OK. Let's start. The .38 American handgun calibers are mostly .356-.358 except for the .38 S&W, which, as noted in another thread, is .360-.361. The bore diameter of Civil War era .36s was .356-.358. About .36. Sounds reasonable. Of course, expecting any of the .38s to be ~.38 would be unreasonable. The .357 magnum is .356-.358, so it breaks with crazy tradition.
Now. The .44/40 cartridge held a .44 (actually, .427) caliber bullet & the cartridge traditionally held 40gr of black powder. However, the .30/30 was a .30 (well, ~.308-.311) caliber round developed after the advent of smokeless powder & was never commercially loaded with black powder as far as I know. So, given all that, what was the caliber of the bullet in the .38/40 cartridge? If you guessed .40 (well, ~.41), you're right. A little disturbed, but right. Why on earth didn't Winchester call it the .40/40? You got me.
Now, go wild. :P
Prof
Now. The .44/40 cartridge held a .44 (actually, .427) caliber bullet & the cartridge traditionally held 40gr of black powder. However, the .30/30 was a .30 (well, ~.308-.311) caliber round developed after the advent of smokeless powder & was never commercially loaded with black powder as far as I know. So, given all that, what was the caliber of the bullet in the .38/40 cartridge? If you guessed .40 (well, ~.41), you're right. A little disturbed, but right. Why on earth didn't Winchester call it the .40/40? You got me.
Now, go wild. :P
Prof
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