Notes: This cartridge was adopted by the French in 1929 after the shortcomings of the 8mm Lebel round became obvious to even the most thick-headed French military officials. It was originally designed for use in light machineguns and semiautomatic rifles, but was eventually type-standardized in French service for use in sniper rifles and bolt-action rifles. Several civilian rifles are also chambered for it. Most 7.5mm MAS ammunition is military surplus; civilian loads were never manufactured in great quantity. The 7.5mm MAS round is basically in the same class as the 7.62mm NATO round and offers similar performance.

Other Names: 7.5x54mm French MAS, 7.5mm French, 7.5mm Mle 1929

Nominal Size: 7.5x54mm

Actual Size: 7.82x53.59mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 32.13 kg per case of 1000; Price $510 per case

Magazines:

Notes: This is a very old cartridge, one of the oldest still in military use. The original 7.5mm Swiss round was designed in 1889 to use semi-smokeless powder, but was later modified to use increasingly modern propellants. The round is still being manufactured in Switzerland as well as by Norma, and has been in the past manufactured in several places in the world as diverse as the US and Japan. Ballistically, it performs similarly to the 7.62mm NATO round, and is a decent military round as well as civilian hunting round.

Other Names: 7.5mm Swiss Service, 7.5mm Schmidt-Rubin, 7.5mm M-1911

Nominal Size: 7.5x55mm

Actual Size: 7.81x55.4mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 33.13 kg per case of 1000; Price: $530 per case

Magazines:

Notes: This round was developed by Czechoslovakia shortly after World War 2 for use in the CZ-52 assault rifle and the M-52 light machinegun. It was used for a number of years, but the Russians forced the 7.62mm Kalashnikov and 7.62mm Nagant rounds on the Czechs in the 1960s and they re-chambered the M-52 assault rifle to use the 7.62mm Kalashnikov round. The chances of finding a 7.62mm Czech round outside of a museum or collector’s hands is virtually nil today.

Other Names: 7.62mm Czech Short, 7.62mm M-52

Nominal Size: 7.62x45mm

Actual Size: 7.81x44.92mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 2.69 kg per box of 100; Price: $86 per box

Magazines:

Notes: This is perhaps the most ubiquitous assault rifle cartridge in the world. It was developed in 1943, but did not come into widespread use until the advent of the AK-47 assault rifle. It is also used in literally hundreds of AK clones, light machineguns and squad automatic weapons, and even a few civilian rifles. Most 7.62mm Kalashnikov ammunition has a steel case and a corrosive Berdan primer, making reloading close to impossible. Western and some Eastern-manufactured ammunition is made to more advanced standards and can be reloaded. Today, 7.62mm Kalashnikov is manufactured all over the world, even in the US. It is a round of decent killing power, but penetration can be lacking and accuracy at long range iffy. This round was replaced in the Russian military by the 5.45mm Kalashnikov, but many units of late have begun switching back to the 7.62mm Kalashnikov for its greater damaging potential.

A subsonic version of the 7.62mm Kalashnikov round exists. Triple the ammunition cost.

Other Names: 7.62x39mm Russian, 7.62mm Russian Short, 7.62mm Soviet M-43, 7.62mm obr 43 g

Nominal Size: 7.62x39mm

Actual Size: 7.9x38.65mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 23.63 kg per case of 1000; Price: $380 per case

Magazines:

Notes: This rifle was adopted for Russian service along with the M-1891 Mosin-Nagant rifle. It has been standard issue among the Russian military and former Russian client states for over a century. Its primary use today is in medium machineguns and sniper rifles, though some civilian rifles are chambered for it. Like many Russian rounds, the 7.62mm Nagant Rifle round uses a steel case and a corrosive Berdan primer, making reloading the spent case almost impossible. However, more standard cases were made by Remington until about 1950, and more recently by Norma and Lapua. The 7.62mm Nagant round is roughly in the same class as the .30-06 Springfield, but offers somewhat better range. It remains one of the few rimmed military cartridges in standard issue by any military.

Other Names: 7.62x54Rmm Russian, 7.62x53Rmm Russian, 7.62mm Mosin-Nagant, 7.62mm Russian Rimmed, 7.62mm M-1891, 7.62mm Nagant Rifle

Nominal Size: 7.62x54mm

Actual Size: 7.87x53.6mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 32.63 kg per case of 1000; Price: $520 per case

Magazines:

Notes: This cartridge began as the round submitted by the US for the NATO Small Arms Trials in the early 1950s. It is basically a shortened version of the .30-06 Springfield cartridge, but without taking out much of the propellant. Though other countries submitted ammunition which was sometimes more advanced than the 7.62mm NATO round, the US basically used its influence to bully the rest of NATO into submission to accept the 7.62mm NATO round (then called the T-65). The 7.62mm NATO is no longer the standard NATO rifle cartridge, but remains a standard in medium machineguns and sniper rifles worldwide. It has also become a popular hunting round, able to take down medium and sometimes large game at fairly long ranges.

A very rare SLAP (Saboted Light Armor Penetrator) version of the 7.62mm NATO round exists; multiply all costs of the ammunition by five. A subsonic version of this round also exists; triple all costs of ammunition for the subsonic version. A Japanese variant of the 7.62mm NATO round is called the 7.62mm Howa; this round has a propellant charge reduced by 10%. Reduce all prices for this ammunition by 3%, as well as the weights of the ammunition. The 7.62mm CETME round is similar and has the same weights and costs to the 7.62mm Howa round (for game purposes).

Other Names: .308 Winchester

Nominal Size: 7.62x51mm

Actual Size: 7.82x51.05mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 30.63 kg per case of 1000; Price: $490 per case of 1000, $735 per 1500-round belt, $1960 per 4000-round

belt

Magazines:

Notes: This is a special round designed specifically for a special sniper rifle – the Heckler & Koch SL-9SD, a silenced sniper rifle version of the SL-9 (civilian version of the G-36 assault rifle). This round, produced only in very small lots for certain customers (mostly US, NATO, and other special operations units of friendly countries), uses what amounts to a heavy but shortened hollow-point bullet loosely-based on the 7.62mm NATO bullet, packed into a shorter case which is sub-loaded (having less propellant than is normal for a round of its size. This makes this round subsonic (and quieter when fired through a silencer), while still having decent damaging qualities. Range is of course necessarily limited, but since the propellant load is just short of what would normally be required to make it supersonic, the reduction in range is not as much as one might think. The 7.62mm Oberndorf Subsonic round is, of course, strictly limited in its sales, and the average individual or even soldier or police officer cannot get wither the round or the rifle that fires it.

Twilight 2000 Notes: This round is not available in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Other Names: 7.62mm Oberndorf

Nominal Size: 7.62x37mm

Actual Size: 7.82x37.04mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 1.78 kg per box of 100; Price: $108 per box

Magazines:

Notes: The 7.62mm Short CETME round was essentially a development round used during the design process of the CETME-58 battle rifle; After developing their own version of a short 8mm Mauser round, it looked like NATO was going to adopt a 7.62mm round, but the design of what would become the 7.62mm NATO round had not yet been finalized. CETME, like a lot of European companies and countries, realized a full-power rifle cartridge would simply be too much in a light rifle with selective fire capability, and decided to use a light version of the 7.62mm bullet from the US T-65 round combined with a shorter case containing less propellant. This was the 7.62mm Short CETME round. A few versions of the CETME battle rifle were built to test the round, and reportedly the Spanish, Portuguese, and Germans were quite interested in it. Unfortunately, the US used their new-found post-World War 2 political clout to force their T-65 round on NATO, which became the 7.62mm NATO round, and CETME was forced to chamber their new battle rifle for the 7.62mm round, which ended the development of the 7.62mm Short CETME round. Today, the round and rifles which fire it are the province of museums and are not found even in collectors’ hands. Of course, there is no need to reload the round, and the statistics below are for completeness and game purposes only.

