The term caliber or calibre designates the interior diameter of a tube or the exterior diameter of a wire or rod. It comes from the Italian calibro, itself from qālib (قالب), Arabic word for mold. Look up calibre in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... DIAMETER is a computer networking protocol for AAA (Authentication, Authorization and Accounting). ... One half of a bronze mold for casting a socketed spear head dated to the period 1400-1000 BC. There are no known parallels for this mold. ...

The term most often appears with respect to firearms, as a measure of the inside diameter of the barrel in inches or hundredths of an inch, or in millimetres. Firearms redirects here. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Firearms

In firearms, the caliber is the diameter of the inside of the barrel. In a rifled barrel the distance is measured between opposing lands or grooves; groove measurements are common in cartridge designations originating in the United States, while land measurements are more common elsewhere. Rifling of a Canon de 75 modèle 1897 A 35 caliber Remington, with a microgroove rifled barrel with a right hand twist. ...

When the barrel diameter is given in inches, the abbreviation "cal" is used in place of "inches". For example, a (smallbore) rifle with a diameter of 0.22 inch is a .22 cal, however the decimal point is generally dropped when spoken, making it "twenty-two calibre".

Calibers of weapons can be referred to in metric in millimeters, as in a "caliber of eighty-eight millimetres" (88 mm) or "a hundred and five-millimetre caliber gun" (sometimes abbreviated as "105 mm gun").

While modern cartridges and cartridge firearms are generally referred to by the cartridge name, they are still lumped together based on bore diameter; for example, a firearm might be described as a .30 caliber rifle, which could be any of a wide range of cartridges using a roughly .30 inch projectile, or a .22 rimfire, referring to any rimfire cartridge using a .22 caliber projectile. This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A rimfire is a type of firearm cartridge. ...

Cartridge naming conventions

Makers of early cartridge arms had to invent methods of naming^[1] the cartridges, since there was at the time no established convention. One of the early established cartridge arms was the Spencer repeating rifle, which saw service in the American Civil War. It was named based on the chamber dimensions, rather than the barrel length, with the earliest cartridge called the "No. 56 cartridge", indicating a chamber diameter of .56 inches; the bore diameter varied considerably, from .52 to .54 inches. Later various derivatives were created using the same basic cartridge, but with smaller diameter bullets; these were named by the cartridge diameter at the base and mouth. The original No. 56 became the .56-56, and the smaller versions .56-52, .56-50, and .56-46. The .56-52, the most common of the new calibers, used a .50 caliber bullet. The Spencer repeating rifle was a manually operated lever-action, repeating rifle fed from a tube magazine with cartridges. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total... A wildcat cartridge, or wildcat, is a custom cartridge for which ammunition and firearms are not mass produced. ...

Other early black powder era cartridges used a similar looking naming scheme, but measured entirely different characteristics. This scheme was far more popular, and was used into the advent of early smokeless powder cartridges. The cartridge would be described by the bullet diameter, in hundredths of an inch, and the powder charge in grains. Some of these cartridges remain popular today, such as the .45-70, .44-40, and .30-30 Winchester. Black powder was the original gunpowder and practically the only known propellant and explosive until the middle of the 19th century. ... Gunpowder (also called black powder) is a pyrotechnic composition, an explosive mixture of sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate that burns rapidly, producing volumes of hot solids and gases which can be used as a propellant in firearms and fireworks. ... A grain is a unit of mass equal to 0. ... The . ... .303 in. ...

With the growing number of cartridges chambered for new smokeless powders, the cartridges started to be named based on bullet diameter combined with some other identifier. The .30-03 and .30-06 were named for the date of introduction, 1903 and 1906 respectively. The .45 ACP, or .45 Automatic Colt Pistol, described the developer and intended use. Other times some liberty is taken with the bullet diameter to differentiate different cartridges; for example the .221 Fireball, .222 Remington and .223 Remington all use the same bullet diameter, but the cartridges are different lengths. Some cartridges use a relative length in the name, such as .22 Short and .22 Long, or a relative power, such as .44 Special and .44 Magnum. Variations on these methods persist today, with new cartridges such as the .204 Ruger and .17 HMR (Hornady Magnum Rimfire). The . ... .303 in. ... .45 ACP cartridges .45 redirects here. ... .22 Short, left; .22 Long Rifle, right .22 Short is a variety of . ... .22 Long is a variety of . ... The . ... The . ... The . ... .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire, commonly known as the . ...

Metric calibres for small arms are usually expressed with an "x" between the width and the length, for example, 7.62x51 NATO. This indicates that the cartridge uses a 7.62 mm diameter bullet, loaded in a case 51 mm long. Similarly, the 6.5x55 Swedish cartridge has a bullet of 6.5 mm, and a case length of 55 mm. The means of measuring a rifled bore varies, and may refer to the diameter of the lands or the grooves of the rifling; this is why the .303 British, measured across the lands, actually uses a .311 inch bullet (7.70 mm vs. 7.90 mm), while the .308 Winchester, while dimensionally identical to the 7.62x51 mm NATO cartridge, is measured across the grooves, and uses a .308" diameter (7.82 mm) bullet. NATO 7. ... 6. ... NATO 7. ...

