Would very heavy shells stop the race towards bigger guns?

Would the weight of 18-inch shells prevent navies pursuing still larger guns?

Heavy shells are a real drawback, but a prestige race could still produce ships with extremely large guns while the rest of the fleet remained more practical.

Germany could leave the race in fleet numbers while continuing to compete over the quality of individual ships. Such a contest would reward visible technical achievements and status. Heavy 18-inch shells would make further growth awkward, yet a prestige project might still reach 22-inch guns. That is an extreme possibility for a showpiece, with the rest of a navy's ships remaining more practical.