The term caliber or calibre designates the interior diameter of a tube or the exterior diameter of a wire or rod. Geometry, a diameter of a Circle is any straight Line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose Endpoints are on the It comes from the Italian calibro, itself from qālib (قالب), Arabic word for mold. Molding is the process of Manufacturing by shaping pliable raw material using a rigid frame or model called a pattern.

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. A firearm is a Tool that projects either single or multiple Projectiles at high velocity through a controlled explosion For the fictional characters see Gunbarrel (Transformers. A gun barrel is the tube usually Metal, through which a controlled Explosion

Contents 1 Firearms 1.1 Cartridge naming conventions 1.2 Caliber as measurement of length 1.3 Alternative measurements of bore 1.4 Metric vs Inch 2 Aviation bombs - Airplanes 3 Other uses 4 See also 5 References

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 refers to the Helix -shaped pattern in the barrel of a Firearm, which imparts a spin to a Projectile around its long axis This is very important when handloading, as the bullet should closely match the groove diameter of the barrel to ensure a good seal. Handloading or reloading is the process of loading Firearm cartridges or shotgun shells by assembling the individual components (case/shotshell

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 caliber".

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 . A cartridge (also known as a "round" packages the Bullet, Gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the 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 . A rimfire is a type of Firearm cartridge. It is called a rimfire because instead of the Firing pin striking the primer cap at the center of the base 22 caliber projectile.

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. The Spencer repeating rifle was a manually operated Lever-action, Repeating rifle fed from a tube magazine with cartridges Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South It was named based on the chamber dimensions, rather than the bore diameter, 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. A wildcat cartridge, or wildcat, is a custom cartridge for which Ammunition and Firearms are not mass produced 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.

Other early black powder era cartridges used a similar looking naming scheme, but measured entirely different characteristics. Gunpowder is a an explosive mixture of Sulfur, Charcoal and Potassium nitrate (also known as saltpetre/saltpeter that burns rapidly producing volumes This scheme was far more popular, and was used into the advent of early smokeless powder cartridges. Gunpowder is a an explosive mixture of Sulfur, Charcoal and Potassium nitrate (also known as saltpetre/saltpeter that burns rapidly producing volumes The cartridge would be described by the bullet diameter, in hundredths of an inch, and the powder charge in grains. In many cultures a grain is a unit of measurement of Mass that is based upon the mass of a single seed of a typical Cereal. Some of these cartridges remain popular today, such as the .45-70, . 44-40, and .30-30 Winchester.

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).

Metric calibres for small arms are usually expressed with an "x" between the width and the length, for example, 7.62x51 NATO. The 762x51mm NATO is a Rifle cartridge developed in the 1950s as a standard firearm cartridge among NATO countries 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. 65x55mm or 65x55mm SE ( CIP) (also known as 65x55mm Krag, 65x55mm Swedish Mauser or 65x55mm Mauser) is a Rifle 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 similar to (but should not be considered interchangeable with) the 7. 62x51 mm NATO cartridge, is measured across the grooves, and uses a . 308" diameter (7. 62 mm) bullet. An exception to this rule are the proprietary cartridges used by US maker Lazzaroni, which are named based on the groove diameter in millimeters, such as 7. 82 Warbird. ^[1][2]

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 . The term Express was first applied to hunting rifles and ammunition beginning in the middle 1800s to indicate a rifle or ammunition capable of higher than typical velocities 80 caliber. In the middle of the 19th century, muskets and muzzle-loading rifles were . A musket is a muzzle -loaded Smoothbore Long gun, which is intended to be fired from the shoulder A rifle is a Firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves ("rifling" cut into the barrel walls 58 caliber or larger; the Brown Bess flintlock, for example, had a bore diameter of about . Brown Bess is a nickname of unknown origin for the British Army 's Land Pattern Musket and its derivatives Flintlock is the general term for any Firearm based on the flintlock mechanism 75 caliber (19 mm). Paintball guns (or "markers") are typically . Paintball is a sport in which players eliminate opponents from play by hitting them with dye-filled breakable oil and gelatin paintballs usually shot from a carbon dioxide or compressed-gas 68 caliber (17 mm).

Caliber as measurement of length

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. The muzzle of a Firearm is the end of the barrel from which the Projectile will exit As an example, the main guns of the Iowa class battleships can be referred to as 16"/50 caliber. History The Iowa -class battleships were shaped by the Battle of Jutland, by naval treaties signed by various countries during the 1920s and 1930s and by the 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. The Panther ( was a Tank fielded by Germany in World War II that served from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945

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 or bore of a Shotgun or Rifle is a unit of measurement used to express the Diameter of the barrel. 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). Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages 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. A shotgun shell (shotshell is a self-contained cartridge loaded with shot or a slug designed to be fired from a Shotgun.

Metric vs Inch

The following table lists some commonly used calibers with their metric and inch equivalents. Some calibers appear more than once; due to variations in naming conventions, as well as whims of the creator of various cartridges, bullet diameters can vary quite widely from the diameter implied by the name. For example, the . 38 caliber cartridges in particular vary quite a bit, covering a range of approximately 0. 045 inches (1. 15 mm) from smallest to largest bullet diameter.

Common calibers in inch and their metric equivalents ^[3][4][5][6]

US caliber	Metric Equivalent	Typical Actual Bullet Dia.	Common cartridges	Notes
. 17	4.4 mm	. This article lists Firearm cartridges which have a bullet in the. 172	.17 Remington, .17 HMR
. 177	4.5 mm	. This article lists Firearm cartridges which have a bullet in the. 177 lead, . 175 BB	Airgun and BB gun . "Air rifle" and "Air pistol" redirect here For other uses see Air gun (disambiguation An air gun ( air rifle BB guns are a type of Air gun designed to shoot projectiles called BB after the Birdshot pellet of approximately the same size 177 caliber
. 20, . 204	5 mm	. This article lists Firearm cartridges which have a bullet in the 5 mm ( 204	.204 Ruger
. 22, . 218, . 219 . 220, . 221, . 222, . 223, . 224, . 225, . 226	5. 5, 5. 56, 5. 7 mm	. 223-. 224	.22 Long Rifle, .223 Remington (5. 56mm NATO), 5.7 x 28 mm
. The 57x28 mm cartridge is a small caliber cartridge for Pistols Submachine guns Personal defense weapons and Carbines developed by 228	none	. 228	. 228 Ackley Magnum	Bullets formerly available from Barnes, in heavily constructed 70 and 90 grain weights for medium game use
. 24	6 mm	. This article lists Firearm cartridges which have a bullet Caliber between 6 mm ( 243	.243 Winchester, 6 mm Remington, 6mm plastic BBs
. 25	6. 5 mm	. 257, 6. 527 mm	.257 Roberts, .25-06 Remington	typical 25 cal, not normally called 6. 5
. 26	6. 5 mm	. 264, 6. 7 mm	6.5 x 55 mm	cartridges commonly known as 6. 65x55mm or 65x55mm SE ( CIP) (also known as 65x55mm Krag, 65x55mm Swedish Mauser or 65x55mm Mauser) is a Rifle 5
. 27	6. 8 mm, 7 mm	. 277, 7. 035 mm	.270 Winchester, 6.8 SPC	not called 7 mm
. The 68 mm Remington SPC (or 68x43mm is a new Rifle cartridge that was developed with collaboration from individual members of US SOCOM. 28	7 mm	. This article lists Firearm cartridges which have a bullet in the 7 mm ( 284, 7. 213 mm	7 mm Remington Magnum, 7 x 57 mm	commonly called 7 mm
. The 7 mm Remington Magnum rifle cartridge was introduced as a commercially available round in 1962 along with the new Remington Model 700 Bolt action rifle The 7x57mm cartridge, also known as the 7 mm Mauser, 7x57mm Mauser, 7 mm Spanish Mauser in the USA and. 30	7. 62 mm	. 308	30-06 .308 Winchester (7. 62mm NATO)	American ". 30 caliber"
. 30	7. 62 mm	. 311	.303 British, 7.62x39	Other ". The Soviet 762x39mm rifle cartridge was designed during World War II and first used in the SKS Carbine. 30 caliber"
. 32, . 327	7. 65 mm	. 309 - . 312	.32 ACP, .32 S&W, .327 Federal Magnum	. 32 caliber handgun cartridges
. 32, . 325	8 mm	. This article lists Firearm cartridges which have a bullet in the 8 mm ( 323	.325 WSM, 8 mm Remington Magnum	. The 8 mm Remington Magnum belted Rifle cartridge was introduced by Remington Arms Company in 1978 as a new chambering for the model 700 32 caliber rifle cartridges
. 38, . 357, . 35	9 mm	. This article lists Firearm cartridges which have a bullet in the 9 mm ( 355-. 357	.38 Special, .357 Magnum, .35 Remington	Generally . 357 for revolvers and rifles, . 355 in autoloaders
. 38	10 mm	. 400	.38-40	Old black powder cartridge
. 40	10 mm	. 400	.40 S&W, 10 mm Auto
. 404	10. 25 mm	. 423	.404 Jeffery
. 405	10. 75 mm	. 411	.405 Winchester
. 41	10. 25 mm	. 410	.41 Magnum .41 Action Express
. 416	10. 6 mm	. 416	.416 Rigby
. 44	10. 8 mm	. 427 - . 430	.44 Magnum
. 45	11.45 mm	. 451-. 452	.45 ACP	Handgun . 45 calibers, . 451 autos and . 452 in revolvers
. 45	11. 6 mm	. 458	.45-70 Government	Most rifle . 45 calibers
. 454	11. 53 mm	. 454	.454 Casull	Once considered a wildcat cartridge, becoming more common
. A wildcat cartridge, or wildcat, is a custom cartridge for which Ammunition and Firearms are not mass produced 458, . 46	11. 6 mm	. 458	.460 Weatherby, .458 Winchester Magnum
. 475, . 480	12 mm	. 475	.480 Ruger, .475 Linebaugh
. 50	12. 7 mm	. 50	.50 AE, .500 S&W, .50 Beowulf	Desert Eagle, S&W X-Frame, Alexander Arms . The Desert Eagle is a large caliber gas-operated Semi-automatic pistol manufactured primarily in Israel by IMI ( Israel Military Industries, The Smith & Wesson Model 500 is a five-shot Double-action Revolver produced by Smith & Wesson, firing the. 50 Beowulf
. 50	12. 7 mm	. 510	.50 BMG, 12.7 x 108 mm	M2 Browning machine gun and other heavy machine guns, long range rifles typified by Barrett Firearms Company products
. This article is about the.50 caliber M2 machine gun For the.30-06 M2 machine gun see M1919 Browning machine gun. The Barrett Firearms Company was founded in 1982 by Ronnie Barrett. 68	17. 5 mm	. 683-. 696	. 689 Caliber Paintball Guns	Typically . 689 Caliber, not called 17. 5mm

Calibers outside the range of . 17 to . 50 (4. 5 to 12. 7 mm) do exist, but are rarely encountered. Wildcat cartridges, for example, can be found in . A wildcat cartridge, or wildcat, is a custom cartridge for which Ammunition and Firearms are not mass produced 10, . 12, and . 14 caliber (2. 5, 3. 0, 3. 6 mm), typically used for short range varmint hunting where the high velocity, lightweight bullets provide devastating terminal ballistics with little risk of ricochet. For the video game see Country Varmint Hunter. Varmint hunting is the practice of Hunting Vermin, generally small mammals targeted as a Terminal ballistics, a sub-field of Ballistics, is the study of the behavior of a Projectile when it hits its target Larger calibers, such as . 577, . 585, . 600, . 700, and . 729 (14. 7, 14. 9, 15. 2, 17. 8, 18. 5 mm) are generally found in proprietary cartridges chambered in express rifles or similar guns intended for use on dangerous game. The term Express was first applied to hunting rifles and ammunition beginning in the middle 1800s to indicate a rifle or ammunition capable of higher than typical velocities ^[7]

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. The term architecture (from Greek αρχιτεκτονικήarchitektoniki) can be used to mean a process a profession or documentation
• 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. Seamanship is the art of operating a ship or boat It involves a knowledge of a variety of topics and development of specialised skills including Navigation and international
• Agricultural produce is also often ranked by caliber (diameter), for instance olives, peas or eggs. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture The Olive ( Olea europaea) is a Species of small Tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern A pea (inaccurately called a '''sweet pea''' by food distubutors is most commonly the small spherical Seed or the seed-pod of the Legume Pisum An egg is a round or oval body laid by the female of many animals consisting of an Ovum surrounded by layers of Membranes and an outer casing which acts to nourish
• In typography, the caliber of a font designates the size of the eye of a character, neglecting any risers or descenders. Typography is the art and techniques of arranging type, Type design, and modifying type Glyphs Type glyphs are created and modified using a variety
• In horology, the term is used to distinguish the size and type of movement used within a timepiece. Horology (from Greek ώρα, "hour time" and λόγος Logos, "study speech" lit In Horology, a movement is the internal mechanism of a Clock or Watch, as opposed to the case, which encloses and protects the movement and
• In medicine, the caliber of a tube in the body, for example the colon, is its diameter. Medicine is the art and science of healing It encompasses a range of Health care practices evolved to maintain and restore Human Health by the
• Colloquially, the term "high caliber" is used to refer to people or employees of great competence or ability.

See also

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

References

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