Caliber of Gun

So, being new to owning guns but not new to having guns around, it is interesting to think that my dad, a WWII veteran had guns all around the house.  Now that I think about it, I had no clue if the guns were loaded, too rusted to shoot, or even dangerous.  They were just my dad's guns.

I do remember my brother Butch and I shooting my dad's rifles after we moved to the farm.  Dad was one of the original hippies.  We moved from the suburbs of south Chicago, with the finest schools in the country to the Appalachian area of Ohio that did not have the finest schools in the country.  We moved to a farm.  Ever seen the television program Green Acres?  That was Dad.

Anyway, now that I am starting to collect guns I have more questions than asking Butch, "How much does it kick?"  I was tired of ending up on my ass after I shot the gun.

So, when gun sellers talk about all the different sizes of guns, they are talking about caliber which is basically the size of the bullet which is the top part of the cartridge.  The cartridge is the whole thing that people call the bullet.  To be cool, don't say bullet; it is a cartridge.  Evidently only those in the wild west used bullets.  Most of that was to bite on them to stop pain.  (Ha, like THAT will work.  I am for meds myself.)

Actually the bullet is the part at the top of the cartridge.   There are many parts of a cartridge.  I borrowed this picture from Utah Concealed Carry who borrowed it from someone else.

I borrowed this image of calibers from the Grave Yard Shift who also borrowed images from other sites. 

The size of the bore is what makes the difference.  The bore is how big the hole is in the barrel and, hence how big the barrel is.  The bigger the cartridge, the more the gun will put you on your ass.  You can get some pretty impressive bruises from that, let me tell you.

Now, the reason for all the confusion of different sizes and all is that men started making guns and lots of different types before they started organizing their thoughts.  (Who does this surprise?)  

Basically, men think that the less powerful guns, the 22, is for women because it is easier to fire and tons less kick.  Don't get caught in that.  Size of caliber is another important factor to consider when YOU BUY YOUR OWN GUN, not when the little man buys one for you.

22's are easy to shoot and have less kick, but there is nothing like the satisfaction of sitting on your ass after a good shoot.

Remember what all women know, size does make a difference!  But remember all guns, no matter how small they are or how little the kick - they kill.