The magazines presented here are based on light alloy magazines.  For steel magazines, increase weight by 2%; for plastic or synthetic magazines; decrease weight by 8 percent.

4mm Ubüngsmunition

     Notes: This very small-caliber round is a type of round known as a “gallery cartridge” – designed to be used at indoor, short-range target ranges designed for casual use instead of being a “real” rifle round.  The small case has no actual propellant, so to speak; instead, it uses an overly-large primer (for the size of the round) to fire the small, lightweight bullet.  It does little actual damage and virtually no penetration, and it deliberately designed to have neither.  This sort of “gallery shooting” went largely out of style before World War 1, and therefore few rifles today are chambered for it.  No major company produces large lots of 4mm Ubüngsmunition, as there is little market for it; most such rounds are handloaded, though some small lots are produced by minor companies in Europe.  For the most part, however, it is in disuse, and if you shoot someone with it, you’ll probably just piss them off.

     Other Names: 4mm M-20

     Nominal Size: 4x10mm

     Actual Size: 4.04x10.07mm

     Case Type: Straight

     Weight: 0.11 kg per box of 100; Price: $4 per box

Magazines:

5.45mm Kalashnikov

     Notes: This cartridge was the subject of a great deal of controversy when first encountered during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.  The bullet is designed to be unstable in flesh; underneath its highly-pointed jacket, there is a steel core with a short lead filler and an air space in the nose.  The bullet is long and thin, and aerodynamically efficient, giving good range.  A subsonic version of this round exists; triple the costs for this round.

     Other Names: 5.45mm Soviet, .21 Genghis (though not in the Twilight 2000 timeline)

     Nominal Size: 5.45x39mm (some sources say 5.45x39.5mm)

     Actual Size: 5.61x39.65mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight:  12.25 kg per case of 1000; Price: $200 per case

Magazines:

5.56mm IOFB

     Notes: Designed specifically for India’s Zittara High-Power SMG (itself derived from the Israeli Tavor MTAR-21 short assault rifle), the 5.56mm IOFB is a close to a direct copy of Colt’s 5.56mm MARS round – a shortened 5.56mm NATO round with a heavier bullet.  The IOFB 5.56mm round as well as the carbine that fires it are rare in Indian service (used primarily by special operations units), and unknown elsewhere.  IOFB in India produces the rounds themselves.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The 5.56mm IOFB round is not available in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

     Other Names: 5.56mm MINSAS, 5.56mm INSAS

     Nominal Size: 5.56x30mm

     Actual Size: 5.69x30mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 0.84 kg per box of 100; Price: $30 per box

Magazines:

5.56mm NATO

     Notes: This cartridge first appeared in 1957 for use in the then-experimental AR-15.  The round was meant to be approximately the same size and performance as the .222 Remington, but have a higher velocity, especially at long range.  When the M-16 was forced upon us forces by Robert McNamara, the US then decided to introduce the cartridge to NATO and strongly urge its adoption as standard assault rifle cartridge for the alliance.  There were teething problems with the cartridge, mainly because the US Department of Defense, in an attempted cost-saving gesture, used a cheaper propellant than was specified by Remington.  This helped lead to extensive fouling problems with the then-new M-16.  This was quickly rectified.  The original military cartridge, the M-193, was replaced by the SS-109 round which uses a fast-twist barrel and a heavier bullet with more propellant.

     A subsonic version of this round exists; triple costs for this version. The Mk 262 heavy-bullet, higher-charge version costs twice as much as the standard rounds; the round causes the same damage as the standard bullet for game purposes, but penetration is increased by one level (penetration becomes 1-1-Nil).

     Other Names: .223 Remington

     Nominal Size: 5.56x45mm

     Actual Size: 5.69x44.7mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight:  14.25 kg per case of 1000; Price:  $230 per case

Magazines:

5.6mm Kalashnikov

     Notes: Developed by the Soviets around 1964 for use as a varmint and competition round, the 5.6mm Kalashnikov round is basically a 7.62mm Kalashnikov case necked down to take a variant of the .22 Long Rifle bullet (one that is somewhat longer and has a Spitzer point).  This essentially makes the round a small-caliber short magnum round.  (The 5.6mm Kalashnikov round also became the parent rounds for the .22 PPC and 6mm PPC cartridges, many years later.)  The first 5.6mm Kalashnikov rounds were not actually made in the Soviet Union, however – they were introduced through Finland, where Sako began producing them for rifles they had bought from the Soviets. Original Soviet-made cartridges had the same steel cases and Berdan primers as the 7.62mm Kalashnikov rounds, but Finnish-made rounds and recent Russian versions use lacquered brass cases and non-corrosive primers.  The 5.6mm Kalashnikov round is quite flat-shooting at short and medium ranges, and has surprising range and knockdown power for its size and weight (comparable to the 5.56mm NATO round).  Currently, the round is quickly picking up popularity in Europe, and in North America to some extent.  There are several Russian manufacturers that make factory loads, and Sako and Lapua of Finland also make them.  In addition, there are large amounts of older 5.6mm Kalashnikov rounds still available.

     Other Names: 5.6x39mm, .220 Russian, .220 Sako, 5.6x39mm Lapua, Lapua 5.6mm Russian, 5.6mm Short

     Nominal Size: 5.6x39mm

     Actual Size: 5.66x38.65mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight:  10.67 kg per case of 1000; Price: $190 per case

Magazines:

5.6x50mm Magnum

     Notes: This is a European small-caliber magnum round developed in Germany in 1968.  It is basically a rimmed version of the .222 Remington Magnum with a longer case, and has more power than that round.  It is designed primarily for single-shot or double rifles, though Krico does make some bolt-action rifles that chamber it.  The round was designed for deer hunting, but most Americans would consider it a varmint cartridge.  The 5.6x50mm Magnum is rare outside of Europe. 

     Other Names: 5.6x50Rmm Magnum

     Nominal Size: 5.6x50mm

     Actual Size: 5.69x50.04mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 15.88 kg per case of 1000; Price: $250 per case

Magazines:

5.6mm RWS

     Notes: This round was developed by RWS of Germany in 1964 for deer hunting.  It was designed to satisfy the minimum legal requirements (in Germany) for remaining energy at 200 meters when hunting deer, but otherwise be a lightweight cartridge.  It is in the same class as the .220 Swift round, and would be classed as a varmint round in the US.  This round is reasonably popular in Europe, but almost unknown in North America or South America.

     Other Names: 5.6x57mm RWS, 5.6x57Rmm RWS

     Nominal Size: 5.6x57mm

     Actual Size: 5.69x56.9mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 18.13 kg per case of 1000; Price: $290 per case

Magazines:

5.6mm Vom Hofe

     Notes: This round was introduced in 1937 by E.A. Vom Hofe for his line of Mauser-based rifles.  Some of these rifles were exported to the US between World War 1 and 2, and Stoeger Arms made rifle in this chambering starting in 1962.  The round is no longer made in Europe, but the cases and bullets are manufactured in the US by Old Western Scrounger and Huntington’s Sporting Supply, and the bullets are also made by Hornady.  Complete cartridges are not being manufactured right now.  It is considered a long-range varmint round in North America, but a medium-game round in Europe.  

     Other Names: 5.6mm Vom Hofe Super Express

     Nominal Size: 5.6x61mm

     Actual Size: 5.77x60.71mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 1.99 kg per box of 100; Price: $64 per box

Magazines:

5.7mm MMJ

     Notes: The 5.7mm MMJ round was developed in the early 1960s and introduced in 1963 specifically for one of the Johnson Guns version of M-1 Carbine.  The idea was to develop a round which was lighter than the .30 Carbine round, for use in a version of the M-1 Carbine meant to be a survival rifle or hikers’ carry rifle. The 5.7mm MMJ is basically a .30 Carbine round necked down to .22 caliber.  The 5.7mm MMJ round has a high velocity and with its pointed bullet, gives performance all out of proportion to its size and weight.  It is capable of taking down animals the size of deer with proper shot placement, but against larger animals inflicts damage only sufficient to scare them away (to possibly bleed out later).  The 5.7mm MMJ, however, did not prove to be popular at the time of its introduction, and most weapons chambered for it since then have been custom builds.  However, every so often, a manufacturer (most recently, Fulton Armory with a re-make of the Johnson PM-30 Spitfire) makes a rifle chambered for the 5.7mm MMJ round, to the cartridges for it remain in the supply chain.

     Other Names: .22 Spitfire, 5.7mm Johnson, 5.7mm Spitfire

     Nominal Size: 5.7x33mm

     Actual Size: 5.69x32.77mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 10.38 kg per case of 1000; Price: $170 per case

Magazines:

5.7mm VEC

     Notes: In 1991, the Austrian sporting-rifle manufacturer Voere, already known for quality hunting and target rifles, took a big chance – designing a rifle that uses caseless ammunition for sale to the general market. In addition, the VEC ammunition is not fired using a conventional primer and firing pin; instead, it is electrically ignited, using a pair of 15-volt batteries. Though the rifle and its ammunition are still for sale, this bold venture has consistently lost money for Voere, though Voere has doggedly kept the rifle and ammunition in low-rate production; it is doubtful that Voere’s investment will ever pay off.  The resulting ammunition is very lightweight, but appeals primarily to the progressive and “gee-whiz” crowds.  The 5.7mm VEC rounds and its 6mm cousin remain rather rare rounds.

     Nominal Size: 5.7x26mm

     Actual Size: N/A

     Case Type: Necked Caseless (Electronic Ignition)

     Weight: 0.58 kg per box of 100; Price: $84 per box

Magazines:

5.8mm Chinese

     Notes: Though they came late to the game, in the early 1970s, the Chinese realized that small high-velocity projectiles were advantageous in many respects – they were lighter and more ammunition could be carried, and a rifle designed for them could be made much smaller.  Given the right bullet and powder loadings, they could even prove superior in penetration.  Typical Chinese bureaucracy and resistance to change took over, however, and it was not until the early 1990s that the 5.8mm Chinese round would first appear, along with a modified Type 81 to fire it for testing purposes.

     Since then, a number of small arms have been developed for the new cartridge, and it looks as if China will almost totally replace assault rifles and automatic rifles with ones firing this new round, along with certain sniper rifles and machineguns.  The 5.8mm Chinese is for the most part an ordinary type of small-caliber round, with a brass case and a lead bullet which is coated first with steel, then with a copper outer coating.  Towards the front of the bullet is also a steel core, with a tip cavity and a rear section of lead to increase damaging potential.

     There is a further special type of the 5.8mm round, designed specifically for the Type QJY-88 GPMG and the Type QBZ-95 Sniper Rifle variant.  This is a round using a heavier bullet with a more substantial steel core and a heavier propellant loading.  This version is available at twice the standard cost.  Damage is the same as the standard bullet in game terms, but penetration is increased by one level.

     Other Names: 5.8x42mm, DBP-87

     Nominal Size: 5.8x42mm

     Actual Size: N/A

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 12.21 kg per case of 1000; Price: $220 per case

Magazines:

6mm Freres

     Notes: This is a very recent German development.  It appears to be a necked-down 9.3x62mm cartridge, all the way down to 6mm.  It is the first new 6mm civilian round to appear in Europe in a long time, and is almost unknown in the US.  It is a magnum round able to deliver a decent blow at long range, outperforming the .243 Winchester or even the 6mm Remington.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This round does not exist.

