In the interwar cruiser debate surrounding the London Naval Treaty, an eight-inch gun could reach farther on paper, but the practical range at which it could be aimed accurately was closer to that of a six-inch weapon. A six-inch cruiser could then put more shells into that usable engagement zone, especially against lightly protected treaty cruisers. Similar thinking encouraged rapid-fire cruiser concepts built around five-inch or comparable weapons for surface and air-defence work. Maximum range alone was therefore an incomplete measure of combat value.
Notable Point · 51:45-53:57
Effective range could matter more than maximum range
A gun's theoretical reach mattered less than the range at which available fire control could deliver hits, helping explain the Royal Navy's preference for rapid-firing six-inch cruisers.