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http://www.military.cz/british/air/war/other/walrus/walrus_en.htm

Radek V. on 2.10.2007 14:06:17
Well, you are right, but calibre 0.303 is in metric 7,6962mm, so the 7,7mm is quite accurate. 7,7mm is for more than 80 years usual equivalent of 0.303 calibre in all European literature for British rifles and machine guns. In fact it is British fault that they use name 0.303 for 0.311 (7,8994mm). For general aplications (description of aircraft armament) is not necessary to explain, that 7,7mm is in fact 7,9mm, because British empire used fault marking.

Richard on 28.9.2007 20:02:25
I note, that in common with many publications these days, that you refer to the calibre of British rifle calibre weapons as being 7.7mm. This is not correct, they are .303. In American parlance this calibre is often called .303 British, as it is a different design to the American .303 Savage.

To merely refer to a calibre by a nominal barrel diameter is false and can be misleading. For example, the barrel diameter of SW .38, SW .38 special, SW .357 magnum, Browning .380 (aka 9mm short), 9mm parabellum (Luger) and 9mm Mauser are all 9mm or .357, but are not interchangable with each other. The only way to refer to the calibre is to give the full designation, not some invented metric equivalent. The nominal size of .303 is merely that, nominal, and the barrel and bullet diameter is in fact nearer to 7.85mm.

I hope you do not take this comment the wrong way, but accuracy in publication is surely in everyones interest, especially as many people use the internet as a primary source of facts these days.