     Other Names: 6mm Freres Magnum, 6x62mmR Freres

     Nominal Size: 6x62mm

     Actual Size: 6.17x61.47mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 23 kg per case of 1000; Price: $370 per case

Magazines:

6mm Lee Navy

     Notes: This round was first introduced for use in the Winchester 1895 Lee Straight Pull bolt-action rifle used by the US Navy in the late 19^th century and early 20^th century.  It was also used in the Colt-Browning M-1895 machinegun, also used by the US Navy (in this caliber).  No 6mm Lee Navy ammunition has been factory-loaded since 1935; this is not so much a fault of the round as it is the propellant, which was not suited for such an advanced-design round. 

     Other Names: .236 Navy

     Nominal Size: 6x60mm

     Actual Size: 6.2x59.69mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 2.25 kg per box of 100, 5.63 kg per case of 250, belted; Price: $72 per box, $180 per 250-round belt

Magazines:

6x47mm Lapua

     Notes: Essentially a 6.5x47mm Lapua round necked down to 6mm, this round takes advantage of the hardness of Lapua cases in general and the 6.5x47mm case in particular.  The strong case allows the 6x47mm Lapua to take a high-pressure loading – in a way, it’s a hotloaded round.  The 6x47mm Lapua, though not as well known as some of the comparable cartridges (6mm Norma Benchrest, 6mm Dasher, or even some 6.5mm loads), has performance that out-does many similar-sized rounds.  Though cases have been available for a few years, complete rounds are only slowly becoming available in reasonable-sized lots.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The 6x47mm Lapua is not available in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

     Other Names: 6x47mm, 6mm Lapua BR, 6mm Lapua Magnum

     Nominal Size: 6x47mm

     Actual Size: 6.17x45.97mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 1.51 kg per box of 100; Price: $55 per box

Magazines:

6mm Mauser

     Notes:  Despite having the same measurements, and being almost identical to the 6mm Remington, the two rounds are not interchangeable due to differences in the shoulder angle.  The 6mm Mauser is basically a 7mm Mauser round necked down to take a 6.2mm bullet.  The 6mm Remington is a fine hunting cartridge, provided you do not hunt anything heavier than medium game.  As a military cartridge, it is unspectacular, but adequate, unless the opponent is wearing body armor.

     Other Names: 6.2x57mm RWS

     Nominal Size: 6x57mm

     Actual Size: 6.17x56.64mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 21.13 per case of 1000; Price: $340 per case

Magazines:

6mm Norma Benchrest

     Notes: This round is designed for bench rest shooting, where the rifle is locked into an ultra-stable mount and shot to achieve as much range and accuracy as possible.  However, Norma quickly realized the long-range potential for the cartridge and some companies decided to chamber some rifle for it.  It has basically failed as a bench rest round, but it is more popular as a long range game round, and the round retains a great amount of speed even after 1000 meters.

     Other Names: 6mm Norma BR

     Nominal Size: 6x39mm

     Actual Size: 6.4x39.3mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 1.58 kg per box of 100; Price: $50 per box

Magazines:

6mm PPC

     Notes: The 6mm PPC round is basically a larger version of the .22 PPC.  The case is virtually the same, with the case necked out to 6mm and shortened somewhat.  Like the .22 PPC, it is based on the .220 Russian cartridge, which is a necked-down 7.62mm Kalashnikov round.  The 6mm PPC round is known for its uniform acceleration and velocity, which contributes to accuracy.  It is currently not a common cartridge, but interest is picking up.

     Nominal Size: 6x38mm

     Actual Size: 6.17x38.1mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 1.43 kg per box of 100; Price: $46 per box

Magazines:

6mm Remington

     Notes: The 6mm Remington is a cartridge that was originally introduced as the .244 Remington in 1955.  The .244 Remington used bullets of 55-90 grains and was designed for a weapon with rifling of a 1 in 12 twist.  However, many shooters wanted to use heavier bullets of up to 105 grains, and the 1 in 12 twist would not properly stabilize those bullets for flight.  The 100-grain-range, in particular, was a problem – sometimes the bullets properly stabilize with the 1 in 12 twist, sometimes not.  Therefore, Remington designed a new round for use with a heavier bullet and a 1 in 9 twist in the rifling.  To avoid confusion, these rounds were re-designated 6mm Remington.  This change occurred in 1963, and the original .244 Remington rounds are a rarity these days, as are the rifles that fire them.

     Other Names: .244 Remington (see Notes)

     Nominal Size: 6x57mm

     Actual Size: 6.17x56.64mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 21.13 kg per case of 1000; Price: $340 per case

Magazines:

6mm VEC

     Notes: A somewhat larger cousin of the 5.7mm VEC caseless round listed above, the story of the 6mm VEC is essentially the same as the story behind the 5.7mm VEC round, and I invite you to scroll up to that round for more detail.  Like the 5.7mm VEC round, the 6mm VEC is caseless with electronic ignition and rather rare, though still in production by Voere.

     Other Names: 6mm UCC, 6mm Usel Caseless Cartridge

     Nominal Size: 6x27mm

     Actual Size: N/A

     Case Type: Necked Caseless (Electronic Ignition)

     Weight: 0.065 kg per box of 100; Price: $96 per box

Magazines:

6.5mm-06 Ackley Improved

     Notes: After World War 2, large amounts of 6.5mm rifles of various countries ended up on the military surplus market.  While these rifles were plentiful after World War 2, the ammunition for them had largely been expended in the war and was not easily found.  On the other hand, large amounts of .30-06 Springfield cases were available, especially after NATO made the 7.62mm NATO round standard.  The natural solution was to neck down the .30-06 to accept a 6.5mm bullet.  Ackley made the most viable of these rounds.

     The problem that Ackley encountered for many years was the propellant available at the time; they simply burned to fast to really make the conversion work well enough, which basically made Ackley’s 6.5mm-06 no better than most of the .25-caliber-based rifle rounds at the time.  It was actually a couple of decades before such powders became available; today, the newest version of the 6.5mm-06 Ackley, the 6.5mm-06 Ackley Improved, easily surpasses such rounds.  The 6.5mm-06 Improved has turned into a flat-shooting, high-velocity round with considerable stopping power and penetration.

     Other Names: .257 Ackley Improved (not correct, but common), 6.5mm-06 Ackley (totally incorrect, but also common), 6.5mm-06 Wildcat

     Nominal Size: 6.5x64mm

     Actual Size: 6.71x63.5mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 2.48 kg per box of 100; Price: $90 per box

Magazines:

6.5mm Arisaka

     Notes: This round was originally developed for an 1897 Japanese rifle that was found to be unsafe and was quickly discontinued.  It only later that is was chambered in the 38^th Year Rifle.  This rifle was seized in large numbers during and after World War 2 as war trophies and also sold on the open market as a surplus rifle.  Until recently, Norma sold ammunition for the rifle, and steel-cased ammunition of this type is still sold by China.  The case is short and the powder charge small, but it is an efficient round.  It is still quite a good killing round, whether against antelopes, deer, elk, or humans.

     Other Names: 6.5x55mm Japanese, 6.5x55mm Arisaka

     Nominal Size: 6.5x55mm

     Actual Size: 6.65x50.8mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 22 kg per case of 1000; Price: $350 per case

Magazines:

6.5-08 A-Square

     Notes: The story of this round involves a bit of politics.  A-Square appears to be the first to invent this round, necking down the .308 Winchester (7.62mm NATO) round to approximately 6.5mm size.  They submitted their new round to the appropriate agencies, but the paperwork dragged.  A few months later, Remington came up with basically the same round, calling it the .260 Remington, and SAAMI (the ammunition governing body) decided to go with the Remington claim.  This has gone back and forth through the years, but it does seem that A-Square had the round first.  The 6.5-08 A-Square performs best in long-range target shooting, especially since such shooting requires a lot of practice and the 6.5-08 A-Square is known for less barrel wear than most equivalent cartridges.  It is also quite appealing to those who hunt up to big North American game and prefer a light rifle with lower recoil.

     Other Names: .260 Remington

     Nominal Size: 6.5x64mm

     Actual Size: 6.71x63.5mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight:  28.13 kg per case of 1000; Price: $450 per case

Magazines:

6.5mm Carcano

     Notes: This was one of the official Italian rifle and light/medium machinegun cartridges until the end of World War 2.  I was first designed in 1891 for the Italian version of the Mannlicher rifle.  It is similar to the 6.5mm Mannlicher-Shoenauer in ballistic performance, but does not quite have the same punch.  These cartridges are no longer mass-produced, but can be handloaded starting with 6.5mm Mannlicher-Schoenauer cases.

     Other Names: 6.5x52mm Italian, 6.5x52mm Mannlicher-Carcano

     Nominal Size: 6.5x52mm

     Actual Size: 6.73x52.07mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 2.31 kg per box of 100; Price: $74 per box

Magazines:

6.5mm Creedmoor

     Notes: The 6.5mm Creedmoor was introduced in 2007 as a modification of the .30 TC, which is itself a modification of the .308 Winchester. It was designed by Hornady, and designed specifically for target shooting in competitions, though it is gaining popularity as a long-range hunting round.  In addition, special operations forces of several countries have reportedly been experimenting with the 6.5mm Creedmoor as a sniper round.  The 6.5mm Creedmoor offers ballistics and power similar to the 6.5-284 Norma or the 6.5mm Remington Magnum, though it is designed for shorter-action bolt-action rifles.  The 6.5mm Creedmoor also functions well in modified AR-10 platforms. (Long-range competition shooter Ray “RayDog” Sanchez has described the 6.5mm Creedmoor as “boringly accurate” out to 1000 meters.)  Muzzle velocity is high (893 meters per second) and it retains high velocity for much of its flight, out to 1200 meters.

     Factory rounds for the 6.5mm Creedmoor are currently made by Hornady and Lapua.  However, when handloading, high-pressure propellant loads are not recommended for Hornady or Starline brass, due to the high possibility for blown cases.  Lapua brass does not have this problem.  The 6.5mm Creedmoor round functions well with a suppressor. Recoil is generally less than comparable rounds (though not measurable by Twilight 2000 v2.2 rules). Recommended bullet weights by competition shooters and hunters are 150-180 grains, though bullet weights for the 6.5mm Creedmoor range from 95 to 180 grains.

     Other Names: 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 CM, 6.5 CRDMR

     Nominal Size: 6.5x47mm

     Actual Size: 6.72x48.8mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 173 kg per case of 1000; Price $350 per case

Magazines:

6.5mm Daudeteau

     Notes: The 6.5mm Daudeteau round was – well, part of deceptive trade practices.  For years, Daudeteau tried to sell his design for rifles and proprietary ammunition to the French Army, with virtually no success, though the rifles and ammunition were used by the French Navy and Marines operating in Indochina, where they hoped that guerillas who captured the rifles could not use without a large amount of modification due to the proprietary ammunition they chambered.  Some were sold to other countries in small numbers, but the largest amount were used by the Uruguayan Army.  The countries that used the Daudeteau rifles were locked into using the proprietary ammunition – and Daudeteau lowballed the cost of their rifles and, after initial shipments of ammunition with the rifles, overcharged on the ammunition.  Most countries, after a while of this abuse, replaced their Daudeteau rifles with other, more common rifles which were just as inexpensive as the Daudeteau and fired ammunition which could be bought at a competitive price elsewhere.  Those armies generally took a loss on the cost of their Daudeteau rifles and ammunition, though some equipped reserve and Home Guard-type units; they simply couldn’t get anyone else to buy the rifles and ammunition, and Daudeteau would not give a refund on what was outdated technology.  Today, only handloaded examples of the 6.5mm Daudeteau round exists, and many Daudeteau rifles were later rechambered for more common ammunition, and have gained a small following as hunting rifles.