Other names: 7.62mm CETME Intermediate

Nominal Size: 7.62x40mm

Actual Size: 7.82x40.02mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 2.11 kg per box of 100; Price: $77 per box

Magazines:

Notes: Originally designed in 1889 for the Belgian-pattern Mauser, this round was later for use in Turkey. However, its widest use was in South America, particularly Argentina, where it was chambered in their Mauser rifles and some machineguns. Some sporting rifles were also designed to fire this caliber in the US, South America, and Europe. The round was once very popular, but that popularity faded after World War 2. Recently, a lot of Argentine-pattern Mausers have shown up on the world surplus market, and the cartridge is having some renewed success. The 7.65mm Mauser is regarded as one of the best Mauser cartridges, and is an excellent hunting cartridge for up to medium game. Cases are made by several American manufacturers, primers by a few more, and complete cartridges by some European manufacturers.

Other Names: 7.65mm Argentine Mauser, 7.65mm Belgian Mauser, 7.65mm Turkish Mauser

Nominal Size: 7.65x53mm

Actual Size: 7.9x53.1mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 32.5 kg per case of 1000; Price: $520 per case

Magazines:

Notes: This round was adopted by the Japanese in 1939 for use in World War II when their previous exploits in China suggested that their 6.5mm round did not have enough punch. It was produced specifically for the new Arisaka Type 99 rifle, a modification of the previous 6.5mm-firing weapon. It is ballistically quite similar to the .303 British round, and even uses the same bullets. While Japanese World War 2 ammunition was never of good quality, modern Type 99 ammunition made by Norma is a great improvement over the Japanese ammunition. However, this ammunition is only made in small quantities, primarily for war relics as no rifles were built after World War 2 chambering the 7.7mm round.

A semi-rimmed version of this ammunition was also manufactured during World War 2; this was primarily for Japanese machineguns. It is extremely rare, as war ammunition was mostly used up or destroyed after World War 2. Some handloads may be found; most of them are modified .303 British rounds, and made for firing from war trophies and relics.

Other Names: .31 Japanese, 7mm Japanese Rimless, 7.7x58mm Arisaka; (Rimmed Versions) 7.7mm Type 92, 7.7x58SR, 7.7mm Japanese Semi-Rim

Nominal Size: 7.7x58mm

Actual Size: 7.9x57.91mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 3.12 kg per box of 100; Price: $114 per box

Notes: During the development of the CETME-58 battle rifle in the early-to mid-1950s, several cartridges were tried, including a few intermediate cartridges. One of these was the 7.92mm CETME; based on the 8mm Mauser and 8mm Kurz cartridges (with a touch of the US T-65 round, which eventually became the 7.62mm NATO round), it was essentially a somewhat longer version of the 8mm Kurz round with a different weight of bullet and more propellant. The CETME battle rifle chambered in 7.92mm CETME was in fact manufactured in limited quantities and even issued to some Spanish troops for advanced field testing, where it proved to be a popular chambering. Unfortunately, politics (especially the tremendous post-World War 2 political might of the US) intervened, and eventually, most of the 7.92 CETME-chambered rifles were re-chambered for the 7.62mm NATO cartridge, much to the chagrin of Spanish troops and much of Western Europe. The surviving rifles chambered for 7.92mm CETME are now the province of military museums, as are any surviving factory-produced 7.92mm CETME rounds; none are being made today by either factories or (to my knowledge) by handloaders. The boxed loads and magazine weights below are presented for completeness and game purposes only.

Other Names: 7.92mm CETME Intermediate

Nominal Size: 7.92x40mm

Actual Size: 8.2x40.03mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 2.32 per box of 100; Price: $84 per box

Magazines:

Notes: This cartridge was originally designed for the 1888 Mannlicher straight-pull rifle, and later used for other such rifles and the Austrian version of the Schwarzlose machinegun. It was also a popular hunting round in Europe at one point, with some Mauser and Mannlicher-Schoenauer rifles being chambered for it. It has always been uncommon in North America, however, and virtually unknown anywhere else. The round is still being commercially manufactured in Europe by Hirtenberger. It has good power for use against most medium game as well as people.

Other Names: 8x50mmR, 8mm Austrian Mannlicher

Nominal Size: 8x50mm

Actual Size: 8.2x50.29mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 33.25 kg per case of 1000; Price: 530 per case

Magazines:

Notes: This round was designed for use by a few World War 2 Italian machineguns, such as the Breda Model 35 and Fiat-Revelli Model 1935 and was never used for anything else. It was designed mainly to replace the 6.5mm Carcano in machineguns, as that light rifle round was inadequate for machineguns. It is a significantly better round than the 6.5mm Carcano, and comes close in power to the .300 Winchester Magnum. It has not been manufactured since World War 2, and as no civilian or other military rifles were ever chambered for it, is of little interest to handloaders, so the ammunition is virtually impossible to find today.

Other Names: 8x59mm Breda, 8x59mm Italian

Nominal Size: 8x59mm

Actual Size: 8.28x59.18mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 3.99 kg per box of 100; Price: $128 per box

Magazines:

Notes: These rounds were developed in 1912 by Wilhelm Brenneke himself, for use in Mauser-pattern rifles. The 8mm Brenneke is basically a smaller version of the 9.3x62mm Brenneke round. The round has plenty of punch and can handle most medium game, and some large game.

Other Names: 8x64mmJ Brenneke, 8x64mmS Brenneke

Nominal Size: 8x64mm

Actual Size: 8.2x65.02mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 42.88 kg per case of 1000; Price: $690 per case

Magazines:

Notes: This round was designed for use in the 1889 Danish version of the Krag-Jorgensen rifle. It originally used a much heavier bullet when the cartridge used a round-nosed bullet, but a lighter bullet was designed when the round was switched to a spitzer (pointed-nosed) bullet. It was once a popular civilian hunting cartridge as well as a common military round in Scandinavia, and was regarded as one of the better military rounds of the time. It has not, however, been commercially loaded in about a half a century and even handloads are scarce these days.

Other Names: 8x58mmR

Nominal Size: 8x58mm

Actual Size: 8.18x57.91mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 3.8 kg per box of 100; Price: $122 per box

Magazines:

Notes: Originally developed in 1930 for the Solothurn machinegun, design of this round actually started back in the mid-1920s to replace the somewhat-deficient 8mm Austrian Service round. The Hungarians also chambered their pre-World War 2 service rifles for it. It was never used in any sporting rifles, and it virtually disappeared after World War 2, since the Nazis forced the 8mm Mauser round on the Hungarians starting in 1940. Handloading is problematic since bullets of this size are not generally available and usually must be custom-cast.

Other Names: 8x56Rmm, 8mm Austrian-Hungarian Mannlicher, 8mm M-1931, 8mm Solothurn, 8mm Hungarian M-31

Nominal Size: 8x56mm

Actual Size: 8.33x56.13mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 3.83 per box of 100; Price: $122 per box

Magazines:

Notes: This was the first assault rifle round, an intermediate-sized rifle round for use in what was then the new weapon class of assault rifles. It had a long development for ammunition, taking nearly a year starting in 1940, and was first used in combat on the Russian Front in 1942. The advent of this round and the rifles that fired it had a profound effect on weapon development; virtually all infantry rifles now issued are assault rifles. Unfortunately, no weapons to fire the 8mm Kurz round were built after World War 2, and ammunition was made for only a few years after that war in East Germany. The 8mm Kurz is basically a chopped version of the standard 8mm Mauser round.

Other Names: 7.92mm Kurz

Nominal Size: 7.92x33mm

Actual Size: 8.2x33.02mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 2.18 kg per box of 100; Price: $70 per box

Magazines:

Notes: This round, though the same size as the 8mm Austrian Service, will not fit in rifles chambered for the 8mm Austrian service (and vice versa), due to the great differences in case shape. It originally used a round-nosed heavy bullet when introduced in 1886, but was switched to a spitzer bullet in 1898. Though inadequacies of the widely-rimmed round showed up as early as World War 1 (particularly in semiautomatic and automatic weapons), it was used until shortly after World War 2 as a military round, and as a hunting round even after that. The shape of the cartridge makes it difficult to manufacture, and even more difficult for handloaders to make from scratch. Today, the 8mm Lebel round is difficult to find.

