Question on ammo

[JN/Foo]

Hi All,

I defer to the gurus on the board to educate me. I understand there's a group called SAAMI that standardizes things related to firearms (to an extent) and one of the things they do is describe compatible/interchangeable ammo.

Here's what I got so far:

1) .308 Winchester is generally interchangeable with 7.62mm x 51mm
2) Guns chambered to fire .357 Magnum cal can shoot .38 Specials all day long
3) .223 Remington can be fired in guns chambered for 5.56mm x 45mm, but the reciprocal is generally not recommended unless the manufacturer describes otherwise
4) Not uncommon for some .22 rifles to be able to handle the long, short, and LR versions of the caliber
5) .380 can be used once in a 9mm before locking up the action
6) A "Medusa" revolver can shoot several types of ammo due to it's adaptable cylinder

Are these statements mostly correct? Are there any others I'm missing?

Just a novice trying to learn the ropes.
Thanks,
-JN/Foo

 

[Guate_shooter]

1 ) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.308_Winchester
2) YES
3).223 Remington ammunition can be safely fired in a 5.56 mm chambered gun, firing 5.56 mm ammunition in a .223 Remington chamber may produce pressures in excess of the 5.56 mm specifications due to the shorter throat
4)Not really http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.22_Long_Rifle
5), why would you even try ?????????
6) YES

 

[JN/Foo]

1 ) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.308_Winchester
2) YES
3).223 Remington ammunition can be safely fired in a 5.56 mm chambered gun, firing 5.56 mm ammunition in a .223 Remington chamber may produce pressures in excess of the 5.56 mm specifications due to the shorter throat
4)Not really http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.22_Long_Rifle
5), why would you even try ?????????
6) YES

Good deal. Any other munitions that are interchangeable that you know of?

 

[Guate_shooter]

Well you can get into the ones who have diferent names for the same thing such as the .380 ACP

.380 Auto
9mm Browning
9mm Browning Short
9mm Corto
9mm Court
9mm Kratak
9mm Kurz
9mm Scurt
9mm Short
9x17mm


Then you can get into the many types of 9mm cartridges and here is a great read

http://czechpistols82792.yuku.com/topic/14702

 

[JN/Foo]

Thanks Guate_shooter! Will read up on it on your recommended thread.

Just so I'm absolutely clear, the 9mm cals you listed above being equivalent to the .380 ACP are not the typical "9mm" I was referring to in 5), right?

 

[Guate_shooter]

NOP sounds alike but not the same, pretty confussing at first

 

[JN/Foo]

You're telling me! Thanks again for the info.

 

[Leadslugga]

You left some things out:

.44 special can be shot in .44 magnum.

.45 colt can be fired in .454 cassul, and both can be fired in .460 Smith and Wesson Magnum

.480 ruger can be fired in .475 Linebaugh, IIRC.

the taurus judge shoots .45 colt and .410 shotshell.

.327 federal magnum will shoot .32 H&R mag, as well as .32 smith and wesson long and short (.32 H&R will shoot the smaller ones, too).

I believe a .22 magnum revolver will shoot the smaller .22s (but perhaps not with a lot of accuracy. Someone check me on this)

Another thing - lots of .357s are intended to be shot primarily with .38s. It is a super common practice. Anything smaller than an L frame smith and wesson will supposedly wear out prematurely if fed an exclusively magnum diet. You're supposed to use .38 for your everyday shooting in such guns.

 

[JN/Foo]

Leadslugga - thanks for the info - I was really wondering about the .22 Mag and .22 LR compatibility as it seems like a very affordable way to get into cheap firearms. One of my favorite rifles right now are the .357 Cal lever action carbines... they just seem so cool and cheap to feed...

 

[Leadfoot]

Most .22 LR Bolt action rifles will handle .22 short, long & long rifle.

 

[leeshall]

A .22 Magnum revolver will shoot .22 short, long and long rifle safely IF the revolver is equipped with an accessory .22 short, long, long rifle cylinder (also CB caps). Many Ruger .22 rimfire revolvers come with two fitted cylinders exactly for this purpose. NOT a good idea to try firing the smaller cases in the magnum chambers. You'll likely get burst cases and gas escaping everywhere. Not fun -- you'd be surprised how much pressure the .22lr produces.

 

[Storm52]

The Remington 552 (which I believe they still produce) semi-auto will handle all three; even interchangeably. Ditto the pump version, but I cannot recall its model number.

I seem to recall a Marlin semi-auto that would, as well.

.

572 Fieldmaster is the pump

 

[honestlou]

A firearm chambered for .22 LR should safely shoot .22 LR, .22 long, .22 short. .22 CB caps, etc. Functioning of semi-autos could be an issue with the lower powered shells, but I don't think there is any safety issue.

As stated, the .22 magnum is a different animal, and should only be used with .22 magnum ammo.

I know from experience that a Glock 9mm will function somewhat with .380 ammo- not to be done intentionally, but it can cycle several times without incident. It wasn't my gun or me, but I saw it firsthand; and again, I don't recommend it.

 

[deafdave3]

5) .380 can be used once in a 9mm before locking up the action-JN/Foo

5), why would you even try ?????????

There is something I want to point out about the similarities and differences of a 9mm Luger and .380 (9mm short). Both bullets use the same projectile. Therefore, both projectiles and neck of casing are the same diameter. However, the rear end of the cartridge (where primer is) is NOT the same diameter for both. If you put the butts back to back on a flat surface, you will see a difference.

With this in mind, I wonder if a .380 is inserted into a 9mm gun, would the slide and ejector effectively grab the .380, or would it just push the .380 a couple millimeters down the barrel, therefore rendering it ineffective?

 

[Guate_shooter]

Dave we can try it in your 9mm, ill bring the ammo hehe!

 

[Quickdraw22]

There is something I want to point out about the similarities and differences of a 9mm Luger and .380 (9mm short). Both bullets use the same projectile. Therefore, both projectiles and neck of casing are the same diameter. However, the rear end of the cartridge (where primer is) is NOT the same diameter for both. If you put the butts back to back on a flat surface, you will see a difference.

With this in mind, I wonder if a .380 is inserted into a 9mm gun, would the slide and ejector effectively grab the .380, or would it just push the .380 a couple millimeters down the barrel, therefore rendering it ineffective?

I'm about to go shooting in a bit. I'll try it out if I can find a spare .380 round.