     Nominal Size: 6.5x54mm

     Actual Size: 6.71x53.6mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 19 kg per box of 100; Price: $76 per box

Magazines:

6.5mm Dutch Mannlicher

     Notes: This is basically an earlier, rimmed version of the 6.5mm Mannlicher-Schoenauer cartridge, used by the Dutch and Romanians in their Mannlicher rifles.  Ballistically, it is virtually identical to the 6.5mm Mannlicher-Schoenauer, and it was once loaded by many companies in the US and Europe.  It was dropped as a military cartridge after World War 2, and the rifles that fired it began showing up on the surplus market. However, no major company now makes this round.

     Other Names: 6.5mm Romanian Mannlicher, 6.5x53mmRmm, .256 Mannlicher

     Nominal Size: 6.5x53mm

     Actual Size: 6.68x53.34mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 2.34 kg per box of 100; Price: $74 per box

Magazines:

6.5mm Greek Service

     Notes:  When the French introduced the smokeless-powder 8mm Lebel round in the late 1800s, Steyr saw an opening for them to introduce their own rifle firing a smokeless powder round.  They introduced this, the Mannlicher-Schoenauer, in 1900 at the World Fair.  At first there was little interest in the design, other than some hunting rifle makers, but the Greeks went in for the new rifle and ammunition in a big way, and became the first military users of the Mannlicher-Schoenauer series and its ammunition.  They were the only country to use the Mannlicher-Schoenauer with the original 6.5mm round.  The round not only has a reputation as a man-stopper, it was used as a hunting round, and in the hands of hunters like Ernest Hemmingway, even brought down smaller elephants.  (Despite this, the 6.5mm Greek Service round was not recommended for African hunting.)

     Despite the round nose of the round, the 6.5mm Greek Service is ballistically-efficient and (depending on the eyesight of the shooter) can produce hits at 2000 meters.  At 500 meters, consistent hits can be made. The bullet also retains energy for a long distance, and had a relatively flat trajectory for the time.  The rifle was fed by an internal rotary magazine, but the magazine was fed by stripper clips.

     Other Names: 6.5mm Greek Mannlicher, 6.5x53mm Greek Mannlicher, 6.5x54mm Greek Mannlicher, 6.5mm Mannlicher-Schoenauer, .264 Mannlicher

     Nominal Size: 6.5x54mm

     Actual Size: 6.65x53.7mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight:

Magazines:

6.5mm Grendel

     Notes: Though the earliest forms of the 6.5mm Grendel appeared in 2000, it was not released by Alexander Arms until 2003, specifically for use with part of their family of AR-15 clones.  Designed by Bill Alexander himself, the 6.5mm Grendel is essentially a brass version of the 7.62mm Kalashnikov case necked down to 6.5mm, blowing out the shoulder, and changing the primer.  As the bullet is relatively long, the 6.5mm Grendel is a good replacement for the 5.56mm NATO round in most weapons, and has in fact been evaluated by US special operations troops with good marks.  Alexander Arms is the primary source for the 6.5mm Grendel round, as well reloading dies and brass.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The 6.5mm Grendel does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

     Nominal Size: 6.5x39mm

     Actual Size: 6.71x38.23mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 15.29 kg per case of 1000; Price: $280 per case

Magazines:

6.5mm Mannlicher-Schoenauer

     Notes: This round was developed for use in the 1903 Greek version of the Mannlicher rifle.  It was also a popular sporting cartridge, used in several rifles in the US and Europe.  In fact, until about 1940, virtually every major US ammunition manufacturer made this round.  It is now made only in Europe, particularly by RWS.  It is a very good cartridge for hunting, as it is unusually quiet when fired despite its velocity. 

     Other Names: 6.5mm Greek Mannlicher, DWM477, Roth 632

     Nominal Size: 6.5x55mm

     Actual Size: 6.65x53.7mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 23.38 kg per case of 1000; Price: $370 per case

Magazines:

6.5x54mm Mauser

     Notes: This round was introduced in 1900 and was designed to be fired from short-action Mauser carbines of the period.  It only enjoyed a short period of popularity, as the better 6.5x54mm Mannlicher-Shoenauer showed up soon afterward and displaced the 6.5x54mm Mauser cartridge and the rifles that fired it.  Handloading is relatively simple, which is good, for it has been a while since it has been manufactured.

     Nominal Size: 6.5x54mm

     Actual Size: 6.71x53.85mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 2.38 kg per box of 100; Price: $76 per box

Magazines:

6.5x57mm Mauser

     Notes: This is basically a necked down version of the 7mm Mauser round, developed in 1893.  It was never used as a military cartridge, but was popular with hunters, and it influenced the design of many similar rounds of other countries, such as the 6.5mm Swedish.  The round is still popular in Europe, but virtually unknown in North America. 

     Other Names: 6.5mm RWS, 6.5x57mm RWS, 6.5x57Rmm RWS, 6.5x57Rmm Mauser, 6.5mm Mauser

     Nominal Size: 6.5x57mm

     Actual Size: 6.71x56.64mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 25 kg per case of 1000; Price: $400 per case

Magazines:

6.5-284 Norma

     Notes: For most of its lifetime, the 6.5-284 Norma was a wildcat round, made by handloaders.  In a way, it is one of the earliest “short magnums,” being a .284 Winchester case shortened and necked down to 6.5mm.  It was meant to be a short-range medium-game round for use in lighter rifles, but it was quickly discovered that the 6.6-284 Norma had much better range than the designers had hoped for; in addition, the 6.5-284 Norma also produces relatively little barrel wear compared to other rounds of its class.  Ballistics are similar to those of the .270 Winchester, though the lighter bullet is more susceptible to wind deflection.  It has only been recently (since about 2005) that Hornady has been producing both empty cases and small lots of complete ammunition in 6.5-284 Norma.  It should be noted that while dimensions of the 6.6x284 Norma and the 6.5mm Remington Magnum are virtually identical, headspace and neck angle are not, and they are not interchangeable.

     Nominal Size: 6.5x55mm

     Actual Size: 6.71x55.12mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 2.15 kg per box of 100; Price: $78 per box

Magazines:

6.5mm Remington Magnum

     Notes: This round was an innovation when it was introduced in 1966; it may indeed may be one of the first “short magnum” type cartridges.  It is a .350 Remington Magnum case necked down to .264 caliber, and was designed specifically for use in Remington’s Model 600 bolt-action carbine.  The problem was not the 6.5mm Remington Magnum cartridge; the problem was the Remington 600 carbine, whose 18-inch barrel did not utilize the power of the round properly.  For a short time, the longer-barreled Ruger 77 was also chambered for this round, but the 6.5mm Remington Magnum has not been manufactured in a long time, and no current rifles chamber the round.  In a proper-length barrel, the 6.5mm Remington Magnum is adequate for hunting all North American game.

     Nominal Size: 6.5x55mm

     Actual Size: 6.71x55.12mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 3.05 kg per box of 100; Price: $78 per box

Magazines:

6.5x65mm RWS

     Notes: Introduced by RWS in 1988.  The case is similar to, but not based upon, the 9.3x62mm Mauser, but it is longer and of course fires a smaller bullet.  Essentially a magnum round, the performance of the 6.5x65mm RWS is roughly the same as the 6.5mm Remington Magnum, and it can take medium and some large North American and European game at decent ranges.  Generally, Europeans prefer the lighter 108-grain bullet, while Americans and Canadians normally choose the 127-grain bullet, but both have high velocity and are soft-point bullets.  Rimmed and rimless cases are made.  RWS is, unfortunately, the only known manufacturer of factory loads and cases.

     Other Names: 6.5x65mmRmm RWS (in its rimmed form)

     Nominal Size: 6.5x65mm

     Actual Size: 6.71x65mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 25.3 kg per case of 1000; Price: $460 per case

Magazines:

6.5x68mm RWS

     Notes: This round was developed by RWS of Germany in 1939.  It was originally chambered in Mauser-type rifles, but later was chambered in Mannlicher-Schoenauer-type rifles.  It was also chambered in Vom Hofe rifles, as well as a few American-made rifles.  It is a powerful round, close in performance to many magnum loads, but the bullet is light and this limits striking power.  The speed of the round is such that it is capable of downing an animal as large as a grizzly bear if shot placement is right, but for the most part, it is best used as a long-range varmint round.  Until recently, it was listed for sale in Hirtenberger and RWS catalogs.

     Other Names: 6.6mm RWS, 6.5x68Rmm RWS, 6.5x68mm Schuler, 6.5mm Vom Hofe Express

     Nominal Size: 6.5x68mm

     Actual Size: 6.71x67.56mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 29.88 kg per case of 1000; Price: $480 per case

 Magazines:

6.5mm Sauer

     Notes: This round was introduced before the turn of the 20^th century as a blackpowder round, and was later made into a smokeless powder round.  It was developed primarily for single-shot rifles, being rimmed, but was also chambered in a very few bolt-action weapons.  It does not have a lot of power and is regarded as being best for target shooting or small-game hunting.  It is no longer being manufactured, and finding or even making a suitable case and bullet is also problematic.

     Nominal Size: 6.5x48mm

     Actual Size: 6.6x47.75mm

     Case Type: Necked (actually tapered)

     Weight: 2.04 kg per box of 100; Price: $66 per box

Magazines:

6.5mm Swedish

     Notes: This round was developed in 1894 for use in Swedish versions of Mauser rifles and carbines.  It is based on the 1893 Spanish Mauser round.  The Swedes at one point chambered virtually all of its rifles and medium and light machineguns for this round, and it remained in active service until just a couple of decades ago.  It was also a popular hunting round in Europe and the US, and remains so.  The bullet is boat-tailed and of advanced design for its period, and its stopping power is excellent, more than adequate for medium game and people.   

     Other Names: 6.5x55mm Swedish. 6.5mm Swedish Mauser, 6.5mm Krag-Jorgensen, 6.5mm Norwegian,

     Nominal Size: 6.5x55mm

     Actual Size: 6.71x54.86mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 24.25 kg per case of 1000; Price: $390 per case

Magazines:

6.8mm SPC

     Notes: Though the US military (and particularly SOCOM) has been looking for a more effective round to at least partially replace the 5.56mm NATO round since before the Vietnam War, it was not until the US invasion of Afghanistan that the search kicked into high gear.  SOCOM wanted a round that only had more range, but more striking power and better terminal ballistics.  Several different rounds had been tried over the years, and more were conceived during the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts.  (In fact, the search for a SOCOM 5.56mm NATO replacement is officially still ongoing.)  The leading contender in this search, however, seems to be the 6.8mm SPC (Special Purpose Cartridge).  This round is sort of a sized-up 5.56mm cartridge; in fact, by modifying the follower and magazine lips, the 6.8mm SPC can be used in 5.56mm NATO magazines.  There are already several companies which produce rifles chambered for the round, and many more produce upper receivers for the 6.8mm SPC cartridge which are compatible with AR-15, M-16, and M-4-type rifles (of course, the new round requires a new barrel, modified bolt carrier group, and a rear sight compatible with the 6.8mm SPC round).  The future of the 6.8mm SPC is still uncertain, but looks good, at least for SOCOM and certain other specialist applications.

     A subsonic version of the 6.8mm SPC exists; triple all prices listed below.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The 6.8mm SPC round does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

     Other Names: 6.8mm Special Purpose Cartridge

     Nominal Size: 6.8x43mm

     Actual Size: 6.8x44.7mm (provisional)

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 19.5 kg per case of 1000; $620 per case

6.8mm Fury

     Notes: The 6.8mm Fury is a relatively new round (about five years) developed in response to the US Army’s Small Arms Ammunition Configuration Study, which arose as the Army grudgingly admitted that the M4 and its 5.56mm cartridge was not doing the job against near-peer body armor, such as that fielded by China and Russia. This originally led to the 6.8mm SPC round (above), but many soldiers in the test program questioned the range of the 6.8mm SPC, particularly when paired with modern optics.  This led to tests with other rounds such as the 6.5mm Grendel, and eventually led to the SIG-designed 6.8mm Fury.  The Fury is essentially a necked-down 7.62mm NATO round which has been hotloaded and using a new bullet.  The Fury round unfortunately requires that magazines and belts be designed specifically for the Fury round, and it is much heavier than the lightweight 5.56mm NATO round.  The 6.8mm Fury uses a hybrid case, with a base and primer cup made of stainless steel and the majority of the case made of brass, with a locking washer to mate the two parts of the case.

