38 Caliber Weapons

The 38 caliber weapon uses ammunition that is .38 of an inch in diameter. There are many military weapons which use this caliber ammunition. For example, the Mark 12 5" 38 caliber gun is used by the United States Navy. This type of gun uses a 38 caliber bullet, which is mid size when it comes to ammunition. Although weapons that use this caliber of ammunition may not be able to inflict as much damage as larger caliber ammunition would, they tend to be more reliable.

The Mark 38 caliber gun used by the United States navy is generally mounted to ships. The manner in which the weapon is mounted , determines the manner in which the weapon can be maneuvered. For instance, weapons mounted in certain areas of the ship, may only be maneuvered a certain amount, while others have full range of motion and can be used in a full circle of motion. Dual purpose mounts can be used to fire at targets in the air, as well as targets on the ground or at water level. However, single purpose mounts may only be used for targets at one level.

Different caliber ammunition may be of differing lengths. For instance, the Mark 12 5"/38 caliber gun's ammunition is 5 inches in length but is a 38 caliber ammunition. There can be 38 caliber ammunition that is quite small, to ammunition which is quite long. The caliber simply measures the diameter of the ammunition.