“Whatcha got there?” Douglas said. “Twenty-two.”

[tesoke]

Hi, I cannot understand the meaning of the red part of the following sentence from “The Intruder Andre Dubus” by Andre Dubus. Would you please explain it to me? Thanks a lot.

“Whatcha got there?” Douglas said. “Twenty-two.” “Let’s see.” “Better dry it.” He briskly wiped it with a dry cloth and handed it to Douglas.

 

[bhaisahab]

It's a .22 calibre rifle.

 

[Amigos4]

It's a 2.2 calibre rifle.

Bhai, wouldn't a "twenty-two" caliber rifle be written as .22 instead of 2.2?

 

[SoothingDave]

It is .22. The diameter of the bullet is (more or less) 0.22 inches.

 

[bhaisahab]

Yes it should be .22. Sorry slip of the typing fingers.