The Basic Rifle Cartridge Guide
Ellen Ripley: “Lieutenant, what do those pulse rifles fire?”
Lt. Gorman: “Ten millimeter explosive tip caseless. Standard light armor piercing round. Why?”
What the #&%$ does that even mean? When I first saw Aliens I didn’t know, but I knew it sounded good. For the record, that round doesn’t exist, and if it did I doubt you could fit 95 of them in a magazine. You see, the “ten millimeter” part of that explanation deals with the bullet’s diameter*. That’s pretty big for a rifle. The M4 the U.S. military issues to its soldiers fires a 5.56mm round, only about half the size of what Space Marines apparently fight with. But if 10mm explosive tip caseless rounds don’t exist yet, what should I use to shoot aliens with?
A rifle is a precision instrument. No, really, it is. Think about it. You’re taking elements of physics, metallurgy, chemistry, optics, aerodynamics and human ergonomics and mixing them together with the goal of using a controlled explosion to send a small piece of metal to the very range of eyesight with the goal of hitting a target that is often smaller than the area of a paper plate. Whether that target is a bullseye in a competition or the heart beating inside an animal, the goal is to get that bullet there with enough force to pierce the target. Rifles and rifle cartridges can do that at ranges that pistols cannot and were never designed to. The rifle, itself, is only half the equation. The cartridge is the other half, and when it comes to that other half, you have a number of options. Shooting squirrels? You might want something small and accurate. Shooting xenomorphs? Probably something bigger.
So what we have here is a really basic, introductory list of rifle calibers and some pros and cons to each. This is far from a complete list, but it does include cartridges that you’re probably most likely to come across, especially as a new shooter.
.22LR
As was covered in the pistol guide, the .22 long rifle is probably the most popular rifle round out there. Its small size and high velocity make it ideal for hitting small game like squirrels at range, and it’s low recoil make it a great round for beginners and children who want to shoot but don’t want the shoulder bruises that come with a larger round. It also has a low price, and it’s common to see them come in packs of 500 for $15-$20. As a defense round it’s not great, but it’s ability to kill small animals without disintegrating the tasty parts make a .22lr rifle a must-have for any country battery.
Pros: Small, light, fast and inexpensive. Perfect for taking small game. Recoil in a rifle is non-existent.
Cons: Too small for large game and sketchy for defensive applications. I wouldn’t want to use them in a pistol against an attacker, but in a rifle they have more velocity and power, so it’s a little better.
.223 (5.56X45mm)
The .223 and its very close relative, the 5.56X45mm, are most commonly found used in the AR15 rifle. Although often thought of as the same, the 5.56 is the military variant of the .223 and has more power behind it, and it’s therefore important to only fire 5.56 in a 5.56-chambered rifle. Larger than a .22lr, but not by much, many states don’t allow hunters to use .223 on large game like deer because it’s considered inhumane. It’s used, therefore, more as a varmint round, used to kill prairie dogs at long range or predators such as coyotes.
Pros: Easy to find and reasonably cheap, you never have a hard time finding .223. More than adequate to kill a four-legged predator (coyote) and designed specifically to kill the two-legged kind (as the U.S. military proves daily in Afghanistan).
Cons: Limited hunting applications due to its small size.
.30-30
The .30-30 has killed more deer than any other bullet and has been doing it since 1895. Primarily used in lever-action rifles, most .30-30 rounds have a blunt-nosed bullet, limiting their effective range to about 200 yards. With a light recoil and the ability to take deer or small bear, the .30-30 continues to be one of the most popular hunting cartridges in North America even more than a century after its introduction. Hornady’s line of LeveRevolution rounds are pointed with a soft polymer tip, giving you the performance of a pointed round in a lever action. I sold my .30-30 to my father after he used it to kill the biggest deer he or I had ever seen, and while I’m glad he has it, I’m sorry I don’t.
Pros: Light recoil, moderate power, easy to find in sporting goods stores.
Cons: The blunt nose in most .30-30 rounds make them inaccurate compared to sharp-nosed spitzer bullets.