Other Names: 8x50mmR Lebel, 8mm Lebel Rifle

Nominal Size: 8x50mm

Actual Size: 8.2x50.29mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 3.33 kg per box of 100; Price: $106 per box

Magazines:

Notes: This is one of the world’s great rifle cartridges, having been used by dozens of countries, including Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and China. Although it is almost universally known as the 8mm Mauser or 7.92mm Mauser cartridge, it is not in fact a Mauser design, having been designed by the German Infantry Board Commission at Spandau Arsenal. It was not even actually designed for a Mauser rifle; the Gew 88 is actually a modified Mannlicher design. The original bullet had a rounded nose; when this was changed to a pointed nose, velocity of the round jumped and it began to outperform comparable rounds of the time. Due to the vast numbers of rifles (mostly civilian today) that fire this round, the 8mm Mauser is still being produced worldwide.

Other Names: 7.92mm Mauser, 7.9x57mmJ, 7.9x57mmJS, 8mm German Mauser, 7.92x57mm, 8x57mm, 8x57mmI, 8x57mmS, 8mmJRS (in its rimmed form).

Nominal Size: 7.92x57mm

Actual Size: 8.2x57mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 37.63 kg per case of 1000; Price: $600 per case

Magazines:

Notes: This round was introduced in 1888, and designed for the short-action Mauser rifles of the period. It is basically a shorter version of the standard 8mm Mauser round. It was popular at the time, but was replaced by the 8x56mm Mannlicher Schoenauer, and later other rounds, reaching the peak of its popularity before World War 1. It was not well known in North America. It is about in the same class as the .30-30 Winchester. It is not now being produced commercially.

Nominal Size: 8x51mm

Actual Size: 8.03x50.29mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 3.19 kg per box of 100; Price: $102 per box

Magazines:

Notes: This round was developed in 1978 as a chambering for the Remington 700 BDL rifle. It is based on a blown-out version of the .375 H&H Magnum case, and required that the Remington 700 BDL be redesigned for the chambering. The 8mm Magnum is similar to several other designs of the period and earlier, ranging from 8x68mmS to 8mm PMM, as well as several wildcat cartridges. It was the first 8mm Magnum cartridge developed by an American company, however. It is easy for handloaders to produce the 8mm Remington Magnum using any one of several existing cases. Unfortunately, the results produced by the 8mm Remington Magnum do not really justify the extra weight and recoil, when the .338 Winchester Magnum or .340 Weatherby Magnum will produce similar results. The 8mm Remington Magnum was not, therefore, a very successful round.

Nominal Size: 8x72mm

Actual Size: 8.2x72.39mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 4.78 kg per box of 100; Price: $152 per box

Magazines:

Notes: After World War 1, German civilians were forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles to own hunting weapons in a military caliber (such as 8mm Mauser). A new round with similar ballistics was therefore devised by RWS, and the rifles modified in a simple procedure to take the new round. Later, it became an popular hunting round in Europe., outclassing the 8mm Mauser and .30-06 Springfield. It is still manufactured by RWS.

Other Names: 8x60mmJ Mauser, 8x60mmS Mauser

Nominal Size: 8x60mm

Actual Size: 8.08x60.07mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 38.5 kg per case of 1000; Price: $620 per case

Magazines:

Notes: This round was first designed in late 1938. It is basically a "sub-magnum" cartridge, not quite as powerful as an actual magnum round, but still plenty powerful. It actually outclasses rounds such as the .300 H&H Magnum, .300 Weatherby, or .300 Winchester Magnum. It is quite popular in Europe, but almost unknown in North or South America.

Other Names: 8x68mmS RWS

Nominal Size: 8x68mm

Actual Size: 8.2x67.31mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 44.38 kg per case of 1000; Price: $710 per case

Magazines:

Notes: This round was developed sometime around 1910, and is basically a 9.3x74mmRmm case necked down to accept an 8mm bullet. It was designed to provide what was essentially at the time an 8mm Magnum cartridge for African hunting. At the time of the 8x75mm RS’s inception, there was a lot of competition between the British and Germans in the big-game rifle and ammunition arena; while the Germans made the better rifles, the British always seemed to stay just ahead in the ammunition power arena; the 8x75mm RS was Germany’s attempt at the time to produce an 8mm Magnum round for use in express and bolt-action rifles. Confusion arose over the years as two bullet diameters were actually used, one which was .318 caliber and one which was .323 caliber; while the .323 caliber bullet will fit into the breech of a rifle designed for .318 caliber, the bullet usually either gets stuck in the barrel or causes a barrel rupture. Rimmed and rimless versions were produced. Eventually, the .318 caliber bullet was standardized. Ballistics and power of both versions are similar to those of the later .375 H&H Magnum round. Factory production of this round today is only in small lots; the 8.75mm RS round seems to be primarily in the hands of handloaders.

Other names: 8x75mm, 8x75mmRmm (for rimmed versions), 8x75mm Magnum, 8x75mmRmm Magnum (for rimmed versions), 8x75mm JRS

Nominal Size: 8x75mm

Actual Size: (Standard) 8.08x74.68mm, (Non-Standard) 8.2x74.68mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight (Standard Version Only): 4.21 kg per box of 100; Price: $153 per box

Magazines:

Notes: Though the primary cartridge for most German Mauser rifles was the 8mm Mauser round, Mauser also developed a family of cartridges after the introduction of the original 8mm Mauser in 1888, based on that original 8mm round, primarily by necking the 8mm case up or down. One of these was the 9mm Mauser Rifle round. For a short time, the 9mm Mauser Rifle round was used in military rifles, but its most common use throughout its history has been as a hunting round in Europe and to a lesser extent the US and Canada. A good number of rifles had 9mm Mauser Rifle chamberings, and it was factory-loaded in the US and Europe until 1938. However, the 9mm Mauser Rifle round has long been considered obsolete, and presently no companies are producing factory cartridges. The 9mm Mauser Rifle cartridge is in the same class as the .358 Winchester in all categories except for range, but with a pointed-nose bullet instead of the original round-nosed bullets, it produces decent penetration and damage within its range. The 9mm Mauser Rifle round is essentially the province of handloaders these days. A rimmed version of this round was also made for use in express-type rifles.

Other Names: 9x57mm Mauser, 9x57mm, 9x57Rmm (for the rimmed version)

Nominal Size: 9x57mm

Actual Size: 9.04x56.9mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 4.02 kg per box of 100; Price: $146 per box

Magazines:

Notes: This cartridge was designed for the first version of the Medved hunting rifle (essentially a Dragunov action put into a conventional stock). It is not known exactly when this cartridge was introduced, but it was probably in the late 1960s (given when the SVD was introduced). Soviet civilian hunters wanted to use at least a version of an SVD for hunting, but wanted their version chambered for the Finnish 9.3x54Rmm Sako cartridge so they could take down larger animals, but the Dragunov’s designers could not make that round fit into the Medved/Dragunov’s action (despite the Sako round and the 7.62 round being nominally the same length, the Sako round is longer by enough that it doesn’t fit into a Dragunov action). The Soviet government also decided that the Dragunov’s action would not be that heavily-modified in order to fit the Sako round. Therefore, the 7.62mm Nagant cartridge was simply necked up to take a .35-caliber bullet, with an appropriate increase in propellant to compensate for the increase in bullet weight. The 9mm Russian Rifle round is apparently being manufactured only in small amounts, even in Russia, and the Medveds chambered for it haven’t been made in decades. The 9mm Russian Rifle round was always rare outside of Russia itself, and is even rare inside of Russia now, though for a while it was a popular hunting round.

Other Names: 9mm Russian, 9x54Rmm, 9x53Rmm, 9mm Izhmash (or Izhmash Rifle), 9mm Medved

Nominal Size: 9x54mm

Actual Size: 8.89x53.6mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 3.66 kg per box of 100; Price: $133 per box

Magazines:

Notes: This is actually a set of several related cartridges, designed by the Russians in the mid to late 1980s for use in certain special applications, particularly in silenced weapons and those with very short barrels. All are essentially necked-up 7.62mm Kalashnikov rounds, loaded with heavy bullets and low levels of propellant, ensuring their bullets are subsonic but hard-hitting. This allows them to be used in silenced weapons, which is in fact the most common use for SP-5 Complex cartridges. There are currently three known types of rounds in this set: the SP-5 ball round, essentially a normal jacketed lead bullet; the SP-6 AP bullet, with a steel core; and the PAB-9, with a somewhat denser steel core that produces a bit better penetration.

