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Old 03-28-2009, 01:49 PM   #3
Pistolenschutze
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Default Re: 5" guns on ships

Quote:
Originally Posted by hkruss View Post
Someone explain this to me please. I have read where 5" guns are sometimes referred to as being .38 caliber. Here is where my ignorance kicks in! When I think of .38 caliber, I think of the pistol. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't a 5" round somewhat larger than a .38 pistol round?!!
O.K., all kidding aside, how does the .38 caliber designation relate to a 5" gun?
Actually, Russ, it's pretty simple. A designation such as a 5" 38 means that the bore of the piece is 5 inches, and the length of that barrel is 38 times the bore dimension. So, for a 5" 38, the gun would fire a 5" diameter shell through a barrel of 190 inches, or 15.83 feet.
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