7.62X39mm
The 7.62X39mm cartridge is a Russian round designed for use in the venerable AK-47 and SKS rifles. With the importation of these 
rifles to the U.S., the 7.62X39mm has become a popular round, and some bolt-action rifles, notably from CZ, and semi-autos like the Ruger Mini-30 use it. The round is large enough for medium sized game such as deer and more than adequate for self defense.
Pros: Big enough for hunting and self defense, very light recoil, comes cheap from Russian and East European suppliers.
Cons: Both Russian and American manufacturers make 7.62 rifles and both countries make the rounds for them. However, the primers in Russian-made 7.62 tend to be hard, designed for Communist Bloc weapons like the AK and SKS. The U.S.-made 7.62 is made with softer primers. So using soft U.S. primers in Comm Bloc rifles can sometimes result in a slam fire while using hard Russian primers in U.S. weapons can result in a failure to fire. Best rule of thumb: Comm Bloc ammo in Comm Bloc weapons.
.270
The .270 Winchester is another popular hunting round that first came out in 1925. Fast and flat-shooting, the .270 made a name for itself as an elk-hunting round. It’s still one of the most popular hunting cartridges today and can be found in multiple weights, letting a shooter choose a weight that works best for what they intend to hunt.
Pros: Flat-shooting, fast, devastating terminal performance.
Cons: Price (but worth it)
.30-06
Everyone has heard of the “thirty-aught-six” even if you weren’t sure what it meant. The .30-06 began life as the .30 government and was made the primary U.S. military round in 1906 (hence the “06” in the name), replacing the .30-03 round. Though it was eventually replaced by the 7.62X51mm round in the military, the 06 remains a popular bolt-action hunting round capable of killing any animal in North America. Just about every company that’s every produced a bullet in the United States makes .30-06.
Pros: Power, accuracy, easy to find.
Cons: Kicks like a sumvabitch.
.308 Winchester (7.62X51mm)
Another popular round that started as a military round, the .308 Winchester is the commercial version of the 7.62X51mm round that replaced the .30-06. It has since been replaced by the 5.56X45mm round, but is still used by military and police forces as a sniper round and is a popular and common hunting round. Although it’s similar to the 7.62X51mm military round, the two are not the same. Only shoot .308 in .308-chambered rifles. Putting them side-by-side, one might think the .308 is less powerful than the .30-06, and they would be right, BUT not as much as their difference in size would make you believe. One of the reasons the .308 replaced the .30-06 was that advancements in powder chemistry made it possible to get near-.30-06 performance in a much shorter case. The result was the .308.
Pros: Power, accuracy, easy to find.
Cons: Recoil
.357, .44, .45LC
An honorable mention needs to go out to the .357 magnum, .44 magnum and .45 Long Colt. Although they are primarily pistol rounds, there are many rifles, most notably cowboy-action lever rifles, that use these cartridges. Ruger even makes a bolt action .357 and used to make a .44 magnum version of the famous Ruger 10/22. They’re not as powerful as center fire rifle rounds, but are strong enough to take deer at short ranges. You have to be careful, however, choosing the right kind of bullet as some types of bullet shapes can get hung up in lever-action rifles.
Pros: Manageable recoil, 50-to-a-box rather than 20.
Cons: Have to be careful of bullet shape in lever guns, not as powerful as regular rifle rounds.
In his book, The Art of the Rifle, Jeff Cooper says, “Personal weapons are what raised mankind out of the mud, and the rifle is the queen of personal weapons. The possession of a good rifle, as well as the skill to use it well, truly makes a man the monarch of all he surveys.” But the rifle is only half the weapon. Without the cartridge, the rifle is just a club. Choosing the right cartridge is every bit as important as choosing the right rifle. This is a very short list of the options that are out there, and if you’re just setting out looking for a rifle, it’s important to also research what you intend to shoot with it.
Happy shooting.
TJ
*”Explosive tip” obviously means they explode on impact, and believe it or not there are bullets that do that. U.S. Air Force fighters use explosive tip rounds in their 20mm cannon. “Caseless” refers to the bullets being encased in hardened propellant that doesn’t need a brass case to hold it. This keeps weight down. It’s also disproven an hour later when Vazquez is blasting xenomorphs in the air vent and throwing brass cases everywhere.
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