What measurement is a caliber

[Magnum]

Well this may be a silly question but I cannot win this agument at work until I am sure of the answer. I feel sure that someone in the GTA shop will know:)
I am told that "caliber" is the smallest diameter of a barrel , I am saying caliber is the largest size of barrel because rifling/lands are not counted! So there I was, about to wager the cost of 2k pellets ....I am always needing free pellets lol.
               Then without warning someone pipes up and said that "caliber" is really  a term used for the length a cannon barrel  and that .22 is a measurement not technically a caliber just what people say sorta like kleenex and tissues..he is also willing wager!!! so now I'm thinking hmmm 4k free pellets, fortunately I had a emergency to tend to before a formal agreement,  which means i can now avoid both of them until ya'LL hopefully tell me what to do? Thanks , Tony

[imadogman]

Here is some reading for you....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caliber

[Magnum]

Great info there thankyou, no real answer it seems ...darn it :) So it looks like everyone will be buying there own pellets :( Oh well

[Leadhead]

If you read it again, It says that the caliber is measured in the grooves, not on the lands.............Maybe some free pellets after all.......

[gosciu555]

Magnum - 3/9/2009  9:00 PM
Then without warning someone pipes up and said that "caliber" is really  a term used for the length a cannon barrel  and that .22 is a measurement not technically a caliber just what people say sorta like kleenex and tissues..he is also willing wager!!! so now I'm thinking hmmm 4k free pellets, fortunately I had a emergency to tend to before a formal agreement,  which means i can now avoid both of them until ya'LL hopefully tell me what to do? Thanks , Tony

I think what your friend meant is that the barrel length can be measured in terms of caliber, for example" thats a 22 caliber howitzer" meaning the barrel length is 22x the caliber of the gun. Maybe he was a navy guy, from wiki:

"(In reference to naval guns, caliber is the ratio of the bore diameter to the length of barrel.)"

To answer your question, Wikipedia claims that its grooves (larger diameter) unless you're a weirdo like th British and do it by lands.

[Magnum]

Ya, I was looking at this part which seems like I would WIN,  but possibly grayish on the last part not sure?!  QUOTE (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.)


 I feel like I may win one and lose one so no gain and no glory! I really have learnt something on this subject who would of ever thought.

 2nd QUOTE
( 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.)

[Magnum]

Ahh  ya,  he is a Brit I'll remind him of where he is and the weirdo part too :) that way i will only bet with him and win .  Oh and I may suggest he bet with Navy  LOL.   Thanks I like that thinking, Tony.

[daved]

Hey, guys, be nice to the Brits, we have several members in good standing from the other side of the Pond :-).  Not to mention, they build some damn nice rifles, of consistently high "calibre", no matter how you measure it ;-)!  Later.

Dave

[gosciu555]

daved - 3/10/2009  12:16 AM

Hey, guys, be nice to the Brits, we have several members in good standing from the other side of the Pond :-).  Not to mention, they build some damn nice rifles, of consistently high "calibre", no matter how you measure it ;-)!  Later.

Dave

Nobody is knocking the Brits, its all in good humo(u)r.

[Magnum]

Oh , I did not mean to offend or imply anything all to the Brits its all in fun, Alex is a dear friend of more than 20 years ..we work, fish and shoot BSA 's together. Our bets are all just for fun, we will bet on many different things including the Ol' "one with smallest fish buys the gas" :)


Also thanks to everyone for there imput on this one, Tony.