Some of the weapons which fire these rounds have been offered for export, though it is not known how many sales have taken place. The cartridges and the weapons are produced only in Russia and not common even inside of Russia itself. The prices below are for standard SP-5 ball ammunition; for SP-6, double the prices, and for PAB-9, triple the prices shown below.

Nominal Size: 9x39mm

Actual Size: 9.2x38.5mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 2.82 kg per box of 100; Price: $306 per box

Magazines:

Notes: This was Wilhelm Brenneke’s largest and most powerful cartridge. Brenneke was a designer of high-velocity ammunition for rifles in the early 20^th century, and many of his cartridges are similar to those of his contemporary, Charles Newton. Brenneke’s rounds have been much more long lived, however, and many rifles are still chambered for them to this day. The 9.3mm Brenneke is a large cartridge which propels a bullet that is heavy and has a lot of power, almost magnum-class.

Other Names: 9.3x64mm Brenneke

Nominal Size: 9.3x64mm

Actual Size: 9.27x64mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 5.4 kg per box of 100; Price: $172 per box

Magazines:

Notes: This round dates from 1905, developed by Otto Bock to give Mauser users an adequate cartridge for African game, though it was soon being used on larger European game. Rifles were chambered in this caliber in the US until about 1940, but no major US manufacturer makes rifles for it now (though some smaller manufacturers, such as A-Square do). It is a quite common chambering in Europe, and many European rifle manufacturers make rifles for the 9.3x62mm Mauser. Ammunition is easy to find in Europe, and somewhat less easy in North America.

Other Names: 9.3mm Mauser

Nominal Size: 9.3x62mm

Actual Size: 9.27x61.47mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 51.88 kg per case of 1000; Price: $830 per case

Magazines:

Notes: This rimmed rifle round was Germany’s answer to high-power cartridges in the early 1900s such as some of the Nitro Express rounds. It is a powerful round that has performance similar to the .375 Flanged Nitro Express round – good for virtually any game on Earth, including elephants with a well-placed shot. Rifles are still made for this round (typically single-shot or double-barreled rifles due to the rimmed round), and ammunition is still made by RWS and Norma.

Nominal Size: 9.3x74mm

Actual Size: 9.27x74.42mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 62.75 kg per case of 1000; Price: $1000 per case

Magazines:

Notes: This is a rimmed round designed for use in single-shot and double-barreled rifles. Very little is known about this round and its history today, and it is a very rare round today. The round has good stopping power, but only average penetration. Rifles that fire this round are scarce; casings are largely handmade, though bullets suitable for this round are made by Barnes and Speer.

Other Names: 9.3x72Rmm

Nominal Size: 9.3x72mm

Actual Size: 9.27x71.88mm

Case Type: Straight

Weight: 4.88 kg per box of 100; Price: $156 per box

Magazines:

Notes: This round (also commonly known as the 9mm SN) was developed after Russian experience in Afghanistan Chechnya, where they discovered that the 7.62mm Nagant round fired by most of their sniper rifles, even the AP version, simply didn’t have the range for use in very open environments or the punch for effective countersniper or general sniping work in built up areas. There is some controversy as to the origins of the round; some sources say it is a wholly indigenous development, some say it is based on the .338 Lapua Magnum, and some say it is based on either the 9.3mm Sako or 9x64mm Brenneke round. In fact, the exact caliber is also in question; some sources give it a nominal size of 9x64mm, others give it a nominal size of 9.3x64mm. My research so far seems to lean towards the nominal size of 9.3x64mm, and that is how I have treated it below. Either way, the round seems to fall in performance between the .338 Lapua Magnum and the 9.3x64mm Brenneke rounds, and in addition the bullet is steel-cored to give it excellent armor penetration, in addition to being rather heavy. (API and Tracer versions are also available). The only known rifle at present to be chambered for 9.3mm SN is the SVDK, a modification of the SVD Dragunov. The 9.3mm SN seems at present to be a dedicated sniper round manufactured only in small lots and both the round and rifle are not in general issue at present.

Twilight 2000 Notes: The 9.3mm SN round does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Other Names: 9.3x64mm Russian, 9.0mm SN, 9x64mm, 9x64mm Russian

Nominal Size: 9.3x64mm (but see above)

Actual Size: 9.45x63.76mm (Provisional; also, see above)

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 4.92 kg per box of 100; Price: $179 per box

Magazines:

Notes: Primarily a round meant for target shooting, the 9.3mm Swiss round is known for its sharply pointed bullet. The chambering is rare in the US, but better-known in Europe. However, the 9.3mm Swiss is still mostly the province of collectors and they are not manufactured by any large companies at present, though Barnes and Speer make the bullets and some other small companies still make the cases.

Nominal Size: 9.3x53mm

Actual Size: 9.27x53.34mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 4.5 kg per box of 100; Price: $144 per box

Magazines:

Notes: This round was introduced in 1910 for the Mannlicher-Schoenauer rifle of the period. No current rifles are chambered for this round, since the round is difficult to handload or even machine-manufacture due to the strange headspace, and mistakes are easy to make (and can be fatal to the shooter). Nonetheless, the round performs well on thick-skinned game, as long as the game is not too dangerous (due to short range). The round was an almost exclusively European round and was seldom seen in North America, though it could be encountered in Africa in the hands of European hunters. It is rarely found today, and there are no major manufacturers making it.

Other Names: 9.5mm Mannlicher-Schoenauer, 9.5x57mm MS, .375 Rimless Nitro Express, 9.5x56mm, 9.5x56.7mm

Nominal Size: 9.5x57mm

Actual Size: 9.63x57.15mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 5.2 kg per box of 100; Price: $166 per box

Magazines:

Notes: This is a magnum round designed in 1990 by Blaser Rifle Works and RWS for use in single-shot and double-barreled break-open rifles. It is rimmed, so it is not really meant for other types of rifles. It uses fairly heavy bullets and has velocity that falls between the .30-06 Springfield and .300 H&H Magnum. This makes it good for most game of up large size as well as a good man-stopper.

Other Names: .30R Blaser

Nominal Size: 7.62x68mm

Actual Size: 7.82x68.07mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 40.88 kg per case of 1000; Price: $650 per case

Magazines:

Notes: This cartridge grew out of the 1940 recommendation by the US Ordnance Department that a light carbine would have great advantages over the M-1911 pistol in some circumstances. This led to the M-1 Carbine series, and the ammunition developed for it, the .30 Carbine cartridge. It is a modification of the .32 Winchester Self Loading design. The best use for the .30 Carbine cartridge turns out to be not killing people, but varminting and small game hunting.

Other Names: .30 M-1 Carbine

Nominal Size: 7.62x33mm

Actual Size: 7.82x32.08mm

Case Type: Straight

Weight: 15.38 kg per case of 1000; Price: $250 per case

Magazines:

Notes: This is basically a .30-06 Springfield round redesigned for use in the Thompson/Center Encore single-shot pistol. It has since been chambered in a few custom rifles and at least one commercial rifle, but its primary use is still in the Encore. The .30-06 JDJ actually holds more powder than the .30-06 Springfield due to the case design. It is an excellent hunting round, slightly better than comparable rounds, but takes a specially-modified or designed weapon to fire it due to the neck design.

Nominal Size: 7.62x62mm

Actual Size: 7.82x62.36mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 3.75 kg per box of 100; Price: $120 per box

Magazines:

Notes: This round was the first "small-bore" cartridge used by the US military, being adopted in 1892. It was also one of the first military rounds to use modern (i.e. smokeless) propellant. The cartridge virtually disappeared after 1936, until 1973, when Ruger began chambering some of its falling-block single-shot rifles for .30-40 Krag. This stimulated new interest in the round, but it remains a relatively rare round these days.

Other Names: .30 Army

Nominal Size: 7.62x59mm

Actual Size: 7.82x58.67mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 3.53 kg per box of 100; Price: $112 per box

Magazines:

Notes: Originally designed in 1913 for Fred Adolph, the .30 Newton was at first called the Adolph Express. When Charles Newton began producing his own rifles, he changed the name to .30 Newton. The rounds were manufactured for Newton by Western Cartridge. Unfortunately, when Newton’s company failed, the cartridge did too, and Western Cartridge did not make any .30 Newton cartridges after 1938. Richard Speer made cases for the round for a time after World War 2, but also stopped. The round is adequate for virtually any sort of North American game, if you can find it or a rifle firing it.