Modern small arms range in bore size from approximately .17 (4.5 mm) up to .50 caliber (12.7 mm). Arms used to hunt large dangerous game, such as those used in express rifles, may be as large as .80 caliber. In the middle of the 19th century, muskets and muzzle-loading rifles were .58 caliber or larger; the Brown Bess flintlock, for example, had a bore diameter of about .75 caliber (19 mm). Paintball guns are typically .68 caliber (17 mm). An express rifle is a large caliber hunting rifle for large and dangerous game like elephant, leopard, cape buffalo and brown bear. ... Muskets and bayonets aboard the frigate Grand Turk. ... For other uses, see Rifle (disambiguation). ... Short Land Service musket Brown Bess is a nickname of unknown origin for the British Armys Land Pattern Musket and its derivatives. ... Flintlock of an 18th Century hunting rifle, with piece of flint missing. ... A woodsball player firing at opponents from behind cover. ...

Caliber as measurement of length

Relationship of caliber in bore and length of gun

The length of the barrel (especially for larger guns) is often quoted in calibers. The effective length of the barrel (from breech to muzzle) is divided by the barrel diameter to give a value. As an example, the main guns of the Iowa class battleships can be referred to as 16"/50 caliber. They are 16 inches in diameter and the barrel is 800 inches long (16 x 50 = 800). This is also sometimes indicated using the prefix L/, so for example, the most common gun for the Panzer V tank is described as a "75 mm L/70", meaning a barrel 75 mm in diameter, and 5250 mm long. Illustration of relationship of calibre to bore and length of gun. ... Illustration of relationship of calibre to bore and length of gun. ... Look up breech in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The muzzle of a firearm is the end of the barrel from which the projectile will exit. ... The Iowa-class battleships were six battleships ordered by the United States Navy in 1939 and 1940 for use as escorts for the Fast Carrier Task Forces operating in the Pacific Theatre of World War II. Four were completed in the early to mid-1940s; two more were laid down... Panther D The Panther was a medium tank of the German Army in World War II. Until 1944 it was designated as the PzKpfw V Panther, and also had the Ordnance inventory designation of SdKfz 171. ...

Alternative measurements of bore

Measurement of the bore of large weapons was often expressed in pounds. The weapon would be named according to the weight of a sphere of lead of the same diameter as the bore. The density of lead was used because it is a traditional material for projectiles.

This leads to certain guns being referred to as 6-pounder, 25-pounder and so forth. However this relationship between calibre and projectile weight changed with the introduction of the cylindrical rifled shell. The gun continued to be named by the weight of projectile it threw although this no longer gave a direct indication of the barrel size.

Shotguns are named according to gauge, a related expression. The gauge of a shotgun refers to how many lead spheres the diameter of the bore would equal a pound. In the case of a 12-gauge shotgun, it would take twelve spheres the size of the shotgun's bore to equal a pound. Counterintuitively, a numerically larger gauge indicates a smaller barrel: a 20-gauge shotgun requires more spheres to equal a pound, therefore its barrel is smaller than the 12 gauge. This metric is used in Russia as "caliber number": "shotgun of the twelve caliber". The sixteenth caliber is known as "lordly" (Russian: барский). While shotgun bores can be expressed in calibers (the .410 bore shotgun is in fact a caliber measure of .41 caliber (11 mm)), the nature of shotshells is such that the barrel diameter often varies significantly down the length of the shotgun barrel, with various levels of choke and backboring. The Gauge or bore of a shotgun is a unit of measurement used to express the diameter of the barrel. ... A shotgun shell is a self-contained cartridge loaded with shot or a slug designed to be fired from a shotgun. ...

Metric vs Inch

Here are some commonly used calibers with their metric and inch equivalents. Some calibers appear more than once; the bullet used in a .38 caliber cartridge in particular varies quite a bit, up to 0.045 inches (1.15 mm) depending on the specific cartridge.

