What does "High-Caliber" mean???

[SlickmisterN]

In Oregon if you have a license to use the .420 high caliber, you cannot get a license to ccw, it's one or the other.

[NorCalXJ]

The scarier the headline=more viewers.

[soopafly]

http://highcalibersales.com/

[drdarrin@sbcglobal.net]

I keep hearing the media refer to the AR15 as a "high-Caliber" firearm. It seems to me like it insinuates "Large -Caliber" which really doesn't apply to .223/5.56 at all. I tried googling high-caliber and came up with nothing defining it. Is this just some made up term that means nothing?

It means, in layman's terms, that the speaker doesn't know WTF he is talking about. Pretty normal behavior among gun banners and the press in general.

[RR.44]

Seems to me that it would refer to the type of weapon involved i.e. a single shot shotgun is not a high caliber weapon, it is an inexpensive one, whereas an AR15 is a high caliber weapon simply due to the fact that it is an expensive weapon, simply a play on words IMO

[hambam105]

The term, "High Caliber", comes from having smokless (Non Black powder) cartridges on the belt while on horseback.

Apparently, when on horseback your arse is higher in the air than those afoot, so that makes for a 'High Caliber' firearm. Simple. Do you feel the pull on your leg?

[Paltik]

Seems to me that it would refer to the type of weapon involved i.e. a single shot shotgun is not a high caliber weapon, it is an inexpensive one, whereas an AR15 is a high caliber weapon simply due to the fact that it is an expensive weapon, simply a play on words IMO

Yeah, there's the ticket. Like one can refer to a "high-caliber lawyer."

[ElvenSoul]

Yes it seems Gecko45 is now a media consultant.

[bomb_on_bus]

High caliber is a sort of misnomer made up by liberals, gun fearing democrats, and the media. The term has been used widely to help sell the idea that "guns are bad mmmmmmmm'kay." You can google the term "high caliber"+"firearms" under google search and read all sorts of bad articles using that magical made up term.

I have heard something similarly used to describe someone "That person ****** ************ is of the highest moral caliber." Something to that extent.

[SloChicken]

I think what you (and them) are meaning to refer to is High Velocity firearm.

I recall there is a distinction as far as trauma guidelines go regarding high velocity and lower velocity (referred to as medium velocity in the Wiki reference below).
The distinction is explained in general terms in the text. Basically it has to do with secondary injury due to cavitation potential due to the high velocity and the basic kinetic energy formula of 1/2 mass multiplied by velocity squared.
Using this formula it is easy to see how increased energy can bring more energy to bear per percentage changed in the variables.

read below it will be better stated. I am sure there are scholarly medical articles along these lines, but I am lazy and wiki brought up one first.

Further information: Ballistic trauma





A gunshot wound
As a missile passes through tissue, it decelerates, dissipating and transferring kinetic energy to the tissues; this is what causes the injury.[1] The velocity of the projectile is a more important factor than its mass in determining how much damage is done;[1] kinetic energy increases with the square of the velocity. In addition to injury caused directly by the object that enters the body, penetrating injuries may be associated with secondary injuries, due for example to a blast injury.[2] High-velocity objects are usually projectiles such as bullets from high-powered rifles, such as assault rifles[5] or sniper rifles. Bullets classed as medium-velocity projectiles include those from handguns, shotguns,[5] and submachine guns. Low-velocity items, such as knives, are usually propelled by a person's hand, and usually do damage only to the area that is directly contacted by the object.[5] The space left by tissue that is destroyed by the penetrating object as it passes through forms a cavity; this is called permanent cavitation.[6] In addition to causing damage to the tissues they contact, medium- and high-velocity projectiles cause a secondary cavitation injury: as the object enters the body, it creates a pressure wave which forces tissue out of the way, creating a "temporary cavity" that can be much larger than the object itself.[6] The tissues soon move back into place, eliminating the cavity, but the cavitation frequently does considerable damage first.[5] Temporary cavitation can be especially damaging when it affects delicate tissues such as the brain, as occurs in penetrating head trauma.

The characteristics of the tissue injured also help determine the severity of the injury; for example, the denser the tissue, the greater the amount of energy transmitted to it.[6] The path of a projectile can be estimated by imagining a line from the entrance wound to the exit wound, but the actual trajectory may vary due to ricochet or differences in tissue density.[4] In a cut, the discolouration and the swelling of the skin from a blow happens because of the ruptured blood vessels and escape of blood and fluid and other injury that interrupts the circulation.[7]

[machrono]

don't discuss the .420 publicly here...you will get it banned by next year's legislative session!

[wamphyri13]

What does "High-Caliber" mean???
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Ryan

[Donnovin]

High Cal. means you'll get fat if you have too many of them. They should regulate this stuff since obesity is increasingly a matter of national security.