Other Names: .30 Adolph Express

Nominal Size: 7.8x64mm

Actual Size: 7.82x64mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 3.84 kg per box of 100; Price: $122 per box

Magazines:

Notes: Just prior to the US intervention into World War 1, the US Army studied French and British tactics, and especially, their successes and failures. The US Army quickly realized what everyone else already knew – that the most dangerous time for a soldier was when he came out of the trenches to advance across the "No Man’s Land" between the friendly trench and the objective enemy trench. As friendly troops rushed across the intervening terrain, covering fire had to be lifted and shifted, and was therefore noticeably sparse in the area of the actual advance. The idea of the Pedersen Device was born from these studies; this was a p[arts kit to be dropped into a very-slightly modified M-1903 rifle (there were also plans for the device to be used with the M-1917, British Enfield, and Mosin-Nagant rifles, though these never materialized), turning it into a high-capacity semiautomatic rifle. Along with the Pedersen Device, Pedersen also designed a new round; though based on the .30-06 Springfield, it was vastly modified. The caliber remained the same, but the new round used a much shorter and lighter bullet, along with a shorter case containing less propellant, minimizing recoil during sustained fire. It has been rumored that the case was a longer version, necked down version of the .32 ACP round; it has been equally rumored that the case is a cut-down .30-06 Springfield case. No sources I have found seem to agree in this regard.

Regardless of which is true, the .30 Pedersen round does resemble a rather short .30-06 Springfield bullet in a long .32 ACP case. The Pedersen Device was to be first fielded during the planned Spring Offensive of 1919, but the Germans surrendered and the Offensive never happened, and the rifles were quickly converted back to standard M-1903s. The cuts made in the receiver for the extraction of the rounds mystified many troops for decades; it was not until after World War 2 that the existence of the Pedersen Device was finally made public.

Today, if you have intact .30 Pedersen ammunition, consider yourself lucky; those bullets are worth a fortune in real life. If you have yourself an intact Pedersen Device, you can call yourself astoundingly lucky; virtually all of them were destroyed between World War 1 and 2, usually by melting them down. The weight and price below are given for game purposes only; the actual chance, whether in game or real-life terms, that one would actually find either a Pedersen Device or the ammunition are virtually nil.

However, in an interesting turn of events, the French became very interested in the .30 Pedersen round. In fact, the French 7.65mm Longue round is an almost exact copy of the .30 Pedersen round!

Other Names: .30 M-1918, .32 Pedersen (though this is considered incorrect)

Nominal Size: 7.62x20mm

Actual Size: 7.82x19.81mm

Case Type: Straight

Weight: 8.36 kg per box of 100; Price: $30 per box

Magazines:

Notes: The .30 Remington cartridge was introduced in 1908 as a rimless version of the .30-30 Winchester cartridge, specifically for use in its then-new Model 8 semiautomatic rifle. Since then, several other rifles by Remington and other companies have chambered the .30 Remington round, but the last rifle to be built to chamber this round was manufactured just after World War 2. A lot of confusion arose when the Remington Model 8 in .30 Remington was introduced – they were marked as firing ".30-30 Remington" caliber, which led to a lot of inexperienced shooters becoming frustrated when they bought and then tried to load .30-30 Winchester rounds into their Model 8s! The .30 Remington cartridge is virtually identical in performance to the .30-30 Winchester; however, the .30 Remington has a slight edge in range over the .30-30 Winchester round. Theoretically, the .30 Remington should be easier to handload, but handloading data is scarce for the .30 Remington, and most handloaders tend to under-load the case with propellant. Factory-made .30 Remington rounds were actually available until the early 21^st century, and the most of the rifles chambered for it are still quite serviceable, but most of these factory tend to also be under-loaded with propellant, unless made by Remington itself or under direction from Remington. Since the round was factory loaded until recent years, .30 Remington is still easy to find, whether under-loaded or not.

Other Names: .30-30 Remington

Nominal Size: 7.8x51.56mm

Actual Size: 7.8x51.56mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 30.8 kg per case of 1000; Price: $390 per case

Magazines:

Notes: This round was designed to replace the .30-40 Krag as standard US military cartridge when the Krag rifle was replaced by the M-1903. The .30-03 Springfield featured a longer case than the .30-40 Krag with more modern propellant and more velocity than the .30-40 Krag. It is based on Mauser round designs of the period. However, the US military was slow to modernize, with the .30-03 Springfield and the M-1903 rifle being adopted slowly. Meanwhile, the rest of the world was moving to pointed, aerodynamic spitzer bullets (the .30-03 Springfield uses a round-nosed bullet), and even better propellant. The .30-03 Springfield thus became rapidly obsolete for military purposes, replaced by the .30-06 Springfield only three years later. It was however, for a time, chambered in a version of Winchester’s Model 1895 lever-action rifle, the blunt-nosed bullet being ideal for a lever-action weapon. Nowdays, .30-03 Springfield is quite rare; the round is very difficult to handload due to the lack of suitable cases to modify (a .30-06 Springfield case will not work for this purpose).

Nominal Size: 7.62x64mm

Actual Size: 7.82x64.52mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 3.88 kg per box of 100; Price: $124 per box

Magazines:

Notes: This round is a modification of the earlier .30-03 Springfield cartridge. The biggest change in producing the .30-06 was the new, streamlined, lightweight spitzer bullet. The first rifle to be chambered for the .30-06 was the Springfield M-1903 military rifle, and its use grew by leaps and bounds, eventually becoming the standard US military rifle and light machinegun round as well as a wildly popular civilian round both in the US and other parts of the world. It is one of the most versatile rounds in the world, with the ability to take down everything from small game to medium-large game to of course, man.

Other Names: 7.62x63mm, .30 Government M’06, .30 US Service, .30 Browning

Nominal Size: 7.62x63mm

Actual Size: 7.82x63.2mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 38 kg per case of 1000; Price: $610 per case

Magazines:

Notes: This round was originally developed specifically for 1000-yard benchrest competitions. It was created by necking down the .378 Weatherby to .30 caliber. The round was manufactured in very small amounts until 1996, when Weatherby asked Norma to manufacture the round, and it was factory-standardized in 1998. The .30-378 Weatherby Magnum is very handloader-friendly, easy to produce and wildcat. Though light bullets exist for this cartridge, the .30-378 does best with bullets greater than 200 grains in weight. The round is, however, known to wear out barrels very fast.

Other Names: .30-378 Weatherby

Nominal Size: 7.8x74mm

Actual Size: 7.82x73.66mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 4.46 kg per box of 100; Price: $138 per box

Magazines:

Notes: This round was the first small-bore smokeless powder cartridge; it was designed for the original Winchester 1894 lever-action rifle. Many other companies have picked up on it over the years; it is very nearly the ideal lever-action rifle centerfire cartridge, and also works well in bolt-action, break-open, pump-action, and even some semiautomatic rifles. One of the attractions of the .30-30 Winchester is that it performs well in short carbines and light rifles. It is a good round for use against medium game as well as people, but the velocity can fall off dramatically due to its blunt-nosed design.

Other Names: .30-30 Winchester Centerfire, .30 Winchester, 7.62x51Rmm

Nominal Size: 7.62x51.56mm

Actual size: 7.82x51.56mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 31 kg per case of 1000; Price $400 per case

Magazines:

Notes: Originally a wildcat round developed specifically for 1000-yard benchrest competitions, the .30-338 Winchester Magnum has recently been used in a number of custom and semi-commercial rifles. It is a .338 Winchester Magnum necked down to accept a .30-caliber bullet. It almost exactly duplicates the ballistics of the .308 Norma Magnum, and it is possible that Winchester would have offered the .30-338 Winchester Magnum as a mainstream round if Norma hadn’t beaten them to it. It is a quite powerful round for its size.

Nominal Size: 7.62x64mm

Actual Size: 7.82x63.5mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 3.81 kg per box of 100; Price: $122 per box

Magazines:

Notes: This round was introduced specifically for the Remington Model 8 semiautomatic rifle, and is basically a rimless version of the .32 Winchester Special. It was later chambered in a variety of Remington pump-action and bolt-action rifles, but it was discontinued long ago. It basically duplicates the .32 Winchester Special’s ballistics and damaging potential.

