Decimals, Calibers, and Weapon Dimensions
Numbers
Rulebase Summary
Decimals are expressed as figures. When no whole number precedes the decimal point, a cipher (zero) should be placed before it so the decimal is not overlooked (0.5, not .5).
Examples
A. The measurement was .75 centimeters off.
A. The measurement was 0.75 centimeters off.
Place a cipher before the decimal point when no whole number precedes it.
A. He was carrying a 0.45-caliber handgun.
A. He was carrying a .45-caliber handgun.
Do not place a cipher before the decimal for gun calibrations.
Transcript Notes
Writing calibers, gauges, and other weapon dimensions has several exceptions. Do not use the cipher before the decimal with gun calibrations. The gauge of shotguns is not written with a decimal. The .410 shotgun is a caliber (spoken as 'four-ten'). No space, decimal, or hyphen is used with mm (millimeter) when it relates to weapons and film. For transcript style, spelling out 'millimeter' and using the hyphen in compound adjectives seems to make the record clearer.
Style Guide References (2)
Morson's
BGGP