.357 + 7.62 + .22 cartridge
cases side by side
This view gives a good idea of the relative sizes of the above cartridge cases. As can be gauged from their relative sizes and thus propellant capacities, the 7.62 is by far the most powerful. The .357 is a nickel coated brass case, the other two are plain brass. The benefit of the nickel coating is to reduce tarnishing before use and thus make cleaning for reloading easier. Nickel cases are not recommended for use in automatic, or semi-automatic guns due to the possibility of the coating flaking off and causing malfunctions by becoming lodged in the mechanism. The 7.62 is a rimless case, so called because the head of the case is the same diameter as the body, whilst the .357 and the .22 are rimmed. The .22 is a rimfire case and is fired by the rim being crushed by the firing pin at any point around the circumference, it is not reloadable. The other two are centrefire cases and have removable primers and thus both can be repeatedly reloaded (especially if light loads are used).