     The 6.8mm Fury may be thought of as a magnum version of the 6.8mm SPC round. Ballistics of the 6.8mm Fury and 6.5mm Creedmoor are similar at short to medium range, but the 6.8mm Fury far outranges the 6.5mm Creedmoor. The 6.8mm Fury was designed originally as a cartridge for SIG’s CROSS rifle, and later for a variant of the MCX called the MCX SPEAR, before it was offered to the US Army.  The civilian Fury round is not hotloaded as the military Fury round, and uses a heavier bullet. The cases are also not hybrid cases, being made totally of brass. However, for Twilight 2000 game purposes, the two rounds are identical.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: the 6.8mm Fury does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

     Other Names: .277 Fury, .277 SIG Fury, 6.8mm SIG Fury

     Nominal Size: 6.8x51mm

     Actual Size: 7.06x51.18mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 25.27 kg per case of 1000; $800 per case

Magazines:

7x64mm Brenneke

     Notes: This is another old round, developed Wilhelm Brenneke in Germany in 1917.  It is almost unknown in the US, but is a quite common civilian cartridge in Europe, taking the place of the 7mm Remington Magnum there.  The 7x64mm Brenneke does not quite match the power of the 7mm Remington Magnum cartridge, however, and the 7x64mm Brenneke is best for hunting medium game at long range.

     Other Names: 7x64mm, 7mm Brenneke, 7x65Rmm (in its rimmed version)

     Nominal Size: 7x64mm

     Actual Size: 7.21x63.75mm

     Case Type: Necked

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

Magazines:

7mm Dakota

     Notes: Like most of Dakota Arms’ proprietary rounds, the 7mm Dakota is a magnum cartridge based on the .404 Jeffery case.  This, of course, means the 7mm Dakota’s case is rather large in diameter, which normally means that a rifle chambered for 7mm Dakota can carry one less round in its magazine than a comparable 7mm round.  It also creates a round with a lot of room for propellant pushing a relatively light bullet, giving it surprising power.  The 7mm Dakota uses a heavier bullet than the 7mm Remington Magnum, yet has more range and damaging potential (unfortunately not enough extra power for game purposes); it is, in fact, almost as powerful as the 7mm STW cartridge (though the 7mm Dakota does not require a long action).  It is noteworthy that most rifles chambered for 7mm Remington Magnum can easily be modified to fire 7mm Dakota instead.

     Other Names: 7mm Dakota Magnum

     Nominal Size: 7x64mm

     Actual Size: 7.21x63.5mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 2.99 kg per box of 100; Price: $109 per box

Magazines:

7mm Mauser

     Notes: This is one of the oldest cartridges still in use, being developed as a military round by Mauser in 1892.  Since the Spanish military was the first to officially adopt the round, it is also commonly known as the Spanish Mauser round.  Though a few American rifles chamber the 7mm Mauser round, the cartridge is much more common in European rifles.  It proved to be a mediocre military round, but it has proved to be an excellent round for the hunting of small to medium game.  It has had some success against bigger animals, but it considered inadequate for that purpose by most hunters.  It was once discontinued by almost all major ammunition manufacturers, but the round came back after World War 2 due to the influx of surplus military rifles into the civilian market.

     Other Names: 7x57mm, 7mm Spanish Mauser, 7mm M-1893

     Nominal Size: 7x57mm

     Actual Size: 7.21x56.9mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 29 kg per case of 1000; Price: $460

Magazines:

7mm-08 Remington

     Notes: This round was introduced in 1980; it is a 7.62mm NATO (.308 Winchester) case necked down to accept a 7mm bullet.  The bullet is a direct copy of the 7mm/308, which was a wildcat round popular for many years before 1980.  The more-pointed bullet design allows for more downrange velocity than the 7.62mm NATO round, and, in many cases, greater range. 

     Nominal Size: 7x52mm

     Actual Size: 7.21x51.82mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight:  26.5 kg per case of 1000; Price: $420 per case

Magazines:

7mm Remington Magnum

     Notes: This cartridge was introduced in 1962 for the Remington 700 rifle.  Several other rifle manufacturers picked it up also.  The 7mm Remington Magnum has its roots in wildcat experimenting, especially with the .275 H&H Magnum cartridge.  The 7mm Remington Magnum is considered a good big-game cartridge.

     Nominal Size: 7x63mm

     Actual Size: 7.21x63.5mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight:  32.38 kg per case of 1000; Price: $520 per case

Magazines:

7mm Remington Short-Action UltraMag

     Notes: This round was introduced in 2001 to directly compete with the 7mm Winchester Short Magnum round, and their ballistic performance, penetration, range, and terminal performance are almost identical.  The 7mm RSAUM can easily out-do the older 7mm Remington Magnum round.  The Remington round is a bit shorter than the Winchester round, but uses a similar amount of propellant and the same bullets as the Winchester round.  The Remington designers used their own .300 Remington UltraMag case as a base, shortening it and necking it down.  It should be noted that while the 7mm RSAUM will chamber in a rifle chambered for 7mm Winchester Short Magnum, NEVER do this – it generally causes a chamber explosion and damage to the bolt itself (and possibly injury to the shooter).

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

     Other Names: 7mm RSAUM, 7mm Remington Short-Action Ultra Magnum, 7mm Short-Action UltraMag (or Ultra Magnum), 7mm SAUM

     Nominal Size: 7x52mm

     Actual Size: 7.21x51.69mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 23.21 kg per case of 1000; Price: $420 per case

Magazines:

7mm Remington UltraMag

     Notes: Introduced in 1999, this cartridge essentially takes a modified .300 Remington UltraMag case and necks it down to take a 7mm bullet.  This leads to a long-ranged round with decent damaging potential and excellent penetration, in addition, Frank Barnes calls it “flattest-shooting factory big-game cartridge on the planet.”  It also tends to keep its energy and velocity much longer than comparable rounds.  It can easily take down any North American or European small-to-medium game, and even some large game with a well-placed shot.

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

     Other Names: 7mm UltraMag (or Ultra Mag), 7mm RUM.

     Nominal Size: 7x72mm

     Actual Size: 7.21x72.39mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 3.26 kg per box of 100; Price: $118 per case

Magazines:

7mm STW

     Notes: This round was originally designed as a wildcat round by Layne Simpson of Shooting Times magazine. (STW stands for Shooting Times Western.)  It is based on an 8mm Remington Magnum case, necked down, and allows for rechambering of existing 7mm Remington Magnum rifles to fire it.  It was also designed to fit inside existing 7mm Remington Magnum internal magazines of Remington 700 rifles.  It was adopted as a standard cartridge in 1996, and factory loadings commenced.  The 7mm STW produces impressive velocities and power, but barrels firing 7mm STW can be quite limited in life.

     Other Names: 7mm Shooting Times Westerner

     Nominal Size: 7x72mm

     Actual Size: 7.21x72.39mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 3.7 kg per box of 100; Price: $118 per box

Magazines:

7mm TCU

     Necked:  This cartridge was developed by Wes Ugalde for Thompson/Center for use in the single-shot Contender pistol.  It is basically a .223 Remington (5.56mm NATO) case necked up to .284-caliber.  It is popular for target shooting, but is also a creditable varmint round, and in the right circumstances and with a good shot can bring down a deer.  It is not recommended that military cases be used for handloading this round; only civilian .223 cases should be used.

     Other Names: 7mm T/CU, 7mmx223

     Nominal Size: 7x44mm

     Actual Size: 7.21x44.2mm

     Weight: 2.25 kg per box of 100; Price: $72 per box

Magazines:

7x66mm Vom Hofe

     Notes: This round was designed shortly after World War 2 for Swedish Vom Hofe rifles.  It was once loaded by DWM of Germany, but is not now being commercially manufactured.  Though the bullet is small, the velocity is extremely fast, and only its light weight prevents it from penetrating better.  Nonetheless, the 7x66mm Vom Hofe is an excellent hunting cartridge for all but large game.

     Other Names: 7x66mm Vom Hofe Super Express, 7mm Super Express, 7.6x66mm Vom Hofe, 7mm Vom Hofe

     Nominal Size: 7x66mm

     Actual Size: 7.21x65.53mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 3.35 kg per box of 100; Price: $108 per box

Magazines:

7-30 Waters

     Notes: This is a comparatively new cartridge, developed in 1984.  It was designed for high-velocity, short-range lever-action rifles and carbines, and has a rounded nose to facilitate loading and chambering in such rifles.  The rounded nose does spoil ballistics somewhat, though.  It is also known for its light recoil.

     Nominal Size: 7x52mm

     Actual Size: 7.21x51.82mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight:  2.65 kg per box of 100; Price $85 per box

Magazines:

7mm Weatherby Magnum

     Notes: This round is based on the .300 H&H Magnum (like most Weatherby designs), actually being a .270 Weatherby Magnum necked up.  Unlike most Weatherby cartridges, there is a good selection of factory loads and it is more common than most Weatherby ammunition.  Like most high-velocity cartridges, the 7mm Weatherby Magnum can be hard on the barrel, and does not perform well in short barrels.

     Nominal Size: 7x65mm

     Actual Size: 7.21x64.77mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 3.3 kg per box of 100; Price: $106 per box

Magazines:

7mm Winchester Short Magnum

     Notes: This was introduced in 2001 to give those who prefer the 7mm cartridge Magnum performance in a short action rifle.  It is basically a .300 Winchester Short Magnum case, necked down.  It has ballistics basically similar to the 7mm Remington Magnum, but in a shorter cartridge. 

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

     Other Names: 7mm WSM, 7mm Short Magnum

     Nominal Size: 7x53mm

     Actual Size: 7.21x53.34mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 34.06 kg per case of 1000; Price: $550 per case

Magazines:

7.35mm Carcano

     Notes: This round was designed to replace the 6.5mm Carcano round, which had been found to be inadequate in World War 1.  Unfortunately, the round was developed during a time before World War 2 when Italy was involved in various military adventures and converting all the Carcano rifles to use this round, as well as trying to supply the new round to troops, became a logistical nightmare, and it was quickly withdrawn from service.  The Finns did use some of the rifles converted to the 7.35mm Carcano round against the Russians, and results were good.  The rifles and ammunition eventually showed up as war surplus weapons and were sold on the civilian market.  It’s a decent hunting and man-killing round, but it hasn’t been manufactured in a while, and generally handloads are the best source.

     Other Names: 7.35mm Italian Carcano

     Nominal Size: 7.35x51mm

     Actual Size: 7.57x51.05mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 2.88 kg per box of 100; Price: $92 per box

Magazines:

.17 CCM

     Notes:  Introduced in 1992 specifically for the Cooper Model 38 Centerfire Sporter rifle, the .17 CCM (Cooper Centerfire Magnum) round is a necked-down version of one of Cooper’s other proprietary rounds, the .22 CCM.  At first, Cooper Arms manufactured the round in small lots itself, but in 1993 an agreement was reached with Fiocchi of Italy to produce the round.  (Fiocchi cases tend to be stronger, and loaded with more propellant along with a heavier bullet.)  It does, however, remain a rather rare round, primarily since so few rifles chamber the .17 CCM (and most of them are handmade by individual gunsmiths).  The .17 CCM was designed primarily to be a superior varmint round with long range and a flat trajectory through most of its range.  It also has a low noise and firing signature, and has very low recoil.  Unfortunately, like most light bullets, it is quite sensitive to wind and this can limit its range in some cases.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The agreement with Fiocchi was never reached in the Twilight 2000 timeline, which just makes the .17 CCM even more rare.