Nominal Size: 8x52mm

Actual Size: 8.13x51.82mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 3.36 kg per box of 100; Price: $108

Magazines:

Notes: This very old round was introduced in 1882 by Winchester for its Model 73 lever-action rifle. It quickly gained popularity both as a rifle and revolver round. Most American firearms manufacturers have probably chambered a rifle or revolver for the round at one point or another in their history. The .32-20 Winchester successfully made the leap to modern propellants, Remington and Winchester still offer both cases and manufactured ammunition. The .32-30 is not a very powerful round, but is popular with farmers, ranchers, trappers, and varmint hunters. One can hunt small game with the round while being reasonably sure that you will not destroy too much meat.

Other Names: .32-20 Winchester Centerfire, .32-20 WCF, .32 Winchester

Nominal Size: 8x34mm

Actual Size: 7.92x33.53mm

Case Type: Straight

Weight: 16.5 kg per case of 1000; Price: $260 per case

Magazines:

Notes: This round was introduced in 1884 as a blackpowder match-quality round. It later made the jump to smokeless powder, but was never really popular except as a starting point for wildcatters. The .32-40 Winchester has been long out of production by most major companies, but Winchester manufactured a few lots temporarily in early 1980s for its John Wayne Commemorative Rifle. Today, few manufactured rounds exist, though handloading is fairly easy using a number of cases as a starting point.

Other Names: .32-40, .32-40 Ballard

Nominal Size: 8x54mm

Actual Size: 8.13x54.1mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 3.51 per box of 100; Price: $112 per box

Magazines:

Names: The fortunes of this round rose and fell with the Winchester Model 1905 semiautomatic rifle for which it was designed – the rifle was discontinued in 1920, and the .32 Winchester Self-Loading round with it. It is probably a smaller version of the .35 Winchester Self-Loading round (though this is not certain). .32 Winchester Self-Loading round’s main claim to fame however, is that it was the cartridge upon which the .30 Carbine round was based. The .32 Winchester Self-Loading is virtually impossible to find these days, and can probably be found only in handloaded form. The round was never popular; neither range nor damaging potential are exceptional.

Other Names: .32 Winchester Self-Loading Rifle, .32 WSL

Nominal Size: 8x33mm

Actual Size: 8.13x32.51mm

Case Type: Straight

Weight: 1.69 kg per box of 100; Price: $54 per box

Magazines:

Notes: This round was one of the original smokeless powder designs. It was introduced in 1902 for the Winchester 1894 lever-action rifle. Because of the rimmed design, it has never been used in anything but lever-action and single-shot rifles. Until recently, Federal, Remington, and Winchester made factory loads in .32 Winchester Special, but this has since stopped. The flat-nosed bullet does not lend itself well to ballistics, and the case design does not allow much variation in propellant load, but modern loads can easily beat out the .30-30. It can also be used as a blackpowder cartridge.

Nominal Size: 8x52mm

Actual Size: 8.15x51.82mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 33.75 kg per case of 1000; Price: $540

Magazines:

Notes: This round was introduced in 1921 by Birmingham Small Arms company for its sporting rifle based on the 1914 Enfield rifle. It was not a popular cartridge, and it was quickly discontinued. The problem with the round is its light bullet; it tends to lose velocity rapidly and fail to penetrate properly on heavy and even medium game. Handloaders using heavier bullets had better luck, but this was a rare modification that tended to rapidly wear out the rifle. This is now an extremely rare cartridge, the province of a few handloaders.

Other Names: .33 Belted Rimless, .330 BSA

Nominal Size: 8.38x61mm

Actual Size: 8.59x60.96mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 4.41 kg per box of 100; Price: $142 per box

Magazine:

Notes: This proprietary round was, like the .30 and .35 Newton, was developed by Charles Newton in the early 20^th century for Newton’s short-lived series of rifles. It has the same history as the Newton rifle and the other Newton cartridges – introduced in 1915, and finally disappearing in 1936 after Newton went out of business after three tries at building and re-building his company. It is essentially a necked-up .30 Newton cartridge, and is really not must different in size than the .35 or .30 Newton cartridges. It also suffered from the same shortcomings as the other Newton rounds – too powerful for North American or European game, and too powerful for the light weight of the rifle Newton developed. The .33 Newton round today is pretty much only going to be found handloaded – and few people, if any, are handloading any of the Newton cartridges these days.

Nominal Size: 9x64mm

Actual Size: 8.59x64mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 3.27 kg per box of 100; Price: $119 per box

Magazines:

Notes: This is another proprietary cartridge used by Charles Newton for his short-lived rifles. It was introduced in 1915 (manufactured for Newton by Western Cartridge), but withdrawn in 1936 after Newton went out of business for the last time. It is basically a necked-up .30 Newton. The .35 Newton round is really too powerful for hunting in North America, and is better used against African game. The Newton rifles were also too light for the power of the cartridge. Virtually the only way to get a .35 Newton round these days is through handloading, which is described as extremely difficult.

Nominal Size: 9.09x64mm

Actual Size: 9.09x64mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 3.65 kg per box of 100; Price: $133 per box

Magazines:

Notes: This is an old round first introduced for the Remington 8 semiautomatic rifle in 1906. For a while, it was a rather popular round, with about a dozen rifles chambered for it. However, Marlin is currently the only company that chambers rifles for it, and Remington’s XP-100 and Thompson/Center’s single-shot handguns also fire the .35 Remington. .35 Remington ammunition is still being made, but not in the numbers it once was. The .35 Remington has better striking power than the .30-30 Winchester, due to the heavier bullet, but the range is not exceptional.

Other Names: .35-30 Remington

Nominal Size: 9x49mm

Actual Size: 9.09x48.77mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 3.95 per box of 100; Price: $126 per box

Magazines:

Notes: There is some controversy as to whether Colonel Townsend Whelan actually was involved in the creation of this round, or James Howe simply named the round after Colonel Whelan, who was a noted gun authority at the time. It began as a wildcat round that was simply a necked up .30-06 Springfield round, without any other significant changes. Ackley later improved the round, changing the case to eliminate headspace problems, underpowering in the propellant charge, and poor ballistics. Though Remington chose to manufacture the earlier, inferior version in 1987, they later switched to the improved version. The .35 Whelan is good for hunting game on the smallish-side of medium up to large North American game, and is easily handloaded.

Nominal Size: 9x64mm

Actual Size: 9.09x63.5mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 5.15 kg per box of 100; Price: $164 per box

Magazines:

Notes: This round was introduced in 1903 as a new chambering for Winchester’s Model 1895 lever-action rifle. It was later put into some bolt-action rifles. Winchester discontinued manufacture of the round in 1936, but it was listed for sale as late as 1962 in a British ammunition catalog. The .35 Winchester is based on a necked-up version of the .30-40 Krag case. The round is useful against almost all North American game, but many newer cartridges are better in range and stopping power.

Nominal Size: 9x61mm

Actual Size: 9.09x61.21mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 4.96 kg per box of 100; Price: $158 per box

Magazines:

Notes: This round was designed for use in the Winchester Model 1905 semiautomatic rifle. The Model 1905 was the only firearm to use the .35 Winchester Self-loading round, and the round is so poor that when the round was discontinued in 1920, with the rifle itself following soon thereafter. It is effective against small game, and marginally effective against medium game, but only at short ranges. It is underpowered and it was also too expensive at the time it was offered for sale. It is an interesting note that most revolvers chambered for .357 Magnum/.38 Special can also chamber and fire the .35 Winchester Self-Loading round without a problem, though why one would want to do this is unknown since the .357 Magnum and .38 Special rounds are both more effective. Any .35 Winchester Self-Loading rounds in existence today are probably handloads.

Other Names: .35 WSL, .35 Winchester Auto

Nominal Size: 9x29mm

Actual Size: 8.92x28.96mm

Case Type: Straight

Weight: 1.81 kg per box of 100; Price: $58 per box

Magazines:

Notes: Though long considered obsolete for most purposes, the rifles chambered for the .38-50 Ballard can still be found from time to time. The .38-50 Ballard was introduced in 1876 as a blackpowder round, but later made the transition to smokeless powder after the cases were strengthened by making the walls thicker (the so-called "Everlasting" case). The .38-50 Ballard was for the most part replaced by a later version in 1884 (the .38-55 Ballard). Though Lyman makes small quantities of these cartridges as factory loads, for the most part the .38-50 Ballard is in the realm of handloaders. It should be noted that bullet molds for this round must be ordered or made very carefully, as most rifle-caliber ".38" rounds use a bullet that is actually .375 caliber, while the .38-50 Ballard uses a bullet that is .379-caliber and is a bit longer than the average .38-caliber rifle bullet. Modern cases for the .38-55 Ballard (available from several sources) can be used for reloading, suitably trimmed in length. The .38-50 Ballard round is quite similar to its later descendant in performance, especially when loaded with heavier bullets than an equivalent .38-55 Ballard rifle.

Other Names: .38-50 Ballard Perfection, .38-50 Everlasting

Nominal Size: 9.65x51mm

Actual Size: 9.55x50.8mm

Case Type: Straight

Weight: 3.2 kg per box of 100; Price: $116 per box

Magazines:

Notes: The .38-55 Ballard was originally developed in 1884 as a target-shooting cartridge, based on the earlier .38-50 Ballard cartridge. The .38-55 was dropped from most ammunition catalogs and rifle chamberings around 1940 when Winchester stopped making the Model 94 lever-action rifle in .38-55 Ballard (which they called .38-55 Winchester), and Winchester stopped producing factory loads in 1970. In the late 1990s Winchester reintroduced a .38-55 Ballard chambering for the Model 94, and a few other modern rifles are also now chambered for this round; Winchester is therefore again producing the .38-55 Ballard round, both in smokeless powder and blackpowder versions (the statistics below are for the smokeless powder version, but both rounds are designed to produce equivalent ballistics). The .38-55 Ballard is a hard-hitting round capable of taking down medium and some large North American and European game, but as current smokeless powder factory lots are not recommended for use in antique rifles, lots of handloaders are also making the .38-55 Ballard. As with the .38-50 Ballard, molds must be made or chosen carefully, as the bullet is not what is normally considered a ".38" caliber rifle bullet.

Twilight 2000 Notes: In the Twilight 2000 timeline, factory-made case lots are rare and rather old; in addition, the cost of this round should be doubled for the Twilight 2000 timeline, and the GM should use box lots.

Other Names: .38-55 Winchester, .38-55 Perfection, .38-55 Everlasting, .38-55 Winchester & Ballard

Nominal Size: 9.65x54mm

Actual Size: 9.55x53.85mm

Case Type: Straight

Weight: 33.99 kg per case of 1000; Price: $620 per case

Magazines:

Notes: This round was designed specifically for the Winchester Model 1895 lever-action rifle. The cartridge was considered obsolete along with the rifle and discontinued in 1936. It was never really a popular cartridge. It was advertised by Winchester as being a very powerful .38 caliber cartridge; it was, in fact, only moderately powerful, and is ballistically only a mediocre round. Handloading is very difficult, and very few cartridges of this type exist today.

Nominal Size: 9.5x65mm

Actual Size: 9.6x65.53mm

Case Type: Straight

Weight: 4.74 kg per box of 100; Price: $152 per box

Magazines:

Notes: This round is based on the .404 Jeffrey case, shortened to crease a cartridge of .30-06 length, and a large rim. It is, of course, necked down to 7.62mm. The result is a relatively short magnum cartridge that duplicates the performance of some longer magnums.

Other Names: .300 Dakota Magnum

Nominal Size: 7.62x65mm

Actual Size: 7.82x64.77mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 3.89 kg per box of 100; Price: $124 per box

Magazines:

Notes: This round was introduced by Holland & Holland in 1925 as Holland’s Super 30, and it was quickly picked up by the US firm of Western Cartridge Co. It remained, however, a rare and exotic round until about 1935, when Ben Comfort won the Wimbledon Cup Match with a rifle chambered for the .300 H&H Magnum, and it then became an "overnight" sensation. British, American, and European rifles chambered for the cartridge proliferated, and it is still one of the standard chamberings for European rifles, though it is now a rather rare American chambering. The .300 H&H Magnum has a lot of power and is not generally used for game smaller than antelope. It has suffered in comparison to the .300 Winchester Magnum and .300 Weatherby Magnum, due to the heavier weight of the ammunition and similar striking power.

Other Names: .300 Holland & Holland Magnum, .300 H&H Super, Holland’s Super 30

Nominal Size: 7.8x72mm

Actual Size: 7.82x72.39mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 43.5 kg per case of 1000; Price: $700 per case

Magazines:

Notes: This round was introduced in 2001 as a competitor to Winchester’s .300 Short Magnum. It is the same basic idea, being a short, fat cartridge with much more propellant than is normal for a cartridge of its length. It is uses a bullet similar to that of the .308 Winchester (7.62mm NATO), and may be thought of as a "wildcat" 7.62mm NATO cartridge. Right now, not many rifles chamber it, but popularity is growing.

Twilight 2000 Notes: This round does not exist.

Other Names: .300 RSAUM, .300 Short Action UltraMag, .300 SAUM

Nominal Size: 7.62x51mm

Actual Size: 7.82x51.18mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 38.4 kg per case of 1000; Price: $490 per case

Magazines:

Notes: Once a very popular cartridge, the .300 Savage was introduced in 1920 for the Savage 99 lever-action rifle. The .300 Savage was meant to produce ballistics similar to that of the .30-06 Springfield, but in a medium-length cartridge. Savage and Remington chambered several rifles for the .300 Savage over the years, but it fell out of favor when the .308 Winchester (7.62mm NATO) cartridge was introduced. However, since so many rifles chambered for the .300 Savage cartridge still exist, ammunition is still being made.

Nominal Size: 7.62x48mm

Actual Size: 7.82x47.5mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 28.5 kg per case of 1000; Price: $460 per case

Magazines:

Notes: This round was introduced in 1999. It began a trend towards big, beltless magnum rounds. The .300 UltraMag retains more energy throughout its flight than either the .300 Weatherby Magnum or the .300 Winchester Magnum. The case is based on a necked-down .404 Jeffreys case, with a rebated rim. It has been known to achieve a 100% kill rate against game as big as moose.

Twilight 2000 Notes: This round does not exist.

Other Names: .300 UltraMag or UltraMagnum), .300 Ultra Magnum, .300 Remington Ultra Magnum

Nominal Size: 7.8x72mm

Actual Size: 7.82x72.26mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 43.4 kg per case of 1000; Price: $1380 per case

Magazines:

Notes: This round is Weatherby’s most popular cartridge. It was developed in 1944, and first sold commercially in 1948. The .300 Weatherby Magnum is one of the most popular chamberings for custom rifle makers, and other rifle manufacturers have offered the chambering on and off, but only Weatherby offers rifles chambered for the .300 Weatherby Magnum on a regular basis. Ammunition is a bit easier to find, being made by Weatherby, Norma, Remington, and PMC. The .300 Weatherby Magnum can be difficult to work with; it’s high-velocity round leads to a lot of barrel wear, it doesn’t function well in shorter barrels, and recoil can be stiff. It is, however, a powerful and effective cartridge.

Nominal Size: 7.8x72mm

Actual Size: 7.82x71.76mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 43.13 kg per case of 1000; Price: $690 per case

Magazines:

Notes: This round was first introduced in 1963 for the Winchester M-70 bolt-action rifle, and most American and European sporting rifle manufacturers have since chambered rifles for it. It is also slowly becoming a replacement round in some countries for the 7.62mm NATO round for sniping purposes. It is a round with excellent range and decent hitting power, though some studies suggest that it is not the best round for penetrating body armor.

Nominal Size: 7.62x66mm

Actual Size: 7.82x66.55mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 40 kg per case of 1000; Price: $640 per case

Magazines:

Notes: This round, introduced in 2000, was one of the first rounds to feature the short, fat case to allow magnum performance in a short-action rifle. It virtually duplicates the velocity of a .300 Winchester Magnum round while delivering somewhat better performance and utilizing some 10% less propellant. The cartridge draws upon decades of wildcat experiments, but is an original Winchester design. It should be noted that while the .300 Winchester Short Magnum will sometimes chamber in a rifle designed to fire .300 RSAUM ammunition, doing so will almost invariably lead to a chamber explosion, as the headspace is different.

