What does the 12 stand for in 12-gauge?

The '12' in 12 bore is not as you might expect a unit of length but a division of weight. The 12 refers to a 12th of 1 pound of lead or more specifically a pound of lead can be turned into twelve balls of equal size that equate to the barrel diameter of what we know as a 12-bore (0.729").


What does the 12 mean in 12-gauge?

"12-gauge" means you can make 12 lead balls, each of equal diameter to the gun barrel, out of 1 pound of lead. This originated in the days when you would buy lead by the pound to make your own ammo. The gauge told you how many rounds you could make for the gun from 1 pound of lead.

What does gauge mean in 12-gauge?

The gauge (or commonly bore in British English) of a firearm is a unit of measurement used to express the inner diameter (bore diameter) of the barrel. Gauge. From left to right; a .45 ACP, a .410 bore shotshell, a 20-gauge shotshell, and a 12-gauge shotshell. Type. Shotgun.


Why is 12-gauge bigger than 20?

In a 20 gauge, it will take 20 balls of equal size and weight to equal one pound of shot. Because the individual pieces contained within a shotshell are bigger in a 12 gauge than in a 20 gauge, 12 is bigger than 20.

What caliber is 12-gauge?

Each gauge has a set caliber. By far the most common gauges are 12 (0.729 in, 18.5 mm diameter) and 20 (0.614 in, 15.6 mm), although 67 (.410 in diameter), 32, 28, 24, 16, and 10 (19.7 mm) gauge also exist. Different gauges have different typical applications.


Shotgun Gauges Explained - Shotguns 101 #3



What's the strongest gauge shotgun?

10 gauge - A heavy firearm with a forceful recoil, the 10 gauge is the largest legal shotgun in the United States. It's not as popular as it once used to be, though it is still in use. It's used primarily for hunting waterfowl, such as goose and duck.

Can you shoot 20 gauge in 12-gauge?

Smaller shotshells (such as 20-gauge shells), if mistakenly fed into a 12-gauge gun, will slip past the chamber and lodge in the barrel, causing serious personal injury or gun damage if a 12-gauge shell is loaded and fired.

What is a 410 shotgun good for?

Shotguns in . 410 loaded with shot shells are well suited for small game hunting and pest control; including rabbits, squirrels, snakes, rats, and birds. A . 410 loaded with 1/4 ounce slugs is effective against larger animals such as coyotes and deer.


What is the largest shotgun ever made?

Biggest Shotgun Ever: Irish Tom

The gun weighs 300 pounds and is just over 14 feet long. It can shoot 50 ounces of shot. For reference, the largest modern turkey shotshells typically shoot a 2-ounce payload.

What gauge is 410 shotgun?

410-bore shotgun is the only exception to the gauge designation for shotguns. It has an actual bore diameter of 410/1000ths of an inch, which is approximately equivalent to a 67½ gauge.

What's more powerful 10 gauge or 12-gauge?

It should be mentioned that when compared using the closest equivalent shotshell, a 10 gauge has slightly more stopping power than a 12 gauge at longer ranges due to the larger payload of the shell because of the larger 10ga shotgun bore.


Why is 10 gauge better than 12?

The 10-Gauge Advantage

775-bore whereas 12s have around . 729), which makes it capable of shooting larger size shot than a 12. It also makes it more deadly at distance because the wider bore allows 10-gauge pellets to arrive at the target all at once.

Why is it called 16-gauge?

The 1″ thickness of the steel was measured in diminishing fractions such as 1/14″ thick, 1/16″ thick, 1/20″ thick, and so on. The bottom number of the fraction became an easy identifier and eventually was adopted as the “gauge number.” Thus, 1/16″ became 16 gauge and 1/20″ became 20 gauge.

Why is it called 12 bore?

The '12' in 12 bore is not as you might expect a unit of length but a division of weight. The 12 refers to a 12th of 1 pound of lead or more specifically a pound of lead can be turned into twelve balls of equal size that equate to the barrel diameter of what we know as a 12-bore (0.729").


What is the strongest 12 gauge?

Jeff from TAOFLEDERMAUS is back with an all new shotgun slug test. For this video he's working with the Slap Shot PHD 12 gauge slugs, which are supposed to have a muzzle velocity of 3,000 fps.

Does the military use 12 gauge?

The most common type of ammunition used in combat shotguns, whether for military or law enforcement purposes, is buckshot, typically a 70 mm (2 3⁄4 inch) 12-gauge shell loaded with nine hardened 00 buckshot, with a diameter of about 8.4 mm (.

What is the number 1 shotgun?

Best Shotguns
  • Best Pump Action – Benelli SuperNova.
  • Best Multi-Cal Shotgun – Mossberg 500.
  • Best Semi-Auto Shotgun – Beretta 1301.
  • Best Bullpup Shotgun – SRM 1216.
  • Best Double Barrel – Beretta DT11.
  • Best Budget Shotgun – Mossberg Maverick 88.
  • Best Lever Shotgun – Henry Lever Action Shotgun.


What shotgun was John Wick using?

Wick's heavier firepower doesn't end there, he also uses some top-tier shotguns. In the first movie, he is shown using a Kel-Tec KSG pump-action shotgun. The KSG features dual magazine tubes, making it one of the highest capacity pump-action shotguns around. The Kel-Tec KSG is a truly unique pump-action shotgun.

What is the oldest shotgun in the world?

The earliest shotguns, or “Haile Shotte peics,” as they were called, date back to the 16th century in England, where they were used for hunting by the aristocracy, chief among them Henry VIII. These were multiple shot firearms and were used primarily for hunting birds.

Will a 410 stop an intruder?

The pellets stopped at distances between 4" to 8.5" in the gel block with the majority of pellets stopping somewhere between 4.5" to 6.5". This is well below the FBI's 12” minimum. Being peppered with this . 410 birdshot load would be an excruciatingly painful wake up call, even for an assailant wearing thick clothing.


What's better 410 or 20-gauge?

On average, the full choke . 410 shot about 88 percent patterns at 30 yards, while the 20-gauge shot around 85 percent. The higher pellet count and larger powder load of the 20 combined to put more pellets in the 30-inch circle than the . 410.

Why would a hunter choose a shotgun with slugs instead of a rifle?

The most common reason to use a slug gun, a shotgun equipped for shooting solid projectiles, is because you are hunting in an area where high-powered rifles are not allowed. Shotgun-only zones are found all across the Midwest, including states like Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Illinois and many others.

What happens if you put the wrong bullet in a rifle?

Smaller shotshells (such as 20-gauge shells), if mistakenly fed into a 12-gauge gun, will slip past the chamber and lodge in the barrel, causing serious personal injury or gun damage if a 12-gauge shell is loaded and fired.


How far can a .22 bullet travel?

22 LR bullet is capable of traveling 2,000 yards (1,800 m), which is more than 1 mile (1.6 km). Rimfire bullets are generally either plain lead with a wax coating (for standard-velocity loads) or plated with copper or gilding metal (for high-velocity or hyper-velocity loads).
Previous question
Should I worry if HPV positive?