     Other Names: .17 Cooper, .17 Cooper Magnum, .17 Cooper Centerfire Magnum

     Nominal Size: 4.3x30mm

     Actual Size: 4.39x29.46mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 0.5 kg per box of 100; Price: $18 per box

Magazines:

.17 Mach IV

     Notes: This cartridge was designed to be chambered in small-caliber, short action rifles and also to compete directly against the .17 Remington cartridge.  It did not compete against the .17 Remington successfully (mostly due to a much higher price for the round since it was not produced in the numbers the .17 Remington cartridge was), but does have a number of advantages over that round.  One is speed – some loadings can generate almost 1200 meters per second.  This gives the .17 Mach IV surprising power for its size.  Despite this, the firing signature and report is much less than the .17 Remington, and almost as low as a .22 Long Rifle round’s report and firing signature.  Until recently, the .17 Mach IV was listed as a wildcat round and was mostly the province of handloaders and a few small-scale manufacturers; however, Berger Bullets is now producing reasonable factory loadings of the .17 Mach IV, and the round is slowly gaining popularity.

     Nominal Size: 4.4x36mm

     Actual Size: 4.37x35.56mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 0.58 kg per box of 100; Price: $21 per box

Magazines:

.17 Remington

     Notes: Introduced in 1971 for Remington’s Model 700 series, the .17 Remington is one of the smallest centerfire rounds produced in commercial lots.  The .17 Remington is basically a 5.56mm NATO (.223 Remington) round necked down to accept the smaller bullet; the shoulder is also moved back slightly.  It is basically a varmint round, and not very useful for larger game.  It does, however, offer a very flat trajectory as well as minimal ricocheting and recoil.  The high velocity and large amount of propellant (relative to the bullet) tend to lead to rapid barrel wear and fouling. 

     Nominal Size: 4.4x46mm

     Actual Size: 4.37x45.47mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 8.5 kg per case of 1000; Price $140 per case

Magazines:

.17/223 Remington

     Notes: The “Remington” moniker of this round is sort of a misnomer; the .17/223 is actually a wildcat round made by taking a .223 Remington (5.56mm NATO) case and necking it down to accept a .172-caliber round.  Designed around 1968 (in a series of wildcat experiments with a variety of .22-caliber-type rifle cases and a .172-caliber bullet), the .17/223 is basically a sort “semi-magnum” round due to the large percentage of necking down of the round.  The .17/223 led almost directly to the .17 Remington cartridge, but does have a bit more power than the .17 Remington.  The .17/223 does have its limitations – a rifle chambered for it requires a special cleaning rod and bore brush, and it is quite sensitive to load and bullet weight variations.  Nonetheless, the .17/223 is essentially a varmint round with a bit more power than the average .17-caliber round.  The .17/223 is still considered a wildcat round, with no company making it in any but tiny numbers.  Most .17/223s are therefore made by handloaders.

     Other Names: .17/223

     Nominal Size: 4.4x45mm

     Actual Size: 4.37x44.7mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 0.74 kg per box of 100; Price: $27 per box

Magazines:

.17 Tactical

     Notes: The .17 Tactical is basically one step above a wildcat round, with some ammunition manufacturers such as Lapua making small lots of it.  It is a 5.56mm NATO case necked down to accept a .17 bullet.  It offers few advantages over the .17 Remington bullet, other than the easier availability and cheaper cost (until recently) of the 5.56mm/.223 cases, and the ability to use AR-15-type magazines (if a semiautomatic rifle were to be developed in this caliber).  Most .17 Tactical production is in the hands of handloaders.

     Nominal Size: 4.4x45mm

     Actual Size: 4.37x44.7mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 0.84 kg per box of 100; Price: $27 per box

Magazines:

.17 VarTag

     Notes: Like the .20 VarTag (below), the .17 VarTag is based is based on the .221 Fireball case, but this time necked down to .17 caliber; again, you get a short, fat case which is essentially a short magnum round.  Bullet development was a little easier, as suitable .17 Remington bullets were available.  As with the .20 VarTag, the .17 VarTag is a long-range, flat-shooting round which can be chambered in most short-action rifles, delivering power like the .17/223 and 5.56mm NATO, with less propellant than most rounds of its caliber, and causing less barrel wear.  Nonetheless, acceptance has been slow, and limited to one production rifle and some custom conversions.

     Other Names: .20 Vartag (incorrectly), .17 VT

     Nominal Size: 4.4x35mm

     Actual Size: 4.37x35.56mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 0.53 per box of 100; Price: $24 per box

Magazines:

.20 Tactical

     Notes: Seeming big brother to the .17 Tactical, the .20 Tactical actually came first, with the .20 Tactical being a 5.56mm case necked down to take a .204 Ruger bullet.  The idea was to develop a handloading that would put the inexpensive .204 bullets in the then-inexpensive 5.56mm/.223 cases, before the price of 5.56mm/.223 cases went up.  Again, Lapua makes small amounts of it, though it is mostly in the realm of handloaders.  Power falls somewhere between the .203 Ruger and the 5.56mm NATO round.

     Nominal Size: 5x45mm

     Actual Size: 5.18x44.7mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 1.18 kg per box of 100; Price: $38 per box

Magazines:

.20 VarTarg

     Notes: Released in 1995, the .20 VarTarg (Varmint/Target) is based on the .221 Fireball case, necked down to .20 caliber; the result is a short, fat case, looking similar to the 6mm PPC round and what is basically a small “short magnum” round.  Early development of the .20 VarTarg was problematic, as the lightest usable bullets at the time were 36-grain bullets, and jacketed versions were not available.  Later, Hornady started to make its 33-grain .20-caliber V-Max bullets, which were perfect for the .20 VarTarg, and later its 32-grain and 40-grain V-Max bullets that were an even better fit.  The result is a long-range, flat-shooting round that can be chambered in short-action rifles, yet deliver power comparable to rounds like the .220 Swift and .219 Zipper.  The .20 VarTarg also requires less propellant than most rounds of its caliber, and causes less barrel wear.

     Other Names: .20 Vartag (incorrectly), .20 VT

     Nominal Size: 5x35mm

     Actual Size: 5.08x35.56mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 0.79 kg per box of 100; Price: $29 per box

Magazines:

.22 CCM

     Notes: The .22 CCM (Cooper Centerfire Magnum) is sort of a resurrection of Maynard’s old .22 Extra Long Centerfire cartridge, brought up to modern standards.  The bullet size and case size are almost identical, in fact.  Power-wise, the .22 CCM falls somewhere between the .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire and the .22 Hornet – the .22 CCM may in many ways be thought of as a .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire that it is possible to reload and easier to handload.  It is, however, not a particularly powerful round, and is not useful for much more than varminting, which may be why it was never a very popular round.

      Other Names:  .22 Cooper, .22 Cooper Magnum, .22 Cooper Centerfire Magnum

      Nominal Size: 5.6x30mm

      Actual Size: 5.69x29.46mm

      Case Type: Straight

      Weight: 0.66 kg per box of 100; Price: $24 per box

Magazines:

.22 K-Hornet

     Notes: A wildcat version of the .22 Hornet devised by Lysle Kilbourn in 1940, the .22 K-Hornet is essentially a highly-modified .22 Hornet round.  The case of the .22 Hornet was “blown out” by giving it a longer straight portion of the body, a sharp shoulder, and a much shorter neck.  (The bullet is the same as that of a standard .22 Hornet.)  The modifications to the case allow for more propellant, and this results in what is essentially a magnum version of the .22 Hornet.  Only a very few small manufacturers make “factory” loads, so the .22 K-Hornet is pretty much still the province of handloaders; fortunately, the cases are easily made from .22 Hornet or .218 Bee cases, and the bullets and propellant are identical to those used by the .22 Hornet.  Several companies make rifles designed to take the higher chamber pressures the .22 K-Hornet generates, and virtually all of these rifles can also use the .22 Hornet round interchangeably with the .22 K-Hornet.  The .22 K-Hornet, is admirably suitable for varmints and small game, and has excellent range for its class.  In fact, stopping power is on power with many modern assault rifles, and penetration meets (or with sufficient barrel length, exceeds) the penetration of those assault rifles.

     Other Names: .22 Kilbourn Hornet, .22 Hornet Magnum

     Nominal Size: 5.6x36mm

     Actual Size: 5.66x35.31mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 1.03 kg per box of 100; Price: $38 per box

Magazines:

.22 Hornet

     Notes: This round was based on the black powder .22 Winchester Centerfire round.  It is a high-velocity round designed for varmint and small game shooting.  The Hornet tends to be the subject of a lot of “wildcatting” (custom loadings for conventional rounds).  Due to the amount of powder that is in a standard loading, the Hornet does not do well with heavy bullets.  It should be noted that the .22 Hornet is a rimmed round.

     Other Names: 5.6x35mmR, 5.6x36mmR, .22 M-65

     Nominal Size: 5.6x36mm

     Actual Size: 5.66x35.56mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight:  11.13 kg per case of 1000; Price $180 per case

Magazines:

.22 Nosler

     The .22 Nosler was designed to put a .223 Remington (5.56 NATO) round in a smaller, yet more energetic package.  The .22 Nosler round can be used in weapons for the .223 Remington/5.56mm NATO with minimal modifications, as the bolt face is the same diameter and the gas system does not require excessive modifications.  Nosler suggests that an upper receiver/barrel swap will be all that is required for an AR-15-type rifle to fire the .22 Nosler cartridge, as the bolt carrier group would suffice, and .22 Nosler rounds fit well into an AR-15/M16 magazine.  A magazine designed for 6.8mm SPC would produce an even better fit.  .22 Nosler is considered by Nosler as a Custom round, though several bolt-action and autoloading rifles are chambered for it.

     Nominal Size:5.7x48mm

     Actual Size: 5.69x44.7mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 3.42 kg per case of 100; Price: $46 per box

.22 PPC

     Notes: This round was developed in 1974 as a wildcat benchrest round based on the .220 Russian round (itself a necked-down version of the 7.62mm Kalashnikov round).  It remained a wildcat round for almost 15 years, but in 1987 Sako developed a rifle and commercial loads, and in 1993, Norma also developed manufactured loads in .22 PPC.  Ruger also chambered versions of its M-77 series for .22 PPC in 1993.  The combination of a large case and small bullet produce a high-velocity round with good range. 

     Nominal Size: 5.7x39mm

     Actual Size: 5.69x38.61mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 12.25 kg per case of 1000; Price: $200 per case

Magazines:

.22-250 Remington

     Notes: This cartridge was developed in 1965 to be one of the calibers for the Remington 700 rifle.  The .22-250 actually began life as a wildcat round, based on the .250 Savage, but it became so popular so fast that it became a de facto standard rifle round.  It is a well-balanced round that has a reputation for great accuracy.

     Other Names: .22 Varminter, .22 Wotkyns Original Swift

     Nominal Size: 5.7x49mm

     Actual Size: 5.69x48.51mm

     Case Type: Necked

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

Magazines:

.22 Remington Auto

     Notes: Virtually identical to the .22 Winchester Auto, this round was first designed for the Remington Model 16 semiautomatic rifle.  It has been described by ammunition expert Frank Barnes as “an example of senseless jealous rivalry;” it was designed for the same purpose as the .22 Winchester Auto and for the same type of weapon, and was used only in the Model 16.  The round was discontinued in 1928, and is very hard to find these days.

