Hi folks. I recently purchased a rifle and have a quick question regarding the grain of a bullet. What does grain mean? Is it the weight of the lead bullet/slug, the weight of the entire cartridge, or is it the weight of the powder that is loaded?

Also, is it ok/safe to carry loose ammo in a pocket of the same caliber? I'm shooting .22lr, all the same type and caliber of ammo. Thanks for the help!

Echo, Grain in this case pertains to the bullet(lead) itself, not entire cartridge. I don't carry loose cartridges, only shotgun shells. JP

 

Would be bullet weight, with 7000gr. in a pound.

Even with modern dry-lube on .22RF's, would still not carry them loose in a pocket. Not only can it pick up dirt and drit, but the cloth can rub off the dry lube over time.

 

Don't know what caliber your rifle is in, but often a certian cartridge will have one specific weight bullet that seems to be the favorite for that cartridge.

For instance the 308 Winchester cartridge probably shoots more 150 grain bullets than any other weight bullet even though cartridges with bullet weights from 110 grains thru 180 grains are available.

Many times the bullet weight for any given cartridge determines what is hunted with that specific weight bullet.

An example of this for the above mentioned 308 would be:

the 110 grain bullet for varmits. Usually the lightest weight bullets in any given caliber are designed for rapid expansion when shooting non edible critters.

The 150 grain bullet for deer and black bear. Usually this bullet is used for medium weight critters ment to be eaten and have some kind of controlled expansion so as to work a both long and short ranges.

The 180 grain bullet for elk and moose. This bullet is used for larger critters and delivers a little more energy to the target and also is usually designed with less expansion to open up slower and therefore give more penitration than some of the lighter weight bullets.

Lighter bullets in any given caliber usually give higher velocities making longer shots have less drop and easier to hit at longer ranges.

One suggestion I would give is to get a Speer or Hornedy or any good reloading manual and use it for study purposes. They will usually give you a history of each cartridge and show the different bullets available and give you some idea of the velocity that these bullets can obtain. Plus there just fun to read.

 

Hi folks. I recently purchased a rifle and have a quick question regarding the grain of a bullet. What does grain mean? Is it the weight of the lead bullet/slug, the weight of the entire cartridge, or is it the weight of the powder that is loaded?

Also, is it ok/safe to carry loose ammo in a pocket of the same caliber? I'm shooting .22lr, all the same type and caliber of ammo. Thanks for the help!

The problem with carrying loose .22 ammo in your pocket it that the wax on the bullet will collect dirt ot lint from inside your pocket and you will be shooting that dirt down your barrel. Same thing if I happen to drop a .22 in the dirt, I will throw it away. If it falls in the grass and I don't see any dirt on it I will use it. Anyway, thats why I don't carry them in my pocket. Maybe try a 35mm film canister. If you lay'em in there just right, you can carry quite a few that way.

 

Maybe try a 35mm film canister. If you lay'em in there just right, you can carry quite a few that way.

Good deal GiZ, I never thought of that, really! JP

 

Good deal GiZ, I never thought of that, really! JP

I normally carry two or three extra mags with me so I never carry extra shells. That thought just came to me as I was writing.

 

Wow, thanks for all of the help! You guys really answered my questions. And that was a great idea with the .22s in a film case. Thanks again!

 

BlackEcho

Each 22- rifle or handgun, seems to be a law unto itself, as to what ammo it wants to shoot well. Some will shoot cheap ammo, some expensive. Some will shoot heavy bullets, some will shoot light. Some will shoot hollow points, some will shoot solids. Buy a dozen different boxes of ammo. You may want to clean the barrel between boxes, or just fire about 10 fowling shots to season the barrel to the new load. Then, fire a few groups for accuracy, and record the group size. Once you know what shoots well, go out and buy a few bricks of it, all in the same manufacturing run.

Darrel