Twilight 2000 Notes: This round does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Other Names: .300 WSM

Nominal Size: 7.62x53mm

Actual Size: 7.82x53.34mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 35.2 kg per case of 1000; Price: $510 per case

Magazines:

Necked: One of the longest-lived military cartridges in history, the .303 British round was adopted in 1888 and remained in British military service until replaces by the 7.72mm NATO round in 1957. Originally a blackpowder round, the .303 British successfully made the leap to smokeless powder. The .303 British is the round that gave rise to the term "Dum-Dum Bullet;" a British Army captain perfected an expanding for use against Indian tribesmen, primarily by cutting away the bullet jacket to expose the lead core. When this was declared illegal for war use, the bullet was changed so that it was literally too long for its weight, so it would tumble upon impact with flesh. The jacketed bullets still tend to break up on impact, causing further damage to an enemy or game. The .303 British round is still being made in the US and by Norma of Sweden.

Other Names: 7.7x56Rmm, .303 Lee-Enfield, 7mm Type 897, 7mm Arisaka

Nominal Size: 7.7x56mm

Actual Size: 7.9x56.13mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 34.38 kg per case of 1000; Price: $550 per case

Magazines:

Notes: The .303 Savage was originally designed for a military cartridge competition in 1895. It failed in that regard, but it was used as one of the chamberings for the Savage Model 1899 lever-action rifle, and was later chambered in the Savage 99 rifle. After World War 2, Savage decided to drop this round, and production has never resumed commercially. The .303 Savage is similar in appearance to the .30-30 Winchester, but they are not interchangeable, and the .303 Savage round is more powerful than the .30-30 Winchester. The .303 Savage is, however, ballistically quite inferior to the .30-30 Winchester due to its blunt nose; Savage never tried pointed bullets in the round, though many wildcatters have in the intervening years. The British call this round the .301 Savage.

Other Names: .301 Savage

Nominal Size: 7.62x51mm

Actual Size: 7.9x51.18mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 3.14 kg per box of 100; Price: $100 per box

Magazines:

Notes: This cartridge was developed in 1980, made for the Winchester M-94XTR rifle. The ".307" measurement is somewhat of a misnomer; the .307 Winchester round is actually a rimmed version of the .308 Winchester (7.62mm NATO in the Twilight 2000 game) with a slight difference in cartridge length. The rimmed cartridge works better than the 7.62mm NATO round in a lever-action rifle. It is actually possible to chamber and fire 7.62mm NATO cartridges in some rifles designed for the .307 Winchester round; however, this is considered a dangerous and unsafe practice.

Nominal Size: 7.6x51mm

Actual Size: 7.82x51.31mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 30.75 kg per case of 1000; Price: $490 per case

Magazines:

Notes: Essentially meant to be a ballistic match for the 7.62mm NATO/.308 Winchester round but with a little hotter performance, the .308 Marlin Express is also meant to be a round which will feed reliably in virtually all lever-action rifles (most lever-actions have to be specially-designed to be able to fire something like the 7.62mm NATO and most other pointed bullets). Marlin teamed up with Hornady on this one; Hornady designed what was essentially a semi-rimmed version of the 7.62mm NATO/.308 Winchester round, with Hornady’s patented spire-pointed flex-tip LEVERevolution tip. (This is a pointed round, but has a semi-flexible synthetic "ballistic cap," eliminating the danger of one round setting off another inside a tubular magazine.) The .308 Marlin Express round actually is factory-loaded with 2 grains less propellant than a standard civilian .308 Winchester round, but the design of the round is such that the ballistics are virtually identical, and it actually slightly out-ranges and hits harder than the 7.72mm NATO/.308 Winchester. The .308 Marlin Express and the rifles which fire it are only now (as of mid-February 2007) becoming available, and the only company that makes the round is Hornady.

Twilight 2000 Notes: the .308 Marlin Express round in not available in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Nominal Size: 7.8x50mm

Actual Size: 7.82x48.39mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 25.52 kg per case of 1000; Price: $460 per case

Magazines:

Notes: The .308 Norma Magnum was introduced in Sweden in 1960; it was basically a commercial version of a wildcat round, and at the time no commercially-manufactured rifles were chambered for it. Manufactured rifles came later, but today, the .308 Norma Magnum is largely a round for custom rifles (though a few commercial rifles are chambered for it). It is ballistically almost identical to the .30-338 wildcat round (a necked-down .338 Winchester Magnum). The .308 Norma Magnum is adequate for most North American and European game and does well against most African game as well.

Nominal Size: 7.62x65mm

Actual Size: 7.82x65mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 39 kg per case of 1000; Price: $620 per case

Magazines:

Notes: Introduced in 2005, the .325 Short Magnum round was designed to bridge the gap between the .300 Winchester Short Magnum round and heavier magnum rounds, as well as to provide a larger-caliber short magnum round capable of downing the largest North American game. Damage and penetration are similar to the .338 Winchester Magnum, while range potential is greater, and a shorter case and action can be used. This allows for an overall more compact and lighter rifle with excellent stopping power. Trajectory tends to be quite flat, even at medium-long ranges. The .325 Winchester Short Magnum is capable of downing even some of the smaller African animals and most game and predators found in Europe, to say nothing of a human being.

Twilight 2000 Notes: The .325 Winchester Short Magnum round does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Other Names: .325 WSM

Nominal Size: 8.25x53mm

Actual Size: 8.2x53.34mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 38.8 kg per case of 1000; Price: $665 per case

Magazines:

Notes: This is basically a necked-down and shortened .404 Jeffrey case, to accept a .338 bullet. It is, however, more effective than the .338 Winchester Magnum, and most rifles that are chambered for the .338 Winchester Magnum can be converted to fire .330 Dakota.

Other Names: .330 Dakota Magnum

Nominal Size: 8.38x65mm

Actual Size: 8.61x65.28mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 4.75 kg per box of 100; Price: $76 per box

Magazines:

Notes: This design was created in 1978 by necking down a .378 Weatherby Magnum to take a .338 caliber bullet. The idea was to produce a medium game cartridge with a flat trajectory at most ranges. Most rifles with 3.65-inch bolt actions can be easily modified to accept this cartridge. The ballistics are good, but the .338 A-Square does have some difficulty at feeding from all but specially-modified magazines. The round is normally manufactured only by A-Square, and only in small numbers.

Nominal Size: 8.6x72mm

Actual Size: 8.58x72.39mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 5.24 kg per box of 100; Price: $168 per box

Magazines:

Notes: This round has its genesis in a long-time wildcat round developed in 1945 called the .333 OKH, which was a .30-06 Springfield case necked up and elongated to accept a .333-caliber bullet. Though a very good cartridge, the .333 OKH suffered from the relative scarcity of decent .333 bullets. When Winchester introduced their .338 Magnum cartridge, several individuals individually got the idea of further necking up the base .30-06 case to accept the bullet of the .338 Winchester Magnum. Thus, the .338-06 A-Square cartridge is essentially a wildcat that went mainstream, becoming a factory-made round in 1998. The difference between the performance of the original .333 OKH round and the .338-06 A-Square is close to indistinguishable, both being powerful, hard-hitting rounds.

Twilight 2000 Notes: The .338-06 A-Square round does not exist as a factory loading in the Twilight 2000 timeline, though it is a fairly common wildcat round. (In the Twilight 2000 timeline, the .338-06 is sold only in small amounts for at least double the prices below.)

Nominal Size: 8.58x63mm

Actual Size: 8.58x63.35mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 40.26 kg per case of 1000; Price: $1460 per case

Magazines:

Notes: Though perfected by Lapua of Finland, the development of this round actually began in 1983 with experiments by the Research Armament Company in the US to develop a new, long-range sniping round. The round is essentially a necked-down .416 Rigby case to accept a .338 bullet, and hot-loaded to produce high velocities. The round is very effective in penetrating both body armor and light vehicle armor, and has a satisfying range, and more military and police agencies are picking up rifles chambered for the .338 Lapua Magnum than ever before.

Other Names: 8.58x71mm Finnish

Nominal Size: 8.58x71mm

Actual Size: 8.61x69.2mm

Case Type: Necked

Weight: 50.38 kg per case of 1000; Price: $810 per case

Magazines: