The metre (or meter; US spelling) is the SI base unit of length and uses the symbol m.
Originally defined in 1793 as one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the North Pole but was redefined in 1799 in terms of a prototyped metre bar (this bar was changed again in 1889).
In 1983 the current definition was adopted and it is now the most common unit in any property in the world and is used in thousands of formulae to describe countless characteristics.
Let's hear it for the metre!
The caliber is a unit of length based on the inch (imperial units) and uses the symbol cl.
It represents the internal diameter of a gun barrel and therefore more often than not, the size of the ammunition or round that gun requires to fire.
It is not always represented or converted exactly in inches so a table or "well-known" conversions are often used to depict measurements / ammo types instead.