Another newbie question sorry!

[mr40.cal]

What exactly does the grain in a bullet stand for? Is it something to do with the actual load or powder weight? Or is it the measure or weight of the actual bullet itself? I was kind of thrown off because i use to think when my pistol ammo said 145 or 180 grain that it had something to do with having a hotter load. But then i see on a typical box of 223 rem , it says 55 grain. I would think that a rifle round would have a bigger load then a pistol round. I am at your mercy so please dont flame me. thanks for all the info you guys give in here.

[Onslow]

The grain as your refering to in your question is the weight of the bullet itself. A 55 grain bullet is smaller hence .223. A .45 ACP bullet typically weighs 230 grains, cause it's large. There's NOT 230 grains of powder in a 45 ACP cartridge. It's the actual weigh of the bullet. :D