     Other Names: .22 Remington Automatic

     Nominal Size: 5.6x17mm

     Actual Size: 5.66x16.84mm

     Case Type: Straight Rimfire

     Weight: 4.25 kg per box of 100; Price: $14 per box

Magazines:

.22 Remington Jet

     Notes: This round was developed from wildcat rounds such as the Harvey .22 Kay-Chuk and others that were based on the .22 Hornet.  It was developed for revolvers, but the only revolver ever chambered for it was the Smith & Wesson 53.  Occasionally, rifles are found chambered for the .22 Remington Jet (normally lever-action or break-open rifles).  The .22 Remington Jet is designed for hunting and to provide a flat trajectory for at least 100 meters.  This round is no longer commercially manufactured, but can be handloaded using .357 Magnum rounds as a starting point.

     Other Names: .22 Remington Jet Magnum, .22 Centerfire Magnum, .22 Jet, .22 Remington Magnum

     Nominal Size: 5.6x32mm

     Actual Size: 5.66x32.51mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 10.25 kg per box of 100; Price: $32 per box

Magazines:

.22 Savage High-Power

     Notes: This round was designed by Charles Newton in 1912 and at first called the .22 Imp.  Only one rifle by Savage was chambered in the US for the round, though it had somewhat more success in England, as well in various custom-made rifles, especially shotgun-rifle combinations.  The .22 Savage High Power is basically a necked-down .25-35 case.  No rifle has been produced in North America to chamber this round since 1930, though the occasional European rifle can still be found for it, and Norma still produces .22 Savage High-Power ammunition.  Complaints about the round include low accuracy against small game and poor penetration against larger game, but this may be due to the poor quality of ammunition in the early part of the 20^th century.  The .22 Savage High-Power round has been rendered obsolete by rounds such as the .222 Remington and .225 Winchester.

     Other Names: .22 High-Power, .22 Imp, 5.6x52Rmm

     Nominal Size: 5.6x52mm

     Actual Size: 5.79x52.07mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 1.71 kg per box of 100; Price $54 per box

Magazines:

.22-250 Remington

     Notes: This round was a wildcat cartridge (called the .22 Varminter or .22 Wotkyns Original Swift) for several years before Remington introduced it as a factory cartridge in 1965; they chambered versions of their Model 700 and Model 40XB rifles in .22-250 Remington.  When the wildcat version first appeared is subject to some debate, though most attribute it to quintet of designers working on it from 1934-37.  Currently, rifles chambered for .22-250 Remington appear everywhere in the world, and cartridges, cases, and bullets are made by several companies.

     The .22-250 Remington is based on the semi-wildcat .250-3000 Savage round, necked down to .22 caliber.  The .22-250 Remington is considered by some as sort of designed as a hotloaded round; the case design certainly lends itself to high pressures and powerful loads.  The .22-250 Remington is considered one of the best varmint rounds around, and it has a long range and high accuracy.  Power is primarily suited for light game, but some shooters also find its accuracy lends the .22-250 Remington to benchrest shooting.

     A variant of the .22-250 was built specifically for the Remington 700 EtronX rifle.  The EtronX uses electric primer ignition, and uses a different sort of primer composition that will not work in standard rifles (and vice versa).  The round is available only in 100-round box lots (the second set of information below) and is more expensive per round.  EtronX rounds to not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline, and the EtronX rifle does not use magazines.

     Other Names: .22 Varminter, .22 Wotkyns Original Swift

     Nominal Size: 5.7x48mm

     Actual Size: 5.68x48.61mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 13.53 kg per case of 1000; Price: $250 per case; (EtronX) Weight: 1.35 kg per box of 100; Price: $50 per box.

Magazines:

.25 Krag

     Notes: The .25 Krag is based on what may just be the oldest wildcat round still in existence – so old, in fact, that today it is not certain who was the first to come up with it.  It was first listed in the book The Bullet’s Flight from Powder to Target in 1909, but may have first been designed as much as a decade before that.  The .25 Krag is essentially a .30-40 Krag round necked down to take a .257-caliber bullet, with very few other changes being made to the case except what is necessary to seat the bullet, and shortened somewhat.  (A longer version of the .25 Krag also exists.)  The specifications of early versions varied wildly and quite often, one handloader’s .25 Krag round could not be chambered in another handloader’s .25 Krag rifle.  Ackley finally standardized the specifications and started making factory loads, but even Ackley has never manufactured this round in any large numbers.  Thus, a lot of handloads of the .25 Krag are still out there.

     In general, the .25 Krag is capable of tremendous velocities, has a flat trajectory, good range, and makes a good varmint round that is also capable of taking down larger targets.  Though it has been for the most part overshadowed by newer .257-caliber rifle rounds, there is still enough of an interest in the .25 Krag to keep it going.  The .25 Krag is a rimmed round, and this makes it’s most common use in single-shot and double rifles.

     Other Names: .25 Ackley Krag, .25 Ackley Krag Short, .25 Krag Niedner

     Nominal Size: 6.5x57mm

     Actual Size: 6.53x56.9mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 2.1 kg per box of 100; Price: $76 per box

Magazines:

.25 Remington

     Notes: This round is basically a rimless version of the .25-35 Remington cartridge, designed for use in semiautomatic rifles, but later used in all types of rifles except single-shot and double rifles.  It was introduced in 1906, but no major company has produced it since 1950, and no rifles have been chambered for it since 1942.  The .25 Remington is barely adequate for medium game, but is a decent varmint cartridge.  It does suffer from a range problem due to its round-nosed bullet.

     Other Names: .25-30 Remington

     Nominal Size: 6.5x52mm

     Actual Size: 6.53x51.82mm

     Case Type: Necked

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

Magazines:

.25-06 Remington

     Notes: The .25-06 was originally a cartridge made by wildcatters since at least the 1920s, and it finally became a mainstream round when Remington decided to standardize and manufacture it in 1969.  Remington kept almost exactly to AO Niedner’s original wildcat design, which is a .30-06 Springfield cartridge necked down to accept a .25 caliber bullet.  Since 1969, virtually every manufacturer of bolt-action rifles does or has at one time offered rifles chambered for the .25-06, and its popularity has only recently begun to waver.  It’s ballistics and performance approach that of the larger 6mm Remington round, mostly due to the amount of propellant that backs the relatively light bullet (some loadings have muzzle velocities of almost 1130 meters per second).  The .25-06 is still considered one of the best varmint rounds out there, it can often take down up to medium-sized game, and as an antipersonnel round almost matches the 7.62mm Kalashnikov round!  Factory loads are still by Federal, Winchester, and Remington, in several bullet weights and types and propellant loads.

     Other Names: .25-06, .25-06 Niedner

     Nominal Size: 6.35x63.5mm

     Actual Size: 6.53x63.25mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 23.32 kg per case of 1000; Price: $420 per case

Magazines:

.25 Winchester Super Short Magnum

     Notes: One of the latest of the “fat magnums,” the .25 Winchester Super Short Magnum was introduced in 2005 – to some criticism that the round was simply superfluous.  The .25 WSSM is intended to be a long-range varmint cartridge with the power to also take down some medium-sized game.  The .25 WSSM is also meant to increase the power of .25-caliber rifle cartridges while reducing some of the recoil.  Like the other members of the Super Short Magnum family, the .25 WSSM is intended for use in short-action rifles, and essentially puts magnum-level propellant into a shorter case.  The wide base also results in more even propellant ignition.  The .25 WSSM delivers surprising range and power while maintaining a relatively flat trajectory through most of its range.  Though complete cartridges are made only by Winchester, they also offer unprimed cases and primers for handloaders.

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

     Other Names: .25 WSSM

     Nominal Size: 6.35x42mm

     Actual Size: 6.52x42.42mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 19.53 kg per case of 1000; Price: $350 per case

Magazines:

.25-20 Winchester

     Notes: This is a very old cartridge, developed for the original Winchester M-1892 lever-action rifle.  It is basically a necked-down .32-20 Winchester round.  It achieved quick popularity.  It was once the most popular of varmint and small-game cartridges, until introduction of rounds like the .22 Hornet and .218 Bee.  With the growing interest in the Old West and Cowboy Shooting, the .25-20 is again growing in popularity.   The flat-nosed bullet, though it feeds well in lever-action rifles, has serious range limitations due to poor aerodynamics, and bullet expansion can ruin the meat of small game. 

     Other Names: .25-20 Winchester Centerfire

     Nominal Size: 6.35x34mm

     Actual Size: 6.53x33.78mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight:  14.13 kg per case of 1000; Price: $230 per case

Magazines:

.25-35 Winchester

     Notes: Developed by Winchester specifically for its original Model 94 lever-action rifle in 1895, the .25-35 was developed from the start to use smokeless powder, one of the first cartridges in the US designed to do so.  Marlin and Savage quickly built rifles chambered for the .25-35, and in Europe several single-shot and double rifles also chambered the .25-35.  However, few rifles have been chambered for the .25-35 since World War 2 in Europe, and even fewer in the US.  Stopping power is poor, and penetration is not very good either; in the US, it is illegal to use on medium game since it does not produce enough of a wound to quickly stop such game (though they will eventually die slowly and painfully).  The .25-25 can’t match modern .25-caliber-type rifle cartridges, and is considered virtually obsolete today.  Some wildcatters have devised more effective hotloads for the .25-35, but these have to be specially-made with thicker brass cases.  Today, Winchester is the only company who still manufactures the .25-35, and the future of the .25-25 is uncertain since Winchester has left the US for Belgium.

     Other Names: .25-35 Winchester Centerfire

     Nominal Size: 6.5x52mm

     Actual Size: 6.53x51.82mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 19.14 kg per case of 1000; Price: $350 per case

Magazines:

.26 BSA

     Notes: The Birmingham Small Arms company introduced this proprietary round for its bolt-action rifles based on the 1914 Enfield military rifle in 1921.  It was a relatively advanced design for its time, putting a relatively small bullet into a large case; they are based on Eley cases, necked down.  The round has very high velocity, but the light bullet tends to overpenetrate and therefore is not really suitable for hunting.  Today, the round is considered obsolete and though the cases are relatively easy for handloaders to make from existing cases, the bullets usually have to be custom cast.

     Other Names: .26 Rimless Belted Nitro Express

     Nominal Size: 6.6x60mm

     Actual Size: 6.78x66.04mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 2.98 kg per box of 100; Price: $96 per box

Magazines:

.204 Ruger

     Notes: This cartridge was introduced in 2004 by Ruger specifically for varminting and target shooting.  Though not high on the power scale, it is an excellent round for its designed purposes, as it is flat-shooting, accurate at relatively long ranges, and has little recoil.  The .204 Ruger is not only the first .20-caliber rifle cartridge to be produced on a large scale, it also fires its round at very high velocities – speeds of nearly 1300 meters per second have been recorded for production cartridges, with even higher speeds having been recorded for wildcat .204s.  The .204 Ruger is based on the .222 Remington Magnum case, necked down, shortened a bit, and with the shoulder angle increased.  About a dozen manufacturers make rifles in this caliber today, and cartridges are made by Hornady, Remington, and Winchester.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The .204 Ruger does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

     Nominal Size: 5.2x47mm

     Actual Size: 5.18x46.74mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 10.89 kg per case of 1000; Price: $200 per case

Magazines:

.218 Bee

     Notes: Originally designed for use in the Winchester Model 65 lever-action rifle, the .218 Bee was at first hailed for its superior striking power and range to the .22 Hornet.  The problem with the round is that striking power, however; when used against its intended targets (small game), it can ruin much of the meat upon a hit, especially when non-jacketed rounds are used.  It can also be inaccurate, especially when handloaded or used with non-manufactured quality rounds: due to the small size of the bullet and heavy propellant load, small imperfections can have drastic results.  The .218 Bee has, for the most part, been replaced by superior cartridges like the .223 Remington (5.56mm NATO) and .22-250 Remington. 

