Handgun Cartridges - Which One is More Effective?

Cartridges load the honor in the gun! These self-contained packages - though sometimes, of a mere fraction of their respective targets - contain the bullet, the main projectile (blanks and PFC-s are exceptions). Otherwise, an explosive powder sets in the charge, propelling the bullet forward. The primer (the medium for the charge to detonate; a cap or cover sensitive to impact) detonates the main charge after a strike from the firing pin. All these components together make a cartridge, with the metal casing nesting them. The term happens to be - colloquially - interchangeable with bullet.

Cartridges have several synonyms apart from bullet. A round is used more often; another is a load but never six or nine rounds of cartridges.

There are separate names for cartridges. For example, a shotgun or an artillery shall use shells but shell casing denotes spent cartridges. It is also referred as brass. Brass, however; is a term that baffles the uninitiated; semi-autos and fully automatic weapons eject spent shells during the firing process, revolvers don't. "The brass from his revolver ejected with every pull of the trigger" - is therefore, a null statement.

Category names were introduced to group certain mechanical requirements set by the firearm type. But this doesn't mean every cartridge from the same caliber shall fit every equal-caliber gun. A .38 Semi-auto differs in mechanism from a .357 Magnum caliber revolver, hence, the differences in the cartridge designs. However, certain cartridges are made to fit more than one caliber in each handgun category by varying the powder charges or the weight of the bullet. And while some revolvers do use pistol cartridges, more of the latter type accepts the revolvers'.

A rule of thumb here is to remember that sometimes more is less. No, a .38 caliber is certainly not lesser than a .32, but a .25 is if compared to a .22. The secret is in the charge, for caliber is merely a number denoting the projectile dimensions. The velocity is overlooked; momentum causes impact and speed is an essential factor. It helps reach the bullet its target faster as well as adds to its momentum. An identical bullet placed on a load with more powder charge shall incur more damage. But placing a smaller-caliber round on a lot of charge is absurd; to make it more effective than a higher-caliber weapon this way is true only in the papers. A bigger bullet shall deliver more damage even at moderate speeds than a high-speed smaller one. It also depends on the type of the bullet, especially if they are of the expanding category.

Now, the last classification is according to the location of the primer in a cartridge. If the primer is located in the center of the base of the cartridge, it is of the more powerful center-fire variety (the velocity ranges over 2000 ft/sec); if there is no noticeable primer due to its placing on the case-rim, it is the rim-fire type that can do around 1300 ft/sec. It's because a rim-fire cartridge nests more powder than the other one. Only the .22 cartridges (short, long, long rifle and Magnum) come in this class today but not the .22 Hornet and .222 Remington, which are center-fire cartridges. We haven't yet spoken about the rimmed and rimless cartridges, so we shall discuss them soon along with a description of the most popular cartridges around the world.