Common knowledge isn’t so common after all…

engineer40

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May 5, 2015
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Location
Rockford, MI
I'll preface this by saying that every time I spend time on this forum I learn something from someone smarter than myself in regards to firearms.



Besides family, I shoot primarily with same 5 friends most of the time. Age ranges from 30ish to 55ish. All have been shooting for quite a long time.

I was talking with one of them a couple weeks ago and it became apparent to me that he didn't understand some basic 101 level stuff about ammunition. Eventually I said something along the lines of "You know that a 7.62 bullet is a .30 caliber bullet correct?" He responded with a blank stare for about a half a second. Then continued to talk the same silliness he was saying before.

I didn't want to offend the guy… But I stopped him again and said "Do you know that the same .30 caliber bullets, the actual projectiles, can be shot from many different rifles of different cartridges; like the 30-30, 308, 30-06, 300 Win Mag, and many more?"

(Disclaimer: I understand that not every .30 caliber bullet can be loaded and shot in every .30 caliber rifle; especially with the real heavy 200gr+ bullets. I'm talking in generalities, mostly 150gr to 180gr stuff.)

At this point he realized I was trying to explain something to him that he clearly did not understand. This lead to 10 minutes of very frustrating discussion. It felt like the "Who's on First" thing from the Three Stooges. I tried explaining it in every way that I could think of. I couldn't understand, what he wasn't understanding about it. Maybe because he spent so many years believing something else was true, his mind just wouldn't let him believe what I was telling him.

I think it finally clicked with him when I explained "When I was a kid my dad and I would melt down lead. We would take that liquid melted lead and pour it into a mold. When we would open that mold up a couple identical bullets would fall out. Sometimes we would load those bullets into 30-30 brass and shoot it from my 30-30 rifle. Or sometimes we would load those bullets into 308 brass and shoot it from my dad's 308 rifle.

I saw the light go off in his head. It was like…. It was like… Remember when you were around 10 years old and you looked at your first nudie magazine and you realized "Oh, it's actually located below the hair! I never knew!!!" Yeah, that was the level of epiphany this guy had.

Over the next week or so I discussed the same topic with the guys I shoot with often. None of them knew that multiple rifle cartridges can shoot the same bullets. This sincerely blew my mind. I came to realize that sometimes what we consider common knowledge, isn't so common after all.

I texted my dad last night and thanked him again for all the time he spent teaching me this stuff while I was growing up. And it was a good reminder to teach my 2 boys the same.
 
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... I saw the light go off in his head. It was like…. It was like… Remember when you were around 10 years old and you looked at your first nudie magazine and you realized "Oh, it's actually located below the hair! I never knew!!!" Yeah, that was the level of epiphany this guy had.

As an instructor, I'd say that the image evoked by your description of the moment of enlightenment is certainly profound.
You must be a very good friend. I don't know very many people who would take that much time and have the patients to advance the "common knowledge" of a fellow shooter.
I sometimes use an empty bullet box (Bergers are small and easily displayed) that is marked 7mm/.284 to make the point.
Good job of teaching there, Engineer40
 
If your friends don't reload, I can almost see how they come up with an idea like that. Chances are that they could not see much economy in reloading, thinking they'd have to buy different bullets for same diameter calibers.

I suppose I probably have a few ideas running around in my head that have been there so long that I've deemed them to be facts. Mass misconceptions are interesting. Thanks for sharing.
 
First, Let me say that I have been shooting for over 60 years and I learn something new on this site almost every day. The knowledge base is incredible.

Over these many years I have been amazed at the things people do and say. And now with the internet it is even worse (It must be true if it is on the internet, right?).

There is nothing wrong with not knowing something, but one can always learn something if they listen. Some web sites and their members spend most of time criticizing others questions and this
stops people from asking good questions (There are no dumb questions just ones that need to be answered).

For the most part, people on this site will express there opinion without fear of reprisal or being made to look stupid. there will always be differences of opinions because there are very few things
that only have one way to be done.

just a commit

J E CUSTOM
 
morning, I have had the same deer in the headlight look from alot of my hunting friends.. the majority of people do not understand the caliber issue. I have found the easy way to explain is in .0000. diameter. 22 ,2436mm, 25 257, 7mm284 and so on.
I had to draw pictures of bullets and designs to explain the to shooters the science of bullet diameters.
Reloading is great. the adventure is never endinglightbulb

just country
 
morning, I have had the same deer in the headlight look from alot of my hunting friends.. the majority of people do not understand the caliber issue. I have found the easy way to explain is in .0000. diameter. 22 ,2436mm, 25 257, 7mm284 and so on.
I had to draw pictures of bullets and designs to explain the to shooters the science of bullet diameters.
Reloading is great. the adventure is never endinglightbulb

just country

A fella I work with frequently talks shooting with me and he had shown me some groups he had shot. Pretty good groups for a factory rifle and factory ammo. I told him he could get better results by reloading. He simply looked at me and said "would I be able to make *power 3's for my ultra mag?" He got the same blank look from me. Be continued to say that his dad uses "power 2's" and he likes the power 3's better. I was almost more confused than he was. Apparently winchester rates their ammo in terms of power (p1, p2, p3, etc.). I told him reloading could get the most potential velocity from loading his own and probably bypass any factory load. He just replied with..."my RUM holds alot of powder. Id hate to have to count each GRAIN out one at a time. Ill stick to factory."
 
All of my friends were blown away when they saw my Chargemaster 1500 for the first time. I calibrated it, and then started punching numbers, and it started spitting powder and measuring it all by itself. They were just in shock. Half of them said, "Oh man, you made this sound complicated, this is simple..." Then I had to explain to them the complicated stuff (bullet ogive designs, measuring in thousandths, concentricity, measuring distance to the lands per rifle chamber, etc...), and they had that deer in the headlights look. Most were like, "Screw that, I'll just pay you to do all that for me, and then just tell me what the stuff costs to make me 50-100 rounds at a time." Works for me! Bring me $XX.XX for parts, and a case of beer for labor. :D
 
I do hate counting out all those grains. Why do they make them so darn small. :rolleyes: And you are correct. I've had several people get that same blank stare when I tell them I can use the same bullet in my 308, 30-06, and 300's. Kind of scary.

Oh, you and I are both showing our age. There ain't no more hair. :D
 
evening, I got lots of gray hair. I love my RCBS 1500. I use the old system for 25yrs. waited for reloading to catch up the rest of the electronics world.

I am having a custom 340 bee made. 721 rem LA action, open bolt face, sako extractor, shilen custom match SS barrel, #8 contour, finished 30" complete action job, barrel machining, HS precision A4 stock, rigid base plate, custom muzzle brake. I am 65+ hope to enjoy another 20yrs.

Mid life yea love it.

just country. shoot, shoot, shootgun)
 
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many sunrises ago i was told, you are never to old to learn. my Grandfather was right you never are
 
... For the most part, people on this site will express there opinion without fear of reprisal or being made to look stupid. there will always be differences of opinions because there are very few things that only have one way to be done.

J E CUSTOM

This is also one of the rare sites where a responder has misunderstood a question or responds to a question incorrectly he will usually admit to his error and credit the one who "got it right" when another member makes him aware of the error.
That attitude is very uncommon, in my experience.
lightbulb Perhaps we could encourage that with a "Sorry 'bout that" emoticon.
 
Had the similar thing happen with my friends who actually are intelligent about guns. Had to actually show them the same bullet can be shot out of a 308, 30.06, 300 mag. It all makes sense when you reload or look at specs.
 
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