This article lists firearm cartridges which have a bullet in the . ... The . ... .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire, commonly known as the . ... This article lists firearm cartridges which have a bullet in the . ... Air guns are weapons that propel a bullet using compressed air or another gas, possibly liquefied. ... Steel BBs BB guns are a type of air gun designed to fire usually spherical projectiles, called BBs after the Birdshot pellet of approximately the same size. ... This article lists firearm cartridges which have a bullet in the 5mm (.197 in) caliber range. ... The . ... The Soviet 5. ... .22 redirects here. ... The . ... The 5. ... This article lists firearm cartridges which have a bullet caliber between 6 mm (.236 in) and 7 mm (.284 in). ... .243 cartridge The . ... The 6 mm Remington was introduced by Remington Arms Company in 1955 as the . ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The . ... 6. ... The . ... 6. ... A . ... The 7 mm Remington Magnum rifle cartridge was introduced as a commercially available round in 1962, [2] along with the new Remington Model 700 bolt action rifle. ... The 7x57 Mauser, also known as the 7 mm Mauser, 7 mm Spanish Mauser, and .275 Rigby, was developed as a military cartridge in 1893 for use by the military forces of Spain. ... NATO 7. ... The Soviet 7. ... The . ... This article lists firearm cartridges which have a bullet in the 8 mm (.315 in) caliber range. ... The . ... The 8 mm Remington Magnum was introduced by Remington Arms Company in 1978 as a new chambering for the model 700 rifle. ... This article lists firearm cartridges which have a bullet in the 9 mm (.354 in) caliber range. ... Left to right: .38 Special, .17 HMR and . ... “.357” redirects here. ... Category: ... This article lists firearm cartridges which have a bullet in the 10 mm (.394 in) caliber range. ... This article lists firearm cartridges which have a bullet in the 10 mm (.394 in) caliber range. ... A wildcat cartridge, or wildcat, is a custom cartridge for which ammunition and firearms are not mass produced. ... The . ... The 10 mm Auto is a powerful and versatile cartridge for semi-automatic pistols, developed by ammunition manufacturer FFV Norma AB of Åmotfors, Sweden, and introduced in 1983 in the ill-fated Bren Ten pistol. ... The . ... .303 in. ... The . ... This article lists firearm cartridges which have a bullet in the 11 mm (.433 in) caliber range. ... .45 ACP cartridges .45 redirects here. ... The . ... A wildcat cartridge, or wildcat, is a custom cartridge for which ammunition and firearms are not mass produced. ... The . ... The . ... This article lists firearm cartridges which have a bullet in the 12 mm (.472 in) caliber range. ... The . ... .303 in. ... The . ... The . ... The Desert Eagle is a large caliber gas-operated semi-automatic pistol manufactured in Israel by IMI (Israel Military Industries) for Magnum Research, Inc. ... The Model 500 Revolver is a double-action revolver produced by Smith & Wesson, based on the X-Frame. ... .50 BMG rounds and 20MM Vulcan round, with a golf ball and a stick of RAM posed to provide scale. ... Russian 12. ... This article is about the . ... The Barrett Firearms Company was founded in 1980 by Ronnie Barrett. ...

Rockets and missiles

Dimensions of rockets and missiles are usually expressed in millimeters as opposed to caliber. (i.e. 60 mm rocket)

Aviation bombs - Airplanes

Some countries (the former USSR and Russian Federation, for instance) use the "caliber" term to classify aviation bombs. The Russian/Soviet bomb caliber is expressed in mass/weight units, but may not be equal to the mass/weight of the munition.

Other uses

• In architecture, the caliber of a column is its diameter.
• In electricity, the caliber of an instrument of measure is the maximum value it can measure.
• In nautical parlance, the caliber of a chain is the diameter of the metal rod used to make each chain link.
• Agricultural produce is also often ranked by caliber (diameter), for instance olives, peas or eggs.
• In typography, the caliber of a font designates the size of the eye of a character, neglecting any risers or descenders.
• In horology, the term is used to distinguish the size and type of movement used within a timepiece.
• Colloquially, the term "high caliber" is used to refer to people or employees of great competence or ability.

This article is about building architecture. ... Electricity (from New Latin Ä“lectricus, amberlike) is a general term for a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. ... This article is in need of attention. ... Binomial name L. 19th century illustration The Olive (Olea europaea) is a species of small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean region, from Lebanon and the maritime parts of Asia Minor and northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea. ... Binomial name L. Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. ... Chicken egg (left) and quail eggs (right), the types of egg commonly used as food An egg is a body consisting of an ovum surrounded by layers of membranes and an outer casing of some type, which acts to nourish and protect a developing embryo. ... A specimen of roman typefaces by William Caslon Typography is the art and techniques of type design, modifying type glyphs, and arranging type. ... Horology is the study of the science and art of timekeeping devices. ... // Assembly comprising all the main parts of a watch, also used in building many forms of apparatus such as mechanical or electrical counters, switching-devices, bells and, in general, all small portable appliances whose functions are dependent on the division of time. ...

See also

• Gauge
• List of cartridges by caliber
• List of handgun cartridges
• List of rifle cartridges

The Gauge of a Shotgun is the diameter (caliber) of the barrel. ... .303 in. ... Common handgun cartridges. ... Left to Right: .17 HM2, .17 HMR, .22LR, .22 WMR, .17 SMc, 5mm/35 SMc, .22 Hornet, .223 Remington, .223 WSSM, .243 Winchester, .243 Winchester Improved (Ackley), .25-06, .270 Winchester, .308, .30-06, .45-70 Govt, .50-90 Sharps From left to right: .50 BMG, 300 Win Mag, .308...

References