Editing Caliber (section)

==As a measurement of length==
{{Main|Caliber (artillery)#Barrel length}}
The term caliber is used as a measure of length of [[artillery]] barrels from muzzle to breech, expressed as a multiple of the bore diameter.  For example, a 4-inch gun of 50 calibers would have a barrel 4&nbsp;in  × 50 = 200&nbsp;in long (written as 4" L/50 or 4"/50).  A 16-inch gun of 50 calibers (16" L/50) has a barrel length of 50 × 16 = {{convert|800|in|ftin}}.

Both 14-in and 16-in navy guns were common in World War II.  The British Royal Navy insisted on 50-cal guns on ships as it would allow {{convert|1,900|to|2,700|lb|kg|abbr=on}} shells to travel at an initial velocity of up to 1,800&nbsp;mph (2,897&nbsp;km/h) to a distance of 26&nbsp;mi (42&nbsp;km).{{citation needed|date=December 2014}}