Magnum or Standard

Citizen_Erased

Can any one outline the differance in magnum and standard rounds - is it just their length and is it possible to fire a standard round from a magnum gun

civdef

Are you talking about a particular calibre in particular?

In general "magnum" means more powerful. For example , you can buy 12bore, 2 3/4" long shotgun cartriges in standard and magnum loads, they are dimensionally identical, but the magnum has more powder and lead, and a bigger bang. Some older shotguns will fit a magnum shell, but were not designed to fire them, which can end dramatically.
Other magnum shells are 3" long, and will not fit in non magnum proofed guns.


In rifles in Ireland, the most common magnum is .22wmr, which is both longer than and a tiny bit wider than standard .22lr. (.22lr has a calibre of .222", .22wmr is .224"). A 22wmr will not fit in a .22lr. Vice versa is possible, but not recommended. The narrower bullet will give poor accuracy, and the shorter case means increased chamber wear, which can screw up accuracy.

Sparks

Civ, are you certain about that with regard to the .22LR? Because I was convinced, after shooting them for a decade, that the .22 LR round was just .22 inches in calibre - seeing as how .222 calibre was in effect banned here for 32 years.

And there is another difference - magnum rounds aren't much use for target shooting, they're usually intended more for hunting applications.

Sparks

*sigh*
Answered my own question - the depth of the grooves in a .22 calibre rifle brings the diameter up to .222 inches.

civdef

The .222 that was banned was a specific chambering, .222Remington, a slightly shorter version of .223Rem / AKA 5.56 NATO