg" - a caliber of almost 8mm bullet diameter... The cartridge must have headspaced on the bullet, and although the round is rimless, the firing pin managed to set the primer off. Let me put it this way, a Drilling with a 7mm bore does NOT look very sound after you have tried to wrench an 8mm (almost) bullet through it!! The chamber had been blown apart, the rifle barrel was still marginally attached to one of the shot barrels, and the other shot barrel was blown clear across the firing line, over the roof of the adjacent restaurant building to land in the garden restaurant. Fortunately, nobody was badly hurt....

Just a little story to remind us all to stay precise and disciplined with cartridge designation. Something which goes for 8mmS (i.e. .323 cal bore) ammo and calibers as well!

- mike

When some of the guys come in the shop and are confronted with all these metric rounds and commas they ask me

Aleko

mho, think of the velocity your friend must have achieved with that squeeze-shot round at those pressures! I have read reports of 5000 feet per second from such technology in Main Battle Tanks. Please use someone else's chonograph, however...

Jaywalker

He was lucky enough to get through the ordeal with nothing but minor cuts (and possible shrapnel) on hands and arms. No injury to eyes, head or serious injuries to hands or arms. Somebody looked after him on that day...
- mike

In Italy we use to say 6 and a half for 55 (sei e mezzo x 55) or 9 and 3 for 62 (9 e 3 per 62), but it is not uncommon to hear also 9comma3for62 or 6comma5x55. Some time the comma is substituted by and word.

I remember rthe old COBOL rule that permit to translate the numeric data for europeans: decimal point is comma. Oh yes I hear a chorus "COBOL? WHAT IS COBOL?????"

Here in portugal we use to say :

9,3x62: nine three sixty two - we don’t say the comma/point three.

6,5x55: Six and a half fifty five.

.444 . Four hundred and forty four

.270: Two hundred and seventy

7mm RM: Seven-millimetre Remington Magnum

300 WM: Three hundred Winchester Magnum.

Cheer´s