What Is a Caliber? The Number Is Not the Bullet
SAAMI uses the word “caliber” eight times and never defines it. What the number actually measures, why the bullet is always wider, and where the rule breaks.
Reference
Rifle Recoil Chart: Built From SAAMI’s Formula, Inputs Shown
No maker publishes recoil, so we computed it from SAAMI's own formula — and printed every input beside every answer, so you can check the arithmetic.
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Reference charts built from primary sources: bullet diameters drawn to scale, recoil worked from SAAMI’s own formula, and what a caliber number really means.
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Rifle Caliber Chart: 26 Cartridges Drawn to Scale
A .270 fires a .278-inch bullet and a 7.62×39 fires a .311. Twenty-six rifle cartridges drawn to scale from the SAAMI standard’s own dimensions.
