I was looking at some things and the numbers were like this


7.69x49     , 7.69x53
5.56
.223
7.62

Please tell me what are they talking about and what does the "x" and following number have to do with it?

Those are ammunition designations and they can be confusing. Since ammo is used all over the world lots of different countries have imput on what you call them. The most popular ones ususally take over as the name of the cartridge.

United States usually uses caliber which is a measure of the diameter of the bullet.
For example 50 caliber is larger in diamter than 30 caliber.

Older US cartidges are sometimes designated by both the diameter of the bullet and the capacity of the shell casing expressed in grains of black powder (used before smokeless powder). For example 45/70 is a 45 caliber bullet and a shell casing that holds 70 grains of black powder.

Other US designations have taken on manufacturer characteristics such as the following:
30/06 was a 30 caliber cartridge designed in year 1906. Another example would be 45 ACP which stands for 45 caliber automatic Colt pistol.

The other numbers you speak of are chamberings offered with foreign influance and therefore have taken on metric characteristics. For example 5.56 is the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) designation for what the US calls .223 Remington. 5.56 is the diameter of the bullet in millimeters.  The others you list with the "x" in the middle express both the diameter of the bullet and the length of the shell casing. For example 7.62x39 is the NATO designation for what the US refers to as the .308. 7.62 is the diameter of the bullet in millimeters and the 39 is the length of the shell in millimeters.  The "x" is pronounced "by" and therefore the cartidge is stated as, "seven point six two by thirty nine."

Thank you with a capitol " T "has.308..223,.30-06, or any other

Application.. rifle for fun Yet,, if need be could reach out and touch someone if you lived in a rual area on a farmhouse or just house setting in the woods in the middle of no where?

Quoted: Those are ammunition designations and they can be confusing. Since ammo is used all over the world lots of different countries have imput on what you call them. The most popular ones ususally take over as the name of the cartridge. United States usually uses caliber which is a measure of the diameter of the bullet. For example 50 caliber is larger in diamter than 30 caliber. Older US cartidges are sometimes designated by both the diameter of the bullet and the capacity of the shell casing expressed in grains of black powder (used before smokeless powder). For example 45/70 is a 45 caliber bullet and a shell casing that holds 70 grains of black powder. Other US designations have taken on manufacturer characteristics such as the following: 30/06 was a 30 caliber cartridge designed in year 1906. Another example would be 45 ACP which stands for 45 caliber automatic Colt pistol. The other numbers you speak of are chamberings offered with foreign influance and therefore have taken on metric characteristics. For example 5.56 is the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) designation for what the US calls .223 Remington. 5.56 is the diameter of the bullet in millimeters.  The others you list with the "x" in the middle express both the diameter of the bullet and the length of the shell casing. For example 7.62x51 is the NATO designation for what the US refers to as the .308. 7.62 is the diameter of the bullet in millimeters and the 51 is the length of the shell in millimeters.  The "x" is pronounced "by" and therefore the cartidge is stated as, "seven point six two by fifty-one."

There, fixed it for ya.

My bad on the .308, cheerfully withdrawn for correction.

Ammunition is sometimes difficult to understand as there is no real fixed way to name a cartridge. Here are some other odd ones I forgot on the first reply:

7mm/08  a .308 cartridge necked down to accept a 7mm bullet
35 Whelen  a 30/06 cartridge necked up to accept a .35 caliber bullet
Anything with WSM after it stands for Winchester Short Magnum, a group of cartidges that are short action sized but still pack a punch (in simple terms)
And hundreds more!

As for which is the best, well that is a loaded question. That depends on a ton of factors. What kind of gun are you going to shoot it out of? Do you want an assault rifle type setup or a bolt action or a lever or what? If you are looking for a first hunting gun I would have to vote for a 30/06 bolt action. The 30/06 is able to be used in many different ammuntion setups. You can shoot a 110 grain varmint bullet all the way up to around a 200 grain bullet for larger game. A gun of this type can be used to hunt for a very wide range of game and can shoot fairly flat with minimal to moderate recoil. However a bolt action rifle is not much for self defense so if you want a truly all around gun here is my suggestion:

AR-15 chambered for .308 (AR-10) made by any high quality manufacturer. Add to it a variable power scope that will also allow you to use your iron sights as well.