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Can someone school me on the different shotgun gauges?
- Thread starter elloco07
- Start date
I was watching Shooting USA last week and they were doing a ballistic penetration show. The 12ga #00 buck rounds (hot personal defense loads) were going through I think 8-9 1/2 inch boards. They set up a target consisting of 2 sheet rock walls (4 pieces of sheetrock) and the buckshot blew through it and obliterated the target behind the 2 walls. At I think 15 feet, the buckshot performed almost exactly like a slug. The show really opened my eyes to the penetration power of shotguns. My general purpose shotgun is a 20ga 870 with 18 and 28 inch barrels - a good all around gun...
All kinds of stuff. They are quite versatile for sporting, hunting, and defensive purposes. In fact most of the settlers in the old west could generally afford only one weapon. Most of the time it was a shotgun.
Like any other gun, the longer the barrel the higher the velocity given the same ammo. Long barrels aren't really convenient when trying to go down hallways and clear your house in case of an event. Short barrels aren't very good for taking a duck or goose at long distance...
Shotgun shells vary in that 2 3/4 in all gauges are approximately the same velocity/power, the only difference is the amount of shot or weight of a slug. Magnum shells, 3-3 1/2 are basically more powder/power with a corresponding amount of shot or heavier slug. Number 6 shot out of a .410 is near the same velocity as number 6 shot out of a 12 gauge, the difference is how much shot is in the shell. They call "BUCK SHOT" Buck for a reason, it is widely used to hunt deer where carefully aimed shots are not the norm, such as hunting in close cover or with dogs.
The reason a 16 gauge fell out of use is primarily because it was not as good as a 12 gauge 2 3/4 and a 20 gauge magnum did as well as or better in performance. It was a sort of "tween" round before 3" magnum rounds were widely available. A good quality shotgun is one of the most versatile guns that exist. The only problem with it is that the shells are larger and heavier than rifle ammo if you need larger quantities to be carried and the range that a shotgun is effective is much shorter than a rifle. Shooting 3" can punish your shoulder in some guns and recoil in any shotgun is incumbent on the design of the stock and action. A gas operated action will have less felt recoil than a pump, a single shot will usually have the most felt recoil because of the lack of weight and stock design.
The reason a 16 gauge fell out of use is primarily because it was not as good as a 12 gauge 2 3/4 and a 20 gauge magnum did as well as or better in performance. It was a sort of "tween" round before 3" magnum rounds were widely available. A good quality shotgun is one of the most versatile guns that exist. The only problem with it is that the shells are larger and heavier than rifle ammo if you need larger quantities to be carried and the range that a shotgun is effective is much shorter than a rifle. Shooting 3" can punish your shoulder in some guns and recoil in any shotgun is incumbent on the design of the stock and action. A gas operated action will have less felt recoil than a pump, a single shot will usually have the most felt recoil because of the lack of weight and stock design.
OP mentioned Mossberg 88 and first thing that popped in my mind is "boat paddle"!
To the OP:
What you will notice when you start looking is the manufacturers are making shotguns to fit certain price ranges. For instance, the Mossbery/Maverick model 88 is typcially in the $150-$180 range while the 500 is Mossbery's $300 gun. Remington's pump, the 870, is similar in that the Express model is its $300-350 gun while the old standard, the Wingmaster, is the $600 and up gun. By the way, some company like H&R makes a pump based upon the 870 design for less than $200. The major differences between levels are the innards.
To the OP:
What you will notice when you start looking is the manufacturers are making shotguns to fit certain price ranges. For instance, the Mossbery/Maverick model 88 is typcially in the $150-$180 range while the 500 is Mossbery's $300 gun. Remington's pump, the 870, is similar in that the Express model is its $300-350 gun while the old standard, the Wingmaster, is the $600 and up gun. By the way, some company like H&R makes a pump based upon the 870 design for less than $200. The major differences between levels are the innards.
Damit i didn't know they made one, but now i gotta have a 4 gauge
You can have it, did you see the size of that shell I wouldnt shoot it for anything, that thing will take your sholder off.
Excellent explanation of "Gauge"...and let's all remember that the .410 is the BORE of the shotgun--It's really something like 67 GAUGE...
My first--and ONLY--Mulit-lingual joke was at the '96 Olympics on this very subject...I was at Tom Lowe Shooting Grounds watching one of the Clay Target Events, and a German--who spoke NO English--Had asked a Swedish Spectator where "Gauge" came from...the Swede, who spoke BOTH English & German, asked me...I explained the "Technical" aspect of the "Gauge" system, and ADDED that it was an Archaic System devised by the English to CONFOUND the REST of the World! The Swede BROKE UP immediately, & the German Cracked Up as soon as the Swede TRANSLATED it into German for him!
"Good Times", INDEED!...
....mikey357