     Nominal Size: 5.7x35mm

     Actual Size: 5.69x34.29mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 10.88 kg per case of 1000; Price: $170 per case

Magazines:

.219 Donaldson Wasp

     Notes: A few months after the .219 Zipper was introduced, the .219 Donaldson Wasp round appeared.  It is essentially a wildcat variation of the .219 Zipper that as achieved “almost-mainstream” status; there are several companies which make cases for the round, but few that actually make complete .210 Donaldson Wasp rounds, and it is primarily the purview of handloaders to this day.  The .219 Donaldson starts with a standard .219 Zipper case, but the case is shortened, given a longer neck, and blown out.  The .219 Donaldson Wasp is a rimmed round, and is therefore primarily used in single-shot and double rifles; it is especially popular in benchrest target matches.  Though few companies actually make rifles chambered for the .219 Donaldson Wasp, many shooters will rechamber rifles for it, due to its accuracy.  Making a .219 Donaldson Wasp case, however, takes a lot of skill, and most shooters will instead go for rifles with more readily-available rounds and/or cases.

     Nominal Size: 5.7x43mm

     Actual Size: 5.69x43.43mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 1.21 kg per box of 100; Price: $44 per box

Magazines:

.219 Zipper

     Notes: This round was introduced in 1937, but never gained any real popularity, and Winchester and Remington, the last two companies making the .219 Zipper, finally dropped manufacture of the round in 1962.  The .219 Zipper is a rimmed cartridge designed primarily for lever-action rifles, but it is not an accurate round without the use of a telescopic sight, and it loses velocity fast due to the round-nosed bullet.  There is some controversy as to whether Winchester ever really put in the work necessary to make the .219 Zipper a truly effective round, but this is moot now.

     Nominal Size: 5.7x49mm

     Actual Size: 5.69x49.28mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 1.56 kg per box of 100; Price: $50 per box

Magazines:

.220 Swift

     Notes: This cartridge was introduced in 1935 as a new chambering for the Winchester Model 54 rifle.  Winchester no longer makes rifles in this chambering, but several others do, including Savage, and Ruger.  The .220 Swift began as a .250-3000 Savage round necked down to .22 caliber, but final production was based on the 6mm Lee Navy cartridge.  The .220 Swift round is one of the highest velocity rounds in the world, capable of as much as 1340 meters per second depending upon the bullet and propellant used.  During much the .220 Swift’s early history, this high velocity tended to wear out barrels fast, but since World War 2, barrels have been getting better, and this is not much of a problem any more.  The wound track of a .220 Swift can be erratic, however, and many US states will not allow the .220 Swift to be used on big game on the grounds of cruelty. 

     A variant of the .220 Swift was built specifically for the Remington 700 EtronX rifle.  The EtronX uses electric primer ignition, and uses a different sort of primer composition that will not work in standard rifles (and vice versa).  The round is available as the same cost as a standard .220 Swift round.  EtronX rounds are not available in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

     Nominal Size: 5.7x56mm

     Actual Size: 5.69x55.88mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 1.78 kg per box of 100; Price: $56 per box

Magazines:

.220 Weatherby Rocket

     Notes:  The .220 Weatherby Rocket was developed in 1943 by Roy Weatherby himself.  It was never a very popular round, and as of 2007 neither loaded .220 Weatherby Rocket rounds nor empty cases are being made.  (Factory loads were always rare, in any case.)  The .220 Weatherby Rocket was devised essentially as an experiment, and it served as the predecessor to the rest of the Weatherby ammunition line, though in of itself the .220 Weatherby Rocket has had extremely little use in rifles (whether production, modified, or handmade).  The .220 Weatherby Rocket was based on the .220 Swift case, and actually offers little more in power, range, or penetration over the .220 Swift, though it does extract somewhat easier due to the shape of the modified case.  The .220 Weatherby Rocket does, however, remain the province of handloaders; though there are recommended specifications published by Weatherby, no one is actually making any factory loads these days (and few factory loadings were ever made at any time).  The Twilight 2000 prices below may be in boxes of 100, but actually quantities available at one time should probably be much lower, and prices higher.

     Other Names: .220 Swift Improved, .220 Rocket

     Nominal Size: 5.7x56mm

     Actual Size: 5.69x56.13mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 1.57 kg per box of 100; Price: $57 per box

Magazines:

.221 Fireball

     Notes: This round was designed specifically for the Remington XP-100 target pistol.  It is still largely used by single-shot target pistols, but was briefly considered for the abortive “Arm Gun” submachinegun. It is basically a shortened version of the .222 Remington, and is designed to expand quickly upon impact with flesh. 

     Other Names: .221 Remington Fireball

     Nominal Size: 5.56x31mm

     Actual Size: 5.69x35.56mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight:  11.25 kg per case of 1000; Price $180 per case

Magazines:

.222 Remington

     Notes: The .222 Remington was originally developed in 1950 for the Remington 722 bolt-action rifle.  It quickly became popular with target shooters and varmint hunters, though by the early 1990s it had lost most of that popularity to the .223 Remington (civilian version of the 5.56mm NATO) round.  It is basically a scaled-down .30-06 Springfield round.  In many countries where civilian use of military rounds is prohibited, the .222 Remington round often stands in for the 5.56mm NATO round in civilian rifles and civilianized military rifles.

     Nominal Size: 5.56x43mm

     Actual Size: 5.69x43.18mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight:  13.75 kg per case of 1000; Price: $220 per case

Magazines:

.222 Remington Magnum

     Notes: Now considered obsolete, the .222 Remington Magnum began as an experimental military cartridge in the mid-1950s.  The US military found it unsatisfactory, but Remington marketed it for a short time as a commercial cartridge for the Model 722 and Model 700 rifles.  This round also did not find favor with the shooting public, and at present, no major company makes the .222 Remington cartridge.  (Most .222 Remington Magnum rounds found today are either very old or handloaded.) It should be noted that a 5.56mm NATO round can be chambered and fired in a rifle designed for .222 Remington Magnum, but the gap in headspace can result in a chamber explosion.

     Nominal Size: 5.7x47mm

     Actual Size: 5.69x46.99mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 1.49 kg per box of 100; Price: $48 per box

Magazines:

.223 Winchester Super Short Magnum

     Notes: This cartridge was introduced in 2002 as a solution to the problem of putting Magnum power into a short-action rifle.  It is a short cartridge, but it is also a very fat one; this allows the use of Magnum-levels of propellant, but keeps the round short.  This produces a round with a lot of power for the size of its bullet.

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

     Other Names: .223 WSSM

     Nominal Size: 5.7x42mm

     Actual Size: 5.69x42.42mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 20.25 kg per case of 1000; Price: $330 per case

Magazines:

.224 Weatherby Magnum

     Notes: This round was the product of a long research process, beginning with the .220 Weatherby Rocket wildcat round, progressing to the .224 Varmintmaster, and ending up with the .224 Weatherby Magnum.  The main delay in introduction of the round was the lack of a suitable rifle to fire the round.  It eventually ended up in a reduced-action Weatherby Mark V, but this rifle is no longer built, and the .224 Weatherby Magnum basically died with it.  The .224 Weatherby Magnum is a varmint cartridge with excellent range and a case that stands up to repeated reloading, but the Weatherby Mark V was an expensive rifle and one could buy rifles chambered for rounds with comparable performance and costing much less.

     Nominal Size: 5.7x49mm

     Actual Size: 5.69x48.77mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 1.55 kg per box of 100; Price: $50 per box

Magazines:

.225 Winchester

     Notes: The .225 Winchester was introduced in 1964.  Versions of the Winchester Model 70 were chambered to fire the .225 Winchester (replacing the .220 Swift in the Winchester Model 70), but the .225 Winchester simply did not gain any real popularity in a time where the .22-250 Remington round produced nearly identical performance and was already firmly established.  Only Winchester still makes this round in small amounts, but the rifle it was designed for was only on the market for 8 years.  Handloaders can easily make this round by necking down a .30-30 Winchester case to the dimensions of the .225 Winchester bullet and shortening it somewhat.

     Nominal Size: 5.7x49mm

     Actual Size: 5.69x49.02mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 1.56 kg per box of 100; Price: $50 per box

Magazines:

.240 Weatherby Magnum

     Notes: This cartridge was added to Weatherby’s ammunition line to provide a 6mm-range cartridge and round out the line.  It uses a belted case, a rarity these days, and is fired only from the Weatherby Mark V rifle or custom rifles.  It is a fast round with excellent striking power.  The ammunition, however, is difficult to find and is hard to handload. 

     Nominal Size: 6x64mm

     Actual Size: 6.17x63.5mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 2.38 kg per box of 100; Price: $76 per box

Magazines:

.243 Winchester

     Notes: This round was developed in 1955 by Winchester for their M-70 and M-88 rifles.  The popularity of the new round quickly took off and a large number of companies began chambering rifles for it, and it is now chambered for more rifles than any other with the exception of the .30-06 Springfield round.  The round can be used for anything from varmints to medium game such as deer and antelopes.  The .243 Winchester does, however, have a reputation for erratic performance, especially when handloaded.

     A variant of the .243 was built specifically for the Remington 700 EtronX rifle.  The EtronX uses electric primer ignition, and uses a different sort of primer composition that will not work in standard rifles (and vice versa).  The round is available only in 100-round box lots (the second set of information below) and is more expensive per round.  EtronX rounds to not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline, and the EtronX rifle does not use magazines.

     Nominal Size: 6x52mm

     Actual Size: 6.17x52.07mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight:  19.5 kg per case of 1000; Price: $310 per case; (EtronX) Weight: 1.95 kg per box of 100; Price: $62 per box

Magazines:

.243 Winchester Super Short Magnum

     Notes: Like the .223 Winchester Super Short Magnum, this round was designed to solve the problem of putting Magnum loads into rifles with short actions.  It was introduced in 2002, and brings a new level of accuracy and range to the .243 Winchester round.  It was designed for long-range varmint hunting, but has enough power to bring down much larger game.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This round does not exist.

     Other Names: .243 WSSM

     Nominal Size: 6x42mm

     Actual Size: 6.17x42.42mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 17.46 kg per case of 1000; Price: $313 per case

Magazines:

.244 Remington

     Notes: Introduced by Remington in 1955 for its Model 722 rifle, the .244 Remington is essentially the .257 Roberts case necked down to 6mm.  However, the .244 Remington is actually a “wildcat gone commercial;” the Remington cartridge is based on a wildcat called the .243 Rockchucker, which preceded the .244 Remington by several years.  Remington is the only firm to have actually made factory ammunition in .244 Remington, though Remington was accompanied by a few European rifle makers in chambering the round.  Balistically, the .244 Remington is almost identical to the .243 Winchester round; it is also close to the 6mm Remington round.  .244 Remington-chambered rifles used a light, 75-90-grain bullet, along with a slow twist rate of rifling.  The .244 Remington was never a popular round; buyers found it superfluous in the face of the .243 Winchester, while handloaders and wildcatters were disappointed when they tried heavier bullets in the .244 Remington.  The case had a large enough propellant load to fire heavier bullets, and could take an even larger propellant load; the problem was the slow rifling twist rate, which could not stabilize heavier or faster bullets.  Remington’s answer was to retool the .244 Remington-chambered rifles, giving them a faster twist rate; they then retooled the .244 Remington for a heavier bullet and larger propellant load, and call it the 6mm Remington round.  Ironically, the .244 Remington round can be fired from 6mm Remington-chambered rifles and it performs quite well, though the reverse is not true – the 6mm Remington can be fired from .244-chambered rifles, but it will perform poorly.

     Nominal Size: 6x57mm

     Actual Size: 6.17x56.64mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 1.86 kg per box of 100; Price: $68 per box

Magazines:

.250 Savage

     Notes: This was designed as a high-velocity round for the Model 99 lever-action rifle.  It was introduced in 1915, and at that time, the 3000 feet per second velocity was truly phenomenal.  The cartridge is known for its flat trajectory, outstanding accuracy, and stopping power.  Though it has since been largely replaced by newer rounds, many maintain that the .250 Savage is superior to most of the rounds in its size that came later.

     Other Names: .250-3000 Savage

     Nominal Size: 6.35x49mm

     Actual Size: 6.53x48.51mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 20.25 kg per case of 1000; Price: $320 per case

Magazines:

.256 Newton

     Notes: This round was designed by Charles Newton for use in his bolt-action rifle line.  It was introduced in 1913, manufactured by Western Cartridge for Newton, but the cartridge failed when his company did, and by 1938, the .256 Newton was no longer being manufactured.  The .256 Newton is based on a necked-down .30-06 case, and can be easily handloaded, if you can find a rifle to shoot it out of.  Today, the .256 Newton is largely a wildcat round, with a few custom rifles chambered for it.  It is adequate for small and medium game, but cannot match most modern cartridges in the same size range.

     Other Names: 6.5mm Newton

     Nominal Size: 6.5x62mm

     Actual Size: 6.71x62mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 2.74 kg per box of 100; Price: $88 per box

Magazines:

.256 Winchester Magnum

     Notes: Though this was announced as a handgun cartridge, it was used only in one handgun, a single-shot Ruger Hawkeye in 1961.  It was thereafter used as a rifle cartridge, but not many weapons actually use the round.  The .256 Winchester Magnum is actually a necked-down .357 Magnum round.  It is far more effective than most rounds of its size, but it was nonetheless discontinued in the early 1990s by Winchester.

     Nominal Size: 6.5x33mm

     Actual Size: 6.53x33.02mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 13.88 kg per case of 1000; Price: $220 per case

Magazines:

.257 Roberts

     Notes: This cartridge was introduced by Remington in its Model 30 bolt-action rifle.  It was quickly picked up by Winchester and several other companies for their rifles.  Though as of late most US manufacturers have ceased making rifles for it, Ruger continues to chamber the Model 77 for the .257 Roberts.  It is basically a necked-down 7mm Mauser cartridge.  The .257 Roberts is praised for being useful for anything from varminting to medium game hunting; it has even been known to take down the occasional bear.  Most manufacturers tend to under-load the .257 Roberts, however, and this limits its velocity at longer ranges.

     Nominal Size: 6.5x57mm

     Actual Size: 6.53x56.64mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight:  23.75 kg per case of 1000; Price $380 per case

Magazines:

.257 STW

     Notes: Designed by Layne Simpson of Shooting Times magazine as a wildcat experiment, the .257 STW was one of many rounds Mr. Simpson developed by necking down the 8mm Magnum case.  The result is, as with other such STW rounds, basically a .257 magnum rifle round. Mr. Simpson found (at the time) that the .257 STW round tended to cause a lot of fouling in the barrel (even to the extent of stripping off some of the copper from the jacket of the bullet as it traveled down the barrel), that the barrels the round was fired through tended to wear rather rapidly, and that the .257 bullets available tended to be less accurate than desired due to an unpredictable trajectory (primarily due to the damage they sustained traveling down the barrel). 

      In 2004, however, Chuck Taylor, a noted gunsmith and handloader, did some more work on the .257 STW. He used barrels of more modern materials and with better bore chroming; but more importantly, he used more modern bullets and propellant.  The bullet he chose was a 115-grain Barnes Triple-Shock, coated with a moly coating (Mr. Taylor recommends a Ms. Moly coating), though Barnes says that the Triple-Shock bullet did not need the coating.  He coupled these with IMR-made propellant and Remington-made 7mm STW cases which had already been necked down to .257.  Mr. Taylor therefore improved the .257 STW to a point where it became a viable round (though it remains a wildcat cartridge), with surprising power and penetration, excellent range, and flat shooting characteristics.  However, the .257 STW has yet to attain any sort of “mainstream” status, and remains primarily the province of handloaders (though Remington does make some cases for it). 

     Twilight 2000 Notes: .257 STW rounds will be of the unsuccessful types that Layne Simson originally came up with.

     Other Names: .257 Shooting Times Westerner, 6.5mm STW or Shooting Times Westerner (though both are considered incorrect)

     Nominal Size: 6.5x72mm

     Actual Size: 6.53x72.39mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 2.66 kg per box of 100; Price: $97 per box

Magazines:

.257 Weatherby Magnum

     Notes: This round was one of the first designed by Roy Weatherby, designed in 1944 (a year before he went into the firearms business).  He began manufacturing the round commercially in 1948.  It is especially useful for long-range varmint hunting, but also has the power to bring down most North American big game, up to animals the size of an antelope or black bear.  However, successful hunting of larger animals with the .257 Weatherby Magnum generally requires heavier bullets, which can lead to premature barrel wear.  The .257 Weatherby Magnum also loses velocity quickly when fired from barrels shorter than 26 inches (660mm). 

     Nominal Size: 6.5x65mm

     Actual Size: 6.53x64.77mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 2.71 kg per box of 100; Price: $86 per box

Magazines:

.264 Winchester Magnum

     Notes: Introduced by Winchester in 1958, the .264 Winchester Magnum is basically a smaller version of the .458 Winchester Magnum round.  It was the first North American 6.5mm round manufactured since 1913.  The .264 Winchester Magnum is not a common chambering, however, and is only found in a few rifles, such as the Winchester M-70, Remington 700, and Ruger M-77.  The .264 Winchester Magnum is a fast, powerful round, but the rifling twist rate recommended by Winchester is not fast enough to stabilize bullets of more than 140 grains weight, so most rounds of this chambering are lighter.  The .264 Winchester can also be very hard on a barrel, like most high-velocity rounds, and does not work well in shorter barrels.

     Other Names: 6.5mm Winchester Magnum

     Nominal Size: 6.5x64mm

     Actual Size: 6.71x64.01mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 28.25 kg per case of 1000; Price: $450 per case

Magazines:

.270 Weatherby Magnum

     Notes:  Though many think that the .270 Weatherby Magnum was developed from the .300 Weatherby Magnum, it was actually the .270 that came first, in 1943.  It is based on a necked-down .300 H&H Magnum case.  The .270 Weatherby Magnum simply did not become well-known until after the .300 Weatherby Magnum.  The .270 Weatherby Magnum is useful against both North American and African big game.  However, like all high-velocity cartridges, it can be hard on the barrel, and time should be given for barrel cooling after several shots. 

     Nominal Size: 7x65mm

     Actual Size: 7.04x64.77mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 3.15 kg per box of 100; Price: $100 per box

Magazines:

.270 Winchester

     Notes: Introduced in 1925 for the Model 54 bolt-action rifle, the .270 Winchester quickly became wildly popular.  The .270 Winchester is basically a .30-06 Springfield case necked down to a smaller bullet.  It remains one of the most popular civilian rounds in the world.  The .270 Winchester is known for a combination of range and stopping power, and can be even be used for varmint hunting when loaded with a light bullet.  One criticism of the round is that the gunshots produced are very loud, scaring game for follow-up shots or shots at second targets. 

     Nominal Size: 6.9x64mm

     Actual Size: 7.04x64.52mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight:  31.38 kg per case of 1000; Price: $500 per case

Magazines:

.270 Winchester Short Magnum

     Notes:  This round was introduced in 2001 to provide Magnum performance in a short action rifle.  It is basically a smaller version of the .300 Winchester Short Magnum (in fact, it is a .300 Winchester Short Magnum necked down to .277 caliber).  It is a short, fat case containing Magnum levels of propellant, with excellent striking power and range.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This round does not exist.

     Other Names: .270 WSM

     Nominal Size: 6.9x53mm

     Actual Size: 7.04x53.34mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 32.5 kg per case of 1000; Price: $525 per case

Magazines:

.280 Ackley

     Notes: Introduced by Nosler for its limited-edition custom rifle in 2006, the .280 Ackley is an improved version of the .280 Remington round (and thus often called the .280 Ackley Improved).  The .280 Ackley is essentially a specialty round made for Nosler exclusively by Midway USA, using heavier bullets than is normal for the .280 Remington as well as a higher load of different propellant than the .280 Remington.  Stronger cases are also used.  This basically turns the .280 Remington into a magnum round, with much better range, and penetration, as well as a bit more stopping power (unfortunately, not for the most part able to be simulated in the Twilight 2000 rules).  In addition, the .280 Ackely uses AccuBond bullets which also improve the penetration and damaging potential (again, not able to be simulated with the game rules).  Though the .280 Ackley is basically the same size as the .280 Remington (and most rifles chambered for the .280 Ackley can also fire .280 Remington, though not vice-versa, and with a loss of accuracy and extraction reliability), the shoulder angle is very different and the straight portion of the case is longer, with a shorter neck.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The .280 Ackley is not available in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

     Other Names: .280 Ackley Improved, .280 Remington Ackley Improved

     Nominal Size: 7x65mm

     Actual Size: 7.21x64.52mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 2.76 kg per box of 100; Price: $105 per box

Magazines:

.280 British

     Notes: This was an experimental round designed for the post-World War 2 British service rifle competition.  Work began on the round shortly after the end of World War 2 in 1945, and continued until 1951.  The .280 British round is a very good round, with excellent range and ballistic properties and good damaging and armor-penetrating properties.  The leading rifle developed for it, the EM-2, was also a sound design.  However, the round and rifles developed for it (there was even a version of the FAL experimentally chambered for the .280 British), were eventually rejected due to political pressure from the United states, who wanted a common round for all NATO rifles and light machineguns, and decided that the 7.62x51mm round was the only acceptable round for the purpose (at the time).  This round is virtually unknown these days, as are the weapons that fire it.

     Nominal Size: 7x43mm

     Actual Size: 7.19x43.43mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 2.2 kg per box of 100; Price: $70 per box

Magazines:

.280 Remington

     Notes: This round was introduced in 1957.  Sales of the round and the rifles chambered for it did not take off as well as expected, and in 1979 Remington changed the name to something it hoped was more catchy – 7mm Express Remington.  This name change only confused consumers, and Remington went back to the .280 Remington name in 1980.  The .280 Remington is a necked down .30-06 with some other changes in the brass, very similar to the wildcat 7mm-06 round.  The .280 Remington is a bit more powerful than the .270 Winchester, and a little more versatile, but not as popular.

     Other Names: 7mm Express Remington

     Nominal Size: 7x65mm

     Actual Size: 7.21x64.52mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 32.88 kg per case of 1000; Price: $530 per case

Magazines:

.284 Winchester

     Notes: This round was introduced in 1963 by Winchester for its Model 88 and Model 100 rifles, both of which were discontinued long ago.  For a short time, Savage and Browning also offered rifles in this chambering, but they too have been discontinued.  No major ammunition manufacturers now make the .284 Winchester round.  The .284 Winchester basically duplicates the ballistics of the .280 Remington round in a shorter cartridge, and has decent range and striking power.

     Nominal Size: 7x55mm

     Actual Size: 7.21x55.12mm

     Case Type: Necked

     Weight: 2.81 kg per box of 100; Price: $90 per case

Magazines: