How is cailber of a bulit determined, ex whats the differance between a .380 and a .38 bullet?

Question

I've always wondered this, I've shot a .380 pistol, and I'm considering to buy a .375 rifle I'm wondering whats gunna pack a bigger punch.

Answer 1

The caliber is determined by the diameter of the bullet

Expressed in inches in America and in millimeters everywhere else

What the round is called is the product of marketing

Answer 2

caliber means hundred of an inch ( i think ) so a .380 pistol has a bullet thirty-eight hundredth of an inch

Answer 3

(Q1. how is cailber of a bulit determined, ex whats the differance between a .380 and a .38 bullet?

Caliber is simply the diameter of the bullet, expressed in hundredths of an inch, thousands of an inch, or in mm. For example, a .22 LR is nominally .22 hundredths of an inch in diameter. A .303 English is nominally .303 thousandths of an inch in diameter. A 9mm is 9 millimeters in diameter. In your example, both bullets are nominally .38 hundredths of an inch. The reason I included the nominally in the explanation is that the actual diameter can vary a bit depending on where and how the measurement is taken. For example a .38 Special is actually .357 thousandths of an inch, a .22 LR is actually around .223  thousands of an inch in diameter and a .44-40 is actually .427 thousandths of an inch in diameter.

(Q2. 've shot a .380 pistol, and I'm considering to buy a .375 rifle I'm wondering whats gunna pack a bigger punch.

The .375 rifle will pack far more punch and far more recoil than a .380 pistol. A .380 pistol is normally close to bottom police recommend for use against humans. A .375 H&H magnum (for example) can be used against Cape Buffalo, Lions, Tigers, Grizzly/Kodiak Bear... All those animals are far tougher than a human.

Answer 4

Caliber is diameter measured in inches. Metric bullets are just stated by a number and "MM" for millimeters. (9MM is not a caliber it is a .355" or 355 caliber round)

The 380 ACP is .355 inch, just like the 9MM and often called the 9mm Kurtz (short)

The 38 Scecial is .357" the same as a .357 magnum.

You mentioned you want a 375. A 375 what? 375 Winchester? 375 Holland & Holland Magnum? 375-06?

Answer 5

You are really asking two questions so:

Q #1:  how is caliber of a built determined, ex whats the difference between a .380 and a .38 bullet?

A #1:  Caliber is determined a number of ways and not always consistently in the same way:  Some calibers defined the actual diameter of the bullet expressed in hundredths of an inch or in millimeters. Other calibers actually express the bore's inside diameter, so you see it really can be very confusing.  A 10mm and a .40 S&W are exactly the same diameter but the 10mm is longer and much more powerful.  Did you know that the old .38-40 cowboy load is also a .40 caliber?  The .44 Magnum is actually more like a .429 caliber rather than a true .44 and the .45 (Long) Colt is closer to .454 or .455 which is why you can fire a 'weaker' .45 (Long) Colt out of a .454 Casull.  So you see, its all very confusing.

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Q #2:  I've always wondered this, I've shot a .380 pistol, and I'm considering to buy a .375 rifle I'm wondering whats gunna pack a bigger punch.

A #2:  If by .380 pistol you mean the .380 acp or .380 Auto (same thing as is the: 9mm Kurz; 9mm Corto and the 9x17mm) you are asking about a miniscule, medium-bore defensive pistol caliber.  The .375 on the other hand is a dangerous-game caliber:  The African standard dangerous-game rifle is the old .375 Holland & Holland Magnum.  Recently Ruger introduced a new dangerous game caliber which ballistically appears to be superior:  The .375 Ruger Magnum.  So you are comparing apples and oranges.  Just set the two cartridges side-by-side:  The .380 Auto cartridge is puny; the either .375 cartridge is massive compared to the little .380.  

What's gonna have more punch?  At which end?  The .375 will have more punch at the receiving end every time.  Which has more recoil?  Well, let me put it this way:  A sweet, little old grandmother could fire a .380 Auto.  The .375 H & H Mag. produces more than 36.0 lbs. of felt recoil to the shooter's shoulder.

Hope that helped.

H

Answer 6

a .380 is .355 of an inch and a .38 is .357 of an inch usually. A .375 H&H is a great caliber and packs a pretty good punch.

Answer 7

Usually, the caliber is determined by the width of the cartridge.  A .38 special round, however, is as wide as a .357 round.  That's why you can shoot .38 sp in a .357 magnum revolver.

A rifle round will be more powerful than a handgun round, assuming the calibers are equal.

A .380 is a semi-auto pistol round.  A .375 